La Rioja
“For Tapas we tried the Apple Cider Chorizo which was a special, Croquetas De Bacalao, Gambas Al Ajillo and they we're all really good.”
“Here are my food recommendations:
Beef tongue ( a tastier roast beef with depth of flavor)
Blood sausage in the red pepper ( my favorite!”
“Their croquetas de bacalao (cod fish fritters) are so silky on the inside and so crispy on the outside.”
La Rioja
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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I was excited to try this place out since I love Las Ramblas and Alta, and was looking forward to finding a great tapas place closer to home. The sangria is decent, strong enough and a bit on the sweet side. We ordered half a pitcher of the champagne sangria for two people, it came out to about one and a half glasses per person. No complaints there.
I found that the food left something to be desired. It was hard to get the attention of our waiter but once we ordered the food, the dishes came out incredibly fast.
We split:
Dátiles con Bacón (Dates w/Bacon) — Bacon was not crispy, the flavors of the sweet date and the salty bacon were there, but it only made me think of how amazing Alta's bacon wrapped dates are
Croquetas de Bacalao (Cod Croquette) — Creamy, not fishy, I enjoyed these croquettes.
Alcachofas con Jamon (Artichoke hearts w/Serrano Ham) — We were looking forward to these but they were pretty unremarkable. Tasted like canned artichoke hearts with bits of bacony tasting ham on it. Sounds better than it really was, we didn't even want to finish all of them.
Croquetas de Serrano (Serrano Ham Croquettes) — We ordered these after liking the cod croquettes and hearing that they were known for these dishes. It was okay, bits of serrano ham in the croquettes added texture, but by this point I was pretty unimpressed with the fact that they threw this ham in a lot of their dishes. I liked the cod ones better.
Piquillos Rellenos de Morcilla (Sweet Red Pepper Stuffed w/ Blood Sausage) — This was our favorite dish and the most unique of all the tapas we tried. The red peppers were stuffed with what seemed like ground blood sausage, and covered in a very tasty orange sauce that I kept eating with bread after. This dish won nods of approval and "mms" for both of us. I would come back to have more of this.
Pulpo a la Gallega (Boiled Octopus w/Smoked Paprika, Potatoes & Olive Oil) — This sounded great, but I suspect any of the nearby Greek places would have done a better job. The octopus tasted like it was just boiled, and then heavily salted and slathered in unnecessary amounts of olive oil. Another dish I would pass on next time.
Cream and Walnut Ice Cream — We finished with dessert, which came in a terra cotta cup similar to the ones that Cafe Mundo give you. The "cream" part of it was a light-tasting ice cream that was rather icy, and since the dessert comes imported in the cup already, it was clear that the walnuts had been sitting in the ice cream for a while and had gotten soggy.
Overall, this is a very average tapas place. The food is unremarkable with the exception of the red pepper stuffed with blood sausage, and while I am not dying to go back to try other things on the menu, I do think you it's a good option to have a group dinner since it's a laid back restaurant with plenty of space, and the food and sangria are good enough to enjoy a night out. Personally, for my tapas fix, I'm heading to the West Village.
Bacon-wrapped dates = Pretty damn good. I mean… Is it possible to go wrong with bacon-wrapped anything though?
Vegetarian Paella = Yummy yummy in my tummy. Plenty of veggies and the flavor was spot on. Perfect size for sharing.
Grilled Chicken with lemon sauce = OK. Not worth $20+. Sauce looked super unappealing (very barf-esque) but tasted fine.
Service = Not necessarily bad but SUPER slow.
Bottom line = Not sure about the price point for the value. May or may not try again.
5 stars all the way for tapas and sangria! If you are looking for a restaurant in Astoria, this is the perfect place to come!
I split over 5 different tapas and a pitcher with my cousins as we went here for dinner. The shrimp was amazing and mussels were very tasty. Service was also nice.
We were the only customers in the restaurant but we were here late on a Thursday night. More foodies should come and check this place out if you like sharing and small portions. Conveniently located right on broadway, steps from the broadway subway stop.
