Taberna De Haro

Very warm and intimate atmosphere in the section where the bar is located (although a bit too dark to read the menu — though I suppose I could also blame my aging-​in-​my-​30s vision…).
With the exception of the winter veggie paella and the desserts (flan and chocolate truffles), most of the dishes were not particularly exciting or memorable (though we had gone to Oleana the night before, so my review is likely heavily biased due to a post-​Oleana sensory-​overload haze).
Don’t be like me and order the paella AFTER you’ve eaten all the other dishes… otherwise, you’ll be waiting 20 minutes (though that’s a great excuse to drink more).
I’d give it 3.5 stars overall… the atmosphere and décor is romantic (in the bar section), the wait staff is very friendly and attentive, and the food is at least well-​priced if not particularly exciting or memorable.

The atmosphere is cosy and has a lot of Spanish colors and décor. The wine list (only Spanish) is mind boggling! They have a good price range of bottles and even break the categories down by flavors. There’s also a small selection of wine by the glass.
And the tapas? Oh boy! We sat by the open kitchen area so could smell the food until ours arrived. The service was prompt and friendly, even on a Saturday night. We ordered Patatas Bravas, Chorizo and Queso de Cabra con Tomate. The sauce on the patatas bravas was spicy and tasted similar to that in Spain. The chorizo had good flavor but the pieces were small and I think slightly undercooked. And the goat cheese was soft, plentiful and just melted in your mouth!

Taberna De Haro has been on my list for a long time, and I finally made it there last night! I absolutely love the atmosphere. The attention to detail in the interior design and the layout made this a lively and exciting but extremely relaxing place. The hostess and the waitress we had were very friendly and helpful! The drinks were amazing. They specialize in Gin and Sherry but they also have hundreds of wine options which I thought was great. The food was good, but not fantastic. The croquettes were a bit over-​seasoned, and the steak was very chewy. The calamari, however, was the best I’ve ever had! Ever. And that’s saying a lot because I’ve eaten probably way more calamari than I should’ve in my life. The grilled eggplant was also really good.
Bottom line, go here! You won’t regret it.

The food wasn’t quite up to par with my expectations, but it wasn’t exactly bad either. We sampled a variety of different dishes (as is typical with tapas) and there were a couple that I really liked and several that I thought were just okay or not very good. Nothing really blew me away, but nothing was truly awful either. The best part of the night was the wine. We ordered the 2010 Condado de Haza Tempranillo and it was exceptional. I highly recommend this wine if you like a big flavorful red.

We came here for a team dinner for work. I was really impressed by the wine and beer menu that were available; they literally had an entire book devoted to various selections. As for the main tapas dishes, I was not very impressed with the food here. We had the roasted Pig’s ear, but I felt it wasn’t seasoned well. I also did not like the garlic shrimp, calamari, or roasted ham dishes either. Certainly, the dishes were not terrible, but I do not quite understand why people would pay such a premium for such sub-​par tapas dishes. I would recommend the other great places that Boston has to offer for food.

Dining at this restaurant was a very nice experience. The atmosphere, food, and wine are all really delightful.
The restaurant is cosy and there was a guitarist providing live music when we dined here. The music wasn’t too loud and there was just enough space for our table.
The waitresses and waiters were friendly and knowledgable about the menu. They made sure we had enough water and brought the food out at well timed increments.
The wine selection was extensive. We really enjoyed the wine that we chose.
The food was nice. We enjoyed the tortilla, the toast with tomato, the garlic shrimp, some local beef, the eggplant with cheese, and the cuttlefish. My favorite was the codfish (?) meatballs which were really delicious. The bread they serve to accompany the meal is also good.
The meal and bottle of wine cost $ 40/​person, before tip. A bit on the pricier side, but it was such a nice meal. I would definitely recommend this place to my friends and I hope to come back soon!

