Aioli Bodega Espanola

My daughter and I recently went to Aioli Bodega. We really enjoyed the atmosphere and the tapas we ordered were delicious — very unique! The service was terrific as well!

We walked in on a quiet Wednesday night based on a friend’s recommendation. This joint is about as Spanish as a Taco Bell. The waiter was gruff and surly. I asked a question about a certain food in Spain and he said, «I’m French.» So much for that!
We ordered two bowls of soup, split a salad, had two very mediocre glasses of wine and got stuck for $ 50.00. I had asked about Flan for dessert and he said he would save me one. Well, we never got that far. He picked up our plates and returned with the bill. We paid with a modest tip that was more a gift than a reward for service.
This was our first and last visit to Aioli. I simply can’t imagine how they stay in business if patrons are treated so dismissively. You pay San Francisco prices for very average fare and are treated rudely to boot. Take my advice, skip Aioli and visit the hot bar at Whole Foods.

Elena is a great lover of Spanish food. We were on business in Sacramento on Saturday. We came here for lunch. It is an attractive venue that is well-​located in downtown Sacramento. We were warmly greeted ad seated at a nice table. The drinks were excellent and the food was very good. The only negative was they were short-​handed that day with only one waiter on duty. He did a valiant job and service was good.

Really great atmosphere as soon as we got there we went on a Friday night for reservation at 8:30 and we got there at 8 but still were seated, we walk in and there’s live music I felt as if I were in Spain the place was covered in dimmed lighting and candles! Besides the ambiance the food was delicious and service was an A+ the oxtail appetizer was delicious and desert was a must!, try the chocolate mousse to die for!

Good service. Good food.
Almond cake to die for.
Atmosphere, clean and inviting.
Went for lunch will go back for dinner
sometime soon. Affordable

Pretty great service, wonderful ambience, and tasty food. Surprisingly affordable for us coming from the Bay Area.

Excellent elevated Spanish cuisine! The wait staff was very attentive without hovering (¡gracias, Maurice and team!). We never felt rushed and were able to enjoy a leisurely meal. Lovely ambiance with wonderful Spanish/​classical guitar en vivo. Our tapas dishes were beautifully presented and were all delicious. The Paella de Hongos was perfectly prepared, although next time we’ll remember to request socarrat. I appreciated the annotated menu that pointed out which items contain gluten.
We’ve already started a list of tapas to try next time! ¡Muchísimas gracias!

One of the best gourmet restaurants in Sacramento!
Best tapas: chorizo (a dining mate called it «out of this world»)
patatas bravas (crisp, flavorful, with light aioli drizzled over them)
albondigas (cinnamon-​tomato sauce over 4 meatballs with chickpeas)
gambas (grilled shrimp with avocado and pico de gallo)
The flan and almond honey cake had excellent texture and flavor.
Service was prompt & friendly.
Complimentary baguette was crusty, hot and delicious.
Least favorite dishes (not necessary to order again):
beet & arugula salad, salmon entrée, chocolate truffles in white chocolate sauce

Food was excellent!!! This was my first time. I would definitely recommend this place!!! Their steak is excellent!!!

What a let down!
Brought my son as he is a budding foodie and had never tried Spanish food. Asked waiter for advice (info) on Spanish wine and he says, «You tell me price range, I do the rest.»
We were there at 5 pm and there were only 3 other patrons in the place (having dessert) so it’s not like dude was too busy to explain their wine options.
My son ordered the stuffed squid tapa and I got the anchovies; both were good. I opted for the rabbit and my son the duck and we ordered the paella Valencia to share. The duck was stellar, we both loved it. The rabbit was odd in that it was just half of the rib cage. No legs and very little meat. It was about that time the paella arrived and our waiter knocked over my wine trying to set down the dish. I asked him for fresh napkins (in Spanish) and he obviously understood. «I no’a espeaka Espanish».
It’s good that they switched to a French joint.

Total fan! I loved the ambiance and set up of the restaurant. The outside lights were just enough to see the menu and the give it a nightime feel. We went around 7pm on a Friday night and they took our party of 11 right away. Our waiter was the best. Very informative on everything on the menu, offered realistic suggestions if we wanted to do family style since we had a large party. It was ok to split the bill too.
I enjoyed 3 tapas: Gambas al ajillo, Chrrizo al ajorero and the Hueso de chuleton al mole naranjado
Next time I travel back to Sacramento I will definitely be going here again!

Great dining experience. Great service and food.
There menu is quite extensive and well descriptive of the foods featured. Waite staff very knowledgeable.

I’ve always seen this place and wanted to try it. I didn’t know this place was specialized in tapas. I was excited when I saw that on the menu because I first tried tapas in oakland at Tamarindo and I fell in love with that place. Skimming thru the menu bf and I were a bit dissapointed because nothing really caught our attention to say oooh!!! We want that! It’s a bit pricey for its taste and portion. The bread was cold and hard as well as the the dip not being so great. What seemed to be popular was the seafood paella. As always, expect a 45 min wait. We didn’t order it because it was a bit late and we didn’t want to be rude staying so late. Maybe that wpuld have changed out perception of the place there for something to want to go back to if it tasted so great like everyone else has reviewed. The tapas will definitely not be bringing us back. The service was a bit slow. They didn’t seem to really care on serving us, the servers seemed more attentive to the sangria and wine drinking tables. Place is lit dim. Ambiance is ok. TAMARINDO in Oakland is the best for authentic tapas if one is willing to pay for expensive not that great tapas here.

