Tapas 51

A little off the beaten path (for me anyway), but well worth it. I’ve had the pleasure of dining at Tapas 51 a handful of times now (including for a special event, their Dia de los Muertes dinner), and each time, it has been consistently fantastic. The service is friendly and attentive and the food is simply amazing. Great presentation as well – you can see the care that goes into each dish.
On our latest visit, my husband and I shared the following: Mooooo (I order this every time because I can’t resist), Taco of the Day (NC trout, heaven in a fresh tortilla), brussels sprouts (Chef Aaron will have you daydreaming about brussels sprouts after you try these), shrimp pupusa (which is a thick tortilla stuffed with cheese; what was life like before I discovered these??), and a bottle of wine (half price on Wednesdays, woo!).
A few in our party ordered the butternut squash gnocchi so I stole a bite of that as well – and then I was sad I didn’t order it myself.
My advice? Visit often and arrive with an empty stomach and a few friends so you can try as many dishes as possible.

We have been here several times, but went for the prix fixe menu on NYE and it was excellent! Thankfully, there were 3 of us, so we tried almost everything. Perfect way to end the year, and the creativity and flavor impressed me as always! Try this place if you have not!

I had a birthday dinner here recently. I wish I had left the review then so that I could tell you what I had lol. But the food was good. I enjoy tapas style restaurants because I don’t care much for entrees. I like to sample lots of things at one. The prices are reasonable so that you are definitely able to do so.

Excellent service and phenomenal food! Don’t pass this place up — it’s a real gem.

The hubby and I were up for trying a new place and saw the great reviews for Tapas 51. It did not disappoint! The menu is relatively small, however it still gives variety without being overwhelming. I wish I could have tried one of everything, but we ended up choosing the beef empanadas, lamb mole and pork belly tacos. All delicious. I wish I could have tried the ceviche but am 5 months pregnant at the moment so will have to save it for another time! The staff was very attentive and courteous. It’s definitely off the beaten path and very unassuming (you wonder if you’re in the right spot when you pull up for the first time). It was fairly empty for a Saturday night, but I’m hopeful that business will pick up and they can keep their doors open!

Little yellow house with a graveled drive but looks are definitely deceiving here. The inside is spotless and very modern with a full bar and friendly staff. Started out with their signature strawberry/​habanero margarita. Unique, and served in a tall glass with lots of lime, ice and a pink Himalayan salt rim. Basically, we tried almost everything on the menu-​well there were 4 of us-​and each dish was better than the last. The corn tortillas are hand made and each dishes attention to detail makes the dining experience one of a kind. Loved the ravioli and the roasted corn was delicious Save room for dessert the Chocotorta with a homemade toasted marshmallow on top and French press coffee with very thick cream.

I stopped in for lunch. Being that these are small plates and most people will want 1.5 to 2 plates it can be a little expensive for lunch. That said the food was excellent. I had the shrimp ceviche and realizing the small portion I also ordered the chicharrones. Both were excellent with great flavors. I have to go back and try the tacos. My other concern is that it wasn’t busy, so please go. Also the location is horrible so you won’t accidentally find it.

This place is amazeballs. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the second you walk in, there is a warmth and minimalist but lovely atmosphere. Then, once you taste the food, you stop caring about what the inside of this place looks like because you have to leave and go slap your mama because it’s that damn good. The brisket tacos are unlike anything of the same name that you have ever tasted before, the street corn will henceforth be the corn that all other corn is measured against, and the shrimp papusa is this explosion of all these flavors so delicious that you won’t even want to swallow (ahem, sorry). OH and the butternut squash gnocchi in the chorizo sauce with the queso fresco cheese??? make like Nike and just do it. Go here, you won’t be sorry, I promise. One of the best tapas places I’ve ever had the privilege of dining at. Yep, ended that sentence in a preposition but I don’t care bc this place made me not care.

I normally don’t like Tacos, and have never tried a popusa, but let me tell you this place is AMAZING! Wow, there food is so good. They modernized a plain taco & popusa with flavor that just works! They also have a school bus called, The Chrome Toaster, which is available for parties. Love this place.

The Shrimp Papusa is probably the best thing I’ve eaten in a long time. Everything was so delicious, innovative and flavorful. I cannot wait to go back!

Tapas 51 is a hidden gem. We were starving after a fun day at Carowinds and looking for a healthy option nearby. We definitely did not expect the incredible, affordable culinary creations we feasted upon at Tapas 51. Every single dish is so carefully crafted to form the perfect combinations of savory and sweet, spicy and creamy. The brisket chorizo tacos, the shrimp papusa, and the chocotorta are absolute musts. The Chorizo Brussels sprouts and the sweet corn were also fantastic.
I could not recommend a restaurant more. Definitely coming back.
*definitely recommend sharing as well

Wonderful place! Ambience is nice, food awesome and service very good. Unique menu too!

This place was fabulous. We loved everything. A definite hidden gem. We will be recommending this to friends.

Fabulous combination of flavors and textures. We have been looking for something unique and fresh. As there aren’t many good tapas in the area. We enjoyed 8 of the menu items and none disappointed. Chorizo sliders. Very flavorful. Brightened up interior and great outdoor seating.

