A Spanish restaurant that began serving tapas in 1971. It has an interesting decor of brick walls and wood trim, lots of art and a bull's head near the bar. There is ample seating with three dining areas including a bar, backroom and fine dining upstairs.
Suggest changes to this restaurant listing.
Reviews
Added Aug 14, 2009 by jennko of Vancouver (88 Reviews) Great time accompanied with great food
I had a great time a couple of days ago with a couple of my mom's friends for dinner. This place was recommended by one of them. When we arrived, the place was half full and by the time we finished it was a full house. The ambiance is very cozy but the lighting is a little dark. The food is good but not that as great as what my friend mentioned. We ordered:
Squid ink with rice - pretty good, I would order it again
BC scallops in tomato sauce - perfectly cooked but lacking in flavour
Rabbit - pretty good but some parts of the meat were harder than others
(Pork) skewers - the meat is a little hard
Spanish rice - pretty good, it's flavourful yet not overpowering
Beef tongue - very tender and flavourful
Lamb shank - tender and it's pretty good according to my mom
Baby squid - it's not bad, pretty tender
The best is their sangria, it was awesome!!! It's very fruity and it's very addictive. :D
For a table of 7 people and we ate until we couldn't eat anymore and with 5 jars of sangria, the bill came out to be a little less than $300 before tips, which is awesome!!!
The food is great but it's not super good but the value for it is outstanding. So, I would come back again but not anytime soon. |
 |
| Food: |
 |
| Service: |
 |
| Value: |
|
| Ambiance: |
|
| Added Jul 13, 2009 by Gems of Vancouver (12 Reviews) Just like Uncle Franco's basement!
This is now a favorite of our teens who are expanding their dining experiences. The decor is like Uncle Franco's basement ... circa 30 years ago ... and now ... and so we have a feel-good time here. It really has not changed much over the years and that's OK. We love tapas as it allows for alot of tasting options and everyone can find something to nibble on.
The plato variado (cold plate) is a good starting point with an array of items, and build from there. Our favorites are the patatas bravas (zesty potatoes), pimiento relleno (stuffed red pepper), calamares (fried squid), the chorizo casero (spicy sausage), albondigas (Spanish meatballs), and jamon (small cured ham breads). We get the livers (which our kids won't touch, but all the more for us). Get lots of bread to sop up sauces, and don't forget the sangria. You can add on after your main order, and it is usually pretty quick. Best seats are on the periphery - we like beside the bar towards the back, or the front inside corner. It can get loud.
|
 |
| Food: |
|
| Service: |
|
| Value: |
|
| Ambiance: |
|
| |
<More reviews below advertisement>
| Added Mar 7, 2009 by kjw of Richmond, BC (1 Reviews) Not Coming Back
Good ambiance but everything else is very lacking (especially the service). Slow service on a busy night is understandable but if you're not a really large party, expect to be ignored for most of the night. It took almost 20 minutes to get a server for the bill.
Food is very so-so. We had the chorizo which was dry and tasteless, the prawns were okay but at around $7 for 6 prawns felt like a ripoff. No memorable dishes. Suffice to say the food is something different but definitely not as good as other downtown restaurants. |
 |
| Food: |
 |
| Service: |
 |
| Value: |
|
| Ambiance: |
|
| Added Jan 14, 2009 by bordercollie of north vancouver (194 Reviews) Okay food & Service.
I haven't been in La Bodega for approx 2 years and wanted to go there after work. It wasn't too busy for 7.30pm, was greeted by lukewarm waitress & was sat in the very back in a corner. I did ask to move to another table, one that wasn't wobbly, and saw a few, but this particular waitress didn't seem to care.
I was greeted by another server, who was friendlier, took my order and waited with hungry anticipation. I had order there prawns in garlic, meatballs, chicken wings with bread to dip into the garlic. I loved the prawns, still as good as I remembered them, and the bread was great for soaking up the garlic, vampires beware.
