Tapeo Restaurant and Tapas Bar

(617) 267-4799

266 Newbury St (Gloucester Street)
Boston, MA 02116 42.3492 -71.0832

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Neighborhoods: Back Bay, Back Bay West

tapeo.com

Price:

$$$

Last updated 1.24.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

Gift Certificate, American Express, Visa, Discover, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Brunch, Date Spot, Group Dining

Cuisine:

Spanish, Tapas / Small Plates, Vegetarian

Smoking Permitted:

No

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About Tapeo Restaurant and Tapas Bar

Featured Review

Eric Grossman

Contributor

Thanks to a first-class pedigree (same family ownership of Somerville's award-winning Dali) and its central Newbury Street location, Tapeo is a no-brainer city destination for tapas. Diners happily converse in one of two lively dining rooms or, weather permitting, the popular sidewalk patio. After ordering a pitcher of lethal sangria, diners face the difficult task of selecting from the menu's lengthy listing of hot and cold tapas plates. From sizzling dishes of garlic shrimp to intricate bunuelos (puffs) of broccoli, cauliflower and cheese, quality is high and portions are small (count on at…

Editor's Tips

Where to Sit:
When the patio is open, waiting times can top an hour. Leave your name on the waiting list and pass the time by window shopping.
Know Before You Go:
Tapas is ideal for groups, but keep an eye on how much your table orders; your bill can add up fast.
Parking:
Newbury Street's meters operate until 8pm, Monday-Saturday. Bring plenty of quarters, especially if you're hoping to snag an outdoor seat.
Parking:
Newbury Street's metered parking is tricky, active hours lasting well into dinnertime. Bring plenty of quarters, especially if you're hoping to snag an outdoor seat.
When to Go:
On Thursdays at the bar, enjoy $5 tapas all night and complimentary specialty cocktails between 5pm and 7pm.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. “Great food, great drinks, great atmosphere, and great service.”
  2. “cozy spanish environ, some outdoor seating.”
  3. “Great atmosphere!”
  4. “The restaurant itself is nice, I liked the decor, very "spanish", the sangria was good, but the food,”
  5. “The ambiene is romantic for the lights are dimmed.”
  6. “Loved the food and atmosphere but the service lacked and was disappointing.”
  7. “have been to Tapeo a number of times and I would recommend it to anyone looking for great tasting food and an authentic atmosphere.”
  8. “Great location, great tapas.”
  9. “overall, tapeo offers nice ambience and good service, but for real foodies, there are plenty of better options in boston.”
  10. “The location is excellent on Newbury St. My fiance and I did some shopping and decided this past Sunday to stop in for some early afternoon dinner.”
  11. “The decor is interesting.”
  12. “Great Tapas and nice atmosphere”
  13. “The inside decor is very authentic feeling.”
  14. “Lively and festive atmosphere with nice food.”
  15. “The place was packed, but staff was very pleasant and helpfull and guests seemed to be having fun.”
  16. “as we all know), good service and a fun environment.”
  17. “Let me first say the atmosphere was perfect.”
  18. “The atmosphere is comfortable - albeit a little bright and sometimes a little LOUD.”
  19. “We got a great seat by the front window in the upstairs dining room, giving us a gorgeous view of Newbury Street.”
  20. “Great food in a great atmosphere”
  21. “recommend to anyone seeking tasteful delights, and great wine selections in a livley and social atmosphere!”
dessert
75.0% positive
  1. “Their dessert is also delicious, try their flann!”
  2. “We each had one cold tapas, two hot tapas, a personal order of paella and dessert.”
  3. “The food is wonderful - especially the scallops in saffron cream and the shrimps in garlic oil.”
  4. “great dessert to share.”
drinks
88.88999938964844% positive
  1. “can always find a nice Spanish red wine by the glass.”
  2. “Big boar head hanging over the bar and red peppers.”
  3. “Their wine menu looked very interesting, I would suggest going with a wine.”
  4. “Great food, great drinks, great atmosphere, and great service.”
  5. “We sat at the bar since it was such a great flare and we love to get to know local bartenders.”
  6. “The drinks are way overpriced.”
  7. “recommend to anyone seeking tasteful delights, and great wine selections in a livley and social atmosphere!”
  8. “good tapas, good drinks.”
  9. “There is usually space to sit at the bar where they have fabulous drinks!”
food quality
88.29999923706055% positive
  1. “Great food, great drinks, great atmosphere, and great service.”
  2. “Excellant food, great service, unique dining rooms, same owners/menu as Dali which we found out last time we were there.”
  3. “($9.50) The 3 little lamb chops were good, they did not taste gamey ($10.50).”
  4. “The restaurant itself is nice, I liked the decor, very "spanish", the sangria was good, but the food,”
  5. “We had a taste of a lot of dishes for a couple, making it a great full evening.”
  6. “Ravioli was good with a nice sauce.”
  7. “The paella is nice as well, but I'd recommend sticking to the smaller dishes.”
  8. “have been to Tapeo a number of times and I would recommend it to anyone looking for great tasting food and an authentic atmosphere.”
  9. “They have a great collection of tapas, that I try and mix up every time I go- try the garlic shrimp though, its one I get almost every time.”
  10. “Their sangria is delicious but I definitely have to say that their pomegranete margarita has and always be my favorite!”
  11. “My favorite was the chicken balls (don't remember what they are called?)”
  12. “Loved the food and atmosphere but the service lacked and was disappointing.”
  13. “We tried a good variety of tapas, both cold and hot, and each dish was big enough for all of us to try.”
  14. “The inside decor is very authentic feeling.”
  15. “The Fresones were these delicious deep fried strawberries.”
  16. “Wonderful food, a relaxed atmospere.”
  17. “The baby potatoes, garlic shrimp and beef tenderloin were awesome.”
  18. “The goat cheese was great, but the sauce it was in tasted like prego pasta sauce.”
  19. “Their dessert is also delicious, try their flann!”