Went here with a friend to grab a bite to eat for dinner. It was a nice, late summer night so we were able to grab a table by the open windows.
For my meal, I decided to go with the swordfish. While I normally love swordfish – this version of it was super oily and fishy and was not really enjoyable. It was also served with potatoes, which were decent, but couldn’t make up for the fish. Luckily, there was a part of the fish that was edible, but almost half of it just could not be eaten.
Overall, despite the food, the service was friendly and it came out quickly, but for the price and the low quality – it was not an enjoyable meal.

An absolute gem. My husband and I have dined here half a dozen times, and the food and service is consistently excellent. Their wine selection is huge, and the owner (who compiled the wine list herself) is an expert at finding one that matches both your preferences and the food you are ordering. Every time we come here, we end up writing down the name of the wine so we can go look for it in the stores later.
The food is simple and authentic. It really does Spanish cuisine justice. You will continue to think about the garlic shrimp and artichoke hearts months after. They are that good. We also enjoy the warm goat cheese, codfish balls, croquetas, and garlic chicken. We haven’t come across a dish we haven’t liked.
As for service, we always make a reservation and are seated right away. The waitstaff is wonderful and the timing of the dishes is well-​managed. We’ve never felt rushed here.
Finally, the place has a lovely ambiance. Tastefully decorated (not trying too hard), low lighting, soft music. Great atmosphere for a romantic night out or just dinner and drinks with friends.
Conveniently located across from the T, but also in a neighborhood where it’s easy to find street parking.

I am at a loss for words to describe what an amazing dining experience we had here last night. My friend, Arielle, lives across the street and suggested it. Being a South End restaurant snob I agreed, even though I was bitter about the commute to Brookline in the rain and the fact that their Unilocal!Reviews were hovering at 3 out of 5.
But this place was ***FANTASTIC*** We were seated promptly at 7:30 after making a reservation an hour before via Open Table. The table we originally got was not in a great area of the restaurant so I kindly asked to move, and we went to another area of the restaurant which was better.
The good:
+the service was slow, which was GREAT. They were attentive, let us take our time (in true Spanish culture), and allowed us to order as we pleased. The waitress (I think her name was Katie) said over and over it was no rush at all, and we truly felt like we were dining in home with her friends.
+the food. where to begin… everything was superb: THE GARLIC SHRIMP WAS TO DIE FOR, THE POTATO PIE THING, THE GOAT CHEESE CORSTINI, THE RED WINE, THE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES WITH OLIVE OIL/​BREAD/​SALT WERE AMAZING, AND THE HERLOOM TOMATO GAZPACHO SOUP WAS FUCKING AMAZING. I almost licked the plate of the garlic shrimp because the sauce was so amazing.
We stayed close to when this place was closing after 11:00pm and were not rushed at all. The little bus boy from Haiti flirted with us, we took some photos, we chatted with the manager of the bar…
I cannot believe this place has bad reviews– some people seriously didn’t give this chance a fair shot or don’t enjoy the quality of a relaxing, long meal. This isn’t McDonalds– it’s a dining experience.
I will be back here every chance I get!!!

Disappointingly unexceptional tapas at inflated prices (at the time of eating, we thought prices were probably double what they should be, maybe 2.5x). Basis for comparison: ate spanish food throughout Spain, throughout USA, throughout Boston.
Main dishes not much bigger than medium-​size dishes, medium-​size dishes same size as tapas.
Sauces did not taste freshly made, maybe poured from a bottle. Some tapas absolutely requiring dipping sauces were not provided with sauce on the side. When we expressed our amazement about this, were then asked to pay extra $ 4 for a tiny little thimble of sauce which should have been included.
On the plus side, very long Spanish wine list.
Edit: was a two-​star review, but decked another star for slow, slow service.