My meatballs where less than desired, in a sauce but I found the meatballs where overcooked & dry, not making them very tasty. I also thought their chicken wings in pass, where the best, but I should have left my previous thoughts behind to sadly disappointed with hardly lots of taste to them.
It could have been off night for the chef, but I didn't find the food all that great, flavourful or screaming at me to order more. I did try the creme carmel dessert, it was light, lots of flavour and another dish the way I remembered.
It too bad that food wasn't that great, I'm in no rush to return anytime soon. Sadly the food or service wasn't as good in my last visit. They need to fix the table that wobbles in the back..another drawback to my meal. |
|
|
| Food: |
|
| Service: |
|
| Value: |
|
| Ambiance: |
|
| |
<More reviews below advertisement>
| Added Nov 10, 2008 by rmctavish of Shaughnessy, Vancouver (4 Reviews) Good food, great sangria
This was my first visit to La Bodega - and I'd certainly go back!
I went with my fiance and a large group of people and the staff were very pleasant and accommodating.
I order a pitcher of sangria for the table, which was every bit as good as I'd read about here. I'm not sure how they make theirs, but it was the best I've ever had.
We ordered the jamon (dried cured ham on bread), calamares (squid), champinones salteados (garlic mushrooms), and pincho maruno (marinated beef on skewers) - the food was all very good.
I also got to try the ceviche (seafood in fresh lemon and spices) and it was also good if a little tart.
The service was pretty solid considering how busy they were. The were a few snags when one of the staff (not the same person who took our order) kept trying to get us to take dishes we didn't order, but otherwise, the service was really good.
I do find the policy of including a gratuity in the final bill for large groups annoying though - it rewards bad servers and stiffs the really good ones as most people just sign off on the bill as is.
I'd definitely go here again though. |
 |
| Food: |
|
| Service: |
|
| Value: |
|
| Ambiance: |
|
| Added Nov 1, 2008 by dal of van (34 Reviews) For a fun night out..
I love this place.. been coming for over 10 years...
Get sangria or wine ... calamari, bean salad, house salad, paella, potato bravos, and clams... the prices are great and it is so much fun... I chatted with the owner once- total sweetheart...
I would avoid chicken drummettes, ceviche, bread (extra) , ... the prawns are okay.. the pate is nice too... I prefer the red sangria over the white..
Also - i foundthe food better here than in Spain.. mind you I was a tourist in Spain ... and probably didn't go to the right places...
Definately worth it if you know what to order... There is a reason why its been open for more than forty years.. |
|
|
| Food: |
|
| Service: |
|
| Value: |
|
| Ambiance: |
|
| Added Aug 22, 2008 by cats of Kitsilano (4 Reviews) I Love it!
I love this place! I was so surprised that some people don't...I always order the same thing, so try the following and you will be happy: Booze of any kind(!), potatas bravas, garlic prawns, civeche, tomato/onion salad and marinated artichokes. We went there just the other night and spent $47 on those dishes and 1/2 litre of sangria. We were there on a first date and went back for our first anniversary. Maybe it's nostalgia, but we love the place. |
|
|
| Food: |
|
| Service: |
|
| Value: |
|
| Ambiance: |
|
| Added May 1, 2008 by victoriamurray of vancouver (1 Reviews) Delicious, Authentic and Romantic
Very warm and romantic atmosphere. A variety of different spanish tapas, anyone can enjoy a meal there. The patatas bravas has the most amazing sauce and should be finished with every last piece of bread. Seafood, meats, rich sauces, wonderful staff. I would recommend this restaurant to any one of my friends. I go there anytime I am in the area. The flavors and ambiance are to die for. |
| |
Credit Card Debt?
Search and compare every credit card in Canada and find the best one to suit your needs at Credit Card Search.
| Added Mar 18, 2008 by kewpiebaby of Vancouver (119 Reviews) Sangrias Anyone?
The all time BEST sangrias in Vancouver! So yummy! I always end up having a pitcher with friends.