  20. “Unfortunately, the food was disappointing for several reasons.”
  21. “The tiny plate of shrimp in the garlic and butter was overcooked($9.50) but I was able to dip my bread in it which was yummy because it was garlic butter.”
  22. “The dishes are excellent.”
  23. “On the flip side, the sausage & fig and the pork with blue cheese were good.”
  24. “Very authentic.”
  25. “My favorite is Sopa de Ajo, which is garlic soup.”
  26. “The food was good.”
  27. “The 2oz of steak on toast tapas was good meat but it had no flavor at all($10)”
  28. “The tapas were fabulous loved the garlic shrimp, and the pork in blue cheese but that was about it.”
  29. “So after much hesitation, I did order another dish (about $9.00); we promptly ate it and left WITHOUT leaving a tip.”
  30. “The food is wonderful - especially the scallops in saffron cream and the shrimps in garlic oil.”
  31. “great Experience with excellent food choices”
  32. “I'm not sure if the food was disappointing because the kitchen did a poor job preparing it or was our server one of the worst we've ever had.”
  33. “At first I thought I misheard him, but after a couple of minutes of him INSISTING he could not give me change, he suggested that we order another dish to make it closer to the $65 amount of the gift certificate.”
  34. “It's all about sharing great food and enjoying the moment.”
  35. “Phesant had a great sauce, worth dipping bread into.”
  36. “Great food in a great atmosphere”
  37. “In regards to food, there are some good tapas that I've had and some amazing tapas!”
  38. “As a Back Bay resident I can admit that I frequent here many a times a month, I'm a huge fan of anywhere where I can get a great meal (a hard find on Newbury Street.”
  39. “Tapeo Restaurant has awesome Spanish food!”
  40. “The food was good but WAY too expensive for what it was.”
  41. “I'm not a big fan of their chicken because it isn't as moist as I would like it to be.”
  42. “My girlfriend and I have been here twice and the food is amazing.”
  43. “the food is mediocre (some of the dishes tasted like microwaved fast-food) and the sangria was nothing to write home about.”
  44. “Lively and festive atmosphere with nice food.”
  45. “As far as the restaurant goes, the food is FANTASIC and the wait staff is very friendly and knowledgeable.”
  46. “Paella was good, but after all that other stuff - we were overwhelmed with all the tasty flavors and textures.”
  47. “The mushrooms and potatoes were really nice.”
menu variety
91.66999816894531% positive
  1. “great Experience with excellent food choices”
  2. “overall, tapeo offers nice ambience and good service, but for real foodies, there are plenty of better options in boston.”
  3. “Their wine menu looked very interesting, I would suggest going with a wine.”
  4. “recommend to anyone seeking tasteful delights, and great wine selections in a livley and social atmosphere!”
  5. “Excellant food, great service, unique dining rooms, same owners/menu as Dali which we found out last time we were there.”
  6. “We tried a good variety of tapas, both cold and hot, and each dish was big enough for all of us to try.”
overall
100.0% positive
  1. “great place for a date or a dinner party.”
  2. “Tapeo is a great place to meet up for Sangria.”
  3. “great place.”
  4. “great place for tapas”
return potential
100.0% positive
  1. “not a bad experience, but i wouldn't go back there again”
service
77.2700023651123% positive
  1. “overrated, overpriced, and bad service”
  2. “As far as the restaurant goes, the food is FANTASIC and the wait staff is very friendly and knowledgeable.”
  3. “as we all know), good service and a fun environment.”
  4. “I'm not sure if the food was disappointing because the kitchen did a poor job preparing it or was our server one of the worst we've ever had.”
  5. “and a super friendly staff.”
  6. “Great food, great drinks, great atmosphere, and great service.”
  7. “overall, tapeo offers nice ambience and good service, but for real foodies, there are plenty of better options in boston.”
  8. “however, our waitress was friendly, attentive and we were seated at a nice table on the 2nd floor right by the fireplace.”
  9. “Our server was helpful and very nice.”
  10. “Loved the food and atmosphere but the service lacked and was disappointing.”
  11. “Everyone is very friendly and the service is fast and efficient.”
  12. “Fast and attentive service.”
  13. “Finally, our server was not good.”
  14. “When the weather is nice I enjoy the outdoor seating amongst the tempo of people passing by on Newbury street.”
  15. “Our waiter was great - attentive, helpful recommendations, good with explanations.”
  16. “The place was packed, but staff was very pleasant and helpfull and guests seemed to be having fun.”
  17. “We sat at the bar since it was such a great flare and we love to get to know local bartenders.”
  18. “Great tapas bad service”
  19. “think our server was bad.”
  20. “Excellant food, great service, unique dining rooms, same owners/menu as Dali which we found out last time we were there.”
  21. “The server was great, answering all of my questions easily (I'm an inquisitive diner).”
  22. “The staff is attentive however not as much as I would like it to be.”
value
56.25% positive
  1. “The octopus was slightly bland, thankfully not fishy as octopus tend to get though so it's worth the mention, and the vinaigrette is a perfect compliment.”
  2. “Phesant had a great sauce, worth dipping bread into.”
  3. “The drinks are way overpriced.”
  4. “overrated, overpriced, and bad service”
  5. “We ordered the house Rioja for $35.00, and thought it a good value.”
  6. “As a Back Bay resident I can admit that I frequent here many a times a month, I'm a huge fan of anywhere where I can get a great meal (a hard find on Newbury Street.”
  7. “The food was good but WAY too expensive for what it was.”
  8. “Essentially, I just felt like they were trying to rip you off at every opportunity to help cover their expensive Newbury street rent.”
wait time
33.3299994468689% positive
  1. “At first I thought I misheard him, but after a couple of minutes of him INSISTING he could not give me change, he suggested that we order another dish to make it closer to the $65 amount of the gift certificate.”
  2. “Waiter was slow.”
  3. “Service was slow to say the least.”
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

