After a second stop, I'm confident with my three star review. There have been some major updates to the dining space -- the high tops with barstools are gone, so it's much more comfortable and spacious in there now! The paella, however, is not in any real sense paella. The main characteristic of paella is that it is cooked in such a hot vessel that the rice on the bottom becomes crispy, and the flavors of the different ingredients mingle. As you stir and eat, there are all kinds of textural contrasts, to which the crispy rice is key. (In this way, it's like Korean stone pot bibimbap.) In bocado's version, it's very clear the the ingredients -- rice, sea food, sausage -- are clearly cooked separately. The mussels and clams are steamed in water, not in a bubbling broth, and none of the flavors really come together. The worst part is that this leaves the rice bland and uniformly cooked--there are no crisp bits. I still think this is a good place to go and get tapas, if a hair on the expensive side. I wouldn't opt for the paella again.
(3)
Alexandra O.
so I've been to Bocado twice now, and I've been impressed twice. I was very skeptical of the fact it was on Valley St. However, thy have valet (which I highly recommend), and it's just off the highway or bottom of federal hill per say. The food is AMAZING! And the bartenders know their shit. The wine flights are great, paella is super authentic. A few of my favorite tapas are the octopus, lamb chops, Kobe sliders, and honestly anything it all comes out great. DO NOT forget to grab a churro, they are home made and amazing !!
(5)
Peter B.
The concept was intriguing but the practice was uninspiring. I loved the converted mill setting. The open kitchen on the far side of the room and the flowing bar down the right side were visually pleasing. Here's what I didn't like about Bocado. I noticed the waitstaff spending an unusually long time at each table trying to explain how the menu works. Note to restauranteurs: If it takes your staff more than 1 minute to explain how to read a menu...you need a new menu. The service was below what I consider to be acceptable standard. The waitress assigned to our table was very pleasant but she was stretched way too thin and barely gave us any attention. We received our drinks nearly 15 minutes after we ordered them. Meanwhile, we listened to the woman sitting at the table next to us specifically question the waitress as to the presence of any glutens in the dishes she was interested in ordering. The waitress assured her that the items were gluten-free. 30 minutes later, the woman was in the bathroom, severely ill. Upon returning, the waitress confessed that one of the dishes did, in fact, have gluten. She offered to remove ONLY THAT ITEM from the bill! My wife and I shared 5 tapas dishes. Only 1 of them we considered to be very good. The other four were bland and underseasoned. I cannot see us returning to Bocado with so many other outstanding options in the Providence area.
(1)
Eva W.
It's just ok, based on my reviews of food (see below) and ambiance (although that depends on what you are looking for). There are much better 4 and 5 yelp star eateries in the area (easy entertaining for lunch, Justine's for a drink, Nicks or Julian's for dinner, and Flan if you must have tapas). I've eaten here 4 times, and the food is so variable. Much of it is bland, masked in cheese or overly fried, and I've had two dishes that I honestly should have sent back (Chilean sea bass cheeks--one of the most expensive on the menu--consistency like rubber & a palm of hearts salad in which many of the veggies had browned). The presentation is fine. It may be good for you if you enjoy a heavily meat and potato and fried food based menu, and you know? I consider going for a cheese platter and wine, but I always opt elsewhere because of the multiple large screen TVs. I don't want my semi-fine dining experience and chill ambiance to be mixed up in a sports bar.
(3)
Arelis L.
Great menu. Many different plates style dinner. Water knew all his dishes. The food was great and drinks are tasty
(4)
Mark D.
It is a great spot, decor is exciting, seats comfortable, and staff attentive. The wine list is extensive and a good place to expand you knowledge of Spanish wine. This is a first visit and they are relatively new to Providence. The tapas were good but not exceptional, and arrived to quickly to have been prepared a la minute, for us. The most disappointing was tuna dish, it was cook correct , but prepared earlier and just sliced for us . It's so much better when you have a cold center and warm seared exterior . So I will return to see if they work the kinks out of there kitchen.
(3)
Kameron S.
I wanted to like this place way more than I did. Everything I read on the menu sounded amazing, but fell a bit short in execution. I think the problem was I kept comparing the dishes to other restaurants that have similar items. All of the tapas we ordered I have had something similar and better at Flan downtown. The paella was also subpar and is way better at Los Andes on Chalkstone. I guess if you haven't been to either of those oher restaurants for similar fare, the food is ok. The service was excellent and the best thing we ate was the fried goat cheese appetizer.
(3)
Aja C.
This is BY FAR one of my favorite places to go! If you're a fan of tapas you will be extremely impressed with their wide selection of both cold and hot apps. They always have amazing groupon deals, monthly specials, and wine pairing nights on the last thurs of every month. I go there at least once a month but try to go more. They also have an extremely extensive Spanish wine selection which you can also get in flights to try 3 different wines at a time. The staff is always friendly and knowledgable and the food comes out fast. Great place for a fun date or a large group. Wouldn't really recommend bringing children here unless they have a more extensive pallet. All around delish!
(5)
Bruce K.
3.5 would be best rating $7 sangria was a bit grape juicy Staff was friendly We had a tasty grilled octopus with potatoes Pork meatballs were very good and good portion Asparagus and shrimp at $7 tasted good but the portion was very small(even for tapas) four tiny shrimp and about 1 1/2 spears of asparagus chopped up. Manchego served with bread was good as well Bill for two came to $48 including drinks and was enough food : they have a price fixed dinner which includes tapas and a large plate or paella for $75 for two people which seemed to be too much food for two: couple sitting next to us did not finish the paella course but did give it high marks. Atmosphere is hip; parking lot across the street is convenient; as neighborhood is not great
(3)
Amelia S.
Let me start by saying that we brought a large group here (11) so it's always difficult to make everyone happy! I really had no idea what to expect and we didn't arrive until about 8:15 and I was already hungry. We were promptly seated-- and began the experience. I was super overwhelmed, as I usually am at these kinds of places. Other friends stepped in and did all the ordering. LOVED the fried goat cheese and charcuterie platter! I could have eaten that all night. I tried the octopus but I wasn't sold. The food was good, just not great. The sangria was good, just not great. Everything was good, just not great. I wouldn't run back here but I wouldn't not go at all either.
(3)
Shar A.
I was pleasantly surprised by this restaurant. There are tons of unique tapas to choose from and they do paella's as well. Great place to do wine tasting while eating, my favorite! They do wine flights, custom if you want. I love how you can order a few tapas and wine, then decide if you want more along the way. I didn't care for the paella, but everything else was flavorful and exceeded my expectations. I'll definitely go back, maybe even as a large group.
(4)
Robert S.
I had visited the Worcester location about a year ago and I was excited to try the new Providence location. The Groupon offer (Dinner for 2 @ $49) was a good way to check the place out. This is my feedback on the dining experience: - PHEASANT SAUSAGE with cognac Excellent, nice flavor, good texture. - LOMO EMBUCHADO (house cured pork loin, spiced with paprika) Excellent, thinly sliced, great tasting... - CHULETAS DE CORDERO (grilled lollipop lamb chops with rosemary mustard oil) Good but a bit bland and gamey tasting. Lots of fat sections - HAMBURGUESAS DE GAMBAS (twin mini shrimp & parmesan burgers with hot cherry pepper sauce) Very good. The shrimp burgers were tasty and did not taste like filler - CALAMARES CON AJO (fried calamari with garlic, lemon, parsley & orange horseradish cream) Very good. Crispy rings of calamari with a nice light sauce - PAELLA DE CARNE It was just OK. Some of the meat chunks were tough and bland, some were tasty and flavorful. A bit salty for my taste - CHURROS Crispy and light...but a bit undercooked. The waiter, John was nice, attentive and prompt. The manager was nice, pleasant and friendly. Overall a good experience.
(4)
Sarah C.
Happy to see they are using this space for a new restaurant. Cuban Revolution was mine and my husband's go-to spot, especially because it wasn't too far from our house, so it was pretty disappointing when it closed. We came on a Monday night at around 4:30 (I get out of work early during the summer and we were bored. Don't judge!). The place was empty, as was to be expected. Our service was top notch, mostly because we were the only people in there perhaps? I hope it is normally that good even during busy times, but I can't tell yet. We were seated in a lovely booth, but noticed the chairs in the middle of the restaurant around the tables looked to be not very comfortable, high stools with low backs. I'd probably avoid sitting at them. We did the whole tapas experience, you get to choose a meat and cheese, four tapas items, a paella, and you get churros for dessert. We did this during restaurant week so we got a really great deal on it all. I was feeling overwhelmed by the selection of wine and just couldn't make a decision, so the waitress helped and her recommendation was spot on (good work!). Our food was delicious, but by the time the paella came out, we were totally stuffed. The waitress could tell too and was joking with us about it. Perhaps if they reduced the price of the tapas experience and made it a little less food it would be more enjoyable. As much as the food was totally delicious, I was disappointed to not be hungry enough to eat more of the paella, and pretty much forced myself to eat a churro. I'd like to try it again on a weekend, when they are a bit busier. Overall I really enjoyed it here and would definitely go back.
(4)
Emily B.
I brought a large group here (13) for a birthday dinner and the staff was fantastic. They offered us a fixed price-per-head meal and it worked out really well. The food was so so good and they even cut and served the cake we brought. Overall, the food was great but the rice balls and the bacon wrapped scallops were two of my faves. Oh! And the warm churros with chocolate sauce for dessert - yum!
(5)
Arthur T.
Loved the octopus, and the fried goat cheese best I've had in a while, and tender!! With the groupon deal, it's an incredible value...already planning our return
(4)
Nicole W.
I have mixed feelings about Bocado because I've been so excited to try this place out. One the one hand, a leisurely dinner of wine and small plates of food is totally my thing. On the other, the waitress took her pacing to the extreme with service so slow it bordered on inattentive. (Seriously, this would be a three star review if I had received better service.) I loved the atmosphere and the open kitchen, which always fascinates me. This feels like a good late night spot. The pomegranate sangria I had was delicious, and the food that I tasted was good. Nothing special. I have a feeling their strength lies in the drinks menu, because I'm not sure the quality of the food justifies the pricing. (and their menu is HUGE and all over the place) I would definitely come back just to have drinks and a nibble, but there are better places for dinner.
(2)
Don S.
I've only been once so far, but this seems to be a pretty decent tapas restaurant. The food was mostly good to very good and there was very little that we thought could be better. A couple of warnings: The 4 of us got the "Experience" which is a selection of tapas and then finished with a paella. It's a lot of food and if you're going to order it, try to take your time to eat slowly and ask you server to bring it out as you finish the dishes. Trying to keep up with the dishes coming out really fast and filling our table was difficult. Also, see if you can get booth seating as everyone in our party thought that the seats running up the middle of the restaurant were a bit uncomfortable. Other than that, I would go back and order some of my favorites again for sure!
(3)
Cole C.
First off, as a restaurant, this place falls totally short. However, this could be entirely shaded by the way our waitress handled everything that night. She seemed to not care at all when our food took an abnormally long time to come out, instead of taking responsibility and apologizing for the wait and trying to make things better, she opted to tell us that the food would be right out, even thought it never was. I've worked in restaurants for a number of years, so it's pretty obvious to me when the kitchen forgets a ticket. I asked our waitress, Lauren, if that was in fact what had happened because we had been waiting for our paella for about 25 minutes after our last course was cleared. She seemed taken aback and offended that I would have actually figured out that the issue wasn't just that the kitchen was backed up (the restaurant was half empty, other, more recent tables getting their paella before us). She then said if it was taking too long she could just give us the paella to go. Other than that she didn't offer to help out in any way. After that she avoided us as much as possible, dropped the check when we were done, and although we would have said no, didn't offer dessert or coffee. That being said, the food is also not all that exciting. I've traveled all of Spain, eaten at many iterations of Spanish restaurants, and cook both Spanish and Catalan food at home. The food here is the equivalent of what you would find at a rest stop on the highway in Spain. None of the cooking is traditional in any way, both in technique, flavor profile, and texture. The paella was a terrible disappointment, as it had been cooked in an oven, basically heated up until it was warm. The rice was mushy and it lacked the richness one would come to expect from Paella. Worst of all, because it was cooked in the oven (which the server mentioned) it could not develop the socarrat, the crusty bottom that is the most important part. All the food was on par with the paella.
(1)
Lynn V-c R.
Went here because I had a groupon. We were so pleasantly surprised!!! Tons of choices, good size portions, and everything was DELISH!!! The service was great and the food was fresh. Try the tapas experience for two...if you see this on groupon ... GRAB IT!!!
(5)
Khristina D.
We sat at the bar. I started with the Evangelista. That so far is the least fav. Fried oliives..and blue cheese... (American words)..yummo. Now, the meatballs oh yes yes yes. Nope..the veal peppers. ..ahhh...I hear angels But the best was the venison. ...wowomgomg!!!!! This is a come again and again place.
(5)
Goldie H.
Meh, I've experienced better totally. I recently came here expecting this place to be pretty decent -- not quite Toro-level but still really tasty. It wasn't even as good as the Spanish tapas place I went to over in Somerville. While the service was fantastic, the food just didn't do it for me. The lollipop lamb tasted too smokey and there was no substance to it except for almost-burnt smelling meat. Not a fan. I was also disappointed by the pork belly, which I felt would be a staple dish, but found to be a little more dry-tasting than I anticipated. Yet, it was one of the better dishes for sure. The chicken croquettes weren't terrible either, but a sense of prepackaged-ness emanated from them. That surely turned me off a bit. Now the scallops wrapped in bacon. Oh, man. It was definitely not good. When we got it, I already could smell something vile. I'm not sure if it was the way it was prepared, or if the bacon or scallops had gone bad, but I did not at all enjoy these... just having them at the table. Of course, so as to not seem rude (and hoping to prove myself wrong) I ate one and I really wished I hadn't afterwards. An almost warm, vile smell exuded from the scallops into my mouth and it reminded me of some sort of liquid of the yellow smelly kind. Would NOT order again, ever. On the bright side, the patatas were pretty good. But then again, you'd REALLY have to screw those up. Overall, the food could have been much better, but the waiter experience was great -- our waiter was awesome. If anything, I would just return for the charcutterie and wine and experience. If you want authentic spanish tapas, I would recommend going downtown or driving up to the Boston area. This would be good only for an introduction on the types of dishes available for spanish tapas restaurants.
(2)
David T.
This was a very unimpressive dinner. Being from Spain, I wasn't expecting much but it was a strong disappointment. Croquetas were too hard and not very tasty. The paella was over salted and with no real taste of azafrán. The churros at the end of the meal were soft and instead of a real, traditional, and thick chocolate dip we were served Nutella. The place looks nice inside but if you're looking for good Spanish cuisine, skip this place.
(1)
Chiara A.
I came here when they had their opening specials and again with a Groupon. The food is delicious. I used to live in Spain,and this is the closest I've had to Spanish food in Providence. Prices are a bit steep, but I have yet to pay full price here. Atmosphere is great, though the seats can be a bit uncomfortable. Service has always been top notch. I would highly recommend this to a friend.
(4)
Ann C.
This Providence location is awesome. We had great cocktails and a wonderful meal. We started with Charcuteria which is a board with meats, cheeses and other acompanamientos. Them we had the most delicious Shrimp Burgers and Casamiento which is steak with rice and beans. We sat at the bar and had great service. Met the bar manager Nate and the bartender Nathan. They were helpful and seemed very proud of this new restaurant. Overall great experience. Check it out. We'll be back often.
(5)
Amy W.
