Dalia Tapas Bar & Restaurant

Absolutely the best Tapas in the bay area!!!
Reservation required but they will seat you if you casually walk in.
We ordered several choices, wont share which because they are all excellent, and we were very much delighted with our choices.
Very quiet setting and the chef made his rounds to all of the tables to see how your experience has been. A very dedicated chef and you can tell he loves his culture and his heritage.
Will return for sure!!!

We went on at Saturday night around 6:30, and there was no wait. That was a plus. Our waitress was very nice and helpful, but the service was slow. I believe because they were understaffed. I had the white sangria, and it was tasty! I would definitely order it again. The food was okay. Nothing special to me, but I am not a tapas connoisseur. What we ordered:
Empanadilla de carne: Excellent. My favorite thing ordered by far.
Mini-​pork kebabs: These were also very good. I would order it again.
Sauteed calamari: I was not a fan– a little too fishy for me.
Patas bravas-​crisp diced potatoes in a spicy tomato sauce– Very unmemorable for me.
Croquetas de patas-​cheese stuffed potato rounds breaded and deep fried. These were also very good.
To be honest, I probably won’t go again, but it wasn’t bad.

This is worth a trip for new experience seekers.
Like the rest of Unilocal,I went crazy over the raw filet mignon strips and the accompanying sauce — crudo de lomo.
The rabbit was chock full of flavor — conejo enescabeche.
Let me recommend this hearty tripe stew concoction — callos a la madrilena.
The tapas sampler hit the spot — highlights include lengua — tongue among other delights.
In the words of my fellow diner, the desert sampler was
really f’ing good, not too sweet or salty, and very flavorful.
Endless iced tea thanks to free refills. Friendly waitstaff. Cool old candles, décor.
Great unique experience. Highly recommend.

Any Spanish tapas restuarant/​café around here by default should get a couple stars. There just is not a good, authentic presence of Spanish culture in the Bay Area; and that which we do have it so pricy. (Which, if you ask me, negates it’s authenticity automatically — tapas in Spain are a couple euros if not free!).
Anyway, S. Dali or now, I suppose Dalia, was good, if not terribly Spanish. Admittedly, I have become a Spanish tapas snob since moving back to California after living in Madrid. That said, most Americans probably wouldn’t appreciate Spanish tapas unless they were gourmetized and expensive, hence, they are.
Dalia offers a casual, warm atmosphere. The tables are a bit crowded together, perhaps in an aim to feel more European by infringing on Americans overuse of personal space. Overall not a bad set up, but my fiancé & I had to speak loudly to hear our own conversation over the music and other chatting.
Speaking of music, on this night, a Friday, there was a guitarist playing gypsy, rumbo and et cetera Spanish tunes — he was the highlight of the night. Very, very good. A definite add to the ambiance.
Sangria here is tasty, not oversweet as many places like to serve it. We shared tortilla espanola (spanish omelette), it was alright, a bit dry and a small serving, even for tapas. Also had patatas bravas (fried potatoes in a spicy tomato sauce), which were good, but nothing resembling the patatas bravas of Spain. If you don’t know the Spanish ones, these will be all the more delicious.
The main entrée we chose was the Parrillada Mixta, the mixed meat grill which is served with a salad (or fries). It was served sizzling, grilled perfectly. Our neighbor tables, close enough to feel comfortable talking at us from both sides, were jealous of our good-​looking order. It was also good-​tasting. The morcilla was pleasantly delicious. Order the morcilla! It was the best of the grilled meats by far. All were good but this was by far the most savory and flavorful. And with the Parillada, there was lots to take home for leftovers.
The staff were friendly and efficient, though a bit hard to hear cause of the noise level.
In sum, a good place for drinks and a semi-​exotic meal or appetizer, just not as Spanish as one may hope.

We’ve been wanting to try this place for awhile but since tapas are always enjoyed with more people we decided to wait until we had visitors.
It was a good thing we waited because there are so many delicious options to choose from. There were six of us so we decided to choose one item from the tapas menu each and then we shared two entrees. We tried the: Tapas Sampler, the Trio de Carne Asada, the Empanadilla de Carne, the Calamares Encebollados, Empanadilla de Celbolla y Queso, and the Patatas Bravas. My favorites by far were the calamari and the empanadillas. The calamari were very fresh with a wonderful vinaigrette dressing and the empanadillas had a wonderful balance of filling and pastry.
We ordered a small order of paella and the Parrillada de Mariscos. The paella was good but the grilled seafood dish was amazing. The seafood tasted really fresh and one of my friends described the grilled red pepper as «the best pepper he’d had in his life.» The dish had a light seasoning which really allowed for us to taste the flavors of the grilled seafood.
Probably the star of the meal though was the complimentary fresh baked bread with the aioli. At first we thought it was so good because we were hungry but when we got the second batch it reinforced just how good it was.
The service as others have mentioned was fantastic. Our server was very knowledgeable about the menu and gave us some great recommendations. The entire staff made sure that we had everything we needed so we felt very well take care of.
We left the restaurant very full and satisfied. The best thing of all was that it was reasonably priced. This is definitely a place we will revisit again.