This restaurant was a great find through Unilocal and I did not know what to expect. I thought it was Mexican but then it said Tapas which traditionally is Spanish but to my surprise it was tapas style but inspired by the entire a culinary mixture of different Latin American dishes.
We ordered the grilled shrimp pupusa and it was awesome. The Yucca huancaina poutine which was good, the cochinita pibil belly that was so tender and flavorful, and the taco of the day which was a sword fish with a delicious cream. Once done our server Alyssa asked if we had room for dessert so she about to recite the offerings and the first thing mentioned was the Tres leches. I quickly halted her and asked to say no more and to get me teh Tres leches. It was to die for.

If you don’t know what tapas is or don’t like tapas. don’t come here and then write a one star review because the portions are «teeny, tiny»… IT’S TAPAS! It’s not Golden Corral.
The food here is sublime. Get the grilled shrimp pupusa. The conchita pibil belly taco and bok bok chicken chicken are also very good. Street corn rocks and my wife says the brussel sprouts were fantastic.

Not for me. I didn’t like the food at all. And the portions are teeny tiny. Tried it and didn’t like it. Moving on.

We just happened to be passing through Fort Mill and the wife and I were starved. We had a series of unfortunate events trying to find a restaurant that was open and to our liking. Clearly someone was looking out for us because we wound up at the right place. Tapas 51 is in the old Passion8 location with a whole new décor. The wife and I split the daily special ceviche of NC bass, shrimp papusa, yucca poutine, daily special snapper tacos, brisket tacos and the «pot» brownie for dessert.
Everything was packed with fresh flavors and simply prepared. They used a lot of interesting plating devices like pieces of wood and ceramic tiles. The service was attentive and informative at answering questions. The yucca poutine was very good with all the components prepared and matched well. As a French Canadian, I would like to see them change poutine to «poutine» on the menu or maybe call it a South American poutine. Still a great dish, but us French Canadian are protective of our poutine. I just wish Tapas 51 was closer. Maybe a second location in Noda?

My husband and I are huge fans of the food truck, Chrome Toaster. Thus, after finding out that Chef Aaron opened up a restuarant in Fort Mill (where the old Passion 8 used to be), we had to go check it out!
We came here this past Friday evening around 8:30pm or so. The place was busy but we were seated immediately. Inside there are a good amount of tables, a large bar with numerous bar stools, and a side room with a large table that can be rented out for family events or to just casually sit at (I have a large Italian family that HAVE to sit at the same table, so I can totally appreciate this room with a huge table in it!!!). There is also an outside patio with numerous tables and lighting. The place is decorated, for lack of a better word, very cute!
My husband ordered the Duck Rabbit Stout (the local beer selection was excellent!!!) and I got the Habanero Strawberry Marg. The margarita was absolutely delish and a perfect mix of spicy and sweet!
We ordered four different things on the menu to share… since it is a tapas style restuarant. They came out at different times but there was never a long wait in between, which was perfect! We got the shrimp pupusa (anyone that knows me knows I LOVE pupusas!!), brussel sprouts, tamale special of the day, and the duck confit tacos special of the day. The shrimp pupusa was definitely the highlight… so many awesome flavors and the shrimp were nice sized! The sprouts were perfectly cooked and the chorizo was a great flavor touch! The tamales were nice and light (came with two). Lastly, the duck tacos (came with 3). Man, such a great end to the meal!!! Chef Aaron stopped at all the tables throughout the night just to check on everyone and make sure they enjoyed their food, which I thought was a nice touch!
This is such a great local place that truly makes an emphasis to serve delicious food with quality ingredients. I am so excited that Tapas 51 will be added to list of incredible, locally owned restaurants with the Charlotte area!

The fella and I were pretty excited to hear that Tapas 51 had opened since we live nearby and since Fort Mill needs more good restaurants. We popped in on a Wednesday night, and the place was about half full. They’ve done a big revamp since the Passion8 days, and it’s much brighter inside! They could still use a few more decorations since the main wall is huge and naked, but they’re getting there. It’s still fairly small inside with maybe 12 tables in the main dining room and a bar with 8 chairs.
We were promptly greeted and seated, and our waiter came right over to take our order. We started with a glass of wine and a beer (mostly local offerings) and perused the menu. I wasn’t sure what the header «Churrasco» meant, and I asked the waiter; he seemed confused and had to look at the menu. He said, «Oh, that means from the grill!» Ah, okay. Service was spot-​on, and I’m sure it’ll only get even better with time.
We started with the Brussels sprouts ($ 4), which were divine. They were tangy and vinegary, and I wish I knew what else was in them. Mmmm. The fella got the pulled pork tacos, and I got the coffee crusted brisket tacos — there were 3 tacos each for $ 9. Sadly, my brisket was pretty charred, and both sets of tacos were dry. Mine had avocado, so that helped, and the fella’s had some pickled onions, which provided a little juice, but they were fairly bland and underwhelming.
For dessert, we split a chocotorta, which I thought meant it had chocolate in it, but there was no chocolate. It was good, but I spent the whole time eating it thinking they might have brought me the wrong dessert. It was sort of a dulche de leche cake with marshmallow crème on top… fine, but not what I thought I was getting.
All told, we spent $ 50 + tip for two sets of tacos, Brussels sprouts, dessert, a glass of wine, and two beers, so not too shabby. I appreciate what they’re going for, and realizing they’ve only been open a week, I don’t want to be too harsh! There’s room for improvement, and I think they’re anxious to do just that. We’ll definitely give them another try, and I’ll look forward to upping their rating.