I went with a friend for dinner on a Thursday evening after purchasing a Groupon for the Experience. This included a meat and cheese plate, four tapas plates, a paella, and dessert. First, the setting, the staff, the choices were great! We loved it and can't wait to go back. We ordered the house-cured beef loin and the fried goat cheese. It came with baguette slices, a pepperdew pepper, I think it was guava paste, and almonds. It was soooo good. Then we choose our four tapas. Our server suggested the turkey meatballs with a mushroom and truffle cream sauce. We did wonder if she suggested them to move them because, although fine, they fell far short of amazing. What was amazing was the roasted bone marrow, the foi grais, and the shrimp sliders. I have to commend our server and the manager because we originally ordered another tapas plate that neither myself nor my friend liked. We just tried a little and the waitress asked if we did not like it when she came to clear the tapas plates. We were honest and said it wasn't to our liking. It was no fault of theres...we decided to try something new and beyond our comfort zone. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't! But the manager quickly came over and apologized and offerred another tapas plate. We took him up on the offer and were very happy with our selection. The only reason I gave four stars and not five is that I was underwhelmed by the paella. We got thd classic and it was very mushy and bland. The peas tasted like canned peas. When we ordered, we did ask that they slightly overcook the paella so it gets a crunchy bottom to it. Our server said sure but the dish did not come out crunchy at all. Like I said it was rather mushy. The only course that had no choice was desert. But it did not matter as the churros and chocolate was DELICIOUS! Lastly, we each had two glasses of sangria. Again we went with our servers recommendation and got the apple and cinnamon fall sangria. So yummy! Like I said, can't wait to go back!
(4)
Rubben N.
First time here, so far so good. I like the food but wished they were playing flamenco or Spanish music. One of the employee said they used to played it but they got tired of it. Not a good answer
(3)
Odessa C.
Delicious food! Beautiful space! And attentive servers! You can't ask for much more. Had the Bocado Experience and enjoyed every bite, though we were really full by the end and took some of the yummy paella home. Thoroughly enjoyable evening. Highly recommend. And don't forget the sangria!
(5)
Jilian A.
The food was okay, we got the groupon deal for the bocado experience. I was a little disappointed with the paella.. Probably wouldn't go back
(3)
Briana I.
It's not often that I write a review while I am still sitting at the restaurant. Tonight Bocado has been amazing...it hit the spot. We tried tapas and the salmon entree (which was a last minute addition but totally worth it). They were all delicious, but the highlights were the Abondigas de cerdo, pork meatballs with fig, and the pulpo, some of the best grilled octopus I've had in the US. The atmosphere here is great, exposed brick and beams, very spacious with a bar that seats about 20! Do not miss out on the La Menta, a house made elderflower sangria...so refreshing!
(5)
Autumn G.
We finally made it to Bocado last night to use our Groupon and enjoyed the Experience for two. I was pleasantly surprised to find off street parking with not one but two wheelchair accessible spaces. I had indicated on our reservation that one of the diners used a wheelchair and the host already had a table set up with one seat removed. I was very impressed by the diversity of the diners and as well as the laid back but professional atmosphere. The experience for 2 allowed us to sample from most of the menu. From the Charcuteria and Queso we were allowed to select two items- We selected the Serrano ham and the fried goat cheese, which were served with a sliced baguette , an apricot jam and almonds. I was impressed with the serving size but more importantly the flavors. A little goat cheese spread across a baguette topped with the thinly sliced ham, was a wonderful way to start our dinner. I also opted for the monthly feature sangria - Cinnamon Apple and it was very fall appropriate, I followed that up with a traditional red sangria - it was good but I prefer a little more of a citrus flavor in a red sangria. For our four tapas selections, we had a very hard time narrowing it down to just four but ultimately went with: a whipped garlic, spinach and feta dip, a pulled pork ravioli, stuffed eggplant and bacon wrapped scallops. Everything was delicious while the pulled pork ravioli was a standout, the stuffed eggplant was exceptional. I felt that each of these small plates were priced appropriately from $6 to $9 and were the perfect sized for sharing. The main course was a choice of paella and this is where Bocado lost a star. We selected the classic version of this dish but this did not live up to expectations. We really missed the caramelization and crunch that forms at the bottom of paella. This felt more like rice and meats thrown together just prior to being served. It was just alright, probably the "worst" paella that I have had but still not bad. We ended up taking at least half of it home with us. despite the disappointing paella, all was not lost and we ended the evening on a high note with the churros and chocolate. These little pieces of fried dough perfection, simply melted in your mouth and the chocolate was just the right sweetness to not put this into the "too much" category. All in all we had a great dining experience, the food was good to great, our waiter was knowledgable and attentive and the atmosphere was perfect to relax and enjoy a conversation. We will be back but will likely stick to the small plates and avoid the paella. With the Groupon, three drinks, tax and tip we spent about $110 which I feel was very reasonable for the level of food we received.
(4)
Candace B.
Tried this new tapas restaurant as part of Providence Restaurant Weeks. The food was delicious. We had Serrano ham with fried goat cheese; seared foie gras; bone marrow; carpaccio; duck leg; seafood paella; and churros for dessert. It was all amazing. Each course came out rapid fire. Server was attentive, but did bring me the wrong drink once. This makes for a great date night. I can't wait to go back with friends! I hope Providence catches on to this place!
(4)
Carlos V.
WOW!!! WOW!!! WOW!!! FOOD is AMAZING!, our waitress (Rachel) was AWESOME - Best Service we have ever had... and the SANGRIA is AMAZING! Ambiance (old mill, exposed brick, modern industrial touches) was perfect for Dates, Night out or just chilling at their Bar! We did the tasting package for 2... we got an amazing Pimento Cheese, and Duck Breast, app, then stuffed peppers (that were AWESOME), Lamb chops, Asparagus and shrimp, and a steak tapas... they were all SOOO good, but the stuffed peppers with veal were our favorites! We then chose a paella (we got the standard chicken and seafood) and it was the best paella I have had in RI. Then chorros with chocolate sauce at the end... the chorros were awesome, the chocolate sauce was just OK... Their house Sangria was SO good, we got 2 pitchers! Rachel (or waitress) was great with explained everything, gave us tips on ordering the first round before so we could get some food, and working on the second round selections over a glass of sangria. The menu is a little intimidating with all the choices but it just made it mandatory that we come back and try more! :-)
(5)
Erica C.
Glad to see the old Cuban Revolution space being used. This place was an improvement over the last establishment, but really, wouldn't anything be? Why is there no good cuban in this area?!? I digress. I was treated to a night at Bocado by a friend who purchased the groupon. It was an AMAZING value. The meal we got with it was massive. It's their regular meal for two, menu- 2 meats or cheese, 4 tapas, 1 paella, churros. The decor was kind of 1995 R&B video. I expected Toni Braxton to come grooving out at any moment. Those chairs! Wine list was good! And really reasonable. But what really impressed me was the service. Our waiter, who's name I cannot remember ( management- he was very soft spoken, english was definitely not his first language) was impressive. Really. Being a server is hard. I did i. I was horrible. This guy was attentive but not intrusive, made good informed recommendations, knew how to properly do service- A+. Managers made a point to check with tables in a friendly way. How refreshing. Food was ok. Not anything memorable. I would say this place is "tapas inspired"? Mostly a fusion kind of things. Not many authentic dishes. The word, I think would be soulless? Roll your eyes at the food nerd. But that's the word that came to mind while I ate. It was well executed enough, nothing horrible, just not anything I would specifically go back to. Ok one thing wasn't great- those churros. Over greased with watery chocolate sauce and some how the wrong texture for a churro? I would go back here for a drink. I would go back here with a overly large group of people because they could easily accommodate them, and it would be an interactive thing. But for a good tapas experience, I'll keep to Flan y Ajo in downtown.
(3)
Christina C.
Holy moly - I love this place. Wanting to try something new during Providence Restaurant Week, a friend of mine and I decided to check out Bocado. Our server, Nate, was super attentive and made great recommendations - which was extremely helpful since the menu was a bit overwhelming (soooo many different awesome options!) The owners/managers were also making sure we enjoyed everything we were ordering and having a great experience. They also have a variety of monthly specials in addition to the regular menu. If you're looking for something new and different, I would definitely recommend Bocado!
(5)
Rebecca H.
The former site of Cuban Revolution in Olneyville has been reborn as a second location for Bocado, a tapas restaurant whose flagship is just up the road a bit, in Worcester, MA. A friend and I decided to give Bocado (Providence) a try last night--we left happy with our inaugural meal, overall. Fans of Flan y Ajo in Downcity are no strangers to fantastic, authentic tapas. This is a more Americanized menu; while you can spring for standards like tortilla Espanola, pan con tomate and jamon serrano, you'll also find hamburger sliders, grilled sirloin steak, fried calamari and salmon fillet on the menu. If you're looking for faithful adherence to the Spanish tapas experience, look elsewhere; but to its credit, what Bocado lacks in authenticity, it makes up for in seating (something Flan y Ajo regrettably lacks). When you don't want to eat standing up, or with your backside rubbing chummily against a stranger's, this is a reliable alternative. We shared Bocado's "dinner for 2 people," which consists of a choice of two items from the charcuteria y queso menu; a choice of four tapas (choose between hot and cold dishes); one of four different paella dishes; and churros and chocolate dipping sauce for dessert. Our scorecard, from start to finish, consisted of the following: Course 1 Pheasant sausage with cognac Fried goat cheese with honey and almonds Course 2 Vegetable terrine: roasted eggplant, red & yellow pepper, sun dried tomato, artichoke, parmesan & mozzarella with asparagus-sweet pea coulis, and tomato oil Atún be Bocado: raw tuna with lemon basil crema, sweet potato chips and chili avocado Hamburguesas de gambas: twin mini shrimp & parmesan burgers with hot cherry pepper sauce Chuletas de cordero: grilled lollipop lamb chops with rosemary mustard oil We then split the classic paella: a giant dish that arrived piled high with saffron rice, chicken, calamari, shrimp, chorizo, mussels, and littlenecks. Dessert was the delightfully sinful and aforementioned churros and chocolate sauce. The dish was laden with more than enough sugar-covered sticks of fried dough for two, already-overstuffed ladies. But we rallied admirably, and we polished off every last one. We washed the meal down with a pitcher of the house sangria (for the more adventurous, there are several exotic sangria options available, in addition to the standard mix). It was flavorful, with the requisite amount of fresh fruits added. At $23 for a small-ish pitcher that comes half filled with ice cubes, though, it's a bit pricey. It would be tough to serve three people on a single pitcher; but for two adults with day jobs, on a Monday night, it was just right. Normally, the dinner for two special is $75. We used a Groupon, which discounted the price by one-third. I think that the full price is a bit steep, though the food was decent across the board - even with occasional flashes of greatness: the fried goat cheese, pheasant sausage and shrimp burgers were the evening's standout dishes, while the raw tuna was the night's most forgettable/regrettable dish: there were exactly TWO tiny sweet potato chips, and the tuna was fairly flavorless, with individual dollops of too-mild lemon basil cream atop each small slice. The dinner special for four people, at $135, more closely matches the value of the Groupon we used, and leaves room for the necessary two pitchers of sangria. On a night when you've got a hankering to explore some new territory, head to Bocado -- but first, try to rustle up three amigos.
(3)
Virginia C.
I went to Bocado's on yesterday evening for my birthday celebration. It was truly a wonderful evening from start to finish. In addition to the hostess, the owner (Mike or Matt) met us at the door and let us know they were glad to see us. The food was amazing, it was restaurant week so we had the Dinner for two for 48.00. The food was amazing. We enjoyed every dish with the exception of the calamari, which was bland. It could have used either more spice or a dipping sauce. The cured ham and fried goat cheese was AMAZING, I literally could have made a meal out of it. My daughter loved it too! The pork meatballs were interesting, especially the fig and blue cheese concoction that was in the gravy. It was a little grainy but good. The chicken and potato dish was yummy. We actually brought the meat paella home because we were full and since it was my birthday, I wanted dessert. I wish I had gone with a different dessert, I was not thrilled with the chouros with the chocolate dipping sauce, which was good but not great. It came with the special so I thought I'd give it a try. We had the berry sangria, which was not sweet at all and did not have an authentic sangria taste. I would try a different one. I will definitely go back and I highly recommend this place.
(5)
John O.
Not often do I give a 5 star, but this is definitely worth 5. Food was outstanding. Presentation spot on. Staff knowledgable about menu items. One of Providence's bear spots
(5)
Vanny C.
ALWAYS great service. Great drinks. Great wine. Great salads. Okay tapas. Awesome cheese. Yummy meats. Great paella, especially the carne one. Churros - not so much...
(4)
Liz M.
Like many others I am happy the old Cuban revolution space is being used. I did enjoy it there. I did the Groupon for the experience It's normally 75 but it was 50 minus ten for a local deal promotion. Score ! We had sliced beef and fried goat cheese. It was accompanied by some pepadews and quince and Marcona almonds. It was an awesome combo. We had pulled pork ravioli , stuffed piquillo peppers , chicken croquettes and spinach feta dip with pita. For dinner we had steak and potatoes instead of the usually paella as I don't eat seafood. The tapas were very good with a melange of different flavors. My favorite being the croquettes that were breaded in corns chips with a honey sauce. The portions were huge. We took home most of the steak dinner. Churros were not that good. It seems as if they were sitting out for a while and kind of stale. Johannesburg was our waiter ( not sure I spelled it right ) and he was awesome. Attentive but not hovering. For the price we got a lot of food. I'd like to go again to try the other things on the menu. Definetly check it out !
(5)
Shana M.
Great food, extensive wine selection and a cool atmosphere! I'll definitely be back soon!
(4)
P K L.
Don't listen to the negative posts. This place takes pride in what they deliver and as a providence regular we all need a comfortable spot like this around for a long time. Get in here and support this place...
(5)
Dan K.
We've been meaning to try Bocado for a while, and when we finally got around to it, the Groupon that's been available for some time was gone. It was just as well, though, because I wasn't sure I wanted paella, so we decided to forgo the "Experience for Two" and get a wider variety of tapas. Had two sangrias to drink, peach and strawberry. I'm not a big fan of sangria by default, and I thought the flavors improved both, but not so much that I would order them again. Charcuteria/Queso: We got a board with manchego, duck breast, and pork loin. The cheese was tasty, although I thought both meats were a bit bland. I liked the accompaniments (warm, crusty bread, some kind of fruit paste) although I'm spoiled by other restaurants where the cheese board has specific accompaniments to go with each cheese... here I had to improvise to decide what tasted food together. We ordered five tapas: the garlic bread with tomato (basically make-your-own bruschetta with salt crystals), mozzarella rice balls (a little creamier than expected but quite good), sauteed shrimp (surprisingly spicy aftertaste, since the red pepper flakes were not advertised), bacon wrapped scallops (bacon wrapped scallops are always good), and chicken thighs (super-tender, though not unlike what we make in the slow cooker at home). None were among the best foods I've ever tasted, but all were good and the variety was nice. I wish they'd all come to the table at the same time... by the time the scallops and chicken arrived, we had eaten most of the other dishes, and I was too full to get excited about the chicken. We were originally going to get churros for dessert, but without ice cream (they just come with chocolate) we thought the fried-ness might be too intense. My wife was advocating for the dark chocolate brownie with ice cream, but I don't like dark chocolate that much... still, we decided to try it, and I'm glad we did, because it was fantastic. Not very dark at all as it turns out, and so moist it was more like a cake than a brownie. A surprisingly awesome final course. Altogether, with tip, we spent $94, which while a bit steep by our dinner standards, is not bad for a meal for two with appetizer, dessert, and drinks. We will definitely come back, and I look forward to trying some new dishes and resampling the ones we liked most.
(4)
Sandra O.
With the exception of the sold out items that our group asked for (due to delayed deliveries from the inclement weather) I have to say that the food portions are perfect! 6 of us shared and it was great to taste a little bit of everything as opposed to ordering a large meal. My friend raved about the bone marrow; she literally licked the bone. The beet salad, calamari, octopus and rice balls were excellent.
(4)
Robert D.
Great addition to the Providence restaurant scene! My wife loves tapas- me not so much-until Bocado. Awesome watermelon sangria and doing the groupon meal for 2 at $50 is a really good deal. Great service, fantastic food in a stunning new space = a hella good time.
(5)
Annie D.
Welcome to Providence Bocado! We came to the opening at 60 Valley Street. The food was delicious and Dierdre, our waitress, was absolutely awesome. I love the desert - Bocado Reina! (Bread pudding - guatemalan style!). And the seafood paella was outstanding. You rock! Thank you for the hospitality and welcome to the neighborhood!
