Review Espana - Vancouver

Muna Hawwa

A quaint restaurant that makes you feel like you have travelled far away. Their Paella is much better than what I have had for million times in Spain itself 🥘 all the Food was divine, and the atmosphere was cozy, chilled and pretty relaxed. I would go so far as to say it's one of the best Spanish food I've had in some of the best restaurants in Canada and Spain! Five stars as well for the friendly, professional, yet fun service! In a word: España was phenomenal 🧡 Recommend checking this place out. And yes, it’s pricy, but It's worth your time and money. Until next time, Espana! I love you 🥹

Emily Lu

The eggplant dish was superb! Probably the best eggplant I’ve tried in my life. It is a tapas place but the portion is quite generous. We only ordered three dishes and we were full. Definitely should’ve come with more people but the restaurant is so small, hard to cram too many people in.

Juan Luis

The food is pretty good here considering that Vancouver is not an easy place to get ingredients for a cuisine like this. However, we got annoyed on how the server was overly pushy. It looks that they are more in a hurry for you to eat fast and leave than actually enjoy the moment. The patrons next to us also noticed this. Food wise, we recommend the Galician style squid and the chicharrones. The anchovy tostada is generous and rich, I would personally add a bit of fresh tomato to balance the flavors.

Hasmig Bedrossian

Wonderful service and the place was so cozy and warm. Great place for spanish food! The seafood paella was great and reasonably price to share between a couple people!

Desiree Chew

First time back since pandemic. Service was absolutely fantastic, and the food was even better than I remeber. Thank for the amazing nite!

Mark Potts

Nice place. We did the Chicharrones and Duck. Both were great. The Duck was delicious!!!! The owners aren’t from Spain but have done a great job with this place.

Invidia Midnight

The food is quite unique and it is fairly good. Server was sweet. Expected a more exciting wine list/lots of natural wine options but they did not have such an offering. Prices are extremely reasonable and the atmosphere is nice. This place is worth a visit but I don't think it is particularly mind blowing.

Shervino T

Good place but gets four stars : I keep restaurants accountable while I respect and understand them trying to make a living in expensive Vancouver: 1- tapas were nice but pricy (14$ for a bowl of potatoes and some sour cream? ) 2- no music 3- again high pressure to order and high pressure to clean the table hinting that you must leave. And something that has just come to my attention with not just this place but all places : they charge the tips on the entire amount of the bill and not the food and drink amount itself : so practically you pay 15% or 18% tips on the liquor tax and GST as well which can add up. So your 15% tip is essentially 18% and your 18% is about 21%. I understand the crew’s partial wages comes from tips and there has been inflation but the foods and drink have already priced inflation in so as the tips are % of the entire bill, the inflation has been adjusted already. I think paying the tips on the entire bill including gst and liquor tax is misleading and unethical. At this rate we will be at automatic 25% tips next year in Vancouver. Thx for reading.

Christina Kontogeorgiou

Wow! Espana is never a dissapointment. Whats not to love? Perfectly located by English bay and boasting simple inviting ambiance. Oh the fresh food.... delicious! Everyone must try the fried olives! My favourite part is choosing from the innovative rotating menu of beautifully prepared Spanish inspired meals and pairing them with a thoughtful selection of Spanish fine wines. Don't leave without tasting the churros with Dulce de Leche yogurt sauce --simply sublime! I highly recommend Espana for a great evening of tapas with friends.

Carolyn McBain

Great wine! Incredible fresh creative food! Highly recommend this quaint resto with super friendly staff

Gordon Munro

I've been to Espana many times and this was another excellent visit. The drinks, the music and the service were terrific and the food was out of this world! Love it.

Janny Nguyen

Great food! Really enjoyed the hanger steak and tortilla! The chaurcuteria was ok. Atmosphere was lovely. Prices are abit steep for the quality though.

George Eatwell

People travel to Barcelona for different reasons. I go there for food in the first place so I was really happy to see this place open. Unfortunately after spending couple of hours here we left with no memories, not about food, not the service or the place itself. I guess Barcelona sets the bar too night.

