Pura Vida Tapas & Bar

PERFECT LIVING THE GOOD LIFE AT PURA VIDA\r \r This city is loaded with stellar chefs and many have settled into their culinary niche, but not Chef/ Owner Hector Santiago of Pura Vida. Always searching for intriguing tastes to uplift the already remarkable menu line-up at this North Highlands eatery; this master chef recently took a culinary adventure to some remote villages of Peru.\r \r The menu is comprised of mouth watering shared plates or tapas each with exhilarating Latin American flavors, but whatever don’t overlook the “one of a kind” charcuterie offering. Hector has partnered with butcher and charcuterist Colin Miles of Leon’s Full Service to create savory meats that will fire up the palate like none other. These meats will surely have the taste buds jumping to the beat of a sassy salsa, and if you get the urge why not join them?\r \r A classic Peruvian raw fish dish that reflects the influences of the Japanese immigrants on Andean cooking is Tiradito. This version is a sashimi cut black gulf grouper loin that’s drizzled with a passion fruit and aji amarillo leche de tigre or tiger’s milk (In Peru, this invigorating potion is believed to be both a hangover cure as well as an aphrodisiac). A perfect follow-up to the tiradito is the Local Sungold Tomato Salad – firm sungolds are halved and served with a roasted pimento and hand squeezed mango juice, with finely sliced jicama and Spanish anchovies- totally a yum. \r \r Eating at Pura Vida is like a thrilling roller coaster ride as each food has an exciting twist or turn that one would not expect; for the ultimate scream try the Coconut Goat Stuffed Jalapeños – after stewing a goat for 12 hours in coconut water, it’s blended with a Puerto Rican adobo then stuffed into the peppers and topped with Chihuahua cheese, the tastes are simply spine-tingling. There seems to be a special thrill whenever Hector digs into his Super Pan bag of goods. The Taco al Pastor is full of lip-smacking flavors. This Mexican street food corn tortilla is grilled then stuffed with slow cooked pulled pork that’s marinated in a guajillo chili and pineapple marinade, and topped with grilled pineapple, queso fresco, micro-cilantro, and a touch of sriracha making it a fiesta for the taste buds. \r \r After tasting Hector’s mind-blowing foods at this ultra-cool Poncey-Highland eatery, perfecting the good life becomes a bit easier; so why wait to enjoy it?\r more

I love this place! The food is so good! more

I had a great experience here in Pura Vida Tapas and Bar The service is great and the crew is very helpful and kind more

I loved the food, the ambiance and the service. Everything was just so right in this place. I am always satisfied every time I leave this restaurant. Two thumbs up! more

Taking up storefront space adjacent to San Francisco Coffee Co. on N. Highland Avenue, Pura Vida offers up expertly crafted Spanish/Latin tapas concocted by head chef Hector Santiago. It's cozy, romantic vibe makes it an excellent pick for date three (and-beyond). Dishes meant to be shared like charred mushrooms in butter or local trout ceviche go excellent with the spot-on sangria. Toss in some flirty conversation and the night is yours. Pros: Delicious, creative tapas with an artistic flare Cons: Avoid the dishes that appear to be American- Latin fusion more

I loved this place. I was seeing people of all kinds here. Out of town, family, friends, first dates....good people watching. Great place to meet up. Easy to find. You can tell that they care. The staff has fun but the real WOW factor is in the freshness of the ingrediants. You can just tell that everything is hand picked and super fresh from the beans and produce to the meet. Really authentic and the best part is you can afford it! Pros: service!!! Cons: parking more

Dear Mr. buckheadman, \r \r Might I suggest, next time you go to a restaurant you're not familiar with, read the menu as soon as you walk in the door. Also, if it was such a bad experience, why did you stay and go through with the dining experience?? My guess is that you couldn't afford it and you didn't want to embarrass yourself in front of your date?! Or, maybe your date was terrible and you just needed to vent your frustrations. \r Mr. Buckheadman, you need to find something to do with your time! There's way to many restaurateurs that will always venture and frequent Pura Vida. The buck doesn't stop with you!! Pros: Awesome food, eclectic art work, amazing drinks more

