Aventura

I used to like Aventura. A lot. In fact, it used to be my go-​to spot for meeting up with friends and grabbing a nice dinner with my partner. I like the vegetarian options particularly. Recently, the food, however «novel» it might be, is just not worth the bad service, uncomfortable atmosphere, and long wait times for getting seated. For these reasons, I don’t think we’ll be back for dinner any time soon.
About 3 – 4 times in the past couple months, my husband and I have attempted to eat at Aventura spur-​of-​the-​moment, on varying days of the week. (Quite frankly, our schedules change so much that it’s difficult to plan dinner a week in advance.) Every single time we’ve tried, we’ve been told that there would be an hour wait, even just a table for two.
If you do manage to snag a table (amazing job! good for you!), you should expect to sit in very close proximity with other parties. They really jam those tables together with negligible room in between them. Especially if you are a group of 2… you’ll be stuck at a particularly minuscule table (which makes no sense at a tapas restaurant when the whole point is to have numerous plates in front of you), and you’ll also be uncomfortably sandwiched in between larger groups (if history is any indication, they will be sorority girls sipping Sangria and yelling at each other).
Anyway, bottom line, do not expect under any circumstances to be able to walk in casually and grab a table. The food is decent, but you’ll definitely need a reservation far in advance. And, as a final note, I’d recommend going with more than two people if you want to be lucky enough to get a comfortable table.

Visited this restaurant last week while on business in Ann Arbor. Unfortunately, like so many other places with pretty good food and service, Aventura suffers from poor, ineffective, and unresponsive management. Our interactions with the manager made it clear that she lacks customer service skills, common sense, and compassion for paying customers.

Two words: Patatas Bravas
Great tapas place in downtown Ann Arbor with traditional Spanish tapas. The patatas bravas is the hot commodity here and for good reason. Definitely big enough to share, but you’ll want to order our own as a meal. I have been here for both lunch brunch and dinner and each menu doesn’t fail to please.
Big, extensive menu, many vegetarian options and fair price. Location is great — near parking, ambiance is intimate and rustic. Delicious drinks (and liquor can be added to many (if not all) of the non-​alcoholic drinks on the menu. This place is definitely a favorite for us.

My husband and I just moved here from LA and had heard great things about the dining scene in downtown Ann Arbor.
We tried Aventura on a Sunday so we were able to be sat relatively quickly. Our server was Emily, who was so friendly and very knowledgeable about the menu. I am expecting a baby and she took the initiative of telling me which foods were safe and which ones weren’t without me having to ask which is rare but so nice!
We started off with a couple of the bite-​sized baguettes. The white bean pâté and egg & potato. Both delicious and completely balanced in flavor. Great way to start. My husband got a jalapeño bourbon drink and I got a virgin lavender lemonade. Both ridiculously good. Kudos to the bartender. You can tell each was well crafted.
We got the egg and chorizo flatbread next which was my favorite. For the tapas we shared the brussels sprouts, chicken croquets, prawn and peppers and bacon wrapped dates. Every dish was incredibly tasty and again well balanced. For dessert we ordered the salted caramel chocolate ganache tart with the pretzel crust topped with buttered popcorn ice cream. Sounds like a lot going on but none of the flavors were overbearing, they were more hints. Holy yum. We cant wait to come back!

Yet again an amazing evening at Aventura. We had a large party of 10 and were treated so well by the wonderful and very informative Kaitlin. We put ourselves in her hands for the night and she didn’t disappoint as we feasted on two different meat and cheese platters, octopus, shrimp, beef, the most fabulous Brussels sprouts, kale salad, fried artichokes, fries and an egg and delectable a scrumptious paella, the list goes on. A great time was had by all. Thank you Kaitlin!