This place is a bit of serendipity: A friend gave me a Melting Pot gift certificate for Christmas but the restaurant was so tucked away that while looking for it we got hungry. Thus, we walked into a moderately busy (indicating decent food but allowing quick sitting) Dali.
The ambience is nice, a little too dark but warm and relaxed.
The patatas bravas was so-​so, with a sauce that was between marinara and ketchup. I have had it better both in Spain and around the Bay Area.
I liked De Espinaca salad’s balance of flavour. The Serrano ham was pretty good too.
The scallop was tasty. It was thinly sliced, soaked in sherry and served with creamy mayo. My complaints are that it was a bit too much sherry and the portion was quite small.
Our service was decent, and bus people filled water and removed plates pretty quickly.
I am thinking around 3.5 stars.

Great food. Paella superior and sufficient for two Friendly, efficient service. Really appreciated not being rushed so they could turn the table.
They had Flamenco dancers, which were entertaining but not so loud as to preclude conversation. We will go again.

I must say the menu was very tempting for the eyes as my wife and I love tapas! We ordered several tapas dishes that I will not even try to butcher the actual names, so I will just state them in layman’s terms: grilled sardines (nice and smoky), tripe stew with bacon and Spanish sausage (loved it. our fav of the night. Wished for more tripe), empanadas (crispy shell filled with beef and green olives), thinly sliced filet mignon (sliced thin like carpaccio — little too thin — with capers and a manchego cheese), Spanish blood sausage with sauteed white beans (pretty good — nice and hearty), octopus with smoked paprika and olive oil (our least fav of the night — kind of mushy), marinated eggplant preserve (served cold with a nice tart flavor — awesome on top of bread), and jamon serrano (a little disappointed as it was a bit dry — we dream of jamon from Spain that melts in your mouth, and this was not it).
Nice selection of Spanish wines, and a great atmosphere with Dali paintings around the entire restaurant, dim lighting, and oil lamps on every table. Service was super friendly and attentive. We were even greeted by the owner which was pretty cool to find out that these are her family recipes, and the authenticity of the dishes being served.

Great menu! Lots of tapas from which to choose, and the empanadas were particularly good. It’s especially fun to go with a little group and share lots of different dishes.
The only thing I tried and don’t recommend is the big rice dishes. The shrimp in ours was good, but the rice itself lacked flavor.
The service is WONderful, as is the presentation.

STICK TO THE TAPAS! We came here starving. The table next to use was just served there food which looked amazing. Two of our party were sold on the Milanesa de Carne which is a deep fried steak with a side of steak fries and two sunny-​side up eggs being consumed by the neighboring table. We also ordered the Zarzuela de Mariscos which is a seafood stew.
Both entrees were disappointing. The seafood stew was made of frozen miscellanous grab bag of seafood items which played a number on my stomach that evening. The sauce was incredibly thick, similar to a slightly thinned out tomato paste. There was little flavor. The fried steak was just unimpressive.
Service: this was the same waitress we had on our first visit here. This is when she charged us another table’s bill which was more than double ours. She casually mentioned she had just returned when she failed to give us the option of having french fries with the steak. After that, she forgot to enter in two orders of the steak so our food arrived at varying times. The one recovery was the 10% she gave us for the snafu and the barely touched seafood stew.

We were here the first time two weeks ago for my mother’s birthday. It was a Tuesday evening but it was a full house. With only 2 servers, the service was courteous but spotty — for example, we didn’t get any water/​drinks for about 25 minutes into our meal, and they also forget one of the things we ordered. That said, the food was quite good especially the Tortilla de Patatas | (classic Spanish potato and caramelized onions omelet). There are plenty of vegetarian and non-​vegetarian options. Do note that the portions are much smaller than what I am use to at tapas joints in SF.
All in all, it’s awesome that San Mateo finally gets a tapas joint. I will definitely be back.