Really fun date spot. Great ambience, dark and cozy yet not pretentious. We ordered the pig’s ear, olives, tortilla, goat cheese toast, sautéed oyster mushrooms, and toast with ham and anchovies. All were wonderful and our server, who was really knowledgable, helped us in selecting some really exciting sherries to accompany our food. Topped it off with yummy truffles with that great sourdough, cocoa powder, olive oils and sea salt. Yum.

Fantastic spanish cuisine, warm atmosphere and mind blowing flavors. The waitress Giselle was phenomenal, friendly and helpful. She knew the menu forwards and backwards and gave us superb recommendations. The entire staff was friendly and attentive. We were never missing anything and they always knew what to bring next on the table.
We had he pig ears, shrimp with garlic, cuttlefish, and balls of dried cod. We paid $ 4 for delicious olive oil to go with the bread and it was well worth it! We finished with the chocolate truffles for dessert and the combination of chocolate, sea salt, cocoa powder and olive oil blew our tastebuds away!
The food and service were top notch– way better than Barcelona!

Not impressed. I ordered the pollo al ajillo and it was essentially chicken joints, like a plate of thigh joints with no meat on them. Pretty disgusting. The bones were splintering and it was impossible to eat. I sent the dish back and to their credit they replaced it with another chicken option. However, not sure how they could have served this to someone in the first place. They gave us bread but you can only get olive oil if you pay extra for it – odd. Its conveniently located and I want to like it but don’t really see a reason to go back.

We came to Taberna de Haro on a date night. Great location in Brookline with outdoor seating; in the summer it must be reserved ahead of time. Inside décor was average, I think the paper napkins threw me off, since it was rated pretty high for a «date night» spot I was expecting a little more.
There is a large and impressive list of Spanish wines and sherries available. Both Red and White were mouth watering, delicious and made me crave the whole bottle.
The Tapas were average at best. The artichoke hearts and goat cheese were appetizing. The blade steak was cooked well but served over soggy, unseasoned fries; it just seemed strange to have fries on a Tapas plate. The Patatas Bravas, usually a delicious staple to all Tapas, was a major dissapointment, tasted like it was doused in Frank’s Red Hot Sauce.
We left hungry and wanting more. Would not return for the food, but would for the wine.

This place lingered on my «to try» list for far too long. But then Reserve* put together their Reserve Week promotion, and Taberna De Haro offered a sherry tasting dinner (five courses and five glasses of sherry for $ 55). I’d heard that sherry is a specialty at this place, and tapas are always a favorite, so I made reservations for a date with my wife.
(* In a world where everyone is trying to be «the Über of», Reserve is trying to be the Über of restaurant reservations.)
I’m used to restaurants being a bit half-​hearted about Restaurant-​Week-​like promotional things. But this place clearly put quite a bit of thought and effort into their offering. The menu paired each dish with a different type of sherry:
Codfish cakes with fino
Fried haddock with manzanilla
Oyster mushrooms with amontillado
Ham and anchovy on tomato toasts with palo cortado
Country pâté with oloroso
In general, each dish was more impressive than the last. I was skeptical about both of the first two dishes being fried fish, but the haddock was light and fluffy and lemony and an excellent pairing with the chosen sherry, so I thought it ultimately justified the repetition. The mushrooms and pâté were stand-​out favorites.
Owner /​sommelier /​chef de cuisine Deborah Hansen introduced several of the courses, and lived up to her outstanding reputation as an excellent chef and host and one of the area’s foremost experts on Spanish wine and sherry. When I inquired, she also answered that she’d arranged the pairings and personally prepared the (really excellent) pâté. More evidence that the restaurant really put their all into the occasion.
After the meal, we decided split some dessert: Compote with cream, paired with another glass of sweet sherry (also split) and café con leche (one each). Fantastic conclusion to a great meal.
I was greatly impressed and will arrange to be back sooner rather than later.