I have been here once for dinner, once for drinks, and once for a holiday party. Firstly, the gin and tonics are absolutely wonderful, delicious and unique. I am not a fan of the food here. The dishes I had were not that impressive and I remember thinking that what I had was a total waste of 75.00. I will say too I am not a big fan of the tapas eating style. For the holiday party the food was definitely mediocre. I had hoped coming back that it was going to be better. Maybe I do need to try this place again, though. Will definitely come back for drinks.

This is one of my favorite places in Ann Arbor. I’ve been there several times and always enjoy the food, and they have a good selection of wine also.
Nice atmosphere, and a great place to go with friends and sample different tapas. Among my favorites are the peppers del padron, the garlic shrimps (although the last time we got them they were a little too salty), and the dates.
Their brunch was not that exciting though (only tried once), hence they don’t get a 5*

I was a little hesitant coming here for restaurant week based on the size of the dishes I’ve had here previously. Well, I was right to be hesitant. The $ 28 per person price tag for your meal saves you MAYBE a few dollars a person. To be honest, with the limited selection you’re better off picking items on the regular menu.
If you’ve never been here before, fair warning the sound level is almost deafening. Open floor plan with a ton of tables and absolutely nothing to absorb the noise. Don’t expect to be able to hear anyone you dine with reasonably well.
I will have to admit, I do love the cocktails. I had the Muerte Rica (rum drink topped with toasted marshmallow) and you could really taste the booze. Can’t complain about that. The only sub par drink, based on a dining companions word, was one of the flavored gin and tonics. To her, didn’t taste like there was even a drop of gin in it. I will be back to try the Sex and Candy cocktail, a wild concoction of cocktail with a $ 16 price tag.
Food can be really hit or miss. I didn’t enjoy most of what we had off the restaurant week menu and even with sharing, portion sizes were too small. However, the churros with the chocolate, vanilla, and sea salt caramel dipping sauces are a gift from the gods I’m sure.
Service here is actually fairly good. Our waitress was very aware what we had on the table, what was left to come and was sure to tell us when the next dish would arrive. She was very personable and seemingly knowledgeable of the menu/​ordering process. But, I paid $ 130 (incl. tip) for a meal that left me hungry. Overall, I’ll probably only come back for drinks and churros.

Great service. Okey dishes. Nothing really exiting. Went there for a birthday party. Tasted a lot of appetizers, most of them were in fact quite boring. Paella del mar was salty with no additional flavor.

**UPDATE**
4 STARS
Friends that were visiting from out of town wanted to eat here for a quick lunch over Xmas break. I will say, the service was SO much better (thank you Philip)!
Be aware, lunch menu is different from dinner menu.
Sopa De Ajo was OUTSTANDING. Also good – Bocadillo Al Jamón & Bruselas Y Manzanas.
But I still prefer the dinner items.
— — — — — — — — — — — — —
3 STARS
Finally decided to leave a review here after repeated less than savory experiences with their service.
Why do I keep going back here?!
I do love the ambiance/​décor and food/​drinks are usually on point. However, the service… ohhhh the service. Why is it that the wait staff here always looks annoyed and miffed. Bad back of the house or management? Idk. Our waitress told our table she was taking off for the night… introduced us to our new (and much better) waitress, but she continued to wait on the table next to us. Like why? We weren’t even drunk yet!
Dishes I recommend: Machego croquettes, pesto gnocchi, albondigas (lamb meatballs), pintxo: condimento shishito, gambad al ajillo, hamburguersa de cordero, and the churros!
I really like a white bean dish they offered, but it’s no longer on their menu (and the last time I got it, it tasted like shit).
So go for food and strong drinks, expect shitty service. Do better with hiring staff Sava!