My family took me here for my birthday and it was great! The four of us shared a pitcher of sangria, the seafood paella, and these tapas:
Calamares Encebollados — the caramelized onions were awesome!
Empanadilla de Carne — beef filling was super good
Empanadilla de Cebolla y Queso — OK
Tortilla de Patatas — So we good we had seconds
Croquetas de patatas — good
Crudo de lomo — good but the raw meat texture is — different
Pulpo de Gallega — could use more octopus and less paprika
Trio de Carne Asada — the beef was incredible!
Olives — were not Spanish olives
and for dessert
Bunelos de la Abuela — so yummy and very very rich.
So like I said, we went here for my birthday and I got the coolest birthday dessert ever — I’ve attached a pic. It was like a sampler of their rice pudding, cheese/​almonds/​jam and flan deserts. All were deeelish, but what made it really special was the presentation. Loved the candle and «Feliz Cumpleanos» writing on the plate! Just HAD to take a pic. Not sure of the total being my son paid — but I think it was just around $ 100 — for the four of us!!! The service — friendly, helpful, professional — really, just the best.
Will definitely be coming back. Reservations highly recommended.

after somewhat of a traumatic work week, i decided to unwind at dali on a friday night. i must say that dali placed a big smile on my face at the end of the night.
it started with the attentive and caring service. our waiter was absolutely the epitome of hospitality. he made great recommendations not only on the food, but on the portions as well.
the sangria was definitely relaxing without giving me a headache. i was so content and in my happy place by the end of the night that i could barely keep my eyes open.
there are plenty of tapas options to choose from and the prices are all fair. if you’re like me and like variety, you will enjoy being able to taste a bunch of different little things without having to make the commitment of eating one large plate of a single thing.
prawns sauteed in wine, spanish blood sausage, crudo of beef, potato croquettes stuff with cheese, and trio of meat were all spectacular. the bread is served with chimichurri… which is an incredible mix of garlic, spice, and awesomeness.
thank you for turning my frown upside down, dali. i will most definitely revisit you like the supportive and good friend you are. till next time, keep that glass of sangria cold for me.

It’s been a minute since I’ve been to a tapas restaurant. Last one I remember visiting was Cha Cha Cha’s a few years ago. It took us a while to figure out what to order. Well, not everybody. As with most places that I’m trying for the first time, I make sure I do my research beforehand. There were a few things that caught my eye, so I made a mental note to order them. We went to town on the following:
Drinks
Pitcher of sangria — Tastes different and better than the one at CCC. Good balance between the fruit and red wine.
Tapas
Pionono Primavera — The item I liked the least out of everything we ordered. It reminded me of a sweet/​savory jelly roll.
Crudo de Lomo (my pick) — A Spanish take on the Italian carpaccio. Didn’t taste at all like raw meat. It melted in my mouth.
Jamón Serrano — Served with toast, this salted ham was almost like bacon.
Empanadillas de carne — Basically a beef empanada. Nicely seasoned.
Mejillonos gratinados y rellenos (my pick) — Mussels with Manchego cheese, white sauce, and parsley. All three ingredients complimented the mussel without overpowering it.
Main dish
Paella de Mariscos — This stuff was fabulous. Loved all the seafood in it (mussels, calamari, prawn) with the addition of chicken and chorizo. I was given the honor of having the ginormous prawn that sat on top of it. Nom.
Dessert
Most of us were pretty full, but I had yet to try another item that was recommended.
Arroz con Leche — Pretty much like rice pudding. The caramel sauce made up for the slightly bland flavor of the rice.
Bunelos de la Abuela (my pick) — These fried dough balls tasted like donuts. Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The powdered sugar, honey and orange zest complete this dessert. If you still have room left over after your meal, I highly recommend these.
Between the 4 of us, we ordered just enough to make our stomachs happy. We were also fortunate to see a flamenco performance. The restaurant features different types of musical and dance performances monthly, so check the event calendar on their website if you’d like to see them. We’re already planning on a return visit with a few more of our friends.

