La Taberna

I just ate at La Taberna for the first time and loved it. It will be my new favorite hang out spot in Napa. The menu is in Spanish, so don’t be afraid to ask your server about the dishes if you need to. I love tapas, it’s fun to be able to order multiple dishes to share. MUST try items we had were the ahi crudo, lamb tartare and beef tacos. Small plates packed with flavor. Their wine list is amazing because there are a ton of unique varietals all at really affordable prices, try something new!

Walked into ZuZu for dinner and they were packed. The wait was going to be about 45 minutes. The hostess suggested that if we wanted to wait at their sister bar a few doors down, she would come get us when ready. And so we did.
Few doors down and we quickly found a high top and placed the playing card the hostess had given us on the table.
Now time for drinks. Couple of glasses of wine and a Sherry Mule. Starting to get a bit hungry, we ordered some appetizers. Fried Pig Ears (cause I’ve never had this before) and Pork Empanada’s. Both were decent.
After a drink refresh and the appetizers eaten, about an hour, the hostess from Zuzu’s came to get us but by then, we lost the mood for tapas and so opted to give up our table. Maybe tomorrow we’ll try again.

We tried 5 or 6 of the small plates and every one was incredible. Highly recommend!

Made my way out here for a quick lunch. Was seated immediately and there weren’t that many other people there. Definitely a drinking establishment, with the bar as the main attraction. We were seated at high tables with plenty of counter space if you had belongings and what not.
Ordered some beer and some food which came out pretty quickly. Lamb tartare. Sweet jesus this was good. Lamb smooth, silky, bursting with flavor, accented by the yogurt sauce on top. Spread over a perfectly toasted (crunchy but not tough), buttered piece of bread. A dish fit for the gods.
The calamari with potatoes was also quite good. Calamari was so tender and its inherent flavor was done so much justice. Served with a nice sauce and small potatoes to accompany it. The quality of the squid is what made this dish.
The crispy pig ears were good. Crispy, a bit chewy, big flavor. The flavor profile was good, but not amazing. I think I wanted it less sour and more salty, but nevertheless it was good.
Also had the cheese plate which was… okay. Only one of the three cheeses was particularly good. The rest were quite questionable. At least it was served with their perfect bread (bread this good is seriously not easy to come by)
Overall, the food we ordered was on point. A tad small for the price, but I would totally come back. The food was well worth it. The service was decent as well. They explained to us what the dishes were when they brought it out and was nice.

Came here for a late dinner based on Unilocal review, walking distance, and what was still open. so glad we did!
Cute interior, our server was awesome, great wine and beer selection, and our food was AMAZING. So good we returned the next day for a quick snack on our way out of town.
I believe the menu rotates but we had: pig ears (delicious), chicken bocadillo (I really liked it, but others at the table said it was just fine), tuna bocadillo (good to ok depending on who you asked), pork belly empanada (I liked it although it was a bit sweet which others didn’t like), pulpo (not anyones favorite, but not bad), tuna crudo (delicious) and best for last — the lamb tartare. Hands down one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. Ordered multiple at dinner and then returned for more the next day– literally the only thing we ordered the next day.

Everything was original, innovative and delicious, get in early to beat the crowd and you won’t regret it.

Perfect Tapas joint.
Try the pig ears the bocadillos and especially the. Clams. Great staff great atmosphere. Great stop on the wine tour but not for the wine.

Alright bar. Small. Ordered the crispy pig ears, it was really crispy, had too much vinegar/​acid on it. Especially when your halfway down muchin it. Vinegar sat at the very end & oily oil, but! compliment it with a nice cold beer would be perfect combo. Went out with hubby in the midday. The lady waitress was friendly, but she started to be annoying, conversing personal things, asking where does my husband work or what work do I do?. Cmon! I understand shes trying to be nice & all, but hey, we wanted a wifey/​hubby date, not thinking of work, just relaxing.

Great tapas! Amazing flavors, fun new things to try. I tried the winter migas, which was perfect for the chilly night and had a perfect runny egg on top. The wines are excellent and the service is so friendly.

Great vibe, good mix of people. We were treated immediately upon arrival by staff who gave us a menu and encouraged us to find a place near the bar. All tables were full, but staff said they would seat us as soon as a table became available. Great selection of Spanish wines and an interesting menu of tapas. Fun, hip music — Rolling Stones playing right now.

Epic music selection. omg and no TV?!?
I can smell the sexy coming from the kitchen. And so can the 4 women sitting at the bar. Literally walked out of the shithole down the street… With TV’s nothing but a dude fest into the land of milk and honey.
There should be a basque chef in all great kitchens.

