Flan Y Ajo

Flan y Ajo is back as ‘Flan’, located inside Bodega Malasana at 186 Union Street in downtown Providence. Around the corner from where they used to be! Same wonderful tapas, more seats and amazing wine and beer! Check it out.

Flan (formerly Flan y Ajo) has re-​opened within sight of the old location. That’s 186 Union Street. The phone number given is the same as it’s related wine bar, Bodega Malasana, 401−228−6775. I haven’t yet been to the new location, but Providence Monthly wrote a great review. It’s no longer BYOB, but the wines appear reasonable and the menu relatively unchanged. Even prior to the move, their online presence wasn’t very good, so I can’t find an official website. I hope to give it a try soon!

I moved from Providence to LA about a year ago and I cannot stop missing this place! The food is great, I sometimes had no idea what I ordered, but every plate was amazing. When you go inside, you feel like you are in someone’s kitchen in Spain. It’s so cozy and warm! And if it’s nice enough to sit outside, do it. The wine barrel tables, the string lights… On top of it all, they are BYOB (so dont forget your wine)! You can go next door and grab some great Spanish wine or New England beer.
This place is great for a date or small group of friends! Get here early on Friday and Saturday’s, the place is small and fills up quick.

After years of people telling me I have to go to Flan Y Ajo, I finally went. I was so disappointed. It’s almost impossible to get a table, so we went early. We brought a sparkling Franciacorta to drink with our tapas. We ordered olives, chorizo, crostinis with figs, cold mussels, and a cheese tasting. The chorizo was good. I was spoiled by the olives from The Magdalanae Room at the dean. The olives at flan y Ajo didn’t compare! The tapas kept being served for my table of two in odd numbers. This was annoying because we kept having to split the last small bite. We didn’t eat the cold pickled mussels because they were awful. They tasted so chewy because they were overcooked (whether it was too much pickling or actually over-​cooking them) they also had a messy chopped pepper garnish that just didn’t go with the mussels. The cheese samplings were good, yet very basic.
Maybe this place has gone downhill since they opened or maybe it was never good and people just are dying to like a cute tapas bar. I was so disappointed! What happened to the delicious specials I heard about? I asked the server what the specials were and she responded ‘there aren’t any’. Unfortunately, I won’t be back.

Finally visited Flan y Ajo again last night, and it was even lovelier than the first time! Going on a weeknight and after a thunderstorm helped. Though I love their outdoor seating, it was nice to have seats available inside for once. My friend and I stood at the counter, put our first orders in, and began to sip our bottle of Rioja while we waited for one of the window tables to open up. It wasn’t too long before our friendly server informed us that we were welcome to sit down.
Then the tapas began to arrive! We started with the patatas bravas (amazing again), the tortilla Espanola (I’d love to know whether it’s leeks or just crispy onions inside that make it so flavorful), and crab-​stuffed-​pepper pintxos. For the second round, we went for the calamar and clams. I missed my beloved croquettes, but it was so fun to try a bunch of new things. Everything was totally delicious and the seafood was very fresh. I was glad several of the tapas came with little slices of bread because I wanted to sop up all the delicious sauces! I also loved the little tumblers we were given to drink our wine.
The bill only came to around $ 40 or so, including the $ 5 corking fee. I think the food here is such a good value– all the tapas are so distinctive so it’s very satisfying to sample them all, one after the other. Waiting for each plate slows you down and forces you to have a nice, leisurely meal and talk. At the end you feel like you’ve sampled a feast’s worth of things without feeling like you’ve overeaten. Tapas are just the best, and Flan Y Ajo’s, especially so!

Bleh! Stay away!
So I went here tonight, I’m from out of town and saw this place was near by. I ordered the clams which were salty as hell and the sauce they came in tasted like nothing. It came with 3 slices of bread that where in the bowl soaking up the flavorless wine sauce.
I also ordered bread with some sort of tomato and garlic spread. The middle of the bread was SOGGY while the outside was crispy… kinda gross it was too soggy.
Then the nail in the coffin was the flan. Being Boricua and all flan is a dessert staple in my home. The waitress said that it was orange and clove flavored so I figured I would give it a try. It was completely disappointing and barely tasted like anything. :(! The bottom of the flan was spongey (which it usually isn’t supposed to be) and soaked up whatever sugary substance they drizzled on top of it.
The ambiance is nice I guess? Nothing spectacular. Byob is cool but the food was so underwhelming. It’s a shame cause I wanted to bring my partner here but he’d probably think my tastes in food was awful if I did. Oh well!