Dimly lit, swanky décor (also, beautiful bar) — Taberna de Haro was a very chill, calm winter Monday night option for a dinner date. Our server, Celeste, was not only knowledgeable about the menu/​wine list (and able to provide great recommendations on the spot); but also very warm and friendly.
From the menu: We ordered the cordornices enamorados (quail), conejo guisado (rabbit– my favorite dish), sepia a la plancha (cuttlefish — comes with an AWESOME black aioli), and berengena al mato (eggplant). Tapas came out as they were ready, and were served with bread. I highly recommend all of these, especially the rabbit.
From the wine list: I tend to favor reds, so we ordered a bottle of the Marquez de Murrieta Reserva 2008 (with Celeste’s recommendation), a Spanish blend that turned out to be a beautiful combination with the quail.
For dessert: We ordered the flan clasico and natillas (my favorite), with a café solo (expresso) and cortado (expresso with milk).
All in all, an awesome experience and I look forward to going back.

I have been to this place around 5 times now. I have never had a bad experience. Yes it is a bit pricey — if you are STARVING and you want a full stomach, you will rack up a hefty bill, especially if you are drinking too. But, to be fair, one should know that tapas isn’t meant to be consumed in that way in the first place.
I find that this place is PERFECT for cocktails and light fare to accompany them. I have had great drinks here several times now. Great for post-​dinner late evening. The atmosphere is ideal, in my opinion, for this.
The bar is extensive, and the bartender is more than willing to whip up something random for the indecisive and openminded.
Get the Gambas al Ajillo and bread. The sauce is delicious for dipping (it’s garlicky-​butter and spices — can’t really get any better than that).
I should also not that I have had probably around 10 different plates from their menu, all have been delicious.
I’ve never had any problems with the service — everyone has always been smiling and efficient.

I went here last night for dinner with my boyfriend. Eh, it was okay, but nothing to write home about.
We ordered four tapas with the intention to order more, but were on the fence with our meal, so we declined. We ordered the patatas bravas, fried pig ears, the blade steak with cabrales cheese and shrimp with garlic, hot pepper and olive oil.
The highlight of the meal was the patatas bravas. The sauce wasn’t too overpowering and the potatoes were cooked nicely.
The fried pig ears were interesting. They weren’t terrible — a little too salty for my tastes — but I probably wouldn’t order these again.
I was highly disappointed with the steak. I understand this is a tapas place, but $ 13 for a piece of meat the size of three of my fingers is ridiculous. I hated the cheese on top. I’ll admit, I didn’t know what calabres cheese was and assumed it would taste good. I Googled it and found out it was blue cheese made with a goat’s milk base. Definitely tasted the goat’s milk which I hated! Not their fault; however, my boyfriend who ate the entire steak said the cheese did not pair well with the steak. He also said that the steak was under-​seasoned. I ordered it medium, and it was cooked more than we asked.
Overall, I think I might have a more pleasant experience if I ordered different items off the menu. I am giving them three stars because I don’t think it is a completely awful place, and it wasn’t their fault I just don’t eat certain foods in general. I may or may not return here in the future.

I will try to be short:
1. Service is nice but too slow and unprofessional. You can feel how they want to sell you as much as they can… And they don’t care how you feel during your meal. Do you need a salt, do you need a new plate??? Nobody cares. You have to ask for everything and sometimes twicely
2. Food was served chaoticly. They brought drinks, then first tapas, then after a while bread was served… then later we get our second plate. And we were waiting for paella for a while
3. Food was cooked well but the meal itself didn’t make us happy. We got paella for $ 25 which was made only from rice… Well, there was some mustard-​style sauce and few octopus in there. So, basically it was only rice! I can boil and even fry rice at home too :)
4. Sangria was … (I am trying to control myself here)… not good and expensive. $ 34 for pitcher with watery wine with ice…
It was my first time here and last. There is much better Spanish tapas-​style place on Beacon street. And it has more reasonable price range. I hope you know which one is ment ;)

Great selection !
Loved the outside seating and conveniently located in the center of Brookline.