Esperpento

My wife is hard to please and she loved the delicious food and the man who was playing guitar in the reataurant. I loved it too… we’re definitely coming back!

Came here with friends on a Saturday night. The food was decent (as far as I’m concerned, you get what you pay for.) I was less than happy to see the restaurant had ended up serving themselves to a greater tip than we denoted on our receipts. It’s only a few extra dollars in the grande scheme of things, but an extremely dishonest and shady thing for a business to do.
Will not be returning.

Good food and good wine. A little cramped.

This is one of those Spanish tapas places that have great colorful art inside is casual and the food is packed with lots of spices & garlic.
There is live music on Friday & Saturday nights, the spanish guitar players do expect tip and come to your table so have some change ready.
Order a pitcher of sangria and lots of tapas to enjoy this place to the fullest. My favorite to eat here is the grilled artichoke. The fried calamari and the patatas bravas also good.
We did wait a bit until we got a waiter but once he was there he was very attentive and nice.

All imma say is… DO NOT come here on a hot day…
Good is okay. Pretty usual tapas et etc
But definitely get AC… plleeeaasee

It is a nice place, good service and the paella is ok, I asked for the seafood paella, for 2 is a good portion size, but this paella it’s simply OK, I was expecting more from this place. Still for me so far the most acceptable paella in the Bay Area is in a Cuban restaurant in alameda called Habana

I came here with a friend who was visiting and wanted to try tapas. This place is a new favorite in the mission because of it’s neighborhood atmosphere and good food. My favorite dishes were the ropa vieja, patatas bravas, camillones.
The atmosphere is perfect for dates or groups. The only annoying thing is that guitar players will play them ask you for tips. If I recall correctly this is done in Spain.
A word of warning the wait can be long if you come and it’s crowded. SF life I guess.

Went for a work lunch… Got there at 12 and had a table of 10.
Bread and sauce was good/​fresh! Ordered a few tapas and lunch combination plates; the food was good and had sizable portions.
The main dish we ordered was the «mariscada» which was loaded, could have used just a little more flavor but we used the «sauce» to dip the fish in.
Between 9 of us the bill came out to 23 bucks a pop and we all left stuffed.
You’ll be happy with this place! Try it!

Knowing really well the Spanish Tapas concept including some of the most traditional dishes from Spain this place surprised me since the first day.
We will not find there a trendy environment of a kind of new wave Spanish food based on tapas but instead you find the type of tapas you can get in a popular tapas place in Madrid, Valencia and many other cities in Spain.
The environment, the smell and the flavors you get are genuine. You will definitely feel the sensation you’re somewhere in Spain.
Considering all the above referred characteristics, the friendly attendance and the amazing prices I have no clue into say this is the best Spanish food place I have been in US.

I had tapas lunch here with a friend, and we thought we ordered too much food, but ended up eating most of it (perhaps over-​eating:)… The food was a mix of good to meh. We got the patatas bravas (average), pimientos (oily but good), grilled calamari (great), tortilla de patata (average), cod croquettas (yummy), string beans (average). Nice service, nice open atmosphere and décor.

3.75 Stars just like the app says.
I am torn between a 3 and 4 star review.
Esperpento is such a fun and cute place. Great place to go on a date, as a couple, or as a group. It is loud. It is busy. And it gets crazy!
The food on the other hand is good but not great. The Paella is good but the quality of the parts is just okay: Chicken was okay (not very flavorful and texture was rubbery). Prawns were okay (not super fresh and lacking in taste). Octopus was okay (it was tender by way of cooking the heck out of it).
Definitely the stars of the night, besides their pretty good Sangria, were:
Patatas Bravas: Wonderfully fried potatoes in their wonderful spicy sauce (same sauce served with their bread).
Grilled vegetable salad. Great mix. Wonderfully grilled with that lovely Aioli on it again.
Jamon Iberrico: Wonderful spanish cured ham served with french bread and cheese.
Things I would pass on: Grilled Artichokes (too fibrous and not enough flavor)
Desserts were okay: Mousse de Chocolate was sweet but nothing special.
Arroz con Leche was actually good. Good texture and nicely flavored with cinnamon… quite refreshing after the meal.
Prices for Esperpento are amazing for the Mission district!!!
Paella for four, Two bottles of Sangria, Four appetizers, two desserts! $ 160…makes up for many short comings.
Tip: Dine upstairs if you want less noise. Make a reservation (yeah I know they dont always pick up their phone… be persistent!!!)
Lastly…this isnt the cleanest restaurant or Kitchen… just sayin

Redemption! Finally got the paella… 9 months later. Decided to give this place another try (after some bad service from another place around the block… Déjà vu, long story. And a separate review, of course). Believe in second chances.
The seafood paella was AMAZING. 35min-​wait according to our server. Paella came out in 45min. Okay fine, not too bad. Compared to the former over-​1hr-​wait and no turnout. The sangria, just as I remembered, was SPOT ON.
Want the paella? Go during the day for shorter wait times and make sure to sit orchestra level. Getting seated in the balcony? They’ll forget you’re even in the restaurant. You might as well be wearing a cloak of invisibility.
Lesson learned.