I’m not sure if I get what all the hype is about tapas. It seems like a way to spend lots of money on fancy little bites of food. Nonetheless, I was game to try Dali when my friend invited me to out to dinner here to celebrate my birthday.
We ordered:
* Eggplant in Escabeche Sauce
* Sardinas Asadas y Cachelos (sardine and potato)
* Gambas al Ajillo (shrimp — for my friend, she loved it)
* Rabo de Toro (Oxtail) and vegetable soup (for my friend — the base has MSG, so I skipped it — my friend said it’s the best soup she’s ever had)
* Trio de Carne Asada (we made it into a duo — 2 lamb and 1 beef and skipped the pork)
* Empananadilla de Cebolla y Queso
* Saffron and Chicken
* Flan de Huevo
* Bunelos de la Abuela (deep fried fluffy dough covered with sugar or honey)
The meal started with warm bread served with a yummy herb mixture, which I think was Chimichurri Sauce. My favorite tapa was probably the Carne Asada Trio. My friend was wild about a couple dishes I didn’t try, the oxtail soup and the shrimp.
My least favorite dishes were the Saffron Chicken and the Eggplant. The saffron chicken had a flavor that wasn’t for me and the chicken seemed a bit dry. I thought the eggplant was a bit too vinegary for my taste (I know that’s how Spanish food can be), but it just wasn’t my top pick either.
Initially I was bummed that the dessert menu lacked chocolate. How dare they?! That is, until I tried the Bunelos de la Abuela. OMG — all was forgiven after the first bite of that heavenly warm donut-​like pastry. If you like donuts, seriously don’t miss this dessert.
Our service was attentive and friendly and the ambiance was lovely. Overall, I really enjoyed Dali and would be happy to go back and for another culinary adventure… and more Bunelos de la Abuela!

Second time having tapas, and this place was great! Let’s get straight to the food.
For a group of 7 people, we ordered a bunch of tapas and main dishes.
Nothing better than a warm basket of bread to start off the night along with a garlic-​y, herb dip.
$ 3.50
— Calamares Encebollados — Yummy and cheap calamari!
— Mejillones gratinados y rellenos — Mussels gratin, also very yummy
— Callos a la Madrileña — Delicious tripe stew for all you tripe lovers.
— Relleno de Atún (Rice and Tuna stuffed Tomato) — nothing too special here. I would not get this again.
— Patatas Bravas (Crisp fried potatoes with a spicy sauce) — This is a great appetizer to start off with. The sauce also makes for a good bread dip.
$ 4.50
— Morcilla con Frijoles (Spanish blood sausage)– I’m not a fan, but my friends loved it (supposedly, it’s similar to Korean blood sausages).
$ 5.50
— Crudo de Lomo (Thin sherry wine marinated raw filet mignon slices with capers and Manchego Cheese — a good balance of Manchego cheese and filet slices.
— Crudo de Atún — (raw tuna loin slices) — similar to the filet mignon. I personally thought this one tasted better.
— Trio de Queso — Cheese sampler. Great if you love cheese, but nothing too special.
$ 6.50
— Pulpo a la Gallega — Tender octopus with Spanish olive oil, potatoes & smoked paprika — The octopus was great! One of my favorites this night.
Main Dishes
— Paella de Mariscos — I would recommend getting this dish since it does fill you up a bit more and it has some pretty good flavors that compliments the rest of the tapas.
— Cordero Segoviano (Lamb sautéed with onions, roasted bread crumbs, garlic & parsley) — Though I’m not much of a lamb lover, I thought this was very tender and juicy.
Overall, it was a very good experience. Yes, décor was not anything great besides the Salvador Dali paintings, but the service was good. We were even greeted by the chef at the end of our meal. Everything was relatively inexpensive compared to another tapas place I’ve been to.
Good place to try if you’re with a small group of friends and funner that way since you get to try several different items. It would also be a good place just for a casual dinner with your significant other. I would come back again.

I came here for dinner last night with my girlfriend, and we had a nice time! The tapas recommendations were spot on from the waiter and the service was very attentive. The chef even came out to ask us how everything was. We ordered:
* Crudo de Lomo (Thin sherry wine marinated raw filet mignon slices with capers and Manchego Cheese) — This was DELICIOUS and I can’t believe only $ 5.50!
* Jamón Serrano con Huevos Fritos | (Imported Spanish cured ham with fried eggs) — $ 7.50 — They fry the egg sunny side up and place it over a plateful of basically Spanish style proscuitto. With the egg yolk smothering the ham, it was REALLY good.
* De Espinaca $ 6.95 (Spinach, dried cranberries, pine nuts, pink grapefruit, Cabrales cheese and raspberry vinaigrette) — I don’t usually like to eat salad, but this one is definitely one of my favorites! I inhaled it, and ate it all. All of the ingredients and the vinaigrette were perfect together, and I didn’t get that vinaigarry feeling at all. It was a very well done and mucho deliciouso salad! haha
* Sangria — Mounds of fruit in my cup, probably a bit much, but it was pretty good. I kind of like how Cascal’s in mountain view has various fruits inside chopped up smaller, but the taste was good.
As for ambiance, I was hoping it would be a little more modern and refined. It’s definitely more of a homey feeling when I walk in. However, I was able to enjoy some very good tapas and have a good, long conversation there. Great deal and variety on tapas ranging from $ 3.50 — $ 7.50. I would definitely come back to try more of the menu. I think it’s a great addition to San Mateo :-)