3.5 stars! Pleasantly surprised.
Don’t be fooled by its modest appearance from the inside and outside. Their tapas-​style dishes aren’t too shabby — neat presentation and appetizing.
Sit at the bar and order a few dishes to share from the chalkboard.
During our visit we ordered: fried smelt, lamb tartare, crispy pig ears, and the calamari. We honestly weren’t expecting much flavor out of the dishes. Everything that we ordered was tasty! Fried smelt and crispy pig ears could have been a little bit crunchier though. Pig ears were a tad bit chewy, as I prefer a lighter and crispier texture. The lamb tartare was to die for — especially the crisp bread that it was served with (you must order this). 4 items off the menu should be sufficient to share between two people.
Staff was accommodating and prices were affordable.

We came here for appetizers while we waited for our dinner table at their «sister» restaurant two doors down.
Their tapas food menu is on the board and their beverage menu is written down on a «place-​mat» looking sheet.
We tried the pig ears, smoked trout and the Pulpo & Safron Patatas.
All the food we had was excellent.
The only cola they serve is local.
Staff is friendly.
They only have stools (no backs) at high tables or the bar-​counter.
Wifi is free, but very slow.

After being referred here by a couple different people, we were expecting to be totally dazzled.
The food was ok and the portions were pretty small.
The drink I had was decent but we were more looking for food.
The service was good!

Went here off a whim with my boyfriend on a Saturday afternoon and it was amazing. There was only one beautiful lady working in the front of house and she was extremely cool and helpful. She guided us well regards to what to order and we literally ended up getting almost the entire menu because everything was so great.
The cheese and honey empanadas as well as the lamb tartare was out of this world. The prices as well were extremely affordable as we ate like royalty for under $ 100 for 2 people.
Thank you La Taberna for a memorable meal!

Great service and very crafty and tasty tapas in one of the cooler modern settings in Napa! Our server Domenika from Poland was extremely kind and helpful and we enjoyed our meal very much, even the crispy pig ears! Particularly enjoyed the tetilla and honey empanadas to finish. And the tres tomates, smoked trout, and pulpo with patatas.

My husband and I stumbled upon this gem while visiting Downtown Napa.
This Tapas joint ambience can be described as hip chic. Menu written on board. Attentive servers.
We had shishito peppers and nectarine. Refreshing. Thinly sliced sweet nectarine combine with Shishito peppers with a kick.
Lamb tartare. Melty tartare with a non-​overpowering but undeniable lamb flavor.
Pickled fried smelt. Can only be described as addicting. Perfectly fried mildly pickled flavored bites.
Pulpo with patatas. Tender pieces of perfectly marinated octopus, with baby purple and yellow potatoes.
Mushrooms Plancha with potato purée. A little on the Vinegaree side. Pinenuts add flavor.
Pato empanadas. My husband is not a big fan of empanadas, but he enjoyed these. Duck stuffing a little bit bland, but a masterfully baked empanadas shell.
Fried pig ears. If you like pig ears, you’ll like this.
If a Tapas place could earn a Michelin rating, this place deserves a star…
(This review was written by my husband.)

Came here on a recommendation from our hotel. There wasn’t a wait, but the seating was kind of strange. There were some wasted dude bros hanging out in the middle seats and the bar was taken so we had to go sit in the back corner.
We couldn’t see the hand written menu on the blackboard, so I had to fight through the dude bros to go look at it. The waitress told us to take a photo so we could look at it at our seat. What? That is so annoying. The menu was pretty small too. We tried the mushrooms and I have to say that they were really really flavorful. However, for the portion size and the vibe of place… it wasn’t really worth it. We finished our drinks and left.

It’s a wait to get a seat at La Taberna but worth it. A bartender at another establishment raved about this place and mentioned it’s owned by the same folks as ZuZu. The line was out the door at ZuZu so we opted for its more casual sister restaurant.
I ordered a glass of rose wine off their excellent wine list to start. We were seated near the kitchen and watched the chefs nonstop put together gorgeous tapa plates. We ordered the snapper, hamachi crudo, octopus, duck empanadas and suckling pig. Each dish was spectacular. My favorites were the snapper lightly seared, the brightly flavored hamachi with grapefruit and the savory empanadas. The hamachi crudo was tart but tasty. The snapper was delicious but wasn’t a fan of tahini it was played with but loved how the fish was complimented by the fennel micro greens and fennel. The comforting empanadas tasted like pot pie, they didn’t last long! The suckling pig was incredibly tender.
They don’t take reservations and the waiting area is small and somewhat awkward. But as I mentioned earlier totally worth it.