Flan y Ajo is a closet. A closet full of tasty little treasures from Spain. The service was brisk and the food was amazing. The space gets on my nerves a bit, and I didn’t like standing the whole time. It made me feel old to want a stool so badly, but I made peace with that. I can imagine this place might be sweltering in summer.
We bought wine next door (a Rioja, natch) and squeezed into a corner space. The servers were all fairly polite if unsmiling. We sampled five plates in quick succession, all of which danced on our taste buds like a aurresku to my memories of northern Spain.
The sardines were salty and I, surprisingly, enjoyed them. The manchego did not go amiss, the sausage was appropriately spicy and my tomato garlic bread (always judge a place by the classics) was divine. It was like that moment in the Ratatouille movie where the critic is transported back to his mama’s table. I was transported back to the first time I sunk my teeth into the soft garlicky bread at a tapas place in Barcelona. Sigh.
This is a great place for appetizers and a warm up, or dessert. I can imagine people spending an entire evening here, but it was very loud and as you constantly bump elbows and backs it wasn’t comfy enough for the food to entice me to stay longer.
But for the tomato bread melting on my tongue, eskerrik asko, Flan y Ajo.

This is probably the closest you can be to enjoy genuine tapas in Rhode Island. They really tried to capture the real idea of a true bar, the food is ok (although my bias as Spaniard always makes me conclude that the whole tapas concept in America is highly overpriced) and the staff is nice.
Two big cons: 1. there is no restroom. 2. If you want to enjoy some wine, you have to buy it yourself in a different store, bring it, and pay an additional $ 5 fee!!! This was quite annoying

Soy español. Reconozco que las tapas bien aunque pequeñas, pero me sentido timado. ¿Qué es eso de cobrarme 5 $ por meter en su local una botella de vino que sus camareros me dicen que vaya a comprar a la tienda de al lado? ¿cobrarme un 20% de propina por un servicio inexistente? Todavía no sé cómo se llama la camarera rubia de la caja. En fin que es caro para lo que ofrece. Y me parece un insulto a la inteligencia poner marisquería y que para ir al servicio haya que ir a otro local del mismo dueño que aún no sabemos dónde está.

With an excellent location downtown, and next to a very fine wine store, this tapas bar is a gem in Providence. You can’t go wrong with anything, but be aware that it gets very crowded during peak dining times. Visit for lunch to ensure service. I recommend getting some wine next door (corking fee applies) and standing outside on a beautiful day, enjoying some fresh tapas. Indoors is also nice.

Yeah I love this place, and you’re going to get exactly what you came for– good small plates, simple, ingredient-​centric preparations and whatever wine you brought with you (BYOBs are so great). I had a wine-​braised squid that was one of the best squids I’ve had in a storied lifetime of eating squids, and you’d be nuts not to get the bread with tomatoes even though it sounds like something you could do yourself (you can’t. you can and should try, but you’ll fail), the patatas bravas are some of my favorite potatoes I can remember eating.
This place is maybe not for people that don’t like food with lots of salt and garlic, but you know what? I don’t write reviews for them. They can go eat some toast or something.
Also check it out: the two little induction burners you see behind the counter? That is their entire heating apparatus save for an oven that must be… somewhere. They’re cooking all their delicious food on two little induction burners. Space efficient, energy efficient, and just darn impressive. Go to this place.

After two years, the
patatas and pimien–
tos still transport me.
After a long hiatus post-​baby (because we assumed we’d never get a seat) we went back to Flan y Ajo last week. The menu is still filled with things we loved two years ago: pimientos with salt (this time with more oil, but still tasty), boquerones, pinxtos, pan amb tomaquet. A pescetarian can eat very well at FyA (even a vegetarian can) and without making a huge dent in one’s wallet. I only wish the pinball machine were still there, and that the dessert menu expanded a bit. But, really, Flan y Ajo is perfect and completely unique. I’m so glad it’s in PVD!