Perfect date night restaurant! I was here with my husband and my parents but I could see myself returning for a romantic night out.
Atmosphere: Dark but not too dark. It’s pretty dim and the tables are pretty close to each other but not too cramped. Beautiful décor and loved the open bar area
Food: We ordered conservatively. I was still full from dinner and our family is usually a light eater, so we ordered: 1 Pintxo (Shishito peppers), 2 cheeses (Comte and cabrales), 1 charcuterie (Sobrasada), 2 tapas (coliflor fritas, hamachi crudo which i can no longer find on the website menu), 2 Platos (Bolognes and Muslos de pollo) and ended the night with Tarta basura. Excuse the spellings. We also had the green hester (beacuse they were out of oro oscuro :() and Otono. Both were delicious but I recommend the green hester if you like gin.
The fried cauliflower was probably my favorite — garlicky, crispy and perfectly cooked. YUM. My least favorite was the hamachi crudo with persimmon — everything was a little too mushy. Overall the food was good but a little salty for my taste. Many of the food could’ve benefited from a crusty bread to balance with the salt — heck a bread basket would’ve been a wonderful addition to the slow paced meal! If i was to make a comment about the food, it was awkward to share a piece of baguette between 4 people. but I get it – it’s tapas. Next time if I go with more than 2 people I will probably order 2 of each order.
Service: Good — although the server forgot one of our dishes that we ordered later, he was attentive but not intrusive.
Overall: I think this restaurant is a great location for a night out, I’m from DC where a dinner out costs between 40 – 60 per person so our bill of $ 110 for 4 people was surprising. I recommend it for a romantic date night, share all the plates and indulge on the cocktails!

One of the best happy hour deals close to campus, first things first (and most importantly)
They have $ 5 gin and tonics from 3−6pm every day with the kitchen opening at 5pm if you don’t want to order from the special happy hour food menu. All of the G&Ts are amazing and you can tell that they put care into crafting each cocktail. Additionally, they have sangria (both red and white) in addition to a few house wines available during happy hour as well! I personally prefer the red as the white is a bit sweeter than I’d like out of my sangria.
In terms of tapas, the patatas bravas are one of the most popular dishes in addition to my favorite. The thrice fried potatoes are topped with a sunny side up egg and a delicious sauce. Make sure you toss everything in the sauce and break up the egg ;)
You can’t go wrong with the paella to split amongst a large group. I also enjoy the croquettas, but the killer are the churros which are the perfect end to every meal.
Or you can simply get a drink and the churros and call it a day ;)

It’s been almost a year since I’ve been in, and my visit this week proved Aventura just as good as I remember it. I can’t make this a regular trip, though, because my bill for two cocktails and three tapas was $ 50 before tip. Still, delicious cocktails, personable service and a steady stream of little plates makes for a fun night out!

Had an incredibly unique dining experience here. It’s so much fun to order a ton of tapas and share with a large group. Gotta mention that their music is also on point too.
Since there are so many descriptions already, I’ll just give a list of the ones I tried in order of what I enjoyed most to least:
1. Chicken and Waffles (to die for– crispy chicken served with cream puffs)
2. Patatas Bravas
3. Huevo y Chorizo Coca (flatbread that’s not super unique, but still well made)
4. Bacon Wrapped Dates
5. Croquetas (come with meat and vegetarian options)
6. Churros (this was dessert– came with 3 different dipping sauces which was super fun!)
7. Brussel Sprouts
8. Lamb Burgers (more like sliders)
9. Escalavida (roasted eggplant with tomato-​ey sauce and something crispy on top– thought I’d like it, but texture and taste just weren’t impressive)
10. Pintxo Platter (not necessarily sure if these are worth it. They were good, but were essentially just a bunch of baguettes topped with funky meat and flavor combinations)
11. Fried Artichoke Hearts
Highly recommend the first 8. I’ll definitely be back to try their paella and brunch options!

The place had great happy hours and even better cocktails. The happy hour food menu was too small, even though Unilocal says it’s fully open, they don’t serve anything on he menu during happy hours, so beware of this.
Having said that, the staff is amazing, bartender is amazing and the old fashioned is a beautiful twist on a traditional old fashioned, except this is with tequila fusions instead of the traditional bourbon. This place also gave great recommendations for food that wasn’t even served here, based on a request! Not that many restaurants are willing to give business away to earn good will from the customers, this is one of those places that I was glad I visited!
Great drinks and great staff. Will be back for dinner!