Jonathan Duchesne

Went with a Spanish friend of mine. Daily Paella was 45$. It was burned, way too soggy and tasting like diluted beef broth and burned rice. When I told the waiter, he told me that it's the way a paella is supposed to be. I've had paella's before in Spain and so did my friend and never a burned bottom has been acceptable. It is supposed to be crusty, not burned. Also, when my Spanish friend asked for no onions in his tortilla he was looked down at by this blonde and arrogant waitress who told him that onions was the base of a tortilla. Who cares? He doesn't want onions in his. She just repeated that it was the base of tortillas and refused to take onions out or to explain why they wouldn't. Like we were stupid people who didn't know a thing about Spanish cuisine. This restaurant is pretentious and the service is terrible. Why would you ask how the meal is if you're not going to do anything about it? Never was I offered apologies by the staff. They made it clear that I was the stupid customer. Bill including tips cost me 98$. I would have rather spent a 100 bucks getting punched in the face that would have been a more authentic and enjoyable experience. Stuffed deep fried olives were good but didn't make up for all the wrong the staff and the bad cooking did. Avoid this restaurant and go eat sushis.

Gakchat

Patatas Bravas were great. Chicken liver pate on toast was ok but didn't blow us away. The Quail was shredded and heavily spiced, so we couldn't really tell it apart from, say, pulled pork. Finally the Paella, which was seafood-less that night, opting instead for mushrooms, truffle paste, and thin slices of cured pork. We specifically asked our server if they served it with a socarrat (crispy rice crust), and were assured they did. Alas, they didn't. However, to their credit, they took our complaint in stride and made an honest effort to rectify the situation short of redoing the entire dish (we wouldn't have wanted to wait another half hour for a redo anyways). Still, it was delicious. Service was polite and friendly which went a long way to smoothing out the bumps.

FoodsHunt

I like the cozy setting at the restaurant, foods are really good. I would recommend small group or date night at Espana. You should go early to avoid long wait.

Robert Lo

Ordered the daily paella - squid ink seafood paella, one of the best paellas I have ever had! Definitely one of the dishes I will remember for the rest of my life. All the food we had were superb! Glad to have an authentic Spanish restaurant in town that I can frequently visit!

Nuinui The Cat

Hard to find authentic Spanish cuisine in this town. Everything's so tasty. The Paella is better then the one I had in Barcelona! Highly recommend.

Drunken Noms

Have you ever heard the story of where the word ‘tapas’ comes from? Legend has it a Spaniard was dining outside of his home on the beach. It was a windy day, and he became frustrated that every time he placed his cup down on the table, sand would fly into it. To prevent this from happening, he took a slice of meat he was eating and placed it over top of the cup. It worked so well as a lid that every time he re-filled his cup with wine, he would ask a servant to bring another piece of meat to go with it. The meat brought with the drink was referred to as ‘tapas‘ – derived from the Spanish verb ‘tapar‘ or ‘to cover’. And so tapas was born!

Vancity Food Guy

I love the no reservations policy to this restaurant because it means it's not exclusive to anyone. Opens at 5 for dinner. I decided to come here for valentines day with my girlfriend. Host was very friendly. Sat us at the bar. It was nice, cozy, contemporary. Danielle was our server and she is amazing. Her suggestions made our experience very memorable. I would suggest anyone who is eating here, really do sit up at the bar it's constant attention and better service up front. And as for the food? Whoa... On a night like this, very sexy and teasing. We ordered the special tonight which was the Ox heart with fried artichokes, fingerings, puree sauce, fried garlic chips and fried rosemary. JUST AMAZING! And the Flanker steak with potato porchini puree was sooooo flavorful. The fried green tomato salad with quail eggs Holy smokes out of this world! We asked Danielle about dessert and she suggested the Panacotta. Let me tell you something, there are very few servers in this industry that can suggest amazing and I mean amazing plates with genuine opinions about flavors. She knows what she's doing. She romanced her plates. The Panacotta was sooooo refreshing with basil and blood orange. I am definitely coming back here and I'm making sure I'm sitting up at the bar with Danielle serving us. This place gets 100 percent for service and culinary experience. You can feel the love in those dishes. Wonderful wonderful valentines date night. I just had to tip bigger then usual. Thank you Danielle for a amazing memorable valentines day.

Skygirl_0708

Disappointing service for what they charged, food is decent. I almost ate around most of Vancouver but tbh I barely write reviews but I really want to say sth about this one. I went there with my bf while ago and the food was actually tasty though it was not cheap, I have been to Spain before to eat tapas and I wanted to taste it again in Vancouver. We ordered BBQ meat on stick and the stick was extremely hot but the waitress didn't warn us, my bf took one without paying too much attention and almost burned his fingers, we then told the waitress she should have warned us but she denied she was the one who served, I wasn't satisfied with her response and talked to the manager(or I guess he is the owner), he came back to us like it is actually common sense that it is hot and it is just us (being dump) not noticing it, he said it for sure in a nicer way but he meant it. I just think even in McDonald I won't expect service like this, food was good but it is also expensive for what it is, will never go back!