MUST have tapa dishes include: mushrooms, fried chicken, clams, prawns, potatoes, rice pilaf, ceviche, paella and the rabbit. Try it!
A great place to lounge with good friends. Service is efficient but non obtrusive. The one lady there seems a bit snotty at first, but she is very helpful and sweet once you get to know her.
One of my favourite tapa places to go in town. Always good food and drinks. Definitely a good place for parties and stagettes, that's for sure! =) |
| Added Mar 16, 2008 by ito of soma (5 Reviews) don't bother
the atmosphere is nice, in a homey, comfortable kind of way.
the tapas is, for the most part, good - nothing to get worked up about, but solid.
We ordered our tapas, and bread and wine, all at once. the tapas came within two minutes - a sign that it's all sitting in the back in big pots, waiting to be spooned out. fair enough, i guess.
the wine took at least ten further minutes to reach our table, and when we inquired about the bread, we were told flatly it would be another minute.
now i don't know how it takes longer to slice a white baguette than to get a plate of beef shortribs, but apparently it does. and i'm not a big fan of eating half my meal before my glass of wine comes.
the kicker was the "cheese platter" though. slices of orange american chedder? and mozzerella from iga?? i thought this was a european restaurant, that would put at least the slightest effort into finding cheese somewhere other than the bargain blocks at the grocery store.
a really distasteful end to a rather negative dining experience.
not recommended. |
| Added Jan 16, 2008 by Food_taster of Vancouver (17 Reviews) Tapas, sangria, and a good place to chat
This place is great for coming with friends and having drinks with some food. You don't feel rushed to leave and can lounge for a long time. The decor is nice and has a very home sort of feel to it. Very authentic decor.
Food: first off, i think the sangria here is one of the best. A MUST ORDER when you come here. Secondly, the tapas are so well priced that honestly you can go crazy with ordering, but don't expect to order everything on the menu if you are going with two people, because the serving is very filling. Must orders are calamari (something with that sauce makes it oh so yummy), potato salad (it's got olives, capers, shrimps..oh my!! so good you have to order 2 orders) and Creme Caramel (lightest fluffiest tasting custard thing i've ever tried, completely addictive, should order this one twice as well)
Service: it may be slow, but this is a tapas place and not a fine dining sit down dinner sort of place so don't come expecting it. The servers give you space to talk to your friends and don't bother you much which is nice because you don't necessarily want to be interrupted every minute to fill up water glasses. |
| Added Jan 7, 2008 by childoftheworld of Burnaby (15 Reviews) Only Spanish Restaurant in Vancouver
I love this place... just only because they are the only real Spanish restaurant in Vancouver. The food could be better... real Spanish restaurants in Manila, Philippines (with Spanish Chefs & Owners) are 200% - 300% than La Bodega...
But I cannot complain. Food seems cold close to midnight. Quality is still good but the same varieties of tapas from 7 years ago when I first came here sounds boring...
Don Quijote in Calgary is a lot better than La Bodega. |
| Added Dec 29, 2007 by foodforall of West End (21 Reviews) Very "So So" Sums It Up
Won't be going here again. The food was sub standard, the ambiance dismal, but the service was good. Not recommended. Like a Spanish version of Stephos without the large portions, relatively good food quality, and cheap price. |
| Added Nov 3, 2007 by k_jones314 of Vancouver (3 Reviews) As Spanish as it gets?
First of all, this is the ONLY Spanish restaurant in Vancouver. Other restaurants claim to be Spanish, but they are not. Spanish means the country Spain. Not Mexico or Latin-America.
Secondly, what they serve you under the name Sangria, is NOT real Sangria. It is some americanized (or if you will, canadianized) version of it. Real Sangria only comes in red wine, and it does not contain any hard liquor. So while La Bodega's Sangria is good, it's not real Sangria (which is better).
Third, Spanish food is NOT spicy. Not even remotely. Several things I was served at La Bodega are really burning hot. This is not Spanish food.