I have been a devoted fan of Hector Santiago for years. I have never had a bad experience at Pura Vida. This restaurant has something that is so important yet lacking in so many restaurants and that is consistency. Also, chef Hector deserves the utmost respect for using fresh local ingredients and supporting our local farmers and small businesses. I went in today to try their acclaimed brunch menu which was what I expected, nothing less than spectacular. I originally wanted to write about all of the great items we tried but am choosing instead to use my words to respond to the incredibly rude and INACCURATE review written by jerkoffman, excuse me, I mean buckheadman. Sir, you sure sound like an awfully miserable person. I pity you for that. I'm sorry that your life is so lousy and dull that you have nothing better to do with your time than try and trash a local business and it's hard working chef. Hector Santiago is extremely talented and your hateful ranting is completely fallacious and ridiculous. If you've ever eaten tapas, like you claim you have, you would know the portions and prices there are average. There is a reason Pura Vida has won NUMEROUS awards and the chef is one of only 3 Atlanta chefs who are semi finalists for a James Beard award. Since you obviously don't appreciate creative and innovative cuisine, I'm sure you'd be a much happier person if you stuck to the boring cookie cutter restaurants in Buckhead, or maybe try a Happy Meal at McDonalds. Better yet, why don't you just cook for yourself? And what exactly should Pura Vida be ashamed of? Receiving the first honored AJC Restaurant of the Year? Star Chef award? Or maybe making the best of tapas list year after year in Creative Loafing and Atlanta magazine? You sir, are the one who should be ashamed for wishing failure on an established restaurant and it's dedicated employees. I am appalled that during these difficult financial times someone would say something so malicious. Pros: tapas, drinks, service Cons: Can be a wait, go during ""off"" times more

I'm completely baffled as to how people can give excellent reviews for this place. In addition, to whomever wrote the citysearch review saying that the tapas plates are a steal, WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING??? Give me whatever you're smoking because this place is a complete rip off. It is SEVERELY overpriced and SEVERELY underportioned for even TAPAS CUISINE. Yes. Duh. I know this is not a place to gorge or pig out at and that is why I capitalized tapas cuisine. For that specific standard, it is still outrageously subpar.\r \r I will never recommend this place to anybody. I will exert all effort to persuade people to steer absolutely clear of this place. Pura Vida should be ashamed of themselves, and they have earned themselves a customer who will try with all his power to negatively affect this restaurant. STAY AWAY and I hope they go out of business. Pros: None. Cons: Price/Ambience/Value more

I've been to Pura Vida a few times, and they are always doing something new and exciting. Their brunch menu is unique and delicious... especially the pineapple french toast. It is equisite. The deconstructed spanish omelet is one of my favorites as well! Pura Vida now has $3 tapas specials on the weekdays that are a great deal. They usually have about 8 or so, and we typically wind up ordering almost all of them. It's one of the best deals in Atlanta. The staff is very knowledgeable, and helpful. I went to a birthday party with a large group this week, in one of their private dining rooms. The food was delicious... the mussels are some of the best in the City and the mofongo (fried mashed plantains with slow cooked goat) is one of my favorites. Chef Santiago is amazing! Pros: Great Food, Great Prices Cons: may have to wait more

I have been to many of the tapas restaurants in Atlanta. Pura Vida is serving up some unique items. Had no idea that they did so many weekly events. I am looking forward to Mojito Monday when the weather gets better!!! This was my first time there. I love Virginia Highlands and there are a few places to choose from, but this seems to have a much more social atmosphere. Try the Shrimp CEVICHE. Haven't had any this good in Atlanta yet!! I looked at the Brunch menu and will have to check it out! Pros: Easy Parking during the week. Cons: Busy, short wait but worth it more

I don't understand the complaints about portions being too small. I mean they're tapas, they're meant to be small. I spent some time in Spain, where tapas originated, and they're even smaller over there. And some of the tapas we ordered were huge, like the pizza. The empanadas were quite big and filling too. And mmm, the plate of mussels were big too and SO DELICIOUS! I recommend getting extra bread for the yummy leftover sauce. Our server was great at helping us with the menu and recommending things for us. Pros: food, drinks, service Cons: ? more

The food tastes good. No argument there. But I would be embarrassed to serve such tiny portions for $7 to $10. The marginal cost of putting another dollop on the plate is negligible. It just sends a message that making money is more important than centuries-old traditions of hospitality and graciousness. Even our server was surprised that, thanks to a heavy hand on the ice, the pitcher of sangria meant to fill six glasses was empty after filling four. Why so parsimonious with the portions? I guess I'll never find out---I've been there six or seven times and I'm done with it. Pros: Good food, artfully presented in most cases Cons: Eensy weensy portions that can't be shared easily (which is the point with tapas, no?) more

