La Bota

I think this place is closed? Tried to go at 7pm on a Wednesday and it was not open

Visited La Bota back in March with some friends and had a great time. The white sangria was on the strong side very, good and refreshing. We shared the Croquetas, Chorizo, Pulpo a la gallega, Paella la bota and Patatas Bravas. Everything was very good, except for the patatas bravas that were a bit too greasy for my taste. The service was attentive and welcoming.
Will definitely visit again.

If you haven’t yet experienced LA BOTA, you are missing an experience! Their attention to detail is spot on, and you will never be disappointed with the outstanding food brought to the table here! Make a visit to La BOTA at the top of your «to do» list for 2015! It is the best restaurant I’ve ever visited for Spanish Fare ever!

I came to this restaurant last year when I was visiting the city and absolutely loved it. However, now that I live in New York, I have attempted to come back to the restaurant ATLEAST 3 times during business hours and they are ALWAYS closed.
Are they out of business? I don’t understand.

This review is based solely on service, because the food is great. BUT– when you say your hours are 5pm-​2am and we make a reservation, you should be open. Because, now you are wasting my time. I went there twice and they were not open. What gives?

This review is not based on the food, because I didn’t even get to eat here. Booked a reservation for 17 on a Saturday night through open table, got a confirmation email. I tried to call a day before to confirm and/​or modify my reservation. Got a message stating business hours and location of the business, so I left a message.
On the night of my reservation, I found out it was closed for the day. I called again, got the same message. They did not indicate they were closed. There is no website and no way to contact them.
I had to scramble to find another restaurant to accommodate a party of 17 in the last minute. How can they run a restaurant like this?

Cute and fun! We came on Thursday and they had a really talented live band! While a bit noisy it definitely added to the atmosphere and overall appeal of the place.
It’s a cozy environment and it was definitely packed while we were there so call ahead if you’re bringing a group.
I recommend a pitcher of the sangria (got to start things off the right way!), the tomate and jamon tostas, the potatoes, and the meats and cheeses.
Overall great experience made even better by our 25% Foodfan Select member discount! I guess we were the first members they saw from SELECT and they were excited so that was pretty cool!
Definitely coming back.

I really liked this place! They are just under new management but I had never been there before so not sure how it changed. Ambiance was nice, cozy, not loud at all. Bathroom was VERY clean.
First of all, was extremely easy to make reservations right from Unilocal.I actually had to change reservations the night before and it was no problem. We got there and they new who we were (group of three). They had Happy Hour all night! Hah! They served really yummy bread for the table. We started off with tapas. We ordered calamari, shrimp in white wine and garlic, fried artichokes, and a cheese platter. I ordered the mango sangria and it was AMAZING! I tried everything except the cheese and it all was delicious. The calamari was not fried, I’m not a fried calamari fan, and was absolutely succulent.
Then we had the seafood, chicken, and chorizo paella. Again AMAZING! We were so full but couldn’t stop eating because it was all so good! Food potions were definitely more than enough for 3 people. For dessert we had the chirps which was yummy with chocolate and raspberry sauces on the side.
Service was great! Very attentive, even when 2 more groups came in.
My companions had at least 2 drinks each (margaritas and scotch) and I had 2 of the mango sangrias. It all came out to under $ 140! What a great deal! Would definitely recommend!

Pretty, quiet, reasonably priced and totally delicious. I think the management might have changed, reading some of these reviews. They were incredibly friendly and attentive. Got the tapas specials — 2 tapas 2 wines or sangria for I think $ 29?
The octopus was great, patatas bravas, shrimp in garlic was fantastic — forget what the other thing was. It’s a nice quiet place to go in the Village with authentic and delicious food and a very nice staff.

I found this place last minute for a reservation of 9 people for 5:30pm on a Saturday night. It was pretty quiet in the restaurant, but I blame that on it being 5:30pm since people started coming in when we were leaving.
Food was excellent. The only concern I had before going was that a lot of Unilocal reviewers were saying that the paella had seafood put on top and not cooked into it. I must say that this is not true for my experience and the paella was really good. The Sangria was light, but if you want the stronger sangria (a recommendation from my waiter) to get the Cava Sangria. The octopus was okay, wasn’t blown away by it, but the fried peppers were my favorite!
I guess they liked us for the dinner, and gave us all a free shot after we finished our meal. Very friendly staff. Would definitely come back!