‘From the raving reviews & overall rating, I was hoping to give equally high praises… ‘Not.
Before I go into detail, the service @ La Taberna was very good, attentive, personable and helpful. The cuisine was equally enjoyable, dishes were savory, aromatic, nicely plated, a wonderful balance of flavors! What seemed to fall short for me were the portions. They were hugely underwhelming for their prices, at times I let out a laugh when the dishes made it out to our table. Also, the headaches we both had after our late lunch was none to pleasant either. (More details to follow.)
We arrived around 3pm, the restaurant was empty with the exception of a single patron @ the bar. «Brian,» who was tending bar greeted us — «Hi, sit wherever you’d like.» Cool.
I chose a seat near the back to get a better overall view of the restaurant’s layout, décor and mostly, just to observe. Simple décor, clean lines, nothing overly baroque. La Taberna would be the closest thing to an authentic tapas bar/​bistro by definition. The seating is relatively sparse in comparison to traditional bars, to promote mingling and socializing.
I’ve been to a number of tapas style bars/​bistros in Southern California and the surrounding SF Bay Area, so this isn’t my first go.
Tapas are a wide variety of appetizers, or snacks, in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold… (i.e. — mixed olives and cheese) ‘Or hot. (i.e. — chopitos, which are battered, fried baby squid) In a few select bars in Spain, tapas have evolved into an entirely & sometimes sophisticated cuisine. In Spain, patrons of tapas can order many different tapas and combine them to make a full meal.
The serving of tapas is designed to encourage conversation, because people are not mainly focused on eating. Also, in some countries it is customary for diners to stand and move about while eating tapas. (Hence, the limited seating.)
To call these tapas would be like calling COSTCO samples entrees.
I appreciate good food with equally proportionate value… The food was good. However, value… (Insert deflating balloon sound here)
We came, we dined it… ‘And we both left with headaches that lasted well into to the evening and next morning. I don’t usually get headaches but for the both of us to have one after dining here… Coincidence, I think not. I can feel it in my eyes, oddly enough, more particularly the left one… As I’m drafting this review I still have the residual effects of it. WTH?!
I have to say that the portions on some of the sample sized items were ludicrous. Like most pupu plates, they are to be shared… ‘But when you have one small piece of calamari? (By small, I mean about about an inch in length, are we supposed to arm wrestle for it?)
Tapas are snacks/​appetizers, to be enjoyed and shared as one socialized… The only thing I wanted to converse about was how small some of the portions were. (See photos & notes) Who am I supposed to share this with? Someone who just had their stomach stapled?
La Taberna seems like a great place for pupus & drinks, emphasis on the drinks. However, after our @ss-kicking headaches I’m unsure about the drinks as well. I’m from Hawai’i and can eat my fair share, so be advised — «DO NOT COME HUNGRY.»
Our Order:
Suckling Pig — Very good; tasty; flavorful; very small portions
Fried Pork Belly — Very good; tasty; flavorful; great sauce; very small portions
Oxtail Empanadas — Okay; paired nicely w/​the horseradish cream sauce; small portions
French Blood Sausage w/​Squid — «M’eh…»; a comically small sliver of blood sausage w/​only one piece of squid & what I can only describe as «tentacle crumbs.» (Three of them, about the size of a dime. — See photos)
Vermouth (with cherry bitters & club soda) — Very smooth; light; refreshing. Brian was tasting a new vermouth they had just got in… «Tasted like a cherry coke.» Mahalo for the free sampling !
Summary:
5 Plates
2 Glasses of wine
1 Glass of vermouth (FoC)
$ 63 (+ $ 12 tip)
*Like I said, overall service and food were good. The wee portions, not so much.
Overall, «Okay.» So, why the 1 Star Rating?
That can be credited to the aftermath of our f*k’n pounding headaches we both experienced afterward… ‘All through the evening and well into the next morning. It felt like my eyes were going to pop out of the front of my skull. Maybe it was the French wine? (Shrugs) WTF?! Weird… ‘And hugely disappointing.
Note: La Taberna has no Happy Hour as well.
After talking to «Brianna,» who appeared to be taking inventory that day, La Taberna is owned by the same owner of ZUZU’s, just a couple of doors down. If I do make it back in the area, I may stop by ZULU’s… The jury’s still out.
La Taberna seems to be targeting the hipster crowd of Napa, it’s relatively fresh & new. (Opened in October 2014) High priced, fancy-​shmancy, pupus… It’s worth a try, if anything, just to see what all the hype is about. (Bring Tylenol.)
— Big Aloha!
Food: 4
Ambiance: 3
Service: 4
Value: 2+