(5)
Amanda B.
A friend and I went Thursday night for dinner. We ended up doing the bocado experience, normally priced at $75 but special for $60. It was two cheese and meat plates, four tapas plates, a paella 'main dish' to share, and dessert. Needless to say it was A LOT of food. Everything was tasty however my two complaints here are the staff and the 'experience' for as much as they talk up and try to sell their wine flights and sangria, aren't included in that $60-75 price. I think that's totally crazy, to tell customer about the total experience but not include their house sangria say. Like I said it was a ton of food, maybe knock down the size of the paella dish and throw in a glass of sangria each? Just a suggestion. And the servers were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Our waitress was polite but the table next to is suffered once she got busy as were we. We waited a good 15 mins for our first drink, then another long wait at the end for our coffee with dessert. Overall, I'll give it another try here and maybe sit at the bar...
(3)
Carrin P.
Went last night with a friend for restaurant week. The place is very nice inside but the food did not measure up to the decor. Calamari was so thin and dried out it was awful. We had a few bites and gave it back. We order calamari a lot and this by far was the worst I've had. The Spanish egg and potato omelet was good and the chicken breast over potato salad was also good. The paella was terrible! It was incredibly fishy and salty even to me and I love salt. The rice was dry and even had a little crunch, chorizo was dry and the calamari was so tiny you could barely see it. To top it off both me and my friend are not well today. We came for the food and we won't be back.
(2)
Ryan A.
Fast service, modern enviornment. Great time. House Sangria is a must!
(5)
Carter V.
I found it quite authentic. Fantastic low-key service. Not rushed. Nice that they have hard cider, as well!
(4)
Stephanie G.
I'm a little stingy with my 5-star ratings, but this new addition to the Providence restaurant scene deserved it (or maybe 4 1/2 stars if that was an option). One of the highlights is an exquisite wine list including almost 100 Spanish wines - Cavas, roses, whites, and reds, including flights which allow you to sample the impressive selection. The paella, selection of cheeses and charcuterie, and tapas were also outstanding. We especially liked the fried goat cheese, slow-cooked chicken with fennel, olives, orange, and dried fruit, and traditional paella. Nice service, fun atmosphere too. We'll be back soon -- with friends.
(5)
Marco D.
This restaurant is an asset to providence to say the least. The food is amazing, the waitstaff / bartenders are very personable, and knowledgable of the menu. The experience for 2 is the perfect item for 2-3 people, which even includes dessert. I haven't had anything there I didn't like, but to pick a favorite: The pork meatballs are simply delicious. I was displeased to see a 2-star review by one of the nearby residents, another one of those difficult people that can never be pleased, thinks he knows everything. Please disregard this nonsense and give Bocado a try.
Awesome. Ate there with a friend a few weeks back. Ordered the experience for two and a bottle of wine. Service was great, cool atmosphere , and fantastic food. So many choices! Would love to go back next time I'm in the area
(5)
Wendy W.
Gosh, this place was between a 3.5-4 star for me. The deductions are for the paella which all the yelpers agree need some re-vamping & the price. These tapas dishes aren't cheap at $7-10 bucks a pop! Although I used the groupon for 2 which was an excellent deal, allowed me to try a good number of things & I left stuffed! What I had: Fried goat cheese: so surprisingly good! I would go back just for this one! Get it! U won't regret it Smoked duck: meh. I usually like duck. I found it kinda bland & it was served cold which made it taste more bland Beef carpaccio: also bland. Not too impressed. Seared foie gras: absolutely delicious. On a butternut squash, crunchy sarano. This one I would have again Shredded pork ravioli: pretty good! Not actual ravioli though. More like deliciously seasoned pulled pork w/a lasagna-style pasta that was perfectly al dente. Would totally get this again Slow braised rabbit: sounded great, but tasted like chicken... Which is weird bc I remember rabbit having more of a gamey taste to it. Then the paella: we chose the beef one & man... This should not be called paella. Rice w/a variety of meat pieces. Rice too soft, bland, not crispy at all! Meat pieces ranged from chorizo to duck to chicken... But all were very chewy bc they were over-cooked. Such a disappointment. I think foodie yelpers agree: this needs to be fixed Bocado. All in all, I liked about 1/2 of the tapas dishes, liked the creativity of the other tapas that I didn't try enough to consider returning for more. However, did not like the paella at all & the prices could be either: 1) cheaper per tapa or 2) be more consistent w/the quality of the tapas. If they were all as delish as the goat cheese, foie gras, or shredded pork ravioli, my only other compliant would be the paella. So solid 3.5 stars. I would round up, but I want management to fix the paella problem & it looks like they haven't listened to the other yelper reviews. I'll come again though
(3)
Ruth D.
Thank you for bring us a great tapas restaurant in RI! If you're going on a friday or saturday, definitely make a reservation. We sat at the bar (which was just as comfortable) and had great service. I started with a pomegranate sangria. Don't miss out! We had a charcuterie plate and four tapas. All excellent. Not hard to find numerous options on this huge menu. Make sure you try it.
(5)
Laura A.
Bacado was an incredibly unique eating experience. The food was fresh, straight from their open kitchen and it just kept coming! The drinks were equally as yummy and our group of 6 had a great time sitting, talking and eating for hours. My only "complaint" which isn't really a complaint...is cost. We went for a friend's bday and it was a special occasion, however, if it was any other night of the week I may have skipped Bacado to save a little money in our wallets. The catch 22 is that the food is worth the cost!!
(4)
Julie M.
Totally terrific tapas! I went recently with some friends from work and we all loved it! There is something on the menu for everyone from the "Plain Jane" to the "Epicurean". We did the Bocado Experience and there was actually TOO MUCH food.......but it was all super well prepared so I ate it even though I was going to POP! We ordered manchego cheese, pheasant sausage, Serrano ham, and the fried goat cheese. All were amazing! We also ordered 8 tapas -- again, all very good but the shrimp burgers and roasted potatoes were the favorites. The paella was good but not a standout compared to the rest of the meal. I truly don't have a bad thing to say about this place and will go back again! Next time I'm thinking sangria and some tapas at the bar!!
(4)
Scott J.
Outstanding food, drink, atmosphere and service. One of my favorite PVD spots - highly recommended.
(5)
Francesca D.
Love love loved this place. Food was delicious with a excellent and interesting array of choices. Bartender was great at his job. He should be working in Napa valley! Stephanie our server was kind and attentive and knows her stuff too. What a pleasant experience to be at a restaurant with not only very tasty food but people who know what they are serving! Will be back! Thanks Bocado! Nice job!!!
(5)
Amir S.
Smoked duck breast with balsamic glaze, fried goat cheese, shrimp burgers, and the flan were to die for!! Lamb chops were a little disappointing as compared to the ones at Bocado in Worcester! Overall an awesome tapas place!!
(4)
Brandon D.
This place is definitely worth checking out. The menu is so large and diverse that you could come here every night for a week and never try the same things twice. Really liked what they did with the old space. Friendly staff and great service. There's really no other place like it in the area. Highly recommended.
(5)
Jenn M.
What a great find! Great menu and finally something a little different from what you usually find in Providence.
(5)
Jennifer R.
Went to Bocado with my husband and a few friends because I have been dying to try the tapas. I wasn't very impressed with the meal. I made reservations on open table and I specifically put "gluten free" down. There was NEVER A MENTION of that when we arrived. We ordered the Bocado experience... Not good. The fried goat cheese... Just okay, the smoked duck...okay, the eggplant, okay, the rabbit.. Not great, the salad... Okay and the vegetable risotto, actually pretty gross. The dessert was peaches and cream which my children could have put together... Not what I expected...best part of the evening was the fact that there was a pig roast outside and there were alcohol vendors showcasing their products. Also the server was great... Good sense of humor. Unfortunately, won't be returning...
(3)
R. R.
I've been wanting to check Bocado out since they opened a few months ago. We finally made it and I am very glad that we did. The food is delicious. We ordered the goat cheese with honey (my favorite), Serrano ham, chicken croquets and the sliders. Everything was very good and the portions are actually pretty decent. I think 2 items per person is pretty good. I will definitely visit Bocado again.
(4)
Beantown T.
love bocado. both here and when in worcester. fun food. fun staff. churros are delightful. just go
(4)
Dillon D.
The whole dinner experience was horrible. The hostess sat us between two other couples even though the rest of the place was empty. The waiter forgot our order and never brought us one of the tapas we ordered. The paella was horrible - all the meat was rubbery. The one good thing was that they offer flights of wine.
(1)
Rahul M.
I really, really wanted to like this place because I live nearby and it's super convenient. But alas, like the old Cuban Revolution it replaced, the food sucks. I was tempted to send it back both times I've eaten here but didn't because the staff are very nice and it's not their fault that the higher-ups are clueless. If the Cheesecake Factory opened a tapas restaurant, this would be it: large, loud, and with a ludicrously long list of food that's nothing like its description. It is a soulless, industrial version of tapas. But people still flock to the Cheesecake Factory, and judging by the oohs and ahhs of my fellow diners, they will flock here. If you actually want decent tapas, stick to Flan y Ajo downtown.
(2)
Katie D.
Pretty good wine selection, but the food was sub-par. Also the chairs are weird and uncomfortable. Sit in a booth.
(3)
Tim H.
Ate there the other night and they were tasty. Nice selection of cheeses and accompaniments, enjoyable wine flights. Some main courses I was curious to try. Came by today though well into their open hours and they were closed with no sign of activity. If their advertised hours aren't reliable it's not going to be a go-to spot in my mind unfortunately regardless of proximity to my home. Shame to see them possibly following down the path of Cuban Revolution so soon.
(3)
Timothy K.
Bocado just stole $60 from me and 3 of my friends. Food came out staggered and late (1 meal was served immediately, while 1 soup was 5 minutes into the meal the other soup was served 20 minutes into the meal, the final entree's came about 30 minutes later). 3 of the 4 plates had potato salad. 1 was thick mayonnaise based and the 2 were watered down and flavorless. Duck sandwich was okay, chicken sandwich was a joke, and the pulled pork was dry and flavorless. I heard dinner was okay but they are not ready for lunch!
(1)
S. P.
We visited Bocado this week for the first time with some friends and it was a great night out. Their were a lot of options on the menu and everyone found something they liked. Every single food item we tried was excellent and fresh, and we used a Groupon which was nice. They are also running a special until the end of August for $29 a person which is a nice savings. The decor was very trendy and they have an extensive wine list with wine flights available if you want to try different ones. We sat at the bar and the bartender, a lovely young lady named Jenn, was extremely attentive and always kept our drinks and our water glasses full. We will definitely be back!
(5)
P B.
The food and service are really exceptional. We adventured into more unusual items such as rabbit and were very impressed by the chef's ability to consistently deliver well prepared delicious food.
(5)
Becky S.
Great first impression. We came here on a Monday night and there was hardly anyone there. The atmosphere/decor is nice with candles on the tables and the option to sit at the bar. The waitress was very attentive and gave us drink and tapas recommendations. I ordered a mango sangria, which was ok (I typically prefer red wine sangrias, though). Next, I wanted to try a red wine. All of their wines are Spanish wines, which I am not so familiar with. The waitress was able to make me a flight of 3 wines to sample, and all were great. The menu is huge with a large number of cheese and charcuteries as well as hot and cold tapas. We tried the fried goat cheese with honey and chorizo to start. It came with some bread, nuts, and fruit spread. All of this was excellent. For tapas, we ordered stuffed dates and bacon wrapped scallops, which were also excellent. For the entree, we ordered the Classica paella, which contains a mix of land and seafood proteins. Definitely good flavors, but not the best paella I've ever had. For dessert, we ordered the raspberry white chocolate bread pudding. This was pretty good, but I didn't really get either the raspberry or white chocolate flavors. Overall, a great experience, though pricey. It will definitely be added to our special occasion line-up!
(4)
Kelly P.
Went to this location for the first time and ordered the Meal for two and added some additional tapas to the mix. Food was average, with the salt levels all over the place. The Paella was very bland other than the very spicy sausage. The house sangria was fine, but nothing to rave about. I was very much hoping for a wow dish, but did not find one on this visit. I will be giving them another try once the location has been open longer to hopefully work out the kinks.
(3)
Josh T.
I've been to Bocado in Providence twice since they opened, and was impressed both times. We regularly order the shrimp burgers and the fried goat cheese as part of our "experiences" based on recommendations from our first server. The cocktails and wine pairings were great (La Flor is a great martini). Both times we left stuffed, with some paella to take home. We'll be back again soon!
(5)
Grace M.
Love the Worcester location and the RI spot is keeping up the reputation nicely. Great space (the old Cuban Revolution), friendly service. The menu is expansive, larger portions considering it's tapas. Great vegetarian options!
(5)
Theclutch T.
The atmosphere was great. The service was great as well. But the food was a little disappointing. My wife and I love tapas and have gone to a lot of tapas restaurants even in Barcelona. The reason I bring this is up is that we would probably pickier than others. The pan con tomate was just unappetizing.. My wife said that it was gross and the bread was soggy, etc.... The salmon asado was a lot of food for the money - enough to share especially if you already had a few tapas before hand. But I'm afraid it was just "ok" and not good enough to order again. The garlic shrimp was good and I would certainly order it again, but it needs more garlic. This is the least amount of garlic I've seen on this dish. This dish is typically served on a hot iron skillet. The drinks were great. So in a nutshell, go to this restaurant to drink in a nice atmosphere and have mediocre food. If you're single, it's probably a good place for you to be and be seen. If you've "been there and done that" and looking for real food, look elsewhere.
(2)
Bethany S.
It was all very good but I did notice that the Bocado experience for 2 is listed at $75 on the menue and the Groupon for the Bocado experience for 2 is listed at $95. Hmmm, now why is that?!
(5)
Courtney B.
Loved it. Great food, super nice staff....I'll be back for sure.
(5)
Christina B.
One of our new favorite restaurants! The food was just phenomenal. We chose the fried goat cheese, pork meatballs, chicken thighs, and sauteed shrimp and honestly could not choose which was our favorite as they were all outstanding. The staff is extremely knowledgeable regarding the wine list and foods offering excellent suggestions. The wine flights are a fun option as you get to try a decent pour before choosing a glass. The housemade churros melt in your mouth. Also love the atmosphere, not too loud. 5 stars all around, cannot wait to go back!
(5)
Bob S.
Absolutely fantastic new tapas joint. Awesome food for fair prices. Highly recommend the rabbit and venison. Come on an empty stomach and indulge in some fine wines and amazing sangria. Personable and attentive wait staff, incredible ambiance, and a well stocked bar. Will be eating here regularly.
(5)
Marilyn P.
Just want to give a huge shout out to the front of the house. My sister and I came here last minute on a Saturday night (9/13) during prime time without a reservation and the wait was an expected hour+. After not finding bar seating, we thought we might just come back and try another time without prejudice. Well, the manager was so kind as to offer us a table in the waiting area and we accepted. He served us and was so pleasant and knowledgeable. We ordered the tasting and had eaten our charcuterie and tapas before we unexpectedly had to leave (long story and we were very sad about it). He was so attentive to us. I'm gluten free and he kindly brought cucumbers to the table so that I could enjoy some of the dips and spreads without bread. Since we had to go, we took the paella and dessert home. Everything was delicious and the service was amazing. I will definitely be back here for the whole authentic experience.
(5)
Geoffrey H.
First timer at Bocado. Meal: Enjoyed a 2 person $75 fixed price four course tapas dinner. First course was charcuteria & queso selection (meat & cheese). We chose chorizo and fried goat cheese which were paired with a small loaf of bread, fig spread & spicy pepper. It was great. Second course were the tapas. We chose four tapas from the menu including a great octopus dish and lamb meatballs. There were about twenty choices for tapas both warm & cold. A lot to choose from, but the waitress did a great job going through the menu and pointing out her favorites. Third course was a great paella and lastly was a plate of churros. Drink: In addition to our meal we got a pitcher of white sangria which was about $30. They have a red house sangria that is about $20. Definitely interested in coming back! T Environment: Great ambiance, very open industrial feel, very long bar, seats comfortable & tables closely aligned to one another. A warning, the portions are small, but the come quick and by the time you we got half way through the tapas we were pretty full. Best to come here on an empty stomach.
