Authentic Spanish Cuisine in Washington, D.C.

Guest reviews

Rated by more than 6,000 guests

  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 La Taberna del Alabardero
  
 6370 reviews 
 
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 Posted on Opentable  
 
  
 
 
 Nick 
 
4 days ago
 
 
 Verified 
Wonderful restaurant. Really trained waiters in great service. Very recommendable. Menu includes tapas and full plates and very reasonable prices. They have at kleast 2 seperate dining spaces for business groups or fa,mily gatherings. Tablecloth dining.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Google  
 
  
 
 
 berniejorge 
 
5 days ago
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
Great food in an elegant atmosphere. Hope to return many times!
  
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Opentable  
 
  
 
 
 Thomas 
 
6 days ago
 
 
 Verified 
Having been to DC multiple times, we wanted to venture beyond the typical restaurant experience on our latest visit. Taberna del Alabardero’s flamenco show fit the bill for a Friday night. Not only were we treated to excellent live music and dance performances, but also flavorful, authentic paella. We thoroughly enjoyed the Valenciana dish, served tableside fresh from a paella pan, as well as the tasty piquillo peppers. Extensive Spanish wine collection, too, though I especially liked the tangy-spicy kick to the Matador cocktail. While we initially wanted to order the rice pudding for dessert, our server wisely reminded us that would be a lot of the same rice for the evening, so our table of three ordered the bread pudding and lemon tart with mango ice cream. Both capped off our satisfying meal with a sweet flourish to complement the flamenco entertainment. All in all, a delicious departure from our typical Tex-Mex nights back home.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Google  
 
  
 
 
 Alex Kelly 
 
8 days ago
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
Beautiful live music, and better food than many places I tried in Spain
  
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Opentable  
 
  
 
 
 Cynthia 
 
10 days ago
 
 
 Verified 
La Taberna del Alabardero is a nice restaurant with a good selection of tapas and regular entrees (paella, etc.). The service is very good as is the food preparation. Our only complaint is the 20% service charge added to our bill (there were 2 of us, not a large party). While we understand that Washington, D.C. has made this practice "legal", restaurants have the choice in the amount of service charge they add to the final bill. We found the 20% service charge excessive and will think twice before returning.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Google  
 
  
 
 
 Travel Lover 
 
11 days ago
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
Amazing Spanish food! Best part was watching the kitchen make our dinner.  Def ask to sit in the back room,  you will get dinner and a show
  
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Opentable  
 
  
 
 
 Frank 
 
12 days ago
 
 
 Verified 
Another memorable lunch experience, food, drinks, service and all were excellent and we wish we could come every day! We will be back.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Google  
 
  
 
 
 Adam Graue 
 
12 days ago
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
That's hospitality
  
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Opentable  
 
  
 
 
 Matthew 
 
13 days ago
 
 
 Verified 
The entire staff made us feel special on our anniversary. Our waiter (Will) was Exceptional! Atmosphere very authentic/ loved the live music
  
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Google  
 
  
 
 
 Tasty Treats! 
 
13 days ago
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
+9
We shared a variety of tapas: Croquetas de Jamón Serrano, Pulpo a la Gallega, Jamón Ibérico with Manchego cheese, and ordered the Paella Mar y Tierra along with a couple of their Spanish draft beers.
Service was outstanding; the staff was attentive and professional throughout the meal.
The croquetas arrived nice and hot with a crispy exterior, but the interior was a bit doughy and lacked body—more of a soupy purée than the full-bodied, well-structured croquetas I’m used to. The pulpo was cooked to perfection and very tender, yet both the octopus and the potatoes were surprisingly bland and almost tasteless. I prefer to taste food as it comes, but I had to ask for salt and pepper to bring the dish to life—which, unfortunately, did the trick. On the bright side, the jamón Ibérico and Manchego were delectable. Just excellent!
Our main course, the Paella Mar y Tierra, was really good—very flavorful. We ordered it for two at $39 per person (the minimum), so roughly $80 total. For a dish called “Mar y Tierra,” though, I expected more than just chicken added to the seafood. In my mind, a little medium-rare ribeye would elevate it even further.
The beers were excellent and brought back memories of sitting at a local bar in Spain on a hot summer night, enjoying tapas with a crisp, cold draft.
Overall a very enjoyable meal with clear strengths, even if a couple of the tapas needed a little help. There was live flamenco this night, beautiful performance. Just beautiful singing and dancing that made the night feel as if I was in Spain.