Reena

Food was excellent, service was awful! For Vancouver standards, this restaurant is below average when it comes to service. The staff aren't welcoming and we're fairly patronizing. The food was delicious, I would say some of the best on Denman! We were so excited to have such a great menu in this area but won't be going back anytime soon. It's a shame. This place could have been great!

Jpvancouver

Amazing. Went here for my birthday and received amazing service and a few extras for the occasion! The staff, especially Kieran were very attentive. It was a long wait to get seated but definitely worth it. Portions were on the smaller side, but we were advised of that, and the food was really enjoyed by everyone. I would definitely return based on the service alone! Definitely worth a visit.

No Dessert Im Full

Delicious food. First off I must say the space is quite nice. Wood features like the faux beams and the bar area create a very cozy and inviting atmosphere. Service was top notch and very attentive (must be one of the pluses of sitting at the bar). We had the wild boar chorizo which was served with pickled zucchini, and a very pungent mustard. The sliced flank steak was very good with the small potatoes and parsley with a cream sauce served on top. The scotch egg was amazing. Only thing was is that I was not too fond of the deep fried asparagus or onions... surprisingly enough I did not mind the deep fried anchovy stuff olives. I will have to come back to try some of the other dishes! Very pleasant experience.

Charmainetham

Horrible service that almost felt discriminatory. The worst dining experience i have had in my life. We had some guests from other countries, and we thought that we would give Espana Restaurant a try given its very good food reviews. However, we were terribly disappointed by the service that all the staff had provided. I noticed that the waiters/waitresses seemed to have preferred serving other customers (who appeared to be Caucasians) despite us calling for service. When we were being attended to, the staff were very hostile towards us. As good as the food may be, the service is inexcusable. I am very disappointed and i will definitely not return.

Jen

Good sangria! Totally amazing food. My favourite of all were the pork belly with white beans and pork belly with baby arugula. The Iberian ham croquettes were amazing that we had two orders. But the best of all was the churros. I haven't had churros con chocolate in a while. Simply amazing!

Bob

Excellent. What a treat! I will be coming back until I have had everything on this menu - that could take years because the nightly features are outrageously good. Congratulations!

Suze.eats.urban.

Finally.. We needed this. Try the morcilla.

Marzi888

Awesome. Gotta have the chick peas!!!!

Vinny F

Awesome food and awesome atmosphere with great drink selection and a great selection of tapas. Just came back from Spain a couple of weeks ago, and this place brought me back. The staff were really friendly. Will definitely come back here again.

Darsanipass

Walked in there, the place was busy, so we just took a seat at the bar. We were promptly greeted by the bartender, whose name I wish I remembered, because his service was top notch. Standout dishes include the marinated white anchovies, and the stewed octopus, which taste fresh and authentic. Also impressive were the mussels, the marinated olives, and ling cod. Would definitely go back, dying to try the rest of the menu. The bartender was ever helpfully, with excellent recommendations, friendly conversation, and even a nice treat!

Aaron

Great food, service and price point. A must for anyone looking for a great meal.

Marc

Food was great. Service was a bit chaotic. Sangria was super yum.

Big Town

Thursday night. 2 of us got in just as the 6 o'clock rush began, and we sat at the bar. The bar works great for a deuce, but the quad of gents next to us seemed to be having a great time together as well. I hesitated a long time before finally going to this very-close-to-home restaurant, and with a pork-heavy menu I wasn't all that eager. Well, let me tell you, the few non-pork items are varied enough and delicious. This is the best ox-tail soup I've ever had. We asked the server to have it split into 2 bowls for us. We also ordered some organ meats (livers?) which my companion loved, but I would give them a miss, but only because they aren't my thing. Great wines, interesting selection. Friendly, knowledgeable, good-looking servers. Kept the water glasses filled too. When we left at 8:30 the place was still packed, and the usual cue at the front door. I am looking forward to returning and trying that oxtail soup again and some other new menu items. Congrats to Ed and staff for bringing a great place to Denman St.

Dennisthefoodie

Not quite down to the level of “meh”, but not a “yay” either, so somewhere in-between: “eh”.

Lin

Went Espana for a late dinner last Friday. The Spanish resto has just started three months ago yet it is already receiving a very good rating of 89% on urbanspoon for its tapas. Tapas..

J At Vanbrosia.com

This blog post contains mostly photos.

Properfare

Run by two restaurant veterans, we expected and received great food and great service guaranteeing we’ll be back. We highly recommend reservations though as this intimate restaurant probably seats less than 50...