Providence is so lucky to have Flan y Ajo, seriously. Really top-​notch tapas, cozy atmosphere, and it’s a BYOB next door to a wine store. The one drawback is that it’s often difficult to secure a spot at a table (much less actually have a seat), and it’s first-​come-​first-​served (no reservations), but everything else about Flan y Ajo impresses me.
First, I am incredibly impressed that they manage to turn out all this delicious food with just two induction burners and an oven — they have their small kitchen down to a science. Second, the people who work there are pretty delightful, and happy to explain anything on the menu. Before we even sat down, our bottle had been uncorked, two glasses waiting on the bar.
Third, the food! I’ve come a few times and seen a few iterations of the menu, and there are some plates that should be on your must-​try list:
Patatas bravas: Unilocalers know, these are awesome. They have a smoky, caramel-​ed flavor with a delicious, savory aioli and a hot oil at the bottom of the dish that is incredible. You need these in your mouth.
Whatever they have that’s wrapped in Iberico ham: Yes, I’m sure you’ve heard all the hype about Iberico. IT IS REAL. It is delicious. Eat it with whatever, or if you’re a real baller, you can just get the $ 20 small plate of little slices and feel like a real gourmand.
Squid: they just do a really good job with the local squid, in whatever preparation. Tender, with just enough bite… I’m not much of a squid lover and this is one of my favorites.
I’ve really loved about 80% of the dishes I’ve tried here, and found the rest merely delicious. Yes, the food is salty, with lots of garlic and this is a small operation, but all three of those facets are things that I appreciate and treasure. The flavors here are big and complex, and the preparation is unfussy. It’s just great food.
Also, the saffron-​vanilla flan was the bomb dot com. So good.

Really quite disappointed from all of the hype. i understand that this is the only tapas joint in town, but quite frankly, the name did not live up to the expectation. Many of the dishes felt like they were pre-​made the night before and popped right into the oven for instant pseudo-​gratification.
I came here with my friends on a snowy evening, and like we planned, the restaurant was empty except the waitress, bartender and the server. Having had dinner shortly prior, I had planned to try out a few dishes without worrying about breaking my wallet into tiny sad pieces. However, everything from the cheese to the hot potatoes to the chorizo were delivered in such small quantities that even for tapas, it was shameful. I ended up ordering almost everything from the menu and still found each and every dish (with the exception to the prawns) to be small, overly priced, and extremely salty. There was no real zing for any of the dishes, and the $ 10 root vegetables looked and tasted like someone just threw a handful of vegetables for stir fry. The prawns, while only 3, were tasty and full of flavors… but still expensive.
The overall joint had a great vibe for dates and I can clearly see how it can be a small, hole-​in-​the-​wall rendezvous position, but the food and the cost was just too much to bear. On a slight note, the staff were very friendly, but during the meal, they were just eating crackers with nutella from behind the counter while we ate… we weren’t sure whether they were going to offer some of the snacks as a polite gesture, but hey, I guess it was a slow night and they wanted to have some fun.
Overall, a lot of great potential, but just poor execution and extremely salty and expensive. There are much better places in Boston in which I’m happy to make the long RI journey to get there. Sorry guys.
Food: 2 stars
Cost: 2 stars
Service: 3 stars
Ambiance: 3 stars

I’ve been working to get to Flan Y Ajo FOREVER. Finally made it on a recent Friday evening with a friend. Two seats at the bar awaited us – it was like it was meant to be. A bottle of Spanish red from ENO next door and we settled in for tasty bites.
The sardines were fantastic. The tomato garlic bread and the machego… I always knew they were a match made in heaven. The squid was likely my favorite bit. Lightly cooked… just absolutely delicious.
I liked being able to watch the chef cook — a small space has a small cooking area. Smells of garlic permeate. (Never a problem in my book).
The space is small, so it fills quickly and easily. I look forward to going back and seeing what new menu items there are to try. As most, I love tapas because you get to try so many different options. We spent about $ 25 each and were filled to the brim — the same as if we went to dinner somewhere.
Thank you for a taste of Madrid in my home city.

I came here a few weeks ago and can’t stop thinking about how great it was. I love Spanish food and grew up on it, but I think the prices at most tapas restaurants are pure ludicrous. Tapas are supposed to be free when you buy drinks! Does not compute. But I was super happy to pay low prices for tapas at Flan y Ajo, drink my BYO wine, and hang out at a bar, standing. As close as it gets to a real tapas experience, for sure.
The food itself was really yummy, the ingredients shined in the simple preparation. We definitely ordered some things more than once! I’d happily recommend coming with 1 – 2 people and getting literally one of everything.
I can’t wait to be back with some friends to show off the tasty food in my new city.