But even so, La Bodega is as close as you get to real Spanish food in Vancouver, and they are pretty good overall if you know what to get (and what NOT to get). I recommend going there to see for yourself. |
| Added Apr 2, 2007 by foodelicious of Richmond (1 Reviews) Tapas and sangria
My experience at La Bodega turned out to be a complete surprise; I never thought that you could find a piece of Spain in the heart of downtown Vancouver.
The bull located at the front entrance of the restaurant remained me of the city of Pamplona, and the story “The Sun Also Rises” of Ernest Hemingway.
I was ready for the running of the bulls, and ended it was like the running of the bulls when I had my first glass of sangria, the best in the city! The tapas were superb, garlic prawns, seafood potato salad, cold mussels, stuffed peppers with shrimp.mmmm.it was all so delicious.
If you can’t travel to Spain, go to La Bodega, as they say: Salud!!
|
| Added Feb 14, 2007 by got2hot of Vancouver (48 Reviews) Gungy Hole in A Wall
I've heard great things about La Bodega, so despite a lot of bad reviews here, we decided to try. We were the only table in the restaurant around 6:30pm, so we figured we would at least get great service. The service wasnt terrible, but it was very slow, and several times we had to get the waiter's attention.
The food was dry, the chicken was greasy, the mussels were definitely NOT fresh...tasted very fishy.
The room feels very old and dirty...where if the food and service were something better, I can often forgive such rooms, consider it character, but there weren't any redeeming qualities.
|
| Added Feb 11, 2007 by frugalgourmet of Vancouver (73 Reviews) Great Sangria, Food is Less Great
Some friends and I decided to give La Bodega a try - The Sangria I enjoyed; it was quite sweet and I enjoy that because well, haha, I'm a girl and I like my fruity drinks :) The tapas came pretty well all at once, since we arrived and ordered by 6:00 pm on a Saturday and the restaurant was not very busy at that time. The ceviche was over marinated - the fish was tough. The fried chicken was served cold. And the paella was overly salty. It seemed to me, the food was prepared earlier in the day and just plated for guests. I have ordered the mussels in the past and quite enjoyed dipping bread in the sauce, but I didn't get to try them this time around. I'm thinking Baru or Havana's may have better Latin American food, but I haven't been to either in a while. |
| Added Dec 14, 2006 by aaronalexander of Westend (8 Reviews) Service Was Top Notch
With the exception of some tapas being a bit over-priced for the amount you get, everything else was very good. The one thing i noticed that was the best was our server. I havent been to a restaurant in a long time that had a server that would actually bring food and drinks in minutes, barely even waiting for either, well the food of course we had to wait for it to cook, but other then that, man she was quick!
Very nice place that is a little older, a little bit more traditional inside but has good food, great service and the clientele was a mix of all vancouverites!
Try the meatballs! |
| Added Nov 4, 2006 by 100 of Kitsilano, Vancouver (13 Reviews) Overrated and Mediocre
I've been here a few times with various friends who love La Bodega, but I've yet to have a good meal here. I've had REAL Spanish food and this is nowhere close to it. Unfortunately, this seems to be the "best" in Spanish food that Vancouver has to offer.
The food is mostly mediocre and the tapas portions are not the most generous. The ceviche and the rabbit may be the best items on the menu, and even then they are nothing special. Beware if you come in a large group, as they will have trouble seating and serving you. |
| Added Nov 4, 2006 by darina of Richmond (1 Reviews) Best Sangria
My girlfriends and i were there the other night and we had an great time, just like every other time we go there. The food is alright and the service isnt the best but the sangria was awesome. There is no where else that i would go for sangria. The chiorzo sausage, kalamari, garlic prawns, and cheese platter are excellent choice to pair with the sangria. We definatly will always come back. |
| Added Jul 10, 2006 by foodcraze of Burnaby (6 Reviews) Great for parties!