Premeditated Gluttony

I simply love tapas; the small portion sizes allow one to select a variety of dishes. Late last year, I heard that a Spanish tapas bar called España had just opened on Denman Street in the West End, and I finally had the opportunity to visit this past Wednesday. My friends and I arrived around seven o’clock and were lucky to be able to grab a seat at the window counter; the place was extremely busy! I perused their menu and noted that it was a combination of the traditional Spanish tapas I found in Barcelona and some that were locally inspired. We chose a wide variety of small dishes, some recommended by our excellent waitress. As the plates started arriving I was immediately impressed by the presentation. The use of shape, colours and patterns were definitely an indication of conscious thought and planning, unlike traditional tapas, which are quickly placed onto a plate and served. The use of different flavours and textures were good but I felt could have been better executed in some

Moyen Chow

Overall, there were too many underwhelming dishes at our meal at Espana. The only thing I would I like to have again is the Patatas Bravas and the flan but that is not enough to make me return to Espana any time soon.

Idea Rabbit

I met up with a friend who suggested Espana. When I got there around 6:45pm on a weekday, there were only 3 small tables left available. By 8pm, the place was jam packed and the noise level got a bit too much for the both of us by 9pm. But that was ok, since we were done eating and chatting by then. It’s a hip/modern tapas place. Cozy and a bit cramped, though I guess that is to help strangers come together and talk, which did happen. We ordered 4 dishes: Salt Cod & Potato Croquettes $8 Sauteed Fiddlehead with poached egg, serrano ham and mojo rojo $10 Grilled Asparagus and Leek with quail egg, manchego and romesco sauce $11 Frito Mixto $13 with halibut cheeks, asparagus, anchovy stuffed olives, salsa verde The Cod Croquette was really yummy. Super crispy and hot inside – nicely fried. The cod went well with the potatoes, and the lemon juice gives it a nice zesty punch! The mayo on the side is nice for those who rather not have any like my health conscious friend. I used

Martha

I just love Espana. Its concept of making authentic Spanish tapas using mostly local ingredients is awesome and the fact that their menu is constantly evolving with the changing seasons means that you will want to visit again and again. I know that I personally cannot wait until my next visit!

Every Day Is A Food Day

Seems like a great place to grab tapas and enjoy a glass of wine. For drinks, we decided to try their sangrias. Mom got the Espana Sangria , which I think was the best. It was mainly red wine with some brandy and fruits. The rest of them got the Tinto de Verano , which is red wine with lemonade. I really enjoyed the drink in Bar

Moo Mi

The Sardine Can Every single time we stopped by the Sardine Can , it was always running at maximum capacity with hungry diners pacing around the front door, praying there would be an open seat soon (doesn't matter where). The night I hit up this Gastown gem with my friend S was no different. Luckily, we didn't wait around too long and got 2 cozy spots at the bar. Created by the same folks behind Pied a Terre and La Buca, the name "Sardine Can" was quite fitting, as we did feel a little bit crammed in the modest, yet crowded space. I was quite intrigued with how simple and minimal their kitchen was. And much more intrigued by how fast the chef was able to fly out those orders, keeping consistency with excellent quality control. As we both were not too familiar with Spanish tapas, S and I weren't quite sure what we should order and so we only order 3 dishes like 2 old shy introverts who didn't go outside that often. Now that I looked back, we should have ordered at least 2 more d

MePlusFood

Espana Restaurant took over the old location of Cosca. Their menu consists of mainly tapas dishes to share. Our group of 4 ordered the Crispy Chickpeas ($4), Selection of Charcuteria ($21), Selection of Cheeses ($14), Crispy Pork Belly ($10), Salt Cod & Potato Croquettes ($6), and the scallop special. I ordered the crispy chickpeas, which I also recently tried at Uva Wine Bar. It was really nice here too, crisp, and flavourful with paprika and mint. I really want to try making these at home. The charcuterie was delicious as well, with lots of fine meats. They gave us a good mix of salty, tender, spicy, and denser. The cheeses were nice too, and my favourite was probably the San Simon. I found the pork belly to be delicious, with a skin similar to the filipino roast pork (lechon), but better. It was crisp and fatty, and melted in your mouth. The meaty portion was tender but had a nice bite to it. It was served with a delicious romesco sauce. The white bea

FollowMeFoodie

If you’re looking for traditional and “authentic” Spanish tapas then book a ticket to Spain, but if you’re open to a Spanish inspired menu then I welcome you to Espana. It was simple, but done well and great value. It pretty much “wins” based on having almost no competition too.