Service is terrible at this place. I get that it’s small, busy and loud on a Saturday night, but when my group was passed over 3 different times and others who came after us were tended to ahead of us, it left a bad taste all around. The waitress was not particularly friendly and seemed put out to have to take our order at all.
Food was meh. Expectations were high based on previous reviews, but the tapas served paled in comparison to the real deal, or even to other tapas restaurants I’ve experienced in the U.S. They were out of a lot that was on their menu and in a scramble to try to get the last plates of this or that, we just ordered 9 tapas to make sure our group had enough food. Nothing was particularly bad, but nothing was outstanding either.
Ventilation in the tiny restaurant is nil, so expect to be hot, stuffy and stink like the fish being cooked.
This place is BYOB, but expect a $ 5.00 corking fee.

I have a strategy when I come here, which can be outlined in 4 easy steps:
1. Come here, as often as possible, with friends if available. Curse them out and come alone if they’re not up for tapas (tsk, tsk).
2. Order all the pintxos on the menu if available.
3. Furtively wiggle around to compact the undoubtedly fantastic food in my belly.
4. If the furtive wiggling around worked, order anything else on the menu to capacity, and occasionally overcapacity.
4 easy steps: That’s all. I love this place, I want to come here all the time, and I’m crossing my fingers that I don’t need to add elastic waisted pants to my regularly scheduled wardrobe (altho those actually might come in handy…)

Space is indubitably limited
BYOB with a $ 5 uncorking fee
Holy MACKEREL is this food heavenly
On one of the ridiculously good nights i was in here, Mauricio brought out some olives as my special lady friend grabbed a bottle of wine next door, and from there, the whirlwind of awesomeness began.
When he says pintxo quimet — LISTEN UP, CITIZEN! Honey-​drizzled salmon on goat cheese on toast points, with capers? Friend, you don’t even know the taste bud delight in store.
Urgelia cheese with salted olive oil, rosemary pie-​crust-​like crackers were dynamite. The tomaquet also impressed. I could go on, but seriously, I have yet to find a miss in several tries. This place — the food is outrageous.
And to finish? A Café Bonbon — stir to taste for sweetness, and please enjoy a flan that won’t quit.
Seriously — try to find fault. Get back to me — you know how to reach me.

¡qué rico! muy muy muy delicioso. ¡me encanta Flan y Ajo! la soprasada, las navajas, el jamon, los huevos… tienes que probar todos!

Great place to grab some Spanish fare! The sandwiches are made one at a time and with the freshest ingredients. The menu changes daily but the popular items seem to alway return frequently. From the ultimate chorizo down to simple olives the food is amazing. I loved the spreadable sausage «Sobrasada» I think, it had a great spice and was mouth watering delicious.
The atmosphere is a classic european eatery. just a few stools and plenty of place to stand. Not for everyone but it makes for a casual hang out. And just next door is a ENO, so grab a bottle of wine and hang out with a group of friends and get some Tapas!

I love everything about Flan Y Ajo: the space, the vibe, the set-​up, but most of all the food. It’s just so very, very wonderful.
We’ve been waiting for someone to open up a real tapas place and fill a gaping culinary void in the PVD for quite some time. The owner, Diego, has filled it beautifully with an authentic, charming tapas bar I can’t wait to return to.
What makes it so special? This little bar is teensy — there were at most 20 people there, and it was jam-​packed. There are only four stools at the bar but it’s a chill vibe so you can sprawl out on the window ledge that’s fashioned with cushions for comfort, or you can just stand up at the bar, like one would in Spain. The food is outrageously good — mushrooms sauteed with garlic in butter, amazing chorizo, deliriously good pan amb tomaqute (simple grilled bread with a garlicky-​tomato purée), fabulous jamon… I could go on forever and ever. Diego just kept the food coming at us, be it cheeses or pâté, and all of it was so. damn. good.
The other thing that’s great? It’s BYOB, so grab yourselves a $ 15 bottle of Rioja and get yourselves over to Flan Y Ajo. Right now.