Picasso’s Tapas Restaurant

Awesome service! Our server was super friendly and the food was pretty good. We had a lot of different flavors that all blended really well together. Our favorite was the spicy shrimp. We couldn’t get enough of the sauces! Needless to say we left with all our plates cleared and a full belly.

Little attention to to delicious foods. Service is adequate but taste of food is lacking.

I been here with lady and ordered Tapas… I loved the restaurant, the owner was really a cool guy and humble. He cooked everything, I didn’t know that till he came and checked in on us at the end. The food is great, the owner is great as well. He even offered us free car parking, we really appreciate everything… They deserve nothing but the best, thank you for your hospitality!!!

Food is very good, definitely going again.
Service is excellent, we left the restaurant completely stuffed and satisfied.
My only complaint would be its a bit expensive. Would still go again.

Thanks to my other mother me and mom got an opportunity to visit this place because she gifted us a Groupon.
We ordered the Bomba… mashed potato ball filled with ground beef. It was good, apart from the fact that it arrived refigorated cold, however the 2^nd one was brought out hot with the days on the side. Although I did not like the gravy (my mother did) I enjoyed the Bomba. We ordered traditional paella… side note, if you are in a hurry don’t get this, it take 30 minutes. Mom said it needed a bit more saffron in order for the dish to be more authentic. To me it was edible… but when your hungry a lot of things can be edible. It was greasy and the sea food was over cooked. However mom said it was moist. Would I come back? I don’t know. Am I WOWed with this place, No… Maybe if I’m gifted another Groupon I’ll come back.
I will add that the owner/​server was Pleasant mom said delightful. Lol apart from the fact that she said the music was more salsa and not Spaniard music. A bit pricey… be ready to shell out a few bucks. Lol three other tables have come in since we have been here… try it you may like it more then me. The best part of this meal was that my mommy was with me and we got to spend some quality time together!

This place is truly amazing! A perfect place to have a girl’s night with a beautiful glass of Sangria, a steaming hot plate of fresh Paella and yummy tapas. It’s a fun family-​owned restaurant and the owner was all around a funny guy to talk to full of lots of character. My group ordered Calamari tapas and the Bomba tapa (I think that’s what it was called…).
The ambiance on a Saturday evening was great with the music and bright colors within the restaurant. It is a tad pricey, so be prepared to spend at the very least about $ 25 – 30 per person if not more depending on how Sangria and tapas-​happy you might get. Crazy to think I’ve passed by this place for the past few years and am just NOW trying it for the first time! Definitely recommend for a different authentic foodie experience. :)

I love authentic Spanish food from Spain so anytime I can find a Spanish restaurant is a must try for me. While I will confess I have had better Spanish food at other restaurants this place was not bad. I really enjoyed the croquettes most. They were like my grandma used to make and it brought back alot of good memories. The service was great too. The patatas bravas were not great but that’s ok. I definitely want to come back and try the paella next time because anywhere you can get a good paella is awesome in my book. I plan to update my review once I try it.

Great tapas. I loved the quiche, calamari frito, and salmon salad. The sangria was also very good, we got a second round. We are coming back anytime we are in downtown San Jose.

Family owned and operated. Father-​Son duo on the floor and both were pleasant, kind and attentive. There was quite the wait but hey, if the food is good, the wait is worth it.
We had 3 adults and 3 kids. Fortunately for me, my nieces and nephews have a pretty awesome pallet at such a young age to appreciate «different» foods.
We ordered the New Fried Potatoes with Aioli sauce, Escargot (we ordered a 3^rd one because the kids love it so much,) Paella, Shrimp in a garlic habanero sauce and scallops with what seems to be orza.
Only two people drank alcohol and they got a LARGE sangria. Probably a little toooo much but they seemed to have enjoyed it.
Paella could’ve used more saffron to my liking but otherwise, the meal was good. The 5 year old spend a good hour drawing on the table (paper in place of clothe.) We will be back!

Got the Groupon dinner for four with two portions of paella negra (squid ink), sangria, and two shared desserts. We called ahead so the paella was ready when we arrived. We additionally ordered patatas bravas and the stuffed