Oh Esperpento, my sweet Esperpento, why do you have to have so much good things on your menu? Since they claim they are small plates, I usually order a butt load and don’t feel bad eating that much b/​c they are small plates/​tapas. But in reality, you really end up eating a lot, getting drunk, and not even spending that much $$$ for what you get!
All the tapas range from 5 – 7 dollars and can be shared between a big group. They aren’t the biggest portions, but you should be good with getting 1 – 2 plates (per every person in your table) and a paella to share. When ordering paella, their serving can feed twice the amount of people it is designated for. For example: a serving for 2 can serve 4 people and a serving for 4 can serve 6 – 8 unless you are super hungry or just order the paella.
Here are some dish suggestions:
Gambas al Ajilo: Very tasty garlic sauce and the shrimp is so moist and flavorful.
Patatas Bravas: Potatoes are well cooked and seasoned.
Ropa Viejo: The sauce could use a little more chorizo flavor, but the meat is on point.
Artichokes: Very crispy and thinly sliced artichoke dish! Nothing special, but good veggie dish.
For Paella, the negro is super tasty but might not be for all people as the flavor is super distinct. And the paella de mariscos (which I usually get) is packed with seafood. If you want lobster, it’s a little more expensive, but heard it’s worth it! It is not the best paella but it is decent!
AND DON’T FORGET THE SANGRIA: 17 FOR A PITCHER? SOLD! small fruit is a plus :)
The Jamon Serrano isn’t that great, they already serve bread with their garlic sauce in the first place. Also, Their seating process is a little disorganized and it can take them a while to seat people even if there is space. You have to be super pro active with one of the hosts to make sure you get seated at the proper time. With the occasional guitar performance and Spanish singing paired with the wonderful ambiance, this place is a great gem in the city! Great for big groups and family, and just to get drunk and full!

I’ve been here twice and I do like the food. However, I didn’t appreciate being disrupted during my meal to pay money for the bandolero multiple times. It’s great that he plays music inside and outside of the restaurant, but to tap me on the shoulder and put your hat for donations was a little too much.
While the food is good, the service is on the slow side. During my last visit with a party of 4. We all ordered water and 1 coke. 10 – 15 minutes later, we all got our water and no coke. We had to get up and ask about the coke.
We ordered the blood sausage (can’t remember actual name), garlic shrimp, patatas bravas and the lobster paella. The complimentary bread with their signature sauce is really good. They use the same sauce with their patatas bravas and it’s amazing. The lobster paella takes a long time to prepare so be sure to wait at least 30 minutes. Don’t expect a lot of lobster. For a party of 4, each person gets half of a tail so in total, it’s 2 lobster tails cut in half for 4 people.
For dessert, we ordered their version of the crème brule. I probably wouldn’t order this again because the texture was a little weird to me and it wasn’t that great.
Overall, the food is good and being with good company makes it better. I think this restaurant would be perfect if the service was more on point and if I wasn’t disrupted to pay the guitar guy.

A+, 5stars, excellent food experience.
Highlists:
Patatas Bravas: Similar to country fries
Salsa Bravas: spicy, tangy aioli. Go buy a container of this stuff to go! $ 5, worth every penny
Arroz Negro: Squid Ink Paella is to die for! Yummmmm
I wanted to check this place out for the sole purpose of trying out the Arroz Negro, I’m a fan of squid ink dishes and this place did not disappoint. $ 4.50 Sangrias, $ 5-​$ 10 tapas including calamari, Patatas Bravas, grilled asparagus etc.
The only downside I experienced is when the bill came. The total included a hand written gratuity on the receipt. I repeat, it was handwritten, when everything else was printed. First reaction, oh hell nah! Hahaha I don’t mind paying gratuity, even if the norm is 6or more people, yet there was only 5 of us. I brought it to their attention and asked for them to either take it out or include that in my bill as a printed item on a receipt. They came back and it was removed. Other than that scandalous mishap, our dinner was excellent

Food was delicious. Everything we ordered was perfect. Favorite item was the «PARILLADA» plate. It had just about every type of meat you could possibly want.
The free starter bread was bomb. especially the sauce. Ugh, I could eat that for days.
The service was great a first until our waiter Alex disappeared and we had to fend for ourselves flaggin down any other waiter for service. The place is small and cramped, not really good for groups over 6 people.
be careful, when the bill came they tried to add a handwritten «service charge» yet our party was only 5 people, we asked them to remove it and if it was to remain, that it should be pre-​printed, computer generated…
they were trying to scam us acting like we were a party of 6, they were so scandalous. good thing we reviewed the bill that’s why they getting 3 stars.