Came here with the coworker and we shared a bottle of wine and a few tapas! The food was great and the atmosphere was so nice. You usually need reservations because it’s always packed but lucky for us it was a Wednesday night. We quickly got seated next to the window and felt so fancy!
We got the stuffed calamari and it was cold with tomato sauce.
Seafood skewers with a salad– amazing!
Shrimp with tomato sauce again
The beef short rib as the shared entre! It was so easy to fall apart!

My boyfriend and I came to Aioli for a Friday night date and it was good. The tapas are good and 2 – 3 each would have been enough for dinner, but we decided to get a paella too since we were there. The paella takes 45 minutes to make, so order it right away if you decide to have it.
We ordered a few tapas, and the Paella Valenciana which had saffron rice, shrimp, calamari, muscles, chicken, and pork spareribs. The paella was really good, and could have easily filled up 3 people. 4 people if you ordered tapas, so come hungry! We had plenty of leftover paella and ate the next day for lunch. It was still good as leftovers.
The service here was good, and I liked the cozy restaurant feel. I would definitely come back for a date night here.

Like so many of the other reviewers comments, the service was on a subpar level at best: our server was so disinterested after we told him that we don’t drink alcohol (knowing that it would affect our bill); he was slow to change out lunch specials menu for the dinner version. Later, he tells us, although beyond his control, that anything with shellfish or Ahi is no longer available (this was at 630 pm).
Our sole purpose for coming to Aioli that night: we had come for the mussels appetizer, the Ahi appetizer, and the Paella that includes shellfish, neither of this items were going into our tummies this unfortunate night. We did enjoy the delicious and well-​prepared lamb, and the steak, too… plus the chocolate truffles in custard sauce and orange crème brûlée almost made up for the horrendous lack of service. Hmmm, maybe not. Apathetic service can make or break a restaurant, especially one that is resting on it’s laurels.
On another irritating note: I had ordered the flan early in the night thinking it would run out (which it did), but the lack of communication between the bus-​person and the server kept our table from enjoying that dessert.
Our bill, including tip, came to $ 180.00…this is inexcusable for (3) persons in a Sacramento eatery that only drank H2O. The food portions, though flavorful, were very small. It’s about 3 hours since we ate — and I’m hungry!

Came in for dinner. Made a reservation. Hoped to get something outdoors. Ended up inside.
Service was a mixed bag. Water refilling was not consistent or staff ignored empty glasses. Food order took some time to be taken and made. Tapas and entrees were ordered. Ordered the duck leg and the duck tapas. Also ordered the lamb and another dish.
The ducks were decently good. The entrée came with sides and grains. The duck tapa was with a sauce. The sauce was the best thing between those dishes. Duck was a bit dry both ways. Plenty of flavor though. The lamb was fall off the bone tender. The accompaniments paired well with. Overall okay experience.
Good: mostly okay dishes.
Bad: inconsistent service, dry was one of the duck.
I’d come back to give another shot.

Came here for dinner at 7pm with a large group. We had two long tables near the front of the restaurant. Menu was selected already, just had to choose our main course. Numerous of people walking in and out to the back of the restaurant.
Food: I order a chicken dish, it came out with two large flat chicken breasts and what looked like potatoes with some sauce on top. The food was ALMOST COLD when they brought it out! The chicken had a sour taste to it like they squeezed lemon over it or had too much lemon juice. The moistness of the chicken was fine. The potatoes could have been more warm and a little crunchier. I was just very disappointed that my entrée was not warm. Yes it was a large party but there should be a way to keep the food warmer than what I got.
Price: Everything looked like it wasn’t too cheap but not too expensive either. Although, our menu items were pre-​selected so we weren’t able to see the prices.
Service: The waiter came around numerous of times and kept bugging us about our entrée. Then he expected us to know what the menu consisted of. Keep in mind, this is my FIRST TIME here and I was not familiar with the food. The waiters were nice, refilled water when it was needed.
Overall, I doubt I would come back. I was thinking of giving 2 stars but service was not bad, just the food was not up to par for me.

I came here several weeks ago with several friends for dinner. Our server was excellent! He treated our party of seven very well. I really wish I remember his name, but he was very professional and courteous.
The food is ok, but definitely not worth the price you pay for it. I had the «Jarret» De Cordero Basco which is the braised lamb shank in tomato confit served over spinach and white beans. The meat was very tender, but as whole the dish didn’t have any flavor. For $ 22, I expect better.
Truthfully, I don’t know if I will come back. Maybe for appetizers and drinks.

Epic dining experience. Maybe it was the most fantastic sangria ever? Maybe it was the ambiance of the outdoor patio and live jazz? Maybe it was the perfection of every tapas plate we tried?
Our dinner group of 6 enjoyed sharing all the different plates. The standouts were the scallops served on polenta (the scallops were so sweet, fresh and tender), grilled vegetable tapas with olive tapenade and the lamb sausage.
What a wonderful restaurant. They have a great wine selection. This is a romantic place to bring a date! Plus they give you complimentary bread and dip. So many restaurants do give anything complementary anymore. The bread was nice to enjoy all the great sauces in the plates.