The restaurant has two levels so they can accomadate large groups of people. Great for parties to share the tapas. Me & my friends love their potatas bravas, and fried chicken wings. Mussels & Clams were good too. But the sausage can be a little dry sometimes. Can't go wrong with their Sangria.
|
| Added Jun 19, 2006 by bobo of vancouver (48 Reviews) Good food, poor service
Large groups proved to be too challenging for this otherwise good restaurant. I went there several times with groups of more than 10 people. Every time, we asked for seperate bills divded by the table, and every time, they provided us with one bill consisting of more than 50 menu items in Spanish and left us to figure out what they meant and who had what. The fact that gratitute was automatically added meant piles of empty dishes and non-existing waiting staff. Once, the waitress filled my half empty wine glass with water.
Despite the poor service, food was always excellent. All the seafood dishes were tasty and fresh. Due to the sharing nature of tapas, I recommend going there in a group of 4-6 people to sample a good range of dishes while avoiding the big group issues. |
| Added May 4, 2006 by SONofFOOD of North Vancouver (20 Reviews) Prawns & Sangria??? Yes Please!
Really, that's all I have to say. The Sangria alone is worth a visit but be sure to have the Chili Garlic Prawns, the calamari, the potatoes and the ceviche. All good, all tasty and be sure to wash it down with some more of that magical elixer they call Sangria. |
| Added Apr 7, 2006 by misterchill of West End (9 Reviews) Best Spanish in town (so far)
What a nice place, why hadn't I gone here before! The service is friendly, the back room made me feel like I was in San Sebastian again, and the food was well done.
Gambas al ajillo is always a must, so my gal and I started off with that and a jug of Sangria. Great start! The potatoes were superb and had a great gravy-like sauce. The paella was actually the first I've ever had, and it was dee-lish! A nice smokey flavour. Finally, pimiento relleno, full of pork and veggies, was pretty tasty too.
The 4 tapas, a jug of sangria, and a cafe con leche came to about 60 bucks. And both of us were very full at the end. 3 tapas between the two of us would have sufficed. The sangria itself is almost 20 dollars but large, so this place is rather inexpensive.
I am definitely returning. |
| Added Mar 14, 2006 by epicurious of Burnaby, BC (523 Reviews) Great for parties!
I've been to La Bodega three times and enjoyed it each time. They do get busy, so be sure to make reservations. Two of the three times I went, were for birthday dinners. The staff was very helpful and courteous. They offered to take our pictures (they never acted frustrated eventhough they were very busy), and brought our homemade cake to our table along with extra plates and flatware and even cut and served it to us.
Their food is awesome and the only reason I gave them a 3 is because their portions are a little on the small side. Those who don't know tapas, would probably complain that the portions are way too small. Their sangria is a must-try! |
| Added Sep 2, 2005 by Arkroyal of Yaletown (11 Reviews) Spanish Atmosphere
I like it here, esp. the downstairs back room, with stucco and Picasso paintings, candles, darkened atmosphere, Flamenco guitar tunes. My wife and I always go for the mix of tapas: patatas bravas, pisto andaluz, pan y mantequilla for a start. Then we'll have albondigas or quail with the gravy sauce. If you go upstairs, my favourite is the paella. What a meal. |
| Added Nov 10, 2004 by bottomless of Arbutus Ridge, Vancouver (18 Reviews) another pitcher sangria please
The difference between fusion tapas and the real thing is that the latter is a lot greasier. I like La Bodega because they keep it real there, however, that means some heavy dishes. Two dishes per person is ample. I reccomend the garlic prawns and house special patatos, if only they had better bread for dipping. Stay away from any of their seafood which tends to be not fresh, and their game meat which is often overcooked or cold. The paella was somewhat lacklustre but I don't know of any other place in Vancouver that makes it. Go for the sangria. Go late in true spanish fashion. If you don't pig out, it's possible to keep the tab under $20 per person. |
| Added Nov 5, 2004 by thecritic of East Side (173 Reviews) Used to be really good
La Bodega used to be the best Spanish tapas place in town for the money. However, I have had a few less than stellar dining experiences my past few trips there. Its might be still worth a shot; make sure you try the potatas bravas and the veal heart. |
|
|