My friend recommended this place and initially I was a little hesitant because of the mediocre rating, but I was really pleasantly surprised!
The bread and spicy dipping sauce are amazing. The spicy potatoes are great– have great flavor and good heat to them, peppers and garlic shrimp were tasty, and the seafood paella was so good!
I liked every dish that came out and I LOVED their sangria! It was really smooth-​normally it has a bit of a bite to it.
Service wasn’t good but I was there for the food, so not a big deal.

Local Spanish tapas restaurant in the Mission District. We were relatively new to the cuisine and I was glad our waiter was nice enough to recommend us some of the more traditional dishes. We had blood sausages or what’s known is morcilla. I wasn’t a fan, it was dry and a little mushy, but you should try it to see what it’s like for yourself.

Dining at Esperpento will assault your senses — sound, taste, smell, and sight. I guess you could feel the food too if you really wanted to, and it would probably be great x]
The service here was friendly and helpful. Whether we had questions on what to order or wanted to know more about a certain ingredient, the waiters always helped us with a smile. The atmosphere was casual, inviting, and fun without being kitschy. A big party near us was happily celebrating something while a man played guitar and sang Spanish songs. Just a very nice environment to be in.
JAMON IBERICO (Iberican Ham):
If you’ve had this before, you know it needs no introduction. Well-​aged, smooth, and buttery, the marbled parts of it will melt in your mouth. It’s on the sweeter rather than saltier side and goes well with just a simple slice of bread.
GAMBAS AL AJILLO (Garlic Shrimp):
Maybe the only dish we tried that I’d suggest skipping. The flavor was a bit forgettable and there are many more interesting things to try.
BOQUERONES EN ACEITE (White Anchovies in Olive Oil):
If you love anchovies or similarly strong fish as much I do, this will be a treat. The anchovies are filleted and served simply with olive oil, some salt, parsley, and lemon. That’s all they need to highlight the fresh fish flavor.
PATATAS BRAVAS (Spicy Potatoes):
This dish is a MUST here or at pretty much any tapas restaurant, but especially here. Esperpento serves them as a good-​sized portion of fried, cubed potato smothered in their pimenton-​based sauce. The sauce is creamy, spicy, smoky, and really damn addicting. You’ll probably want to be ahead of the game and just order 2 of these to start with, since you’ll end up doing it later anyway. They sell the sauce separately as well, and we ended up buying one (we use it to dip bread in and it’s amazing every time).
SANGRIA:
At $ 15 a pitcher, it’s a good deal. Theirs is on the sweeter side but still very tasty, especially paired with the heartier tapas fare like patatas bravas.
Overall: We shared a couple other dishes, but these are the ones I remember most clearly. Most things are about $ 5 – 10, so spend carefully or it could add up. Still, it’s better priced than many other places. Even with the high number of tapas restaurants in SF, I’d highly recommend Esperpento and would happily return.

Originally, my friends and I thought we would have a night out, including a nice dinner in the Mission. But we didn’t make a reservation anywhere because we just wanted to wing it. Unfortunately, our first choice, a restaurant a couple blocks away, was completely packed, and the wait was going to be 1.5 hours. So we stumbled on this place by accident. And what a wonderful accident it was! There was only a very short wait (like ten minutes) for a table of four on a busy Saturday night.
To start, I recommend the Sangria — not the glass, the pitcher. At first, I thought there was not enough fruit or alcohol. But I simply asked for more fruit, which they brought out in a bowl, and believe me, there was definitely alcohol in there, which will sneak up on you if you’re not careful.
For tapas, we ordered the Gambas al Ajillo (Garlic Shrimp). It was probably my favorite dish of the night! Juicy shrimp in a warm garlic sauce that is actually perfect for dipping the bread that they bring you. We also had the Croquetas de Pollo (Chicken Croquettes). Normally, I’m not a fan of croquettes, but these just melted in my mouth, and the sauce was amazing as well. Finally, we had the Patatas Aioli (Garlic Mayonnaise Potatoes), which they mistakenly thought was Patatas Bravas (Spicy Potatoes), so we actually got to try both.
For our entrée, we ordered the Paella de Mariscos for two. There was a bit of a wait for it, but it was well worth the wait! Seasoning was absolutely perfect, and they were very generous with the seafood. The only downside was that we couldn’t finish it in one go, so we had to take it home and of course it wasn’t as good the next day.
All of the food was reasonably priced. The restaurant had a very authentic feel and we even had a small band come around the tables and play at one point during the meal. Also, our server was very warm and friendly. He did mess up a couple of our orders, and it took a while for things like drink refills, but we still loved it all. I’m really glad the other place was packed and that my friends and I were able to try something more off the grid.

Hola la comida es rica el problema es un mesero que es demaciado despota e intolerable hojala no les vaya a tocar esta persona porque no podran disfrutar de la rica comida que se sirve ahi no se si sea el uniforme pero el tipo siempre viste una camisa azul y me imagino que es sudamericano

Great place, excellent Paella!