Aioli Bodega Espanola

This is by far the best restaurant I have had the pleasure to try in Sacramento. I came with my wife to celebrate our 5th anniversary and the whole evening was perfect, and very reasonably priced for what you get. We started with Sopa de Tomate y Trigo, a classic spanish tomato soup served with cracked wheat, and Fabada, a white bean soup spiced with chorizo and swiss chard. We moved onto incredible tapas, specifically, Salpicon de Pulpo, octopus with potatoes, onions, roasted bell pepper & pimenton, and Pros: Flavors and wine from old Europe that you are certain not to find anywhere else in California. more

I went the Aioli Bodega Espana for my birthday and it was great. the service was attentive and knowledgable. the food was fantastic. we had the bean and tuna tapa to start along with their refreashing sangria and for the main course i had the opera of seafood in the spicy garlic tomato sauce. for desert they brought out a delectible chocolate mousse that was not too rich, with a huge strawberry on top that looked like a rose. they also have live music, a man singing and playing songs in beautiful spanish. the whole place was very relaxing and the most romantic place i've ever been. i would definitely dine there again, it was fabulous! Pros: Very romantic, authentic and relaxing more

Food is not very Iberian and is even a poor South American - more of a Mexican spices and temperament. Staff are not very helpful either. Skip this one. Sacramento offers far finer choices. more

This is one of the finest restaurants in sacramento. I go there just for the fine Spanish Wines, but the food is great and the atmosphere is very comfortable. it's not too elegant but not too casual - it's ""casual-elegant"". I've never been disappointed and for those of you who wrote those bad reviews, try again! Don't be so stuffy!!! Those waiters are the best and will not lead you astray. more

This our second visit to this restaurant and our last. We ordered to paella which was listed on the menu for $34.95 for two people. The paella had four mussels, four small scrimp, for-five small pieces of chicken chunks, one and a half spare ribs and calamari along with the burned rice. Way too small a portion for two people. The waiters were rude and the service was mediocre at best. NEVER again!! more

The restaurant has a really nice ambiance and the food selection and preparation is good. We ordered 8 tapas dishes to share between two people which, having been to Barcelona and had authentic tapas, would have been plenty of food. We were extremely disappointed to say the least when each of the dishes arrived. A selection of olives, which cost $2.95, consisted of about 10-12 very small olives in a tiny dish. The cold tapas dish of anchovies came with 3 half filets of 3 small anchovies with 3 pieces of what appeared to be slivers of pita bread and this cost $4.95. The salami and cheese cold tapas plate sounded wonderful but came with 8 thin, small slices of salami, two pieces of proscuitto type ham and 4 paper thin shavings of manchego cheese. And the other appetizers were similarly very sparse and over priced. I would not return to this restaurant again. The owner needs to find a balance between making a profit and providing a decent sized serving. Pros: Menu selection, authenticity of dishes Cons: Extremely poor value, overpriced for what you get more

Better than your typical tapas...this is a culinary delight. price fixed meal at lunch is available, as well as tapas. also, various yummy dinner entrees. but i love going for the exquisite and unique tapas and wine for dinner. they have both warm and cold tapas...my favorite is the portabella muchroom,,,i believe, in wine sauce..among so many others. i am mostly a vegetarian and eat fish as well, but my meat-eating dining companions always love the meat dishes/tapas. Pros: small european atmosphere. the tapas are unique and oh so delicious. romantic. great service. Cons: need to get a reservation sometimes on weekends. call and ask. more

This is my first review and was inspired by the worst dining experience we have had since we've been in Sacramento (over six years). We had made reservations, as did the couple who happened to follow us in. The waiter greeted us and treated the four of us as if we were all together--we weren't. He quickly pulled two tables apart and seated us next to each other (the tables were too close together). It felt as thought we were on an out-of-control ride! He quickly explained the menu to ""the four of us."" If he hadn't double-checked with me at one point, he would have mixed our order up with the people at the next table. When we finished our salads, we left our forks on the plate assuming that we would get new forks for our entrees. Instead, when the waiter removed the plates from the table he picked both forks up and dropped them back onto the table! And when he brought spoons for our shared dessert, he dropped those on the table! Dropped them! Also, he was way too personal. I don't think it's appropriate for a server to constantly be touching his diners. And I lost track of how many times my chair was bumped into. The place is ridiculously crowded. The food? Average. This was our late 'Valentine's Day' dinner (we had heard somewhere that this was a romantic restaurant. Hah!) and it was ruined by the rude service and noisiness of the place. We will never go back! Cons: Noisy, rude service, crowded more

Went there for my birthday dinner ~ my friends were running a tad bit behind schedule and the waiter kept complaining that they were ""booked"" for the evening and how busy they were. Waiters were rude, rude-commenting and unhelpful. Food was good, but I would never go there again. The waiters turned what was supposed to be a happy celebration into a terrible evening ~ thankfully we went somewhere else for dessert Pros: Good Food Cons: Rude Waiters more

I've only been to Aioli once, and it was for my aunt's birthday, so we had a large group, but there were also smaller groups and couples in the restaurant. The tapas were excellent, and the service was friendly, helpful, and attentive. My favorite part of the night, however, was dessert. I had their chocolate soup, and it was delicious! All their food is great, and they were wonderful. I would recommend it to anyone. Pros: Chocolate Soup!, Tapas, Atmosphere more

We went to Aioli for my cousin's birthday party. Since we made early reservations, the restuarant was pretty quiet and comfortable when we got in. The host was affable and knowledgable about the food. We let him decide our tapas for dinner. He made all the right choices based on our likes/dislikes. And the tapas were delicious! Our favorite were the chicken and ahi tuna. Aioli certainly has unique sauces for tapas, which I haven't come across before. Most tapa places have sauces with lots and lots of gralic in them, which isn't bad, but it makes all the dishes taste similar. Aioli does not follow this formula, making the tapas more interesting. The only compliant is that they seem to hurry us out after our meal completed (hand us the check quickly and cleaned our table before we left) in order to get more people in. Pros: Group Dining, Good Location more

After moving back from San Francisco, I wasn't entirely impressed with the restaurant scene here, but this place has helped soften the blow. It is expensive, but the food is very good. If you're a food aficianado, you must make a trip here. It's been awhile since I've been back, but I would recommend trying a variety of both the cold and hot tapas--great for groups), the paella is very yummy as well. In the times I've gone, I've had the same waiter everytime, a very charming, older spaniard, who will be more than happy to give you a few suggestions, both food and winewise. I've never been disappointed in the service. Pros: great atmosphere, authentic spanish, good service Cons: can get pricey, parking more

Aioli is by far the best dining experience I have had in Sacramento. The atmosphere and menu selections have you thinking you have left Sacramento and are on vacation in the Mediteranean. I am completely captivated everytime I visit. Great Food, Great Service, Great Place!! Pros: Ambience, Service, Musician more

They couldn't call it Ricks Cafe American, but it is the next best thing. Dining is a cultural and gastronomic experience. Be prepared to savor food unlike any other in Sacramento - or the Bay Area for that matter. You must go more than once - for the more often you dine here the more you will understand just how special this place is. A must. more