Another Scout Mob deal! I’d visit this place only if there was a discount but my boyfriend has been here a handful of times and really likes it. But then again, I’m more of a raw fish and seafood kind of gal.
Came here on a Saturday around 8 and was promptly seated. Our server recommend the Empanada of the day which was delicious. I’ve only ever had empanadas homemade by my Argentine friend and the ones at La Bota were just as delicious. However, I’m just an Asian whom loves raw fish and noodles so I may not be the best judge of character. The meat filling was seasoned to perfection and the wrapper/​crust was perfectly crispy. This was clearly the star of the dinner.
Sauteed mushrooms with Iberico ham– No «wow» factor. I must have been dehydrated because the ham was pretty salty; but then again, it’s cured ham so it should be salty. I wished I had some starch to go with it, but the sever forgot to bring us our bread basket.
Pisto Manchego– I love manchego and this could dish could have used more; like the amount you get when you order a French Onion Soup. Again, no «wow» factor
Some sort of chorizo dish– i can’t even remember the name, which makes it a forgettable dish
The staff is friendly and I enjoyed the other patrons around me. The bathrooms were also clean.

Greenwich Avenue has a lot of happening restaurants but this place is not one of them — and was a disappointment on both food quality and service. I didn’t feel like there was any value — I was glad to leave. I have been to other spanish restaurants in the city with far more professional service and better food.
The venue:
This is not an above ground restaurant and is a basement restaurant with one window near the door. It feels like you’re in a basement and is a bit neglected. It has some character and I wanted to like the place, but the food and service (see below) was super disappointing.
The food:
— The appetizers: They were out of the chorizo and artichoke appetizers on the night we were here. So, we tried a $ 16 seafood appetizer. It had no flavor and was soggy. I hate to think that it may have been frozen and microwaved. Ugh.
— The paella entrée: the rice itself was good and it was a large serving but the shrimp were reaaaly tiny and the scallops were about twice the size of a pencil eraser — no joke. The seafood was almost certainly frozen, as I have seen these seafood packages in food stores. Super disappointing. It was a $ 25 entrée.
— The food is iffy and worth no more than 3 stars, because like another Unilocaler noted, it seems like it’s frozen stuff that should be fresh.
The bill:
— Like some other reviewers, I had problems with the waiter arbitrarily filling out the tip. In my case, it was filled in at 22%. We were not a party of four or six, it just us having a meal. That’s really nonsense. So, if you want a waiter with kind of a mohawk haircut that tips himself for you, then go here.
The service:
— You get water when you sit down but you get no bread or even a large plate to eat off of. You get a small appetizer plate to eat off of. The waiter, while smiling and happy, could not care less about your dining experience. He’s on his laptop the whole time. I mean the whole time.
Summary:
— I come to one star because there are too many other restaurants in this price range not to have a better atmosphere, food, OR service. I’m not going back. For about $ 55 per person without wine, I would like good service, good food, a descent venue, and tables with table cloths.

My group of 5 came to La Bota for a birthday dinner. We ended up picking this place because it wasn’t overpriced (compared to other tapas places in NY) and had a nice selection of tapas. We stuck to tapas and tostas, and our entire group having lived in Spain, we thought most tapas were decent with some being quite good. We especially liked the tortilla, the tosta that was essentially pan con tomate (Catalan style), the bacon-​wrapped dates, and the chorizo. The pulpo (octopus) was probably our least favorite. The patatas bravas needed more sauce and the calamar a la plancha were not grilled well. We also got peach sangria, which was delicious but not very strong.
Our waiter was so nice. Someone mentioned it was a birthday dinner and he brought out a flan with a candle without us even asking.
Definitely worth a visit if you want to sample some tapas in a low key environment. (They have a nice back area that’s open and has cute tables.)

I don’t know what to say besides this place is just not good… at all.
I started with their sangria which just… no. It tasted like a slightly alcoholic version of LaCroix, and I’m not exaggerating. The chunks of fruit within tasted pickled or pulverized.
As appetizers we ordered the champinon con jamon and their remolacha (beet salad). The beet salad was… fine. Maybe six 1″ chunks of semi-​ripe beet for $ 8? Just no. The champinon con jamon was SALTY SALTY SALTY like omg I like to add salt to most dishes and this was too much even for me. I’ve spent time in Spain and I know that Spanish jamon is salty… but this is just beyond.
Then my date and I split their «most popular» paella — the paella negra. Again — SALTY SALTY SALTY DISGUSTING EW NASTY SCRAPE THESE LAYERS OF SALT OFF MY TONGUE SALTY. Almost to the point of inedible. The rice was really mushy, except for the rice that stuck to the pan. Proper paella should have crunchy rice, but not an entire layer of rice literally burnt onto the pan. This was the worst paella I’ve ever had.
Just do yourself a favor and skip.

What can I say? Mouthwatering tapas for every palate and diet and delicious sangria — definitely go for the red. The paella is fresh and cooked to perfection.
Adolpho is a friendly and savvy owner who selects the really great playlists himself and the staff is always knowledgeable and personable.
One of my favorite places in the West Village.

