La Tapa Tapa Restaurant Review: Modern Latin Cuisine

Tapa tapa is a Spanish phrase that literally translated means, "The cover covers." Tapa means 'cover'. La Tapa Tapa explains on their websites that the La Tapa Tapa Restaurant concept has a long history dating back to King Alfonso X, who declared that taverns should serve something to eat with wine, so the alcohol didn't go to the drinker's heads. There is also a story about the same king, in which he was served a glass of liquor covered with a piece of ham to prevent debris from a storm from blowing into his drink, and he liked it so much he asked for another drink with a tapa, or cover.

Regardless of the origin of the La Tapa Tapa restaurant concept, the concept is simple: appetizers, small samplings of different types of Latin and Spanish cuisine, served with a full bar from sangria to Spanish wine, and other spirited beverages.

La Tapa Tapa Location and Decor

When I first went to La Tapa Tapa, located in League City, Texas (but with a location in Kemah, Texas as well), I was impressed with the décor. Inside this small shopping strip was an even smaller hole in the wall restaurant, with a fancy entrance, proudly displaying a gorgeous rack of wine bottles. Upon entering the restaurant through the second door, red, black and gray swept up to meet my eyes. The décor was elegant and felt 'expensive'.

On the walls, Spanish paintings were hung, and cloth decorations adorned the ceiling, separating areas of the dining room. Along the far wall were tall-topped booths, and in the center aisles where cherry-looking wooden glazed tables, with black metal chairs. Atop the tables were wine glasses, black cloth napkins, and well-placed place settings.

La Tapa Tapa Menu and Drinks

When we were seated, the menus passed out, we each ordered a glass of house sangria. The prices on the menu seemed reasonable, with most tapas being between $5-8.00 each. Now, what's important to keep in mind is that the tapas on the menu are appetizers, not full meals, so while the prices do seem reasonable, you're not going to fill up on ordering just one of these tapas.

What we did on our first and second visit to La Tapa Tapa restaurant was order several different appetizers and share them amongst the table, so everyone can sample lots of variety of foods.

La Tapa Tapa Food

To go along with our sangria, we ordered crab fingers in an alfredo cheese sauce, octopus with pico de gallo, grilled vegetables on toast points with a delicious sauce, peel and eat cold shrimp, a spinach salad with crunchy things I loved and an spicy sauce. One of my favorite dishes was the pan-seared tuna in a spicy sauce, but we tried quite a few others as well.

The best part was their signature tapa, which is the Augucate del Mar. The menu describes this tapa as, "Fried avocado topped with cheese and shrimp." That doesn't come close to describing this fantastic and unique signature dish. The avocado half is lightly breaded in a beer batter breading and fried. It is then served over a bed of mashed potatoes, and on top of that is shrimp in a zesty cheese sauce. Two crisp fried flour tortilla strips adorn the sides, making the dish look almost like the head of a bull. This is an absolute must-try dish when dining at La Tapa Tapa.

With reasonable prices, an exquisite décor for such a small restaurant, and with such unique dishes, if you're anywhere in the Houston area, the drive to La Tapa Tapa is a must for a special evening out and is a perfect hole-in-the-wall date restaurant. As a woman, I would love for a man to choose this for a unique and unexpected dining experience.

Don't even get me started on the dessert, such as a flan that is to die for, dulce de leche cream soaked cake (ask for some Irish creme liquere to pour on top of it!) and cheesecake with fresca strawberries!

La Tapa Tapa Negatives?

If there are any downsides to the restaurant, the one thing I was disappointed in was the sangria. Typically, I've known sangrias to be slightly sweet, mostly red/burgundy table wines, souped up with fruit, mostly citrus. The sangria at La Tapa Tapa in League City was mostly apple and grape, and it didn't have the usual sweet taste, or the citrus pep to it. They also served it with much too much ice, reducing the amount of wine in the glass.

When the waitress asked us about the sangria, though, and we honestly told her, we were pleasantly surprised to find the waitress remembered us on our second visit and asked us if the sangria was better. She had taken our advice and had used more citrus! I must say, the sangria, while still not the best I've had by far, was much improved. It's also always nice to know the wait staff actually listen and care what the patrons of La Tapa Tapa have to say.

La Tapa Tapa Service and Staff

In fact, it wasn't only the wait staff. The bartender was friendly and personable, and the manager visited our table to ensure we were enjoying our evening, and even one of the cooks from the kitchen came out at one point. I was very pleased with the service at La Tapa Tapa.

La Tapa Tapa Conclusion - Top Notch!

Good service, good food, reasonable prices, exceptional atmosphere... La Tapa Tapa is a great place to visit for a unique experience, whether it's a drink and snack after work or a dinner with friends or family, or perhaps even a special date with someone special.

You can find the La Tapa Tapa restaurant's website and view their menu and some pictures of their interior at the following link: http://www.latapatapa.com/main/