11/21/09

Excellant food and service

by Cloneworkshop

Excellant food, great service, unique dining rooms, same owners/menu as Dali which we found out last time we were there.

Two Thumbs up!!

  • Pros: Food / Ambiance/ Service
  • Cons: Parking
1 Star Rating: Poor

11/09/09

too pricey not the quality you expect

by eupelia

The food was good but WAY too expensive for what it was. Yes, it was unique but get ready to spend about $50 per person and not even be full and the quality wasn't there in some items. For example, the tiny bowl of beef stew tapas had chunks of fat and tendon in the meat($9.50), me and my friend were so grossed out we couldn't eat it and there were only 3 pieces of meat in it. The tiny plate of shrimp in the garlic and butter was overcooked($9.50) but I was able to dip my bread in it which was yummy because it was garlic butter.

The 2oz of steak on toast tapas was good meat but it had no flavor at all($10)

The goat cheese was great, but the sauce it was in tasted like prego pasta sauce. Kind of pedestrian. ($9.50) The 3 little lamb chops were good, they did not taste gamey ($10.50). My favorite was the chicken balls (don't remember what they are called?) but they were SOOOO tiny, I couldn't believe they cost $10! It was literally 4 bites.

honestly, the quality was just not there for the price. Tasca tapas in Brighton is way better quality and is more affordable.