A very cute place with some pros and cons.
Bacon-​wrapped dates: delicious.
Grilled blood sausage: good, but dry.
Chorizo in red wine w green peppers: tasty but super tiny.
Grilled calamari: very simple but tasty.
All the food should have been warmer. It was generally tasty, but quite plain… nothing stuck as memorable. I was expecting the small plates to be accompanied by different sauces that would exalt their flavor, but everything was — although tasty — quite ordinary.
Good beer: Alhambra negra.
Welcoming service.

Solid 3.5 stars
I was in the mood for tapas so me and the wife started our night here armed with a scoutmob code and a hearty appetite. After scanning the menu, we settled on:
Croquetas del dia — The croquetas of the day was chorizo. Nice crunch on the outside and creamy on the inside. Only problem was we didn’t taste much chorizo. 3.5÷5
Pimientos Rellendos — Peppers stuffed with blood sausage. Wasn’t the most flavorful of blood sausages but it was still a pretty enjoyable dish. 3.5÷5
Pulpo a la gallega — The octopus was undercooked and therefore slightly chewy yet still tender. Major points for the extremely fresh octopus but I like my octopus grilled. If you like yours boiled you might really enjoy this version. 3.5÷5
Remolacha — Red and yellow beets with brie and orange slices. The flavors worked and were complementary but the beets and orange slices were on the dry side. ³⁄₅
The restaurant is nicely decorated, inviting and comfortable but I probably wouldn’t return if I had another craving for tapas as there are better options out there.

Oh. Dear lord. All of this. ALL OF THIS.
And to think, for a split second, Lori L. almost convinced me to cancel our reservation to go here and eat at Yerba Buena instead. Don’t get me wrong: there will be time for Yerba Buena in the future, but I am glad we forged that extra block through the biting cold wind to settle into the brick-​incased nook that is La Bota.
When I say «brick-​incased nook», boy, do I mean it! Slightly below street level, it’s as if this space was chiseled out perfectly just for this establishment. The rusty reds of the brick radiated visual heat, and I just felt so dern cozy.
Posted up at a high table, we perused the menu, picking out four tapas to share. Sippin’ on a Tinto de Verano, we made our choices…
It is a law. If you go out for tapas, one must order Patatas Bravas. These were some of the best I’ve ever had. EVER. The potatoes were perfectly cooked, so they had that nice soft inside surrounded by the crunchy and perfectly oiled outside, drizzled with various spiced aiolis.
Tortilla Espanola: Ever watch «Destinos» in your middle school or high school class? Whenever I see Tortilla Espanola on a menu, I always think of that show. «What are they talking about? That’s not a tortilla. Tortillas are flat pieces of bread!» OH. I was wrong. (Score 1 for «Destinos», Allison, 0…) This Tortilla Espanola was delicious, a perfect blend of potatoes, onions, and egg, served with a side of seasoned aioli. They went relatively heavier on the potatoes, which I personally prefer.
Pisto Manchego: a small bowl of stewed onions, green peppers, red peppers, zucchini, and tomatoes, with some manchego cheese melted on the top. Served with bread, it actually works better NOT on the bread, I found. I had much more success eating my share with my fork rather than trying to awkwardly balance chunks of zucchini on my bread. Regardless, this is about taste. It’s phenominal. It was a nice dose of «summer» with those vegetables on a cold February night.
Tostas Berenjena Tomate Y Queso Fundido: Take some toast. Smear some tomato on it. Put some grilled eggplant on it. Melt some cheese on top of it. Eat it. Die happy.
Flan de Naranjas: Of course, the fifth part of our meal would be dessert. An orange-​infused perfectly creamy piece of flan, swimming in its own sweet juices? GET IT.
…and there you go.
This ranks as one of my top tapas places in the city. It’s official. Let it be known!

Saturday afternoon and it was time for tapas! I had piquillo peppers stuffed with blood sausage, an assortment of cheeses and dried meats, and clams in white wine broth. You will need the bread for the creamy cheeses salty meats, and a phenomenal white wine broth.
Happy Hour until 8pm and two glasses of wine later with a full belly of yummy tapas, I was walking out happy. Very happy.

Cute place. Dark and woody, cozy. Server and bartender were very nice and helpful. It’s just too bad the tapas were a bit disappointing.
Bacon wrapped dates: there’s no almonds or some kind of cheese in theirs, so the dates alone made the lil morsels a bit too sweet and sticky.
Cauliflower fried with flour and egg: there was too much batter and not enough salt. A bit on the bland side and too soft for something deep fried.
Garlic shrimp: again, needed more salt and shrimp was overcooked. Presentation was great as the shrimp comes out sizzling. Unfortunately, shrimps cook fast.
House wine was very good and reasonably priced.
I’m tempted to return for a 2^nd chance and to try their other stuff (i see Spanish tortilla on the menu!). We’ll see.