Aventura offers Spanish tapas-​styled dining in a well-​loved and timeless building in downtown Ann Arbor. With exposed brick walls and a painted tin ceiling, the restaurant offers a perfect setting for a delicious meal. A large bar sits in the middle of several rooms, connected by multiple large brick arches, and surrounded by high-​tops. I loved the mosaic black and white floor tiles and larger-​than-​life, bold feature wall of flowers, also in mosaic tiles.
MELÓN CON JAMÓN
ALMENDRAS Y PIÑA
The stream of delicious dishes began with a dual of pintxos (think bruschettas), one featuring thinly sliced Serrano ham with a healthy dollop of honeydew mousse and the other with goat cheese studded with Marcona almonds and topped with a brûléed pineapple slice. This small bite proved to be a contrast of flavors and textures: sweet, salty, creamy and crunchy.
ALCACHOFAS FRITAS
I also loved the lightly battered deep-​fried artichoke hearts enhanced by the floral scent of charred lemon and aioli.
PULPO A LA GALLEGA
The octopus was impossibly tender, cooked confit style. It was served with tender scalloped potatoes, a dish that was spicy and steaming hot; the dish hissed and steam billowed long after it was set down at the table.
COLES DE BRUSELAS Y MANZANAS
One of my favorite tastes of the evening was the Brussels sprouts. The bitterness of these sprouts went well with the tart, diced and cooked apples and the saltiness of the pistachio. Served with crème fraîche, I am still savoring the memory of the dish, even a few days later. For me, the addition of the pistachios elevated the meal.
COSTILLAS DE RES Y PAPAS
The short ribs were well braised and were served shredded, on steak fries. Unfortunately, the fries were possibly the only thing I did not enjoy.
TARTA BASURA
Dessert was incredible — how to do it justice? The tart was filled with creamy caramel and a rich dark chocolate ganache in a delicious pretzel crust. Shredded potato chips accented the dessert and were a playful accompaniment to the popcorn ice cream. The latter was made by soaking popcorn in cream to form the base of this unique treat.
There were so many dishes unsampled, including a variety of paella and the suckling pig, as well as popular desserts: churros and chocolate bouchon cake. This restaurant merits many happy returns.
I thought service was fantastic. The server was brimming with excitement about the food as she described the ingredients and tastes. Her enthusiasm set the tone for the meal and I appreciated her thoughtful recommendations throughout.

This place is great. It’s very pretty .
The food, tapas, was unbelievable. Really tasty and authentic.
We had a snafu w our reservation (made 2 months in advance). It took over a half an hour to get it right. The manager was so apologetic and professional. He was very concerned while we waited and gave us some drinks and food complimentary .
A definite great spot.

Aventura is great! I went there for my birthday dinner with a few friends and they were super accommodating. They accepted our reservations a few days ahead and changed it a bit as necessary.
The ambience in the restaurant is very sexy. The lights are dimmed and it truly sets the mood. The staff is extremely knowledgable about the extensive menu.
On to the food, it was good. Lovely tapas, albeit a bit pricey but awesome for sharing. I’m lactose intolerant and there were more than enough options for me. Get the sweet potatoes topped with the egg, the chicken and waffle, and the lamb meatballs. Both the red and white sangrias are delicious but warning, the red is a bit spicy!
The best part were the churros for dessert. Those were the best damn churros I’ve ever had!!!
Overall, I loved Aventura. I would absolutely return.