Great place for tapas in Astoria, located near the Broadway stop on the N/Q. Yelpers, beware of the map on the Yelp app because it is wrong. I believe the location is between 33rd and 34th St.. NOT 46th St.
Between the three of us, we had a pitcher of red sangria and a few tapas. We were pretty full because they also serve you delicious bread.
Boquerones con Aguacate – white anchovies with avocado puree. One of the favorites. For anyone that "doesn't like anchovies", please give this a try! It is so different than any anchovy you will ever try. They are light and flavorful with a hint of citrus flavor. Very good!
Gambas al Ajillo – shrimp in garlic sauce. A must have whenever you get tapas. You get a good portion of shrimp and lots of sauce leftover to dunk the bread in.
Dátiles con Bacón – always a good choice as well. Sweet and savory.
Pincho Sierra y Mar – served on a skewer like a mini kabob. This was ok, not that big of a fan of the chorizo. They were like little vienna sausages
Croquetas de Bacalao, Serrano o Espinaca – we got the codfish croquettes. Good, but can easily be passed. I've had better.
Mejillones al Vapor – Mussels. Great flavor, broth was also great for bread dipping. I just couldn't get enough of that bread!
Pulpo a la Gallega – Octopus Galician style.. imported from Spain. This is served cold and was alright. Not a lot of flavor. Seems like they just toss it in EVOO and sprinkle lots of paprika on top. Octopus was very tender though.
Prices are good and the tapas are delicious. Great little spot for a date or a night out with friends.
Came here one Friday to check this place out. We didn't know that the portions were that big, so we ordered too much. We had a few tapa dishes, soups, paella (seafood with sausage), and a salad. I really like the salad and soup. Unfortunately, we had the paella as the last course and I was really full from all the food before…I have to say that the rice they used for the paella was different…not sure how I feel about it. The soup was super delicious!!! We had great service. Will definitely recommend this place but watch out how much you order!!
La Rioja provides tasty tapas, neighborhood charm, and friendly service to the Astoria masses. Qian and I met up for a Yelp date to sample their wares before I leave Astoria for good! Its like Suanne's farewell tour of Astoria eateries!
This week, the doors were wide open, allowing the warm summer air to waft over the tables in the front. Its better than sidewalk dining! The chalkboard out front pointed out some of the goods for the evening. The restaurant and staff were welcoming and relaxed – its was a great start to the evening.
We ordered:
Salmon ahumado (smoked salmon)
Pulpo a la gallega (boild octopus with potatoes and paprika)
Patatas bravas (crispy potatoes with spicy sauce)
Esparragos a la vinagreta (white asparagus salad)
Solomillo de cerdo al ajo (fried pork cutlets)
My favorites were the octopus and the asparagus. The octopus was exactly what I wanted – tender octopus in olive oil sliced very delicately. The asparagus was refreshing and tender. The potatoes were standard, the smoked salmon as salty and fresh as expected. The pork cutlets were terrible. You couldn't cut through them with the knives they provided you and were terribly dry. The menu is very protien heavy by the way – its not very vegetarian friendly.
The service was friendly without being pushy and they were nice enough to let us sit and chat for a very long time. The decor is bright with splashes of Spanish tchokes – but is otherwise not memorable. It leans more casual.
Value was okay – perhaps I should try one of their main entrees or paella next time. For the most part, this place as A-Okay.
Still stand by my word, this place is wonderful. Service is great and you never feel rushed, very Spaniard. Onto an update of the food:
– croquettes de jamon: not as delicious as I remember them. Good, but I wanted them to come out hotter.
– pork loin with blue cheese sauce: I was a little nervous about this but it was tasty. The blue cheese was not overwhelming like one would assume.
– chorizo and shrimp pinchos: two types of chorizo and shrimp, a nice balance of flavors
– patatas bravas: good but I've had way better in Spain
– guava shells with goat cheese: I craved this before dinner. This didnt disappoint!
Overall, a great dinner. My only reccomendation is that the items came in even numbers. Dont give me three pinchos when theres two people at dinner! I want more!
I thought the food was good here, and they have a pretty interesting menu. Highlights were the grilled squid and the sardines. I also liked the pepper stuffed with blood sausage. Next time I want to get the pig.