(5)
D N.
Overall, a very solid choice for a weeknight. Nice decor and ambiance. Very attentive and friendly, but not intrusive, service. Ample parking across the street. The immediate area is a little sketchy. Now for the food: most of it was great. A couple of dishes were overly salty, and one of the four tapas we got was unimpressive, but most were great. The charcuterie was excellent. The sangrias were perfect, as were the churros for dessert. This was my first tapas experience. I was a little worried that the package dinner for 2 would leave me hungry. I needn't have worried, I left stuffed and happy.
(4)
Christina T.
Was really surprised with the kinds of ingredients they are using in dishes, so delicious! Our waiter was also great at helping choose wines and the meal was reasonably priced for quality/quantity overall. My only suggestion would be to use lower/mood lighting as its a great date spot and different lighting would help make it feel more so. Recommend the bacon wrapped scallops in honey white truffle oil and the octopus tapas! Paella is wonderful too.
(5)
Christopher F.
The Bocados Tapas experience was fantastic. Lavish and delicious experience. By far my greatest dining experience to date. Seven course masterpiece. Charcuterie was a Roasted Duck and a sharp cheese. For the tapas we had bacon wrapped scallops, broiled steak, chicken fritters, and calamari. We decided on the Paella ClasÃca for the sixth course. It was a very generous serving prepared excellently with traditional ingredients. Last course was homemade churro with a chocolate sauce. I would highly recommend this place to anyone. I will be returning very soon.
(5)
Megan C.
We came here because we received a gift certificate, and enjoyed the food so much that we returned again. Great food and atmosphere. We ordered the Bocado Experience for 2, and it was more than enough food. We had a mix of hot and cold tapas based on our waiter's recommendations - everything was delicious. We also chose the seafood paella, which I highly recommend. Also tried the sangria and a couple of wine flights, which was a good way of sampling the extensive wine list.
(5)
Michelle M.
One of the best dinners I have had in Providence, hands down. Absolutely loved everything from the atmosphere to the food and waitstaff was excellent!
(5)
Sylvia G.
I went here for the first time for my 39th B-Day Dinner; I was looking for a nice change of pace and overall scenery as well as good, fresh, tasty food {which meant nothing from the normal "chain mill"}. Bocado's not only DIDNT disappoint but has been added to my list of must go back. We had the Weekday Experience for Two {choice of 3 Tapas/Paella for 2} everything from the Fried Mozzarella to the Crisp Chicken over Russian Potato Salad was DELISH. We've had Paella at another RI Restaurant and paid double if not triple and I want to now go ask for a refund!! :) With regards to the staff: I will allow my thanks to everyone from the Greeter that made sure our table didn't wobble to the ladies that made sure our Sangria was never empty onto never once rushing us or "passively" reminding us that it was 10pm..THANK YOU ALL FOR MAKING MY B-DAY WONDERFUL
(4)
Victoria K.
I have very mixed feelings about Bocado Tapas Wine Bar. On the one hand, it's a really neat space with a vast menu of creative Spanish-style dishes. They have a great prix fixe menu option including meat/cheese, tapas, paella, and churros for dessert. I love Spanish food and I love tapas. With that said, the tapas I tried at Bocado were really hit or miss. The albondigas (meatballs) were quite tasty, with a touch of sweetness from figs and some tang from blue cheese. The blue cheese is assertive, but I like blue cheese so it worked for me. Personally, I love simple Spandish albondigas and don't really need all that extra culinary hoopla. A delicious, moist meatball in sauce is perfect. The croquetas and the bola de arroz frito are both tasty fried tapa options. The complimentary sauces were good as well. The braised rabbit was salty and quite frankly the worst rabbit dish I've ever had in my life. And I love rabbit. I was so disappointed. It was my friend's first time trying rabbit and I'm afraid the experience turned her off of rabbit forever, which is unfortunate because rabbit can be really delicious otherwise. The cheese meat options we tried were tasty, and by the time we even got to the paella we ended up taking most of it home, but it was pretty good. Not the best I've had, but a solid effort. I think the menu is perhaps trying too hard to stand out by offering some less traditional tapas, or trying to make the traditional ones too gourmet, but I'll be honest, Spanish food is so delicious just as it is, it really doesn't need the bells and whistles. Just good flavors. I would consider visiting Bocado again, but would avoid the rabbit dish like the plague. Otherwise, the meal over all was quite pleasant, although not mind-blowing.
(3)
Sandra T.
Great food and excellent service. Paella's seafood was ok but could be more flavorful. Anyways, everything was delicious and had an amazing time. Absolutely recommended.
(4)
Eric K.
Ok so I have a biased opinion of Spanish food and it is hard to make this review in an objective manor. I was able to travel Spain recently and was able to eat a great amount of Spanish food. Naturally, I was excited to see a local place offering some of the great foods I ate in Spain. However, I was not completely happy with the food I ate. But I would go back and eat it again... and again. This has nothing to do with the how good the food actually is. The food is great, and on top of that the wine and drinks were excellent. I was expecting the Spanish food I ate in Spain, but that is not quite what I got. We got the "Bocado Experience for 2", which is an incredible deal! The tapas are great, we ordered; Pan con Tomate, Dátiles Rellenos de Queso de Cabra, Croquetas De Pollo, y Patatas Asadas. Though they were all great, 3 of the 4 disappointed me. The Pan con Tomate had a garlic spread (which was unnecessary there is something simple and fantastic about crushed tomato, bread, salt, and olive oil). Datiles y las Croquestas were plagued by paprika. The Paella we ordered was very well seasoned and tasty, but the squid and the little necks were over cooked. I also didn't care for the chorizo. While this sounds like I was disappointed, Bocado makes up any of these faults in the overall taste, the drinks, and the atmosphere. I think the Spanish wine selection including the cava selection is great. The mixed drinks are of high quality to. We ordered the cava flight and some mixed drinks. Overall, like I said, I would go back, I wouldn't have dinner, just tapas and wine.
(3)
Stephanie C.
I got a Groupon for Bocado and decided to go for Valentine's Day. While it is a bit expensive it's definitely worth it for the amount of food and quality of it that you receive. See my photos from Bocado for all the dishes we had. It's a romantic old factory that has been converted into a restaurant. Exposed brick, loft style and candles on all the tables. Plan out about two hours for this experience and be sure to try the Spanish wine. It's the smoothest wine I've ever had and the service was remarkable. A great date place for a couple or a small group. The only reason why I would say a large group may not be the best is that the tables are very small and the food does pile up since there's a lot of small plates. Enjoy!
(5)
Amanda G.
I went here with my boyfriend and had a Groupon for the Bocado experience. The food was pretty good. I found some of the food to be bland. For example the fried rice balls with mozzarella were not very flavorful and the dipping sauce was too creamy to compliment the food well. I did enjoy the time in between each plate. It made for a relaxing evening.
(3)
John M.
Mediocre, uninspired food. Avoid the stuffed figs, raw tuna, bacon wrapped scallops, and sheep's milk cheese plate. Pork meatballs were decent. Fried goat cheese was delicious. Seafood paella is bland. Service from our bartender was spotty with poor recommendationa. They totally forgot to make one of our tapas then charged us for two extra. Generous pour on the wine flight but Caipirinha was overly sugary. Poor lighting and overall ambiance; feels like a spruced up cafeteria. Avoid and head to Flan y Ajo instead.
(2)
Jordan D.
Sold. And not just cause of the Groupon deal. I've came here once before and recently popped in on Friday night (when literally EVERYONE around us was using the Groupon deal) and we haven't been dissapointed either time. Tucked into a little side street right between 10 and Atwells lies this damn good tapas joint. To start, the space has a whole industrial chic thing going on with high ceilings, big windows, lots of exposed metal and concrete - but is intimate enough for a little date night action or a small group. The bar (which is longggggg) actually looks nice as well although I feel like most folks grab a table. I also think we got the same server both times - an older white dude who seems to be high on life 24/7. Now, I know they try and get you with the 'experience' deal or I know 850+ people have bought the Groupon deal - but just wing it and order a bottle of wine and try different plates. Which plates, do you ask? Here are some that are pretty lights out in my book: Bone marrow: Enough said Roasted brussel sprouts: Nice Spanish take on one of my fave veggies Bistec crudo: Comes with a nugs of tasty manchego and fried garlic. Get the carpaccio, garlic and manchego in one bite - so, so good! Whipped roasted garlic, feta and spinach dip: Your typical spinach dip, on Iberian steriods Lollipop lamb chops: Actually like these cause they're bite sized, they're not overly seasoned and taste like lamb chops right off your backyard grill! We got suckered into some bad sangria cocktail that was $10 a glass (!?!?) and completely meh. Luckil we just had one a piece and moved to the Royal White white rioja which was reallllllllllllllllllllly good - wonder where I could actually by this for back home! In summation, GREAT spot, good service, weird parking situation but the wife and I plan on coming back to try more plates for sure!
(4)
Erin M.
This is the best meal I ever eaten ever. The braised rabbit was absolutely divine. Get the experience for two.
(5)
Mary K.
I've come here twice now. The first time was for drinks only - so didn't bother to write a review. The second time was Groupon driven. Very hip and modern decor. The only complaint about decor was that my boyfriend hated the chairs - they were oddly shaped - he opted to sit on the side of an end booth with me. The place itself is very narrow and the bathrooms are located at the very front of the restaurant where the entrance is. Nice long bar with plenty of seating. The groupon we purchased was for 2 meats/cheeses, 4 tapas, 1 paella and dessert (only one available - churros w/ chocolate dipping sauce). Meats/Cheeses - duck and pork loin, came on a cutting board with bread/spread - both very good. Tapas - calamari, venison, littleneck clams, shrimp burgers (highly recommend!), brussel sprouts (good but not worth the money). Paella - Classic, to me the paella lacked a bit of flavor and I'm not a huge fan of the crusty rice bits but my bf is so I let him have all of that. The churros were way too overly doused with sugar - way too sweet for me. We each had a sangria as well, both were good. All items are listed in Spanish but have very detailed descriptions. Overall - I really liked Bocado. So much so, we purchased another Groupon but if we were to return after the next visit - it would be for the Tapas and drinks only, no paella or churros.
The first time I came here, I loved it here. Each subsequent visit, however has gotten worse than the last. Last night will definitely be the last time I try this place, which is a bummer, because I really want to love it here. So, here's the story of my last visit to Bocado: Girl walks into bar alone after working a 14 hour day. Excited to get off her feet and relax with a glass of wine and a snack. Girl is ignored. Girl watches enviously as staff gathers around another staff member eating at the end of the bar. Girl finally gets a drink and has the unfortunate feeling that the bartender just doesn't want another customer to add to the other two at his rather large bar area. Girl orders salad and an omelet. Salad is crisp and delicious. Omelet tastes six months old. Girl waits for the 'tender to give a shit. A different bartender finally notices girl and takes the offending egg dish away. She orders octopus with hope in her heart. Octopus comes swimming in a pool of paprika butter and is grossly overcooked. Girl doesn't want to send it back. Blots off the 4 quarters of potato that came in the butter bath and eats them. Bartender waits soooo long to check on her again. Other guy takes plate full of octopus away. Girl is defeated. Girl pays too much for a frustrating experience and a salad. Get it together, kitchen.
(1)
Eric C.
This is a brand new restaurant on this side of town that I was treated to for a friendly work gathering. This unassuming little place is dressed just like a bar with decor getting you ready to taste a little bit of Europe. Sit yourself down on a comfy little chair and look over the endless menu of tapas, paellas and charcuteries. An equally lengthy menu is the wine menu with choices from all over Europe. Just march your way through and really think about what you want to go for. I would suggest the choice for 2 or 4 depending on the number of people with you. Remember that Groupon has coupons for the choice of 2 and would save you almost 40% on the menu price! Here are key words to remember: Honey crusted goat cheese, pheasant sausage, Spanish ham, bone marrow, hamburguesas (doesn't matter which slider), tuna (it's da bomb) and paella classica (because why would you choose anything but the classic?). I assure you that a meal for 2 could easily be a meal for 3. I'm generally a big eater and despite my appetite I had left overs. Your dessert is churros or churros AND flan if you get the food for 4. I'm not a big flan fan, but that was a good jiggly egg dish. Plenty of parking outside and they do take reservations however I have yet to see them super busy. This place is deserving of more attention!
(5)
Jeffrey B.
We were invited here for a family birthday and were immediately impressed with the warm greeting and nice ambiance. Perhaps it is generational, and we are too old, but tapas has more appeal to the younger generation. That being said, we started with drinks and the drink menu was very extensive and creative. The waiter brought me a sangria, but not the one I ordered, however after one sip it was so good I decided to keep it and give the waiter a free pass. The quantity and quality of the food overall was very good. I agree with other reviews that said the rabbit was not great and I thought the paella could have been better, but others at the table raved about the paella. I cannot comment on pricing as we were guests. So if you want tapas and a nice atmosphere you should give Bocado's a try!
(4)
Katy S.
I love tapas and wine and so had high hopes for my dinner at Bocado (note: this is a late review, I went here in November 2014). Unfortunately this was a great disappointment. This restaurant, despite branding itself as a tapas bar, is more similar to the traditional Rhode Island restaurants that serve up large portions of mediocre food-- if you like that, this is your place. The small plates were uncreative and unimpressive, especially when compared to the type of tapas you'd actually eat in Spain or the former Flan y Ajo in downcity Providence. The paella was not good- in fact my boyfriend and I had a couple bites and chose not to eat it. Service was not horrible. We sat at the bar; the bartender was unhelpful and we observed him get into a loud conflict with the couple seated next to us when they (rightfully) complained about the bits of cork in their glasses of wine. The ambiance was also seriously lacking-- I felt like I was in a warehouse (very high ceilings) and even though it was evening, no one had bothered to adjust down the lighting. Not recommended.
(2)
Becky M.
Holy menu batman! The food menu and the wine menu are EXTENSIVE -- and, as you would expect, heavily Spanish focus. First the wine: There's many options for different wine flights to expose yourself if you haven't tried, or just have the option of multiple wines to go with the tapas that you order. There's also many options for wine by the glass and by the bottle. The wines are organized by color (red/blush/white) and then by body. Price points have a good range, so there'll be something for every budget. Second, the food: Tapas! I love small bites, so I am going to naturally be drawn to a tapas bar. We had the calamari -- it was good, but a little greasy. I did like the remoloude that came as a dipping option. We also decided to split an entree -- the pork loin with barley risotto and roasted rainbow carrots. It was absolutely delicious. Hearty and a large portion, so we both were able to take a little home for lunch the next day. It was stick-to-the-bones cold weather food. The space has been slightly redone (in the entryway) from its former life. The barstools are HIGH, but really comfortable. Lots of red and black in the decore. We did sit at the bar and our bartender was attentive without hovering and really just let us be chatty. Just right. I look forward to going back and trying other menu options -- it will take you a while to work your way through the whole thing.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Good For Dancing : No Alcohol : Full Bar Happy Hour : No Best Nights : Sat Coat Check : No Smoking : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Rebecca V.
After a second stop, I'm confident with my three star review. There have been some major updates to the dining space -- the high tops with barstools are gone, so it's much more comfortable and spacious in there now! The paella, however, is not in any real sense paella. The main characteristic of paella is that it is cooked in such a hot vessel that the rice on the bottom becomes crispy, and the flavors of the different ingredients mingle. As you stir and eat, there are all kinds of textural contrasts, to which the crispy rice is key. (In this way, it's like Korean stone pot bibimbap.) In bocado's version, it's very clear the the ingredients -- rice, sea food, sausage -- are clearly cooked separately. The mussels and clams are steamed in water, not in a bubbling broth, and none of the flavors really come together. The worst part is that this leaves the rice bland and uniformly cooked--there are no crisp bits. I still think this is a good place to go and get tapas, if a hair on the expensive side. I wouldn't opt for the paella again.
