Taberna De Haro

02/12/09

not authentic

by paf6571

I was there once after I came back from Spain. I was totally disappointed in the tapas. We ordered a tuna dish expecting sashimi grade fish only to get tuna that appeared to come from a can. The white asparagus was from a freshly opened jar. They charge just as much as Dali and Toro but there is no comparison, The best feature of this restaurant is you can sit outside in the summer. I would never go back there again.

• Pros: outside dining in the summer
• Cons: food quality

06/05/08

Best Restaurant in Boston

by FredericT

This is my favorite restaurant in Boston. I have spent most of my life traveling to Spain, and find that Taberna de Haro is better than most Spanish restaurants in Spain. The dishes are simple. "We are not creative here," once said Julio Haro, one of the founders of the restaurant, "We just make the traditional dishes," and thank goodness someone does. Julio and Deborah Haro started the restaurant as a typical Madrid tavern, which means that it serves dishes from all over Spain. Everything here is good, but you would have a hard time going wrong with the specials, which range from game to fish to vegetarian dishes. Three dishes is a good start for two people. Then, if you have room, order the natilla, a Spanish custard, or the flan. Deborah, now the sole owner, travels to Spain every year, and discovers new wineries. She has an encyclopedic knowledge and a passion for Spanish wines, and she tries to impart that knowledge to her young staff. She also charges very reasonable prices for the wines. She once said that she doesn't believe that restaurants should charge a lot of money for wines they aren't to keep around for a long time, and most of the wines here are young. If you want to have great Spanish food and interesting wines from new wineries, this is the best place in the United States, far better than trendier places in Boston or Washington. If you're going from Thursday to Sunday, get there by 6:45 PM, or you'lll have a wait if you don't have a reservation. Then again, you could do a lot worse than wait at at the bar while Deborah prepares tapas for you, or offers you a few slices of Manchego cheese and suggests a sherry to go with that. Expect to spend about $50 a person.

• Pros: Food, wine, expert knowledge on the part of the owner
• Cons: Noise

05/23/08

Suberb experience!

by TSlank

I am shocked by the negative reviews for this wonderful find! The food was absolutely delicious. Service was polite and well paced. A fabulous experience!!!!!! Can't wait to go back...

• Pros: intimate

05/18/08

not what it used to be (that is, AVOID IT)

by amolins

First of all, let me tell you I am from Madrid, Spain. I had gone to Taberna de Haro several times a couple of years ago, and really liked the genuinely Spanish feel and taste of it.

Not anymore.

I went to Taberna de Haro in May 2008, and was so disappointed I will not come back there again. The food was badly cooked, for starters: gambas al ajillo (shrimps in garlicky oil) were cooked in what tasted like canola oil, and were obviously reheated: hot in the outside, cold in the inside, overdone. The arroz negro (black rice, or rice with squid ink) was so overdone and salty (too much ink, btw, was the cause of it; I would cook it better home) that wasn't pleasant to eat at all. The piquillos were cooked in what looked reused oil, as could be easily assessed by the amount of other burnt things that accompanied our order.

When asked, the waitress simply said that "she had had the same comments from other people" and didn't even offer apologies. All those badly cooked dishes were of course charged with no further comment.

I will never, ever come back here again. If you want to have some Spanish food, there is plenty of other choices in Boston. I used to complain about the other ones (as Dali or Tapeo) because they are overpriced, but at least the food you get is pretty good. What a shame this more affordable option has gone bad. Oh well, I will wait for my holidays home to have some real Spanish tapas...

• Pros: cheap compared to other Spanish tapas places in Boston area
• Cons: awful food, bad service

12/03/07

Cozy Atmosphere, Amazing Wine, and Tasty Dishes

by minda0808

I am surprised by the number of negative posts regarding the wait staff at Taberna because this was not the case in any of my three visits there thus far. My fiance and I first ate at Taberna on a special occasion, where I had a bottle of wine so delightful that I had to fish around in my purse for pen and paper to write the brand down (for the life of me, I can't find it anywhere, either)! The portions are perfect for a couple - we normally order 2 or 3 dishes and that is more than enough to feed us both. The food is very good - though I have no basis for "authenticity" comparison. We always order the olive plate which has four or five different varieties of olives to choose from. Also wonderful is the marinated mushroom dish. I find the cheese plate to be overpriced in comparison to what is served, though the cheeses represented are very different and delicious. Finally, I have had nothing but wonderful service in my visits to Taberna. While I'm sure that waitstaff varies from season to season, I have always had attentive, kind, and educated people serving our table. Once, the chef even personally delivered one of our dishes to apologize for it not being ready earlier. I can't say enough about the overall experience. It's truly a fun place to dine!

