Boqueria Penn Quarter - Washington

Ambiance: Casual, calm, elegantParking: Street meter parking is availablePricing: Somewhat cheapFood (flavors): I did not eat the pork or red meat based dishes. The mushroom balls were LOVELY; they were perfectly crisp on the outside and had a creamy texture on the inside with a subtle sweet flavor; it was great. I also loved the tomato bread; the garlic olive oil really elevated its flavor. The octopus was cooked well but I wish the mashed potatoes that it came with had more fatty and savory flavors. I didn’t like the green sauce that was drizzled on it. The shrimp dish was packed with savory, fatty, and garlic flavors: I enjoyed it. The paella was BOMB; the rice was cooked perfectly, there was a lot of seafood in it, and the flavors just made sense together (10/10 from me). The potatoes were also seasoned and cooked well and the sauce paired well with it. The churros also tasted great with the caramel sauce!Portion size: Typical size for tapas. I ordered a medium sized paella which was huge and we had leftovers even after 6 people had eaten from it.Drinks: I had a pineapple mimosa but I wish the ratio of juice to alcohol was more balanced so that it would taste better.For more reviews follow my IG page at fave_foodie. See the list of menu items I discussed below.Food: CROQUETAS DE SETAS (Creamy mushroom croquettes, truffle allioli); PINTXO MORUNO (Seared lamb skewer, pickled shallots, salsa verde); PATATAS BRAVAS (Crispy potatoes, salsa brava, pimentón, garlic allioli); GAMBAS AL AJILLO (Shrimp, garlic, brandy, lobster reduction, Guindilla pepper in olive oil); PULPO A LA PLANCHA (Seared octopus, Manzanilla olivada, olive oil crushed potatoes); PAELLA DE MARISCOS(Bomba rice, monkfish, sepia, squid, shrimp, clams, mussels, saffron, salsa verde); ALBÓNDIGAS (Beef and pork meatballs, tomato sauce, sheep’s milk cheese, chives); PAN CON TOMATE (Toasted bread rubbed with tomato, garlic, olive oil)

I lived in Spain for a time, so I'm a tough critic of Spanish restaurants. My litmus test of tapas places is whether they have a good tortilla Espanola, a classic Spanish dish. This place passed with flying colors! The flan was also truly wonderful, as were the other tapas we tried, including the lamb and eggplant.Food: 5/5

The potato was average, and the serving of mushroom croquestas was a small serving to be sharable. Paella was very very delicious. I ordered large between two people and a lot was left so make sure you are hungry!Food: 5/5

Everything was fantastic, and the server was spot on with all her recommendations!

Food was great, and excellent service however the restaurant was so loud due to music acoustics