(3)Alexandra O.
so I've been to Bocado twice now, and I've been impressed twice. I was very skeptical of the fact it was on Valley St. However, thy have valet (which I highly recommend), and it's just off the highway or bottom of federal hill per say. The food is AMAZING! And the bartenders know their shit. The wine flights are great, paella is super authentic. A few of my favorite tapas are the octopus, lamb chops, Kobe sliders, and honestly anything it all comes out great. DO NOT forget to grab a churro, they are home made and amazing !!
(5)Peter B.
The concept was intriguing but the practice was uninspiring. I loved the converted mill setting. The open kitchen on the far side of the room and the flowing bar down the right side were visually pleasing. Here's what I didn't like about Bocado. I noticed the waitstaff spending an unusually long time at each table trying to explain how the menu works. Note to restauranteurs: If it takes your staff more than 1 minute to explain how to read a menu...you need a new menu. The service was below what I consider to be acceptable standard. The waitress assigned to our table was very pleasant but she was stretched way too thin and barely gave us any attention. We received our drinks nearly 15 minutes after we ordered them. Meanwhile, we listened to the woman sitting at the table next to us specifically question the waitress as to the presence of any glutens in the dishes she was interested in ordering. The waitress assured her that the items were gluten-free. 30 minutes later, the woman was in the bathroom, severely ill. Upon returning, the waitress confessed that one of the dishes did, in fact, have gluten. She offered to remove ONLY THAT ITEM from the bill! My wife and I shared 5 tapas dishes. Only 1 of them we considered to be very good. The other four were bland and underseasoned. I cannot see us returning to Bocado with so many other outstanding options in the Providence area.
(1)Eva W.
It's just ok, based on my reviews of food (see below) and ambiance (although that depends on what you are looking for). There are much better 4 and 5 yelp star eateries in the area (easy entertaining for lunch, Justine's for a drink, Nicks or Julian's for dinner, and Flan if you must have tapas). I've eaten here 4 times, and the food is so variable. Much of it is bland, masked in cheese or overly fried, and I've had two dishes that I honestly should have sent back (Chilean sea bass cheeks--one of the most expensive on the menu--consistency like rubber & a palm of hearts salad in which many of the veggies had browned). The presentation is fine. It may be good for you if you enjoy a heavily meat and potato and fried food based menu, and you know? I consider going for a cheese platter and wine, but I always opt elsewhere because of the multiple large screen TVs. I don't want my semi-fine dining experience and chill ambiance to be mixed up in a sports bar.
(3)Arelis L.
Great menu. Many different plates style dinner. Water knew all his dishes. The food was great and drinks are tasty
(4)Mark D.
It is a great spot, decor is exciting, seats comfortable, and staff attentive. The wine list is extensive and a good place to expand you knowledge of Spanish wine. This is a first visit and they are relatively new to Providence. The tapas were good but not exceptional, and arrived to quickly to have been prepared a la minute, for us. The most disappointing was tuna dish, it was cook correct , but prepared earlier and just sliced for us . It's so much better when you have a cold center and warm seared exterior . So I will return to see if they work the kinks out of there kitchen.
(3)Kameron S.
I wanted to like this place way more than I did. Everything I read on the menu sounded amazing, but fell a bit short in execution. I think the problem was I kept comparing the dishes to other restaurants that have similar items. All of the tapas we ordered I have had something similar and better at Flan downtown. The paella was also subpar and is way better at Los Andes on Chalkstone. I guess if you haven't been to either of those oher restaurants for similar fare, the food is ok. The service was excellent and the best thing we ate was the fried goat cheese appetizer.
(3)Aja C.
This is BY FAR one of my favorite places to go! If you're a fan of tapas you will be extremely impressed with their wide selection of both cold and hot apps. They always have amazing groupon deals, monthly specials, and wine pairing nights on the last thurs of every month. I go there at least once a month but try to go more. They also have an extremely extensive Spanish wine selection which you can also get in flights to try 3 different wines at a time. The staff is always friendly and knowledgable and the food comes out fast. Great place for a fun date or a large group. Wouldn't really recommend bringing children here unless they have a more extensive pallet. All around delish!
(5)Bruce K.
3.5 would be best rating $7 sangria was a bit grape juicy Staff was friendly We had a tasty grilled octopus with potatoes Pork meatballs were very good and good portion Asparagus and shrimp at $7 tasted good but the portion was very small(even for tapas) four tiny shrimp and about 1 1/2 spears of asparagus chopped up. Manchego served with bread was good as well Bill for two came to $48 including drinks and was enough food : they have a price fixed dinner which includes tapas and a large plate or paella for $75 for two people which seemed to be too much food for two: couple sitting next to us did not finish the paella course but did give it high marks. Atmosphere is hip; parking lot across the street is convenient; as neighborhood is not great
(3)Amelia S.
Let me start by saying that we brought a large group here (11) so it's always difficult to make everyone happy! I really had no idea what to expect and we didn't arrive until about 8:15 and I was already hungry. We were promptly seated-- and began the experience. I was super overwhelmed, as I usually am at these kinds of places. Other friends stepped in and did all the ordering. LOVED the fried goat cheese and charcuterie platter! I could have eaten that all night. I tried the octopus but I wasn't sold. The food was good, just not great. The sangria was good, just not great. Everything was good, just not great. I wouldn't run back here but I wouldn't not go at all either.
(3)Shar A.
I was pleasantly surprised by this restaurant. There are tons of unique tapas to choose from and they do paella's as well. Great place to do wine tasting while eating, my favorite! They do wine flights, custom if you want. I love how you can order a few tapas and wine, then decide if you want more along the way. I didn't care for the paella, but everything else was flavorful and exceeded my expectations. I'll definitely go back, maybe even as a large group.
(4)Robert S.
I had visited the Worcester location about a year ago and I was excited to try the new Providence location. The Groupon offer (Dinner for 2 @ $49) was a good way to check the place out. This is my feedback on the dining experience: - PHEASANT SAUSAGE with cognac Excellent, nice flavor, good texture. - LOMO EMBUCHADO (house cured pork loin, spiced with paprika) Excellent, thinly sliced, great tasting... - CHULETAS DE CORDERO (grilled lollipop lamb chops with rosemary mustard oil) Good but a bit bland and gamey tasting. Lots of fat sections - HAMBURGUESAS DE GAMBAS (twin mini shrimp & parmesan burgers with hot cherry pepper sauce) Very good. The shrimp burgers were tasty and did not taste like filler - CALAMARES CON AJO (fried calamari with garlic, lemon, parsley & orange horseradish cream) Very good. Crispy rings of calamari with a nice light sauce - PAELLA DE CARNE It was just OK. Some of the meat chunks were tough and bland, some were tasty and flavorful. A bit salty for my taste - CHURROS Crispy and light...but a bit undercooked. The waiter, John was nice, attentive and prompt. The manager was nice, pleasant and friendly. Overall a good experience.
(4)Sarah C.
Happy to see they are using this space for a new restaurant. Cuban Revolution was mine and my husband's go-to spot, especially because it wasn't too far from our house, so it was pretty disappointing when it closed. We came on a Monday night at around 4:30 (I get out of work early during the summer and we were bored. Don't judge!). The place was empty, as was to be expected. Our service was top notch, mostly because we were the only people in there perhaps? I hope it is normally that good even during busy times, but I can't tell yet. We were seated in a lovely booth, but noticed the chairs in the middle of the restaurant around the tables looked to be not very comfortable, high stools with low backs. I'd probably avoid sitting at them. We did the whole tapas experience, you get to choose a meat and cheese, four tapas items, a paella, and you get churros for dessert. We did this during restaurant week so we got a really great deal on it all. I was feeling overwhelmed by the selection of wine and just couldn't make a decision, so the waitress helped and her recommendation was spot on (good work!). Our food was delicious, but by the time the paella came out, we were totally stuffed. The waitress could tell too and was joking with us about it. Perhaps if they reduced the price of the tapas experience and made it a little less food it would be more enjoyable. As much as the food was totally delicious, I was disappointed to not be hungry enough to eat more of the paella, and pretty much forced myself to eat a churro. I'd like to try it again on a weekend, when they are a bit busier. Overall I really enjoyed it here and would definitely go back.
(4)Emily B.
I brought a large group here (13) for a birthday dinner and the staff was fantastic. They offered us a fixed price-per-head meal and it worked out really well. The food was so so good and they even cut and served the cake we brought. Overall, the food was great but the rice balls and the bacon wrapped scallops were two of my faves. Oh! And the warm churros with chocolate sauce for dessert - yum!
(5)Arthur T.
Loved the octopus, and the fried goat cheese best I've had in a while, and tender!! With the groupon deal, it's an incredible value...already planning our return
(4)Nicole W.
I have mixed feelings about Bocado because I've been so excited to try this place out. One the one hand, a leisurely dinner of wine and small plates of food is totally my thing. On the other, the waitress took her pacing to the extreme with service so slow it bordered on inattentive. (Seriously, this would be a three star review if I had received better service.) I loved the atmosphere and the open kitchen, which always fascinates me. This feels like a good late night spot. The pomegranate sangria I had was delicious, and the food that I tasted was good. Nothing special. I have a feeling their strength lies in the drinks menu, because I'm not sure the quality of the food justifies the pricing. (and their menu is HUGE and all over the place) I would definitely come back just to have drinks and a nibble, but there are better places for dinner.
(2)Don S.
I've only been once so far, but this seems to be a pretty decent tapas restaurant. The food was mostly good to very good and there was very little that we thought could be better. A couple of warnings: The 4 of us got the "Experience" which is a selection of tapas and then finished with a paella. It's a lot of food and if you're going to order it, try to take your time to eat slowly and ask you server to bring it out as you finish the dishes. Trying to keep up with the dishes coming out really fast and filling our table was difficult. Also, see if you can get booth seating as everyone in our party thought that the seats running up the middle of the restaurant were a bit uncomfortable. Other than that, I would go back and order some of my favorites again for sure!
(3)Cole C.
First off, as a restaurant, this place falls totally short. However, this could be entirely shaded by the way our waitress handled everything that night. She seemed to not care at all when our food took an abnormally long time to come out, instead of taking responsibility and apologizing for the wait and trying to make things better, she opted to tell us that the food would be right out, even thought it never was. I've worked in restaurants for a number of years, so it's pretty obvious to me when the kitchen forgets a ticket. I asked our waitress, Lauren, if that was in fact what had happened because we had been waiting for our paella for about 25 minutes after our last course was cleared. She seemed taken aback and offended that I would have actually figured out that the issue wasn't just that the kitchen was backed up (the restaurant was half empty, other, more recent tables getting their paella before us). She then said if it was taking too long she could just give us the paella to go. Other than that she didn't offer to help out in any way. After that she avoided us as much as possible, dropped the check when we were done, and although we would have said no, didn't offer dessert or coffee. That being said, the food is also not all that exciting. I've traveled all of Spain, eaten at many iterations of Spanish restaurants, and cook both Spanish and Catalan food at home. The food here is the equivalent of what you would find at a rest stop on the highway in Spain. None of the cooking is traditional in any way, both in technique, flavor profile, and texture. The paella was a terrible disappointment, as it had been cooked in an oven, basically heated up until it was warm. The rice was mushy and it lacked the richness one would come to expect from Paella. Worst of all, because it was cooked in the oven (which the server mentioned) it could not develop the socarrat, the crusty bottom that is the most important part. All the food was on par with the paella.
(1)Lynn V-c R.
Went here because I had a groupon. We were so pleasantly surprised!!! Tons of choices, good size portions, and everything was DELISH!!! The service was great and the food was fresh. Try the tapas experience for two...if you see this on groupon ... GRAB IT!!!
(5)Khristina D.
We sat at the bar. I started with the Evangelista. That so far is the least fav. Fried oliives..and blue cheese... (American words)..yummo. Now, the meatballs oh yes yes yes. Nope..the veal peppers. ..ahhh...I hear angels But the best was the venison. ...wowomgomg!!!!! This is a come again and again place.
(5)Goldie H.
Meh, I've experienced better totally. I recently came here expecting this place to be pretty decent -- not quite Toro-level but still really tasty. It wasn't even as good as the Spanish tapas place I went to over in Somerville. While the service was fantastic, the food just didn't do it for me. The lollipop lamb tasted too smokey and there was no substance to it except for almost-burnt smelling meat. Not a fan. I was also disappointed by the pork belly, which I felt would be a staple dish, but found to be a little more dry-tasting than I anticipated. Yet, it was one of the better dishes for sure. The chicken croquettes weren't terrible either, but a sense of prepackaged-ness emanated from them. That surely turned me off a bit. Now the scallops wrapped in bacon. Oh, man. It was definitely not good. When we got it, I already could smell something vile. I'm not sure if it was the way it was prepared, or if the bacon or scallops had gone bad, but I did not at all enjoy these... just having them at the table. Of course, so as to not seem rude (and hoping to prove myself wrong) I ate one and I really wished I hadn't afterwards. An almost warm, vile smell exuded from the scallops into my mouth and it reminded me of some sort of liquid of the yellow smelly kind. Would NOT order again, ever. On the bright side, the patatas were pretty good. But then again, you'd REALLY have to screw those up. Overall, the food could have been much better, but the waiter experience was great -- our waiter was awesome. If anything, I would just return for the charcutterie and wine and experience. If you want authentic spanish tapas, I would recommend going downtown or driving up to the Boston area. This would be good only for an introduction on the types of dishes available for spanish tapas restaurants.
(2)David T.
This was a very unimpressive dinner. Being from Spain, I wasn't expecting much but it was a strong disappointment. Croquetas were too hard and not very tasty. The paella was over salted and with no real taste of azafrán. The churros at the end of the meal were soft and instead of a real, traditional, and thick chocolate dip we were served Nutella. The place looks nice inside but if you're looking for good Spanish cuisine, skip this place.
(1)Chiara A.
I came here when they had their opening specials and again with a Groupon. The food is delicious. I used to live in Spain,and this is the closest I've had to Spanish food in Providence. Prices are a bit steep, but I have yet to pay full price here. Atmosphere is great, though the seats can be a bit uncomfortable. Service has always been top notch. I would highly recommend this to a friend.
(4)Ann C.
This Providence location is awesome. We had great cocktails and a wonderful meal. We started with Charcuteria which is a board with meats, cheeses and other acompanamientos. Them we had the most delicious Shrimp Burgers and Casamiento which is steak with rice and beans. We sat at the bar and had great service. Met the bar manager Nate and the bartender Nathan. They were helpful and seemed very proud of this new restaurant. Overall great experience. Check it out. We'll be back often.
(5)Amy W.
I went with a friend for dinner on a Thursday evening after purchasing a Groupon for the Experience. This included a meat and cheese plate, four tapas plates, a paella, and dessert. First, the setting, the staff, the choices were great! We loved it and can't wait to go back. We ordered the house-cured beef loin and the fried goat cheese. It came with baguette slices, a pepperdew pepper, I think it was guava paste, and almonds. It was soooo good. Then we choose our four tapas. Our server suggested the turkey meatballs with a mushroom and truffle cream sauce. We did wonder if she suggested them to move them because, although fine, they fell far short of amazing. What was amazing was the roasted bone marrow, the foi grais, and the shrimp sliders. I have to commend our server and the manager because we originally ordered another tapas plate that neither myself nor my friend liked. We just tried a little and the waitress asked if we did not like it when she came to clear the tapas plates. We were honest and said it wasn't to our liking. It was no fault of theres...we decided to try something new and beyond our comfort zone. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't! But the manager quickly came over and apologized and offerred another tapas plate. We took him up on the offer and were very happy with our selection. The only reason I gave four stars and not five is that I was underwhelmed by the paella. We got thd classic and it was very mushy and bland. The peas tasted like canned peas. When we ordered, we did ask that they slightly overcook the paella so it gets a crunchy bottom to it. Our server said sure but the dish did not come out crunchy at all. Like I said it was rather mushy. The only course that had no choice was desert. But it did not matter as the churros and chocolate was DELICIOUS! Lastly, we each had two glasses of sangria. Again we went with our servers recommendation and got the apple and cinnamon fall sangria. So yummy! Like I said, can't wait to go back!