Love this place. The food and service here have always been great. The ambiance is very romantic in a casual way -- great place for a date! I love getting a pitcher of sangria. Instead of putting ice in the pitcher, they serve it with glasses of ice so you can drink it as fast or as slow as you want and you don't have to worry about it getting watered down. One of my favorite dishes is the ceviche de hongitos. It's a subtle yet delicious melange of delicately flavored ingredients that play off of each other so well - mushrooms, celery hearts, salty aged cheese, and spicy yet fruity peppers. Mmm. Pros: Great for a date, awesome food Cons: Narrowing down what you want to eat :) more

i just wanna say to the person w/ 'do not go there for just drinks.'..its not just there, don?t go anywhere and get a table if ur not eating especially in a Saturday night ..im a waiter and spoiled people like you that make our life miserable, we d rather go home if we re making no money so if u cant get a damn spot by the bar or you are on a budget go somewhere else or for god sake stay home and order a pizza... more

We made an 8:45pm reservation and were seated promptly towards the back of the restaurant in a quite and secluded room. Everything we ordered was delicious, including the amazing margaritas and mojitos. This restaurant was very romantic and would be the perfect place for a first date, to bring out-of-town friends or to celebrate something special. We absolutely loved it. The service was also excellent. Will definitely return. Pros: Delicious food, great service, romantic, unique Cons: can't think of one! more

I went with a group of friends for drinks a few Saturdays ago. It was after 10pm, and the bar was full, so we asked if it would be possible to get a table. We told the hostess we would mainly just be ordering drinks, but she said that was fine since they weren't on a wait. After we got seated, the server came by to take our order and upon learning we would mainly be ordering beverages, she became excessively rude. She told us we weren't allowed to sit at her table and not order food. When we told her the hostess said it was all right for us to sit there, she just walked away to complain to managers who told her that we were fine to sit there. She came back and wouldn't even make eye contact with us as she asked for our drink order. That was enough for us. We told her nevermind, we were leaving, and we walked out. The whole experience was embarrassing and demeaning. I will never through the doors of Pura Vida again.\r more

Don't listen to Jimmy - this was by far the best night of dining our group has had. Out table ordered one of everythiing on the menu - yes a bit pricy - but we were on a quest. Everything I put in my mouth was delicious. The combinations of flavors and textures are a reflection of the genius of the owner/Chef - Hector Santiago. If you want a whole tuna - then I would suggest you go else where. The staff was courteous, knew the ingredients of all items on the menu and how they were cooked. They were able to make excellent suggetions of wines and drinks to accompany the dishes. Overall our dining experience was phenomenal. Maybe Jimmy doesn't understand what TAPAS means. It DOES NOT MEAN AN ENTIRE PLATE OF FOOD. Look it up in the dictionary while you're eating at Chili's. more

I have not been disappointed and left with a feeling of being cheated out of my money like I was at Pura Vida during a recent visit. It was our first time there and after waiting 20+ min (when we could see multiple empty tables) we were finally seated. Every tapas plate is $8-10 and for tapas the portions were SO SMALL! We paid $10 for a tuna plate where the tuna would have barely added up to 1/3 the tuna found in a piece of sashimi! Every other plate was equally disappointing. Save your hard-earned money and try someplace else. We ended up getting a frozen pizza on the way home since we were still so hungry (and we're thin people!). The sangria was pretty terrible as well. Avoid! Pros: Um, the Water Wasn't Too Bad... Cons: Very Tiny Portions and Extremely Expensive for Tapas more

Pura Vida is purely amazing! This is, hands down, the best tapas I've ever had in Atlanta (and I've had a LOT!), the service is knowledgeable and accommodating, and the ambiance is cozy and festive. The aspect I love most about Hector Santiago?s menu is that he dares to create dishes that are not typical and safe. Even the most familiar dishes are punched up with unique and unexpected ingredients, lending to the most tantalizing marriage of flavor combinations in each bite. My date and I went all out for dinner and ordered quite a few small plates between the two of us, including the yucca croquettes, chicken picadillo empanadas, hanger steak pinchos, poached shrimp cocktail, and salmon ceviche. Our favorite, by far, was the salmon ceviche. Unlike traditional ceviche, the salmon came ?wrapped? in a thin layer of jicama (sort of a cross between a radish and an apple), providing a great contrast in texture in taste, and enhanced with passion fruit basil seeds. So refreshing and delicious! The drink menu is also extensive, with a great wine list consisting of many Spanish, Chilean, and Argentinean wines, as well as their signature versions of traditional Latin cocktails (their mojitos, sangrias, and capirihnas are all wonderful). If you are looking for a great tapas place to try out, you MUST VISIT Pura Vida! I don?t think I could go anywhere else! Pros: Great food, drinks, ambiance, music Cons: Parking more