• Pros: Extensive Wine List, Cozy Atmosphere
• Cons: Can get loud when very busy.

09/19/07

From Madrid-style roasted sea bass to Moorish-spiced lamb skewers, cozy Brookline tapas destination brings Iberian comforts close to home.

by Gerrish Lopez

In Spain, a taberna is a relaxed, informal spot for hearty food, good conversation and a glass of wine. Taberna de Haro fits this bill and then some, both indoors and out. A breezy sidewalk patio proves popular during the summertime, and when it's cold out, crowds pack the rustic interior and fog up the windows. The open kitchen aims for authenticity with dishes like Ancas de Rana, sauteed frogs legs splashed with brandy and lemon. Plates like sauteed artichoke hearts, imported Serrano ham and chorizo braised in sparkling cider prove popular. A hidden neighborhood gem, Taberna stands out for its excellence and hard-to-find offerings.

09/06/07

Rude staff and dirty tables!

by shiralyn

We didn't even stay for dinner. The waitstaff and management treated us horribly and were pressuring us into ordering quickly or else move! The waitstaff was so annoyed (visibly) that we were conversing before ordering, that she sent the manager over to ask us to give up our table and move indoors. She was so focused on the tip money she felt she would lose that she never ordered our appetizer. NEVER have I been treated like this on a special occasion. The tables were filthy and we left to have a fantastic dinner elsewhere. They only apologized as we were out the door and angry.

• Pros: good wine list
• Cons: horrible service, dirty

07/20/07

Worst dining experience ever!

by artichoke22

We love Spain, we love Spanish food, we love Spanish wine. We want to love this restaurant, but the attitute of some of the waitresses is continously so unbearable, that we just cannot go there anymore. Our last dining experience there was so awful that we simply have to share it: we entered the place and we felt like offenders when we asked for a table outside. We were told without a smile, that we have to consume for 20$ each. Once we sat down we ordered a sangria. The sangria tasted bad and flat. When we asked about the unusual and flat taste, the waitress told us, that she knew that already, because they had run out of some ingredients and they have just put in different stuff like ginger ale. When I complained why she did not tell us that when she brought the drink in the first place, she got upset and started yelling at me in front of all the other tables. She did not serve us at all, she just put our plates at the other end of the table and we were supposed to help ourselves. We were not able to order more food or drinks or bread. At the end she brought the check and had already added 18% tip for our party of two. The food was greasy and average as usual, but the service was a really a disgrace. We watched several people leaving early this evening because of the rudeness. In the future we will have to go to Toro although we live close to the Taberna de Haro.

• Pros: Wine list
• Cons: Service, service, attitude

07/15/07

worst tapas ever!

by sofia101

This restaurant has the worst tapas ever! The food was tasteless (except for the garlic) and the presentation was horrific!

There is a $20 food and beverage minimum per person to sit outside(so they ask you if you'll spend at least $20pp?!/!), which is such a turn off!

• Pros: service
• Cons: food

04/27/07

Most flavorless food ever.

by mu9999

I am really REALLY confused by the food reviews. I went with a friend from Spain, and it was embarassing! This was the most flavorless food I have ever had! The gambas had no garlic, the asparagus was bitter, and the pinchos (completely unauthentic) were uninspired. This is the ONLY time we have had a few dishes and actually left because it was so bad (and then went and finished dinner elsewhere!) It is unfortunate because our service was great, and the wine list was lengthy and amazing. Go for a glass of wine at the bar, but for food stick with Dali or even Tasca.

• Pros: great wine list, friendly waiter
• Cons: completely unpalatable food (and overpriced at that!)