(4)Rubben N.
First time here, so far so good. I like the food but wished they were playing flamenco or Spanish music. One of the employee said they used to played it but they got tired of it. Not a good answer
(3)Odessa C.
Delicious food! Beautiful space! And attentive servers! You can't ask for much more. Had the Bocado Experience and enjoyed every bite, though we were really full by the end and took some of the yummy paella home. Thoroughly enjoyable evening. Highly recommend. And don't forget the sangria!
(5)Jilian A.
The food was okay, we got the groupon deal for the bocado experience. I was a little disappointed with the paella.. Probably wouldn't go back
(3)Briana I.
It's not often that I write a review while I am still sitting at the restaurant. Tonight Bocado has been amazing...it hit the spot. We tried tapas and the salmon entree (which was a last minute addition but totally worth it). They were all delicious, but the highlights were the Abondigas de cerdo, pork meatballs with fig, and the pulpo, some of the best grilled octopus I've had in the US. The atmosphere here is great, exposed brick and beams, very spacious with a bar that seats about 20! Do not miss out on the La Menta, a house made elderflower sangria...so refreshing!
(5)Autumn G.
We finally made it to Bocado last night to use our Groupon and enjoyed the Experience for two. I was pleasantly surprised to find off street parking with not one but two wheelchair accessible spaces. I had indicated on our reservation that one of the diners used a wheelchair and the host already had a table set up with one seat removed. I was very impressed by the diversity of the diners and as well as the laid back but professional atmosphere. The experience for 2 allowed us to sample from most of the menu. From the Charcuteria and Queso we were allowed to select two items- We selected the Serrano ham and the fried goat cheese, which were served with a sliced baguette , an apricot jam and almonds. I was impressed with the serving size but more importantly the flavors. A little goat cheese spread across a baguette topped with the thinly sliced ham, was a wonderful way to start our dinner. I also opted for the monthly feature sangria - Cinnamon Apple and it was very fall appropriate, I followed that up with a traditional red sangria - it was good but I prefer a little more of a citrus flavor in a red sangria. For our four tapas selections, we had a very hard time narrowing it down to just four but ultimately went with: a whipped garlic, spinach and feta dip, a pulled pork ravioli, stuffed eggplant and bacon wrapped scallops. Everything was delicious while the pulled pork ravioli was a standout, the stuffed eggplant was exceptional. I felt that each of these small plates were priced appropriately from $6 to $9 and were the perfect sized for sharing. The main course was a choice of paella and this is where Bocado lost a star. We selected the classic version of this dish but this did not live up to expectations. We really missed the caramelization and crunch that forms at the bottom of paella. This felt more like rice and meats thrown together just prior to being served. It was just alright, probably the "worst" paella that I have had but still not bad. We ended up taking at least half of it home with us. despite the disappointing paella, all was not lost and we ended the evening on a high note with the churros and chocolate. These little pieces of fried dough perfection, simply melted in your mouth and the chocolate was just the right sweetness to not put this into the "too much" category. All in all we had a great dining experience, the food was good to great, our waiter was knowledgable and attentive and the atmosphere was perfect to relax and enjoy a conversation. We will be back but will likely stick to the small plates and avoid the paella. With the Groupon, three drinks, tax and tip we spent about $110 which I feel was very reasonable for the level of food we received.
(4)Candace B.
Tried this new tapas restaurant as part of Providence Restaurant Weeks. The food was delicious. We had Serrano ham with fried goat cheese; seared foie gras; bone marrow; carpaccio; duck leg; seafood paella; and churros for dessert. It was all amazing. Each course came out rapid fire. Server was attentive, but did bring me the wrong drink once. This makes for a great date night. I can't wait to go back with friends! I hope Providence catches on to this place!
(4)Carlos V.
WOW!!! WOW!!! WOW!!! FOOD is AMAZING!, our waitress (Rachel) was AWESOME - Best Service we have ever had... and the SANGRIA is AMAZING! Ambiance (old mill, exposed brick, modern industrial touches) was perfect for Dates, Night out or just chilling at their Bar! We did the tasting package for 2... we got an amazing Pimento Cheese, and Duck Breast, app, then stuffed peppers (that were AWESOME), Lamb chops, Asparagus and shrimp, and a steak tapas... they were all SOOO good, but the stuffed peppers with veal were our favorites! We then chose a paella (we got the standard chicken and seafood) and it was the best paella I have had in RI. Then chorros with chocolate sauce at the end... the chorros were awesome, the chocolate sauce was just OK... Their house Sangria was SO good, we got 2 pitchers! Rachel (or waitress) was great with explained everything, gave us tips on ordering the first round before so we could get some food, and working on the second round selections over a glass of sangria. The menu is a little intimidating with all the choices but it just made it mandatory that we come back and try more! :-)
(5)Erica C.
Glad to see the old Cuban Revolution space being used. This place was an improvement over the last establishment, but really, wouldn't anything be? Why is there no good cuban in this area?!? I digress. I was treated to a night at Bocado by a friend who purchased the groupon. It was an AMAZING value. The meal we got with it was massive. It's their regular meal for two, menu- 2 meats or cheese, 4 tapas, 1 paella, churros. The decor was kind of 1995 R&B video. I expected Toni Braxton to come grooving out at any moment. Those chairs! Wine list was good! And really reasonable. But what really impressed me was the service. Our waiter, who's name I cannot remember ( management- he was very soft spoken, english was definitely not his first language) was impressive. Really. Being a server is hard. I did i. I was horrible. This guy was attentive but not intrusive, made good informed recommendations, knew how to properly do service- A+. Managers made a point to check with tables in a friendly way. How refreshing. Food was ok. Not anything memorable. I would say this place is "tapas inspired"? Mostly a fusion kind of things. Not many authentic dishes. The word, I think would be soulless? Roll your eyes at the food nerd. But that's the word that came to mind while I ate. It was well executed enough, nothing horrible, just not anything I would specifically go back to. Ok one thing wasn't great- those churros. Over greased with watery chocolate sauce and some how the wrong texture for a churro? I would go back here for a drink. I would go back here with a overly large group of people because they could easily accommodate them, and it would be an interactive thing. But for a good tapas experience, I'll keep to Flan y Ajo in downtown.
(3)Christina C.
Holy moly - I love this place. Wanting to try something new during Providence Restaurant Week, a friend of mine and I decided to check out Bocado. Our server, Nate, was super attentive and made great recommendations - which was extremely helpful since the menu was a bit overwhelming (soooo many different awesome options!) The owners/managers were also making sure we enjoyed everything we were ordering and having a great experience. They also have a variety of monthly specials in addition to the regular menu. If you're looking for something new and different, I would definitely recommend Bocado!
(5)Rebecca H.
The former site of Cuban Revolution in Olneyville has been reborn as a second location for Bocado, a tapas restaurant whose flagship is just up the road a bit, in Worcester, MA. A friend and I decided to give Bocado (Providence) a try last night--we left happy with our inaugural meal, overall. Fans of Flan y Ajo in Downcity are no strangers to fantastic, authentic tapas. This is a more Americanized menu; while you can spring for standards like tortilla Espanola, pan con tomate and jamon serrano, you'll also find hamburger sliders, grilled sirloin steak, fried calamari and salmon fillet on the menu. If you're looking for faithful adherence to the Spanish tapas experience, look elsewhere; but to its credit, what Bocado lacks in authenticity, it makes up for in seating (something Flan y Ajo regrettably lacks). When you don't want to eat standing up, or with your backside rubbing chummily against a stranger's, this is a reliable alternative. We shared Bocado's "dinner for 2 people," which consists of a choice of two items from the charcuteria y queso menu; a choice of four tapas (choose between hot and cold dishes); one of four different paella dishes; and churros and chocolate dipping sauce for dessert. Our scorecard, from start to finish, consisted of the following: Course 1 Pheasant sausage with cognac Fried goat cheese with honey and almonds Course 2 Vegetable terrine: roasted eggplant, red & yellow pepper, sun dried tomato, artichoke, parmesan & mozzarella with asparagus-sweet pea coulis, and tomato oil Atún be Bocado: raw tuna with lemon basil crema, sweet potato chips and chili avocado Hamburguesas de gambas: twin mini shrimp & parmesan burgers with hot cherry pepper sauce Chuletas de cordero: grilled lollipop lamb chops with rosemary mustard oil We then split the classic paella: a giant dish that arrived piled high with saffron rice, chicken, calamari, shrimp, chorizo, mussels, and littlenecks. Dessert was the delightfully sinful and aforementioned churros and chocolate sauce. The dish was laden with more than enough sugar-covered sticks of fried dough for two, already-overstuffed ladies. But we rallied admirably, and we polished off every last one. We washed the meal down with a pitcher of the house sangria (for the more adventurous, there are several exotic sangria options available, in addition to the standard mix). It was flavorful, with the requisite amount of fresh fruits added. At $23 for a small-ish pitcher that comes half filled with ice cubes, though, it's a bit pricey. It would be tough to serve three people on a single pitcher; but for two adults with day jobs, on a Monday night, it was just right. Normally, the dinner for two special is $75. We used a Groupon, which discounted the price by one-third. I think that the full price is a bit steep, though the food was decent across the board - even with occasional flashes of greatness: the fried goat cheese, pheasant sausage and shrimp burgers were the evening's standout dishes, while the raw tuna was the night's most forgettable/regrettable dish: there were exactly TWO tiny sweet potato chips, and the tuna was fairly flavorless, with individual dollops of too-mild lemon basil cream atop each small slice. The dinner special for four people, at $135, more closely matches the value of the Groupon we used, and leaves room for the necessary two pitchers of sangria. On a night when you've got a hankering to explore some new territory, head to Bocado -- but first, try to rustle up three amigos.
(3)Virginia C.
I went to Bocado's on yesterday evening for my birthday celebration. It was truly a wonderful evening from start to finish. In addition to the hostess, the owner (Mike or Matt) met us at the door and let us know they were glad to see us. The food was amazing, it was restaurant week so we had the Dinner for two for 48.00. The food was amazing. We enjoyed every dish with the exception of the calamari, which was bland. It could have used either more spice or a dipping sauce. The cured ham and fried goat cheese was AMAZING, I literally could have made a meal out of it. My daughter loved it too! The pork meatballs were interesting, especially the fig and blue cheese concoction that was in the gravy. It was a little grainy but good. The chicken and potato dish was yummy. We actually brought the meat paella home because we were full and since it was my birthday, I wanted dessert. I wish I had gone with a different dessert, I was not thrilled with the chouros with the chocolate dipping sauce, which was good but not great. It came with the special so I thought I'd give it a try. We had the berry sangria, which was not sweet at all and did not have an authentic sangria taste. I would try a different one. I will definitely go back and I highly recommend this place.
(5)John O.
Not often do I give a 5 star, but this is definitely worth 5. Food was outstanding. Presentation spot on. Staff knowledgable about menu items. One of Providence's bear spots
(5)Vanny C.
ALWAYS great service. Great drinks. Great wine. Great salads. Okay tapas. Awesome cheese. Yummy meats. Great paella, especially the carne one. Churros - not so much...
(4)Liz M.
Like many others I am happy the old Cuban revolution space is being used. I did enjoy it there. I did the Groupon for the experience It's normally 75 but it was 50 minus ten for a local deal promotion. Score ! We had sliced beef and fried goat cheese. It was accompanied by some pepadews and quince and Marcona almonds. It was an awesome combo. We had pulled pork ravioli , stuffed piquillo peppers , chicken croquettes and spinach feta dip with pita. For dinner we had steak and potatoes instead of the usually paella as I don't eat seafood. The tapas were very good with a melange of different flavors. My favorite being the croquettes that were breaded in corns chips with a honey sauce. The portions were huge. We took home most of the steak dinner. Churros were not that good. It seems as if they were sitting out for a while and kind of stale. Johannesburg was our waiter ( not sure I spelled it right ) and he was awesome. Attentive but not hovering. For the price we got a lot of food. I'd like to go again to try the other things on the menu. Definetly check it out !
(5)Shana M.
Great food, extensive wine selection and a cool atmosphere! I'll definitely be back soon!
(4)P K L.
Don't listen to the negative posts. This place takes pride in what they deliver and as a providence regular we all need a comfortable spot like this around for a long time. Get in here and support this place...
(5)Dan K.
We've been meaning to try Bocado for a while, and when we finally got around to it, the Groupon that's been available for some time was gone. It was just as well, though, because I wasn't sure I wanted paella, so we decided to forgo the "Experience for Two" and get a wider variety of tapas. Had two sangrias to drink, peach and strawberry. I'm not a big fan of sangria by default, and I thought the flavors improved both, but not so much that I would order them again. Charcuteria/Queso: We got a board with manchego, duck breast, and pork loin. The cheese was tasty, although I thought both meats were a bit bland. I liked the accompaniments (warm, crusty bread, some kind of fruit paste) although I'm spoiled by other restaurants where the cheese board has specific accompaniments to go with each cheese... here I had to improvise to decide what tasted food together. We ordered five tapas: the garlic bread with tomato (basically make-your-own bruschetta with salt crystals), mozzarella rice balls (a little creamier than expected but quite good), sauteed shrimp (surprisingly spicy aftertaste, since the red pepper flakes were not advertised), bacon wrapped scallops (bacon wrapped scallops are always good), and chicken thighs (super-tender, though not unlike what we make in the slow cooker at home). None were among the best foods I've ever tasted, but all were good and the variety was nice. I wish they'd all come to the table at the same time... by the time the scallops and chicken arrived, we had eaten most of the other dishes, and I was too full to get excited about the chicken. We were originally going to get churros for dessert, but without ice cream (they just come with chocolate) we thought the fried-ness might be too intense. My wife was advocating for the dark chocolate brownie with ice cream, but I don't like dark chocolate that much... still, we decided to try it, and I'm glad we did, because it was fantastic. Not very dark at all as it turns out, and so moist it was more like a cake than a brownie. A surprisingly awesome final course. Altogether, with tip, we spent $94, which while a bit steep by our dinner standards, is not bad for a meal for two with appetizer, dessert, and drinks. We will definitely come back, and I look forward to trying some new dishes and resampling the ones we liked most.
(4)Sandra O.
With the exception of the sold out items that our group asked for (due to delayed deliveries from the inclement weather) I have to say that the food portions are perfect! 6 of us shared and it was great to taste a little bit of everything as opposed to ordering a large meal. My friend raved about the bone marrow; she literally licked the bone. The beet salad, calamari, octopus and rice balls were excellent.
(4)Robert D.
Great addition to the Providence restaurant scene! My wife loves tapas- me not so much-until Bocado. Awesome watermelon sangria and doing the groupon meal for 2 at $50 is a really good deal. Great service, fantastic food in a stunning new space = a hella good time.
(5)Annie D.
Welcome to Providence Bocado! We came to the opening at 60 Valley Street. The food was delicious and Dierdre, our waitress, was absolutely awesome. I love the desert - Bocado Reina! (Bread pudding - guatemalan style!). And the seafood paella was outstanding. You rock! Thank you for the hospitality and welcome to the neighborhood!
(5)Amanda B.
A friend and I went Thursday night for dinner. We ended up doing the bocado experience, normally priced at $75 but special for $60. It was two cheese and meat plates, four tapas plates, a paella 'main dish' to share, and dessert. Needless to say it was A LOT of food. Everything was tasty however my two complaints here are the staff and the 'experience' for as much as they talk up and try to sell their wine flights and sangria, aren't included in that $60-75 price. I think that's totally crazy, to tell customer about the total experience but not include their house sangria say. Like I said it was a ton of food, maybe knock down the size of the paella dish and throw in a glass of sangria each? Just a suggestion. And the servers were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Our waitress was polite but the table next to is suffered once she got busy as were we. We waited a good 15 mins for our first drink, then another long wait at the end for our coffee with dessert. Overall, I'll give it another try here and maybe sit at the bar...
