Taberna del Alabardero

Edit: This place is now closed.
4.5.
My husband and I came here for our anniversary dinner. We had a Travelzoo coupon that provided the two of us with 8 tapas (selected from a special Travelzoo menu) and a pitcher of sangria.
My husband, who talks about his experiences and food in Madrid ALL THE TIME, thought the restaurant did a very good job with the food, and wants to bring his trip to Madrid buddies here the next time they are in Seattle.
The service (on a Saturday night) was attentive and efficient. The food was great, with a good variety of items on the travelzoo menu. We’d gone to happy hour a few hours prior (drinks and some sushi), and even after that time and a walk, we couldn’t male it through all the tapas or the pitcher of sangria.
We’ll be back to try the regular menu!

I came with some friends for Seattle Restaurant Week and was pretty disappointed.
For my entrée, I ordered the fried eggs over fries, Atun a la Bilbaina Tuna in a Garlic and Parsley Sauce Over a Stewed White Beans and Celery with a Roasted Pepper Salad and the Flan Casero Homemade Flan with Berry Mousse.
I seemed to have done a better job than everyone else of selecting food. The eggs were cool and the tuna ok. A little less flavorful than I would have expected. The flan was disappointing. I was hoping it would be individually sized but it was a blah slice with some blah sauce on top. Mousse is an over exaggeration.
Unfortunately, I won’t be returning as there are many Spanish restaurants I want to try in Seattle (Olivar, Harvest Vine) and this one simply, missed the boat.
EDIT: I should clarify that this review is in reference to last year’s restaurant week. I was told they have a new chef, but I haven’t been since.

Not the place for a group dinner!
My wife and I threw a suprise dinner here for my cousin (having never been here before) and sadly regret that decision.
The positivies:
The interior is very nice — soft earthy tones calm lighting. They also have a large windo into the kitchen that allows guests to literally watch their food being prepared. We ordered the Shrimp/​squid and asparagus Paella which was tasty.
The Bad:
The food was very pricey! The Paella is a minimum of $ 24 per person and you must order for at least two. Now… $ 24 dollars is not a ridiculous price if you think about the preparation of paella — however their servings were almost child portions! My wife and I maybe had 1-​cup of paella, two shrips each, two pieces of calamari and 3 pieces of asparagus. Others in my party ordered the bacon-​wrapped pork loin and I am generous when I say it was a 3oz. piece of pork… Now, I’m not saying we all need to be served a gluttonous amount of food — but at least something more than snack sized portions at upscale prices!
Our server was very polite and patient with our large and sometimes loud group (we had 14-​guests) however he when we tried to socially joke with him, he gave us awkward stares. As if jokes and laughter was shunned at this restaurant! It was a birthday party and we tried to bring a «light and happy» mood into the restaurant but I think this establishment is more of a quiet, hush-​hush type of place.
I won’t say I’ll never come back… but I definitely would not reccomment this place for a group and or anyone looking for any value in what they pay for.

Wow. I just looked up Taberna del Alabardero on Unilocal to reviews to a former boss who loves tapas and Seattle because my experience here in October 2010 was phenomenal. I had to write to counter the «blah» reviews by a few other posters.
First, Juan Jose del Valle, manager and our server that night, was a peach! He was funny, efficient, generous, and knew his stuff! I made a mistake about what I thought I had ordered and he made a mistake about something else I had ordered, and with aplomb he made everything all right. My friends shared the paella and they raved about it! The bread was exquisite as well. The strangest, funnest part was the olive oil ice cream and basil cake with sweet tomato compote — totally bizarre to have vegetables for dessert but it was oddly delicate and delicious. Also, Juan comped us another dessert for the little mix up earlier — a gorgeous caramelized creation/​coffee ice cream that was spectacular.
When I go back to Seattle, I will also be going back to Taberna del Alabardero. I felt the prices were reasonable, the food amazing, and the atmosphere charming & lovely.
And, thanks Juan!

Rating su

Well cut fancy tapas and juicy Spanish drinks are rule here!
The expansive space and openness won’t ever make you feel crammed, even at the smallest of tables. Best seating are the ones either outside or near the windows.
The food is stellarly delish! Trus’me. Huevos Rotos dish was hearty with crispy fries and eggs mixed, along with the tender perfection of fried calamari. The stuffed roasted red peppers with shrimp and cheese were by far my favorite to the night.
Be sure to get a Sangria, no kidding it is fresh! Red wine and fresh fruit — this could be my dessert.
Oh, and hey they even have a separate vegetarian menu!!! Not there was much different between then anyway.
Waitstaff are all this awesome and attentive! All I can say is I have never been or yet experienced such fantastic-​authentic tapas than Taberna!

I was really excited to try Spanish food at this restaurant for Seattle Restaurant Week. But I hate to say that I was kind of disappointed… maybe I chose the wrong main course?
For the appetizer, I ordered the fried eggs over fries and that was reallyyyy good! I hadn’t had anything like that before and I really liked it. It seemed pretty unique and authentic to me.
The main course I had was the pork loin and since I am not a fan of blue cheese, I was not able to enjoy it as much as I hoped I could. I finished it all but only because I didn’t want to waste food and be hungry again later. The meat itself was great but the taste was way too overwhelming.
Dessert was delicious, I ordered the fried custard with a coca cola caramel drip… kind of wish I had gotten the flan because I had a bite of my friend’s and I was immediately jealous. I should’ve listened to the waiter, he also recommended the flan. Sigh. Oh well.
The restaurant was really beautiful inside and there’s outdoor seating as well which was really good because it was a nice and sunny day when we went… the servers all seemed to be Spanish too so that was pretty cool but I was just disappointed in the main course. Maybe I should’ve tried the paella…

Que rica comida!
Cascadia was previously home to this gorgeous location which is now occupied by a traditional, classy, and wildly authentic Spanish restaurant. AWESOME!
So get this — when I say authentic, I mean it. The owners, the staff, EVERYONE at Taberna del Alabardero is from Spain. How cool is that? The restaurant has other locations in Spain as well as in DC. How lucky are we in Seattle to have their newest location?
So far I’ve only tried the appetizers and the sangria. Super tasty stuff, folks! I’m definitely going to have to go back for some paella. The service was impeccable, the scenery romantic, and the food was to die for. The best jamon Iberico I’ve had since I was in Madrid!

Hmm, I think I missed something. I was expecting grand things here and maybe my expectations were too high?
I came here early with a friend and while there were plenty of people in the lounge area, we were the only people sitting in the dining room. The staff was with us quickly and we received a free nibble, which was some sort of potato and egg mixture that was great! We ordered our pitcher of sangria and quickly decided on the stuffed pepper appetizer and a paella.
The peppers and the sangria were both tasty but we were anxiously awaiting the paella. I think we were stuttering because we were only focused on the paella.
It was served with a flourish and divied up amongst us. We dug in and found it… just okay. I guess we were thinking there would be a bit more seafood and less of everything else? I’m not sure but I could tell she was thinking the same as I, okay and maybe even a little disappointing?
One of my buddies had raved about it before but my friend and I we were both thinking, maybe we should have just done tapas and a pitcher?