Also, they are kind of rude here. i ordered a cup of cider at the bar while waiting for my table and they charged me $6 for it and when I asked them why it said $3 fruit juice in the menu the guy said "oh yeah, well, we kind of count it as a virgin drink". What bull. he changed it when I brought it up.

The ONLY way that this place is AT ALL worth it is if you go for the $5 tapas at the bar. THEN you are getting a GREAT deal because of the experience of tapas, but that is still pricey for some of the dishes, but it's the best way to experience things. Plan on spending $50 for two people if you do the $5 tapas, otherwise plan on spending $40-50 per person, not including any drinks. It was the birthday of one of our party, so they brought a small piece of (very tasty!) cake but then charged us $9 for it. nice.

Finally, our server was not good. he kept forgetting to get things we ordered and he brought us tapas we did not order and then acted dumb when we said something, like, "oh yes I brought that, that was the other thing I gave you" and we would say "no, we ordered such and such ( totally different sounding name). it's like he confused us with other tables and couldn't even admit it.

The drinks are way overpriced. nothing for less than $8 and it's tiny and wasn't even good. They are even cheap with their wine portions even though it's $8 a glass. The beer was $5 and it was about a 10 oz glass. Essentially, I just felt like they were trying to rip you off at every opportunity to help cover their expensive Newbury street rent. Tasca in Brighton is waaaayyy better both in taste and prices --AND service, and even has flamenco some nights.

Dali in Sommerville is also the BOMB. mmmm the best!! pricey too, but their food is sooooooooo soooooo worth it.

  • Pros: location
  • Cons: the food, drinks and price is not comparable to Dali/Tasca
1 Star Rating: Poor

10/09/09

overrated, overpriced, and bad service

by chasubaoyum

Was given a gift certificate ($65) to this place and finally went and checked it out. To my surprise, the prices were higher than other tapas places I've been to. My gf and I ordered about $55 worth of food and when I paid with the gift certificate, the waiter said he couldn't give me change. WTF?? He kept saying, "No, I CANNOT give you change." At first I thought I misheard him, but after a couple of minutes of him INSISTING he could not give me change, he suggested that we order another dish to make it closer to the $65 amount of the gift certificate. WTF?? I kept asking and calling him out on it, basically saying, "Uh...WHY can you not give me change??" But he kept going on and on, but not really saying anything different...just kept saying he couldn't. This is the first time I've experienced this!! I've never been to a restaurant where the waiter got into a heated discussion on WHAT I should do with MY money!! I was trying to actually reason with him and kept asking him why it is that he could not give me change. He kinda looked around, and kept repeating the same phrase, "I cannot give you change." Oh, he also finally added that I should pay CASH for the meal and save the gift certificate for another time. Are you kidding me?? I've never been to a restaurant where the waiter got into a heated discussion on WHAT I should do with MY own money!! Why the hell would I want to save the gift certificate for another day??? That's why I went to the restaurant in the first place, so I can USE the gift certificate!! The waiter kept arguing (rather forcefully) his "point" for a good 15 minutes!!!

Unbelievable. So after much hesitation, I did order another dish (about $9.00); we promptly ate it and left WITHOUT leaving a tip. Well, actually, he got a tip of exactly a $1.00, which was the balance of the gift certificate. I hope he feels better now...that his ridiculous insistence on not being able to give me $10 change actually COST him a much more substantial tip I was already planning to give him in the first place.

This was truly unbelievable and left the worst impression of the restaurant as a whole.

I will never go back to this place. And besides, the food was just okay, seriously overrated.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

09/20/09

The best Tapas in boston:)

by greatexpectations72

Whenever I visit Tapeo I feel like I have made a quick trip to Spain. Wonderful food, a relaxed atmospere.....and a super friendly staff. I highly reccomend.

  • Pros: yummy food, friendly staff....atmosphere!
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

02/18/09

Great place

by SunilTrue

great place. Love the sangria. The tapas portions are very small though. great place. Love the sangria.

The Details on Tapeo Restaurant and Tapas Bar

Place Categories:

  • great spanish food
  • fast good service
  • good tapas
  • great atmosphere
  • great place
  • good sangria
  • helpfull wait staff
  • very nice server
  • fabulous drinks
  • order dish
  • bad service
  • nice restaurant
  • bad experience
  • delicious dessert
  • great location
  • great worth dipping bread
  • not big anchovy fan
  • good beef tenderloin
  • liked decor
  • loved garlic shrimp
  • loved pork
  • cold hot tapas
  • hot good variety
  • disappointing food
  • enjoy outdoor seating

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