When I think of tapas I think of a warm summer day on the patio with a glass of sangria. Turns out tapas taste just as lovely on a chilly winter day in downtown San Mateo.
My friend and I strolled in around 8:30 on Wed. night. Greeted by a warm and smiley faced woman and asked where we’d like to sit. The place was rather quiet at that hour so we were given lots of undivided attention. The overall appearance of Dali struck me. It’s very beautiful. I absolutely LOVE the Salvador Dali artwork throughout the dining area. Can you believe our server even wore a Dali tie? The tie he had on was the piece with the melted clocks.
The table bread was fresh and warm. They have this really great mildly spicy herb oil that you can either drizzle over or dip the bread in.
Codorniz en Escabeche– Quail in Escabeche sauce. This was on the house. It’s so classy when restaurants do this.
Patatas Gratinadas — ($ 3.50) Potatoes with Manchego Cheese au Gratin. This plate reminded me of something my Grandma would make. Had a very home cooked feel and was very filling.
Empanadilla de Cebolla y Queso — ($ 3.50) Spanish style turnover stuffed with cheese, onions and herbs. I believe this was my favorite. I’m sure it had nothing to do with the fact that it’s fried. Ha!
Morcilla con Frijoles — ($ 4.50) Spanish blood sausages with sautéed beans. The sausage was okay (not much flavor) but the beans were really delicious.
They told us that they have Flamenco dancing on Fri. nights and Tango on Sat. nights. Yes please, where do I sign up? Can’t wait to come back for some more tapas goodness and a little 1−2-cha cha cha 3 – 4 cha cha cha. Olé~

I was really excited to see a Tapas place open up in San Mateo.
However, I was somewhat let down by the overall experience. Ordered two tapas: patatas bravas and the calamari. The patatas were decent (could have been more crispy), but the calamari lacked any trace of flavor. It was really bland. Then, we ordered the Paella to share. Please note: if you plan to share one Paella, make it VERY, VERY clear. We were charged for two and got a very large portion, even though we only asked for one. Even still, the Paella was very delicious and was full of yummy seafood, chicken and sausage.
It seems hit or miss.

Since Gator Thompson emerged down the way at Dollie Marie’s, the old Neo Soul shell has been empty. Dali Tapas has taken over the original (not including the expansion space) room and have re-​painted with art from Salvador Dali the Catalonian surrealist. They have a decently large set of tapas items and then a good menu of entrees to boot. It could be two restaurants based on the menu alone. Food had:
–Empanadilla de Carne — Spanish turnover with beef, green onions, olives, hardboiled eggs, and herbs
–Callos a la Madrilena — Madrid style tripe stew
–Tortilla de Patatas — Potato and caramelized onion omelet
–Crudo de Lomo — Sherry wine marinated filet mignon thinly sliced
— Atun en Escabeche — Tuna in escabeche sauce
–Trio de Carne Asada — beef, pork, lamb grilled with a Chimichurri sauce
–Arroz con leche — Rice/​milk pudding
–Spanish Flan
Everything had good flavor but the general feeling was it was under salted. The tripe strew turned out to be the winner, with the empandillo, and Lomo being second standing, though the lomo was missing the Manchego cheese that was on the menu (not sure why I remember that now instead of while I was eating).
The service was a bit uneven. Our main server was very friendly though he never refilled our drinks. When asked for water, a guy came out with a pitcher but no glasses. He grumbled them came back and put down the glasses and looked at me as if it were my fault for not having glasses! One of the other runners was pretty good though. The female floor manager came to us twice, once asking «what are you waiting for?». We’re like «uh all of our food?»., Then she came a second time and asked if I could move to the side because they wanted to seat two more people in the very corner. But then I’d be sitting into the hall where the restroom is. We thought, maybe we should just turn the whole table sideways so that it’s against the wall instead of floating in the middle with one person sitting perpendicular to the other. as we looked around there was actually no one to be seated and said manager just ran off. Peculiar. My advice, try not to get seated in the back of the restaurant because its cramped and oddly setup.
I definitely want to try many other things on the menu but Im a bit sour on the first experience. For a place that has just opened I think the customer service level really needs to be above and beyond, and after establishing yourself, it should be solid across the board. I don’t need to be pampered like the French Laundry, just treated like a human being. It just felt lacking but that was just some of the staff. Maybe Ill give it a couple of months to see if they’ve streamlined a bit and give it another whirl. Till then, Ill let them iron out the kinks.