07/16/08

Great service! Would go again!

by missteeq

Went there last night, was a really good experience. There were no seats available on the patio so we sat inside. The temp was really comfortable- no goosebumps. There were only 2 other parties inside so we had the waitress' undivided attn. Food was great. Had the garlic potatoes, duck stuffed ravioli and crab and shrimp stuffed calamari. The calamari came in a broth that was to die for, we got seconds of the ravioli instead of dessert. Their wine menu only has Spanish wines so that was a nice twist. I will definitely go back. The service was great and food was good, ambience was appealing and the prices were decent. $7 - $10 a plate. Gave it 4 starts because , the tables are very small and too close together. Wouldn't want to be there on a busy night. Wine bottle and glasses were teetering on the table edges. Also legroom wasn't enough. I kept stepping on my date. And the tables weren't high enough for me to cross my legs- can be awkward. Glad the tables beside us were empty so I could stretch out underneath them. And I'm only 5'7". Comm Ave is mostly permit parking, recommend garage around the corner on Newbury Street for $18.

• Pros: Service, Parking lot nearby, good food
• Cons: Small tables, not enough legroom

06/23/08

The food, drink, and decor are great. The cucaracha, not so much.

by chickiebaby

My friends and I decided to go to Barlola to hang out, have a light meal and some Sangria. We were seated right away in a lovely room that wasn't too dark nor was it too light. The noise level was conversational and the food was delicious. The portions are quite generous for tapas. I loved the patatas ali oli!

However, our fun girls night out came to a screeching halt when we went to leave and my friend reached down to pick her purse up off the floor only to find a cucaracha wandering around the floor near her foot. Ay, papi! Nooo!

We jumped up, grabbed our stuff and ran out of the restaurant, pointing and yelping at the waiter to go get it. He did but it still didn't make me feel less buggy and grossed out.

What a shame! Minus the uninvited visitor wandering around the dining room, the place was great!

• Pros: Great food, large portions, reasonable prices
• Cons: an unexpected visitor of the creepy, crawly type

05/22/08

Not bad.. Not bad..

by tanvi414

Bar Lola was recommended to me by a friend of mine who lives in the area.. I went in with real high hopes and was a little disappointed.. Maybe, I should just lower my expectations.

We hadn't made reservations.. When we showed up, they said that they didn't have any tables, but, we could eat in the bar area. We shared a pitcher of Sangria.. It was quite good. The thing I didn't like about it was that it had too much ice and the place was a little warm. So, by the time we were ready for second servings, it was already a little watered down. Well, it kept us sober.

They also brought out some bread and spiced butter for the table.. The bread was OK and the spiced butter wasn't too bad, but, was very heavy in Sage..

1. Patatas Ali-Oli - Sauted baby red potatoes with a garlic mayo "Ali-Oli" .. Hmm.. this was OK.. I've had better at other tapas places.. It was way too garlicky..

2. Setas Silvestres - Sauted garlicky wild mushrooms - Not bad.. Not bad.. I usually don't like mushrooms, but, I could eat this.. I would order it again..

3. Canalones Rellenos con Vegetales Asados - Roasted vegetable stuffed cannelloni with creamy tomato & manchego cheese - Now this was really good.. The sauce was amazing and we later used it for dipping sauce for the bread..

4. Gambas al Ajillo - Garlicky shrimp - This was the last dish to come out and it was nice and sizzling and quite spicy.. Yum! The oil was nice to eat with the bread as well..

5. Croquetas de Pollo - Chicken croquettes with Lola's savory tomato sauce - Hmm... this dish was also quite yummy, but, again, very heavy in Sage.. Tasted quite a bit like the thanksgiving poultry seasoning..

6. Palmeritos - Baked Mediterranean dates wrapped in bacon - Was OK.. My cousin didn't really like the dates.. So, I ate the dates and he ate the bacon..

• Pros: Food is not bad
• Cons: A little pricey

02/21/08

I love tapas, just not here

by BackBayDrake

I can admit the decor is enticing, but the food itself is mediocre. I really want to love this place because I love tapas, and also Tapeo right up the street, so it would be great if I had another option just to mix things up a bit. I guess its a good thing that Tapeo is renovating its bar and updating its menu so I can have some change without sacrificing quality.

• Pros: Decor, ambience
• Cons: food quality

01/25/08

Great tapas!

by jsteff22

I went with a group of 4, and had a fantastic time. Our server was very attentive and our food came out in shifts so we had time to eat everything. We went on a Friday night and it was not crowded, I am not sure why. The food was good, not amazing, but the atmosphere makes for fun group dining. Highly recommend!

• Pros: Great location, fun atmosphere, good authentic tapas
• Cons: Not much of a people watching crowd, but could be different in warmer weather

11/15/07

Worst service I have ever had!

by luachi

I went to this restaurant with the hopes of being served food. We get there, the waitress was very rude, and after serving our food 10 years later, just disappeared. I had to hunt down another worker to get our bill. When we got the bill and gave the credit card, the waitress disappeared again. After 25 minutes of waiting, I got up again to go find her. Needless to say, she was not tipped well. Paella was good. Oh, and the Patatas Ali-Oli sounded a lot more ethnic than it was when we got it. Looked and tasted just like fried potato cubes.

11/08/07

Great food, good portions, and no noisy crowds or long waits

by miclane05

This place is great. My girlfriend and I went there last week and found the service to be perfect and the food to be delicious. The portions were larger than most tapas places and the garlicky shrimp, duckling, and payaya were incredible. My girlfriend enjoyed the duck confit ravioli as well. Also worth mentioning is the sangria, which was some of the best I've had. Surprisingly, the place was practically empty when we went for dinner during the middle of the week. Having waited for over an hour at tapeo, dahli, and other tapas places in the city, I couldn't believe that more people haven't discovered this place. The food is better and cheaper, the portions are larger, and the place is quiet and comfortable and you don't have to wait for a table. What's not to like about barlola?

04/20/07

Great food and great service!

by nabikinat

This was my second dinner at BarLola. The food is wonderful and the service is terrific. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone.

• Pros: Food, drinks, service
• Cons: Lighting

04/16/07

LOVE THIS PLACE

by dysphoricmango

I saw this place on the Phantom Gourmet and decided I had to try it out! Since then I've been here a few times and the food is always excellent. The servers have also been friendly each time I've been there. I've been taking my friends here when we are at a loss as to what to do for the night and they have loved it as well. I would pretty much recommend this place to anyone.

• Pros: Great food, great service, cute little location!
• Cons: Can't think of anything.

12/09/06

Really Outstanding

by firewindii

Wandered in with friends just for drinks. Looked over the menu. Ordered a couple of tapas. As a previous commenter said, "Wow!" Ordered some more. We all thought that this restaurant's food is superior, delicious, creative, reasonably priced. And the service was excellent, including suggestions as requested. No dissent in our group, whatsoever. In fact, I live close enough... (But NO connection with it.)

• Pros: The food, the food, the food!