(3)Carrin P.
Went last night with a friend for restaurant week. The place is very nice inside but the food did not measure up to the decor. Calamari was so thin and dried out it was awful. We had a few bites and gave it back. We order calamari a lot and this by far was the worst I've had. The Spanish egg and potato omelet was good and the chicken breast over potato salad was also good. The paella was terrible! It was incredibly fishy and salty even to me and I love salt. The rice was dry and even had a little crunch, chorizo was dry and the calamari was so tiny you could barely see it. To top it off both me and my friend are not well today. We came for the food and we won't be back.
(2)Ryan A.
Fast service, modern enviornment. Great time. House Sangria is a must!
(5)Carter V.
I found it quite authentic. Fantastic low-key service. Not rushed. Nice that they have hard cider, as well!
(4)Stephanie G.
I'm a little stingy with my 5-star ratings, but this new addition to the Providence restaurant scene deserved it (or maybe 4 1/2 stars if that was an option). One of the highlights is an exquisite wine list including almost 100 Spanish wines - Cavas, roses, whites, and reds, including flights which allow you to sample the impressive selection. The paella, selection of cheeses and charcuterie, and tapas were also outstanding. We especially liked the fried goat cheese, slow-cooked chicken with fennel, olives, orange, and dried fruit, and traditional paella. Nice service, fun atmosphere too. We'll be back soon -- with friends.
(5)Marco D.
This restaurant is an asset to providence to say the least. The food is amazing, the waitstaff / bartenders are very personable, and knowledgable of the menu. The experience for 2 is the perfect item for 2-3 people, which even includes dessert. I haven't had anything there I didn't like, but to pick a favorite: The pork meatballs are simply delicious. I was displeased to see a 2-star review by one of the nearby residents, another one of those difficult people that can never be pleased, thinks he knows everything. Please disregard this nonsense and give Bocado a try.
(5)Jessica S.
Nice décor and some of the food was ok. Hit or miss tapas, terrible paellas. I will say the peaches and cream dessert and flan were good. Not a big fan of churros but the chocolate sauce was ok. Our waiter was nice but not attentive or all that competent. The décor is nice, though the stools at the tables in the middle of the room are not all that comfortable. Menus are too big, just awkward. We liked the steak with chimichurri, chicken with potato salad, and garlic shrimp the best. Charcuterie was also good, hard to mess up. Paella was very bland and all 5 of us did not love it, undercooked vegetables in the veg one. We were there for 3.5 hours. seriously. That is just too long. I ordered a drink and 25 minutes later had to ask where it was, still didn't have it ten minutes after that. I had also been out of water for awhile at that point. No excuse for that. 2 things were added to our bill that should not have been on there. Bad service. Better places for the cost. Overall I don't feel a need to return.
(2)Steven K.
Awesome. Ate there with a friend a few weeks back. Ordered the experience for two and a bottle of wine. Service was great, cool atmosphere , and fantastic food. So many choices! Would love to go back next time I'm in the area
(5)Wendy W.
Gosh, this place was between a 3.5-4 star for me. The deductions are for the paella which all the yelpers agree need some re-vamping & the price. These tapas dishes aren't cheap at $7-10 bucks a pop! Although I used the groupon for 2 which was an excellent deal, allowed me to try a good number of things & I left stuffed! What I had: Fried goat cheese: so surprisingly good! I would go back just for this one! Get it! U won't regret it Smoked duck: meh. I usually like duck. I found it kinda bland & it was served cold which made it taste more bland Beef carpaccio: also bland. Not too impressed. Seared foie gras: absolutely delicious. On a butternut squash, crunchy sarano. This one I would have again Shredded pork ravioli: pretty good! Not actual ravioli though. More like deliciously seasoned pulled pork w/a lasagna-style pasta that was perfectly al dente. Would totally get this again Slow braised rabbit: sounded great, but tasted like chicken... Which is weird bc I remember rabbit having more of a gamey taste to it. Then the paella: we chose the beef one & man... This should not be called paella. Rice w/a variety of meat pieces. Rice too soft, bland, not crispy at all! Meat pieces ranged from chorizo to duck to chicken... But all were very chewy bc they were over-cooked. Such a disappointment. I think foodie yelpers agree: this needs to be fixed Bocado. All in all, I liked about 1/2 of the tapas dishes, liked the creativity of the other tapas that I didn't try enough to consider returning for more. However, did not like the paella at all & the prices could be either: 1) cheaper per tapa or 2) be more consistent w/the quality of the tapas. If they were all as delish as the goat cheese, foie gras, or shredded pork ravioli, my only other compliant would be the paella. So solid 3.5 stars. I would round up, but I want management to fix the paella problem & it looks like they haven't listened to the other yelper reviews. I'll come again though
(3)Ruth D.
Thank you for bring us a great tapas restaurant in RI! If you're going on a friday or saturday, definitely make a reservation. We sat at the bar (which was just as comfortable) and had great service. I started with a pomegranate sangria. Don't miss out! We had a charcuterie plate and four tapas. All excellent. Not hard to find numerous options on this huge menu. Make sure you try it.
(5)Laura A.
Bacado was an incredibly unique eating experience. The food was fresh, straight from their open kitchen and it just kept coming! The drinks were equally as yummy and our group of 6 had a great time sitting, talking and eating for hours. My only "complaint" which isn't really a complaint...is cost. We went for a friend's bday and it was a special occasion, however, if it was any other night of the week I may have skipped Bacado to save a little money in our wallets. The catch 22 is that the food is worth the cost!!
(4)Julie M.
Totally terrific tapas! I went recently with some friends from work and we all loved it! There is something on the menu for everyone from the "Plain Jane" to the "Epicurean". We did the Bocado Experience and there was actually TOO MUCH food.......but it was all super well prepared so I ate it even though I was going to POP! We ordered manchego cheese, pheasant sausage, Serrano ham, and the fried goat cheese. All were amazing! We also ordered 8 tapas -- again, all very good but the shrimp burgers and roasted potatoes were the favorites. The paella was good but not a standout compared to the rest of the meal. I truly don't have a bad thing to say about this place and will go back again! Next time I'm thinking sangria and some tapas at the bar!!
(4)Scott J.
Outstanding food, drink, atmosphere and service. One of my favorite PVD spots - highly recommended.
(5)Francesca D.
Love love loved this place. Food was delicious with a excellent and interesting array of choices. Bartender was great at his job. He should be working in Napa valley! Stephanie our server was kind and attentive and knows her stuff too. What a pleasant experience to be at a restaurant with not only very tasty food but people who know what they are serving! Will be back! Thanks Bocado! Nice job!!!
(5)Amir S.
Smoked duck breast with balsamic glaze, fried goat cheese, shrimp burgers, and the flan were to die for!! Lamb chops were a little disappointing as compared to the ones at Bocado in Worcester! Overall an awesome tapas place!!
(4)Brandon D.
This place is definitely worth checking out. The menu is so large and diverse that you could come here every night for a week and never try the same things twice. Really liked what they did with the old space. Friendly staff and great service. There's really no other place like it in the area. Highly recommended.
(5)Jenn M.
What a great find! Great menu and finally something a little different from what you usually find in Providence.
(5)Jennifer R.
Went to Bocado with my husband and a few friends because I have been dying to try the tapas. I wasn't very impressed with the meal. I made reservations on open table and I specifically put "gluten free" down. There was NEVER A MENTION of that when we arrived. We ordered the Bocado experience... Not good. The fried goat cheese... Just okay, the smoked duck...okay, the eggplant, okay, the rabbit.. Not great, the salad... Okay and the vegetable risotto, actually pretty gross. The dessert was peaches and cream which my children could have put together... Not what I expected...best part of the evening was the fact that there was a pig roast outside and there were alcohol vendors showcasing their products. Also the server was great... Good sense of humor. Unfortunately, won't be returning...
(3)R. R.
I've been wanting to check Bocado out since they opened a few months ago. We finally made it and I am very glad that we did. The food is delicious. We ordered the goat cheese with honey (my favorite), Serrano ham, chicken croquets and the sliders. Everything was very good and the portions are actually pretty decent. I think 2 items per person is pretty good. I will definitely visit Bocado again.
(4)Beantown T.
love bocado. both here and when in worcester. fun food. fun staff. churros are delightful. just go
(4)Dillon D.
The whole dinner experience was horrible. The hostess sat us between two other couples even though the rest of the place was empty. The waiter forgot our order and never brought us one of the tapas we ordered. The paella was horrible - all the meat was rubbery. The one good thing was that they offer flights of wine.
(1)Rahul M.
I really, really wanted to like this place because I live nearby and it's super convenient. But alas, like the old Cuban Revolution it replaced, the food sucks. I was tempted to send it back both times I've eaten here but didn't because the staff are very nice and it's not their fault that the higher-ups are clueless. If the Cheesecake Factory opened a tapas restaurant, this would be it: large, loud, and with a ludicrously long list of food that's nothing like its description. It is a soulless, industrial version of tapas. But people still flock to the Cheesecake Factory, and judging by the oohs and ahhs of my fellow diners, they will flock here. If you actually want decent tapas, stick to Flan y Ajo downtown.
(2)Katie D.
Pretty good wine selection, but the food was sub-par. Also the chairs are weird and uncomfortable. Sit in a booth.
(3)Tim H.
Ate there the other night and they were tasty. Nice selection of cheeses and accompaniments, enjoyable wine flights. Some main courses I was curious to try. Came by today though well into their open hours and they were closed with no sign of activity. If their advertised hours aren't reliable it's not going to be a go-to spot in my mind unfortunately regardless of proximity to my home. Shame to see them possibly following down the path of Cuban Revolution so soon.
(3)Timothy K.
Bocado just stole $60 from me and 3 of my friends. Food came out staggered and late (1 meal was served immediately, while 1 soup was 5 minutes into the meal the other soup was served 20 minutes into the meal, the final entree's came about 30 minutes later). 3 of the 4 plates had potato salad. 1 was thick mayonnaise based and the 2 were watered down and flavorless. Duck sandwich was okay, chicken sandwich was a joke, and the pulled pork was dry and flavorless. I heard dinner was okay but they are not ready for lunch!
(1)S. P.
We visited Bocado this week for the first time with some friends and it was a great night out. Their were a lot of options on the menu and everyone found something they liked. Every single food item we tried was excellent and fresh, and we used a Groupon which was nice. They are also running a special until the end of August for $29 a person which is a nice savings. The decor was very trendy and they have an extensive wine list with wine flights available if you want to try different ones. We sat at the bar and the bartender, a lovely young lady named Jenn, was extremely attentive and always kept our drinks and our water glasses full. We will definitely be back!
(5)P B.
The food and service are really exceptional. We adventured into more unusual items such as rabbit and were very impressed by the chef's ability to consistently deliver well prepared delicious food.
(5)Becky S.
Great first impression. We came here on a Monday night and there was hardly anyone there. The atmosphere/decor is nice with candles on the tables and the option to sit at the bar. The waitress was very attentive and gave us drink and tapas recommendations. I ordered a mango sangria, which was ok (I typically prefer red wine sangrias, though). Next, I wanted to try a red wine. All of their wines are Spanish wines, which I am not so familiar with. The waitress was able to make me a flight of 3 wines to sample, and all were great. The menu is huge with a large number of cheese and charcuteries as well as hot and cold tapas. We tried the fried goat cheese with honey and chorizo to start. It came with some bread, nuts, and fruit spread. All of this was excellent. For tapas, we ordered stuffed dates and bacon wrapped scallops, which were also excellent. For the entree, we ordered the Classica paella, which contains a mix of land and seafood proteins. Definitely good flavors, but not the best paella I've ever had. For dessert, we ordered the raspberry white chocolate bread pudding. This was pretty good, but I didn't really get either the raspberry or white chocolate flavors. Overall, a great experience, though pricey. It will definitely be added to our special occasion line-up!
(4)Kelly P.
Went to this location for the first time and ordered the Meal for two and added some additional tapas to the mix. Food was average, with the salt levels all over the place. The Paella was very bland other than the very spicy sausage. The house sangria was fine, but nothing to rave about. I was very much hoping for a wow dish, but did not find one on this visit. I will be giving them another try once the location has been open longer to hopefully work out the kinks.
(3)Josh T.
I've been to Bocado in Providence twice since they opened, and was impressed both times. We regularly order the shrimp burgers and the fried goat cheese as part of our "experiences" based on recommendations from our first server. The cocktails and wine pairings were great (La Flor is a great martini). Both times we left stuffed, with some paella to take home. We'll be back again soon!
(5)Grace M.
Love the Worcester location and the RI spot is keeping up the reputation nicely. Great space (the old Cuban Revolution), friendly service. The menu is expansive, larger portions considering it's tapas. Great vegetarian options!
(5)Theclutch T.
The atmosphere was great. The service was great as well. But the food was a little disappointing. My wife and I love tapas and have gone to a lot of tapas restaurants even in Barcelona. The reason I bring this is up is that we would probably pickier than others. The pan con tomate was just unappetizing.. My wife said that it was gross and the bread was soggy, etc.... The salmon asado was a lot of food for the money - enough to share especially if you already had a few tapas before hand. But I'm afraid it was just "ok" and not good enough to order again. The garlic shrimp was good and I would certainly order it again, but it needs more garlic. This is the least amount of garlic I've seen on this dish. This dish is typically served on a hot iron skillet. The drinks were great. So in a nutshell, go to this restaurant to drink in a nice atmosphere and have mediocre food. If you're single, it's probably a good place for you to be and be seen. If you've "been there and done that" and looking for real food, look elsewhere.
(2)Bethany S.
It was all very good but I did notice that the Bocado experience for 2 is listed at $75 on the menue and the Groupon for the Bocado experience for 2 is listed at $95. Hmmm, now why is that?!
(5)Courtney B.
Loved it. Great food, super nice staff....I'll be back for sure.
(5)Christina B.
One of our new favorite restaurants! The food was just phenomenal. We chose the fried goat cheese, pork meatballs, chicken thighs, and sauteed shrimp and honestly could not choose which was our favorite as they were all outstanding. The staff is extremely knowledgeable regarding the wine list and foods offering excellent suggestions. The wine flights are a fun option as you get to try a decent pour before choosing a glass. The housemade churros melt in your mouth. Also love the atmosphere, not too loud. 5 stars all around, cannot wait to go back!
(5)Bob S.
Absolutely fantastic new tapas joint. Awesome food for fair prices. Highly recommend the rabbit and venison. Come on an empty stomach and indulge in some fine wines and amazing sangria. Personable and attentive wait staff, incredible ambiance, and a well stocked bar. Will be eating here regularly.
(5)Marilyn P.
Just want to give a huge shout out to the front of the house. My sister and I came here last minute on a Saturday night (9/13) during prime time without a reservation and the wait was an expected hour+. After not finding bar seating, we thought we might just come back and try another time without prejudice. Well, the manager was so kind as to offer us a table in the waiting area and we accepted. He served us and was so pleasant and knowledgeable. We ordered the tasting and had eaten our charcuterie and tapas before we unexpectedly had to leave (long story and we were very sad about it). He was so attentive to us. I'm gluten free and he kindly brought cucumbers to the table so that I could enjoy some of the dips and spreads without bread. Since we had to go, we took the paella and dessert home. Everything was delicious and the service was amazing. I will definitely be back here for the whole authentic experience.
(5)Geoffrey H.