First visit here was for a friend’s birthday Halloween 2014. Second visit was just a week ago. Both times were wonderful.
Let’s do a quick recap — the birthday dinner was spent on a Friday night, and we had reservations for 8. Prompt seating once we arrived for our 7pm reservation time, and we went to the lower level. Space was a little tight, but it was warm and cozy. Nice ambiant lighting, and comfortable chairs. We all went a little stir crazy over ordering, but we had a chance to sample a bunch of pintxos, tapas, and even the paella and suckling pig. We tried a few specials that night, but all I remember that was really memorable from that evening was their paella, suckling pig, and a pappardelle tapas plate. Don’t get me wrong, food was great overall though, and that’s why we decided to return a 2^nd time.
Our 2^nd visit was more intimate. Husband and I along with a friend came on a Saturday night, and much later in the evening, around 9pm. Our friend hadn’t been here before, so she was really excited. :) This time, we sat on the main floor, just off the bar area.
Something to note: even if you’re not in the mood to eat, Aventura’s bar area is so well designed and just stunning. It’s the main focal feature of the restaurant, and I wouldn’t mind coming back again just to chill at the bar.
So, the three of us sat at a 4-​top table and we had a fun time. This time around, we went with a few quesos, ensaladas, sopas, and tapas. The two quesos that we tried were comté and queso l’alt urgell. Both were excellent, and paired with the guava paste and pear jam, oh the flavor was great. Though they were pretty generous with the amount of cheese, I would have liked a little more for the price.
For their ensalada, we tried their pera, valdéon y miel, which translates into red and white wine poached pears with goat cheese mixed with arugula, hazelnuts, truffle honey, and dried cherries. Husband isn’t a fan of cherries, so our friend and I had it on the side and we went to town on it. It was really refreshing, and the amount of pears was perfect. Good portion for the three of us to share.
The sopa we had was their caldo gallego. It contained chorizo, kale, potatoes, cannellini beans in a spicy tomato broth. I loved the spice level, and the broth was really well developed. It had rich smoky undertones, and full body. The soup had plenty of chorizo, potatoes, and cannellini beans but I wish there was a little more kale.
We rounded out the meal with 6 tapas: 2 croquetas, gnocchi con pesto, bistec plana di hierro, ceviche, and costilla de res y papas. Out of the 6, the stars were the croquettes which we had one that was filled with manchego cheese (OMG SO GOOD I WANT NOW AGAIN) and the salt cod (SO FLAVORFUL AND MAGICAL). The other goodie was the gnocchi; fluffy and chewy, and great pesto flavor. Generous portion for the three of us. The rest were good, with the exception of the ceviche. We were disappointed, and wouldn’t get that again. We found all but 1 piece of flounder! What the hey? The short ribs were good, but just too salty, and that wagyu steak was good but not $ 24 good. In fact, the pickled mushrooms were better than the meat itself.
It’s great that this place is here, and I’m glad to be able to eat modern-​style Spanish tapas. But if you’re looking for authentic Spanish tapas, don’t come here. The food is tasty, fresh, and well-​prepared. You can tell the kitchen takes good care and pride at utilizing the ingredients to the fullest. Expect to spend about $ 30-​$ 40 per person, but for a special night out, it’s worth it.
Come here for the croquettes, gnocchi, paella, and suckling pig. Hang out by the bar, and enjoy the fun atmosphere. If you have a big party, strongly advise to make reservations.

In the words of Harry, «You totally redeemed yourself!» («Dumb & Dumber» reference.)
My meal was perfection from start to finish. I was in a group of 12, so this was the perfect setup to fail, but you made it the perfect time to shine! Service was extremely attentive and almost obscenely accommodating, splitting the bill per guest even before being asked to. So easy!
My main gripe in the past, however, was the food. But, I retract that opinion, based upon this immense leap back to awesomeness. The pinxtos were not only delicious, but served at perfect temperatures. The other tapas were so well-​seasoned that I requested more bread to sop up every last drop of the deliciously spiced oil that bathed the shrimp, which were incidentally extremely fresh tasting and cook to tenderness with precision.
All I really needed to say, though, is… Aventura is back, baby!