First timer at Bocado. Meal: Enjoyed a 2 person $75 fixed price four course tapas dinner. First course was charcuteria & queso selection (meat & cheese). We chose chorizo and fried goat cheese which were paired with a small loaf of bread, fig spread & spicy pepper. It was great. Second course were the tapas. We chose four tapas from the menu including a great octopus dish and lamb meatballs. There were about twenty choices for tapas both warm & cold. A lot to choose from, but the waitress did a great job going through the menu and pointing out her favorites. Third course was a great paella and lastly was a plate of churros. Drink: In addition to our meal we got a pitcher of white sangria which was about $30. They have a red house sangria that is about $20. Definitely interested in coming back! T Environment: Great ambiance, very open industrial feel, very long bar, seats comfortable & tables closely aligned to one another. A warning, the portions are small, but the come quick and by the time you we got half way through the tapas we were pretty full. Best to come here on an empty stomach.
(5)D N.
Overall, a very solid choice for a weeknight. Nice decor and ambiance. Very attentive and friendly, but not intrusive, service. Ample parking across the street. The immediate area is a little sketchy. Now for the food: most of it was great. A couple of dishes were overly salty, and one of the four tapas we got was unimpressive, but most were great. The charcuterie was excellent. The sangrias were perfect, as were the churros for dessert. This was my first tapas experience. I was a little worried that the package dinner for 2 would leave me hungry. I needn't have worried, I left stuffed and happy.
(4)Christina T.
Was really surprised with the kinds of ingredients they are using in dishes, so delicious! Our waiter was also great at helping choose wines and the meal was reasonably priced for quality/quantity overall. My only suggestion would be to use lower/mood lighting as its a great date spot and different lighting would help make it feel more so. Recommend the bacon wrapped scallops in honey white truffle oil and the octopus tapas! Paella is wonderful too.
(5)Christopher F.
The Bocados Tapas experience was fantastic. Lavish and delicious experience. By far my greatest dining experience to date. Seven course masterpiece. Charcuterie was a Roasted Duck and a sharp cheese. For the tapas we had bacon wrapped scallops, broiled steak, chicken fritters, and calamari. We decided on the Paella ClasÃca for the sixth course. It was a very generous serving prepared excellently with traditional ingredients. Last course was homemade churro with a chocolate sauce. I would highly recommend this place to anyone. I will be returning very soon.
(5)Megan C.
We came here because we received a gift certificate, and enjoyed the food so much that we returned again. Great food and atmosphere. We ordered the Bocado Experience for 2, and it was more than enough food. We had a mix of hot and cold tapas based on our waiter's recommendations - everything was delicious. We also chose the seafood paella, which I highly recommend. Also tried the sangria and a couple of wine flights, which was a good way of sampling the extensive wine list.
(5)Michelle M.
One of the best dinners I have had in Providence, hands down. Absolutely loved everything from the atmosphere to the food and waitstaff was excellent!
(5)Sylvia G.
I went here for the first time for my 39th B-Day Dinner; I was looking for a nice change of pace and overall scenery as well as good, fresh, tasty food {which meant nothing from the normal "chain mill"}. Bocado's not only DIDNT disappoint but has been added to my list of must go back. We had the Weekday Experience for Two {choice of 3 Tapas/Paella for 2} everything from the Fried Mozzarella to the Crisp Chicken over Russian Potato Salad was DELISH. We've had Paella at another RI Restaurant and paid double if not triple and I want to now go ask for a refund!! :) With regards to the staff: I will allow my thanks to everyone from the Greeter that made sure our table didn't wobble to the ladies that made sure our Sangria was never empty onto never once rushing us or "passively" reminding us that it was 10pm..THANK YOU ALL FOR MAKING MY B-DAY WONDERFUL
(4)Victoria K.
I have very mixed feelings about Bocado Tapas Wine Bar. On the one hand, it's a really neat space with a vast menu of creative Spanish-style dishes. They have a great prix fixe menu option including meat/cheese, tapas, paella, and churros for dessert. I love Spanish food and I love tapas. With that said, the tapas I tried at Bocado were really hit or miss. The albondigas (meatballs) were quite tasty, with a touch of sweetness from figs and some tang from blue cheese. The blue cheese is assertive, but I like blue cheese so it worked for me. Personally, I love simple Spandish albondigas and don't really need all that extra culinary hoopla. A delicious, moist meatball in sauce is perfect. The croquetas and the bola de arroz frito are both tasty fried tapa options. The complimentary sauces were good as well. The braised rabbit was salty and quite frankly the worst rabbit dish I've ever had in my life. And I love rabbit. I was so disappointed. It was my friend's first time trying rabbit and I'm afraid the experience turned her off of rabbit forever, which is unfortunate because rabbit can be really delicious otherwise. The cheese meat options we tried were tasty, and by the time we even got to the paella we ended up taking most of it home, but it was pretty good. Not the best I've had, but a solid effort. I think the menu is perhaps trying too hard to stand out by offering some less traditional tapas, or trying to make the traditional ones too gourmet, but I'll be honest, Spanish food is so delicious just as it is, it really doesn't need the bells and whistles. Just good flavors. I would consider visiting Bocado again, but would avoid the rabbit dish like the plague. Otherwise, the meal over all was quite pleasant, although not mind-blowing.
(3)Sandra T.
Great food and excellent service. Paella's seafood was ok but could be more flavorful. Anyways, everything was delicious and had an amazing time. Absolutely recommended.
(4)Eric K.
Ok so I have a biased opinion of Spanish food and it is hard to make this review in an objective manor. I was able to travel Spain recently and was able to eat a great amount of Spanish food. Naturally, I was excited to see a local place offering some of the great foods I ate in Spain. However, I was not completely happy with the food I ate. But I would go back and eat it again... and again. This has nothing to do with the how good the food actually is. The food is great, and on top of that the wine and drinks were excellent. I was expecting the Spanish food I ate in Spain, but that is not quite what I got. We got the "Bocado Experience for 2", which is an incredible deal! The tapas are great, we ordered; Pan con Tomate, Dátiles Rellenos de Queso de Cabra, Croquetas De Pollo, y Patatas Asadas. Though they were all great, 3 of the 4 disappointed me. The Pan con Tomate had a garlic spread (which was unnecessary there is something simple and fantastic about crushed tomato, bread, salt, and olive oil). Datiles y las Croquestas were plagued by paprika. The Paella we ordered was very well seasoned and tasty, but the squid and the little necks were over cooked. I also didn't care for the chorizo. While this sounds like I was disappointed, Bocado makes up any of these faults in the overall taste, the drinks, and the atmosphere. I think the Spanish wine selection including the cava selection is great. The mixed drinks are of high quality to. We ordered the cava flight and some mixed drinks. Overall, like I said, I would go back, I wouldn't have dinner, just tapas and wine.
(3)Stephanie C.
I got a Groupon for Bocado and decided to go for Valentine's Day. While it is a bit expensive it's definitely worth it for the amount of food and quality of it that you receive. See my photos from Bocado for all the dishes we had. It's a romantic old factory that has been converted into a restaurant. Exposed brick, loft style and candles on all the tables. Plan out about two hours for this experience and be sure to try the Spanish wine. It's the smoothest wine I've ever had and the service was remarkable. A great date place for a couple or a small group. The only reason why I would say a large group may not be the best is that the tables are very small and the food does pile up since there's a lot of small plates. Enjoy!
(5)Amanda G.
I went here with my boyfriend and had a Groupon for the Bocado experience. The food was pretty good. I found some of the food to be bland. For example the fried rice balls with mozzarella were not very flavorful and the dipping sauce was too creamy to compliment the food well. I did enjoy the time in between each plate. It made for a relaxing evening.
(3)John M.
Mediocre, uninspired food. Avoid the stuffed figs, raw tuna, bacon wrapped scallops, and sheep's milk cheese plate. Pork meatballs were decent. Fried goat cheese was delicious. Seafood paella is bland. Service from our bartender was spotty with poor recommendationa. They totally forgot to make one of our tapas then charged us for two extra. Generous pour on the wine flight but Caipirinha was overly sugary. Poor lighting and overall ambiance; feels like a spruced up cafeteria. Avoid and head to Flan y Ajo instead.
(2)Jordan D.
Sold. And not just cause of the Groupon deal. I've came here once before and recently popped in on Friday night (when literally EVERYONE around us was using the Groupon deal) and we haven't been dissapointed either time. Tucked into a little side street right between 10 and Atwells lies this damn good tapas joint. To start, the space has a whole industrial chic thing going on with high ceilings, big windows, lots of exposed metal and concrete - but is intimate enough for a little date night action or a small group. The bar (which is longggggg) actually looks nice as well although I feel like most folks grab a table. I also think we got the same server both times - an older white dude who seems to be high on life 24/7. Now, I know they try and get you with the 'experience' deal or I know 850+ people have bought the Groupon deal - but just wing it and order a bottle of wine and try different plates. Which plates, do you ask? Here are some that are pretty lights out in my book: Bone marrow: Enough said Roasted brussel sprouts: Nice Spanish take on one of my fave veggies Bistec crudo: Comes with a nugs of tasty manchego and fried garlic. Get the carpaccio, garlic and manchego in one bite - so, so good! Whipped roasted garlic, feta and spinach dip: Your typical spinach dip, on Iberian steriods Lollipop lamb chops: Actually like these cause they're bite sized, they're not overly seasoned and taste like lamb chops right off your backyard grill! We got suckered into some bad sangria cocktail that was $10 a glass (!?!?) and completely meh. Luckil we just had one a piece and moved to the Royal White white rioja which was reallllllllllllllllllllly good - wonder where I could actually by this for back home! In summation, GREAT spot, good service, weird parking situation but the wife and I plan on coming back to try more plates for sure!
(4)Erin M.
This is the best meal I ever eaten ever. The braised rabbit was absolutely divine. Get the experience for two.
(5)Mary K.
I've come here twice now. The first time was for drinks only - so didn't bother to write a review. The second time was Groupon driven. Very hip and modern decor. The only complaint about decor was that my boyfriend hated the chairs - they were oddly shaped - he opted to sit on the side of an end booth with me. The place itself is very narrow and the bathrooms are located at the very front of the restaurant where the entrance is. Nice long bar with plenty of seating. The groupon we purchased was for 2 meats/cheeses, 4 tapas, 1 paella and dessert (only one available - churros w/ chocolate dipping sauce). Meats/Cheeses - duck and pork loin, came on a cutting board with bread/spread - both very good. Tapas - calamari, venison, littleneck clams, shrimp burgers (highly recommend!), brussel sprouts (good but not worth the money). Paella - Classic, to me the paella lacked a bit of flavor and I'm not a huge fan of the crusty rice bits but my bf is so I let him have all of that. The churros were way too overly doused with sugar - way too sweet for me. We each had a sangria as well, both were good. All items are listed in Spanish but have very detailed descriptions. Overall - I really liked Bocado. So much so, we purchased another Groupon but if we were to return after the next visit - it would be for the Tapas and drinks only, no paella or churros.
(4)Brent R.
Never having been to the original location of Cuban Revolution, I couldn't compare this new restaurant's ambience to that one, but my friend said it is much better in all ways. The only way I can describe the décor is very chic, European perhaps. This is a tapas restaurant with Spanish cuisine, and there are many from which to choose. We ordered 4 and devoured them. The duck leg was delightful. I can't even recall the others, but my friend, who had just returned from a month in Spain, said they were close but not precisely what he experienced there. Keep in mind that the plates are mostly quite small, so this won't be a cheap trip if you want a filling meal. But it's SO worth it for special occasions. The service was exceptionally good. The wine list is extensive. Go there and eat up. It's terrific!
(5)Jennifer R.
The first time I came here, I loved it here. Each subsequent visit, however has gotten worse than the last. Last night will definitely be the last time I try this place, which is a bummer, because I really want to love it here. So, here's the story of my last visit to Bocado: Girl walks into bar alone after working a 14 hour day. Excited to get off her feet and relax with a glass of wine and a snack. Girl is ignored. Girl watches enviously as staff gathers around another staff member eating at the end of the bar. Girl finally gets a drink and has the unfortunate feeling that the bartender just doesn't want another customer to add to the other two at his rather large bar area. Girl orders salad and an omelet. Salad is crisp and delicious. Omelet tastes six months old. Girl waits for the 'tender to give a shit. A different bartender finally notices girl and takes the offending egg dish away. She orders octopus with hope in her heart. Octopus comes swimming in a pool of paprika butter and is grossly overcooked. Girl doesn't want to send it back. Blots off the 4 quarters of potato that came in the butter bath and eats them. Bartender waits soooo long to check on her again. Other guy takes plate full of octopus away. Girl is defeated. Girl pays too much for a frustrating experience and a salad. Get it together, kitchen.
(1)Eric C.
This is a brand new restaurant on this side of town that I was treated to for a friendly work gathering. This unassuming little place is dressed just like a bar with decor getting you ready to taste a little bit of Europe. Sit yourself down on a comfy little chair and look over the endless menu of tapas, paellas and charcuteries. An equally lengthy menu is the wine menu with choices from all over Europe. Just march your way through and really think about what you want to go for. I would suggest the choice for 2 or 4 depending on the number of people with you. Remember that Groupon has coupons for the choice of 2 and would save you almost 40% on the menu price! Here are key words to remember: Honey crusted goat cheese, pheasant sausage, Spanish ham, bone marrow, hamburguesas (doesn't matter which slider), tuna (it's da bomb) and paella classica (because why would you choose anything but the classic?). I assure you that a meal for 2 could easily be a meal for 3. I'm generally a big eater and despite my appetite I had left overs. Your dessert is churros or churros AND flan if you get the food for 4. I'm not a big flan fan, but that was a good jiggly egg dish. Plenty of parking outside and they do take reservations however I have yet to see them super busy. This place is deserving of more attention!
(5)Jeffrey B.
We were invited here for a family birthday and were immediately impressed with the warm greeting and nice ambiance. Perhaps it is generational, and we are too old, but tapas has more appeal to the younger generation. That being said, we started with drinks and the drink menu was very extensive and creative. The waiter brought me a sangria, but not the one I ordered, however after one sip it was so good I decided to keep it and give the waiter a free pass. The quantity and quality of the food overall was very good. I agree with other reviews that said the rabbit was not great and I thought the paella could have been better, but others at the table raved about the paella. I cannot comment on pricing as we were guests. So if you want tapas and a nice atmosphere you should give Bocado's a try!
(4)Katy S.
I love tapas and wine and so had high hopes for my dinner at Bocado (note: this is a late review, I went here in November 2014). Unfortunately this was a great disappointment. This restaurant, despite branding itself as a tapas bar, is more similar to the traditional Rhode Island restaurants that serve up large portions of mediocre food-- if you like that, this is your place. The small plates were uncreative and unimpressive, especially when compared to the type of tapas you'd actually eat in Spain or the former Flan y Ajo in downcity Providence. The paella was not good- in fact my boyfriend and I had a couple bites and chose not to eat it. Service was not horrible. We sat at the bar; the bartender was unhelpful and we observed him get into a loud conflict with the couple seated next to us when they (rightfully) complained about the bits of cork in their glasses of wine. The ambiance was also seriously lacking-- I felt like I was in a warehouse (very high ceilings) and even though it was evening, no one had bothered to adjust down the lighting. Not recommended.
(2)Becky M.
Holy menu batman! The food menu and the wine menu are EXTENSIVE -- and, as you would expect, heavily Spanish focus. First the wine: There's many options for different wine flights to expose yourself if you haven't tried, or just have the option of multiple wines to go with the tapas that you order. There's also many options for wine by the glass and by the bottle. The wines are organized by color (red/blush/white) and then by body. Price points have a good range, so there'll be something for every budget. Second, the food: Tapas! I love small bites, so I am going to naturally be drawn to a tapas bar. We had the calamari -- it was good, but a little greasy. I did like the remoloude that came as a dipping option. We also decided to split an entree -- the pork loin with barley risotto and roasted rainbow carrots. It was absolutely delicious. Hearty and a large portion, so we both were able to take a little home for lunch the next day. It was stick-to-the-bones cold weather food. The space has been slightly redone (in the entryway) from its former life. The barstools are HIGH, but really comfortable. Lots of red and black in the decore. We did sit at the bar and our bartender was attentive without hovering and really just let us be chatty. Just right. I look forward to going back and trying other menu options -- it will take you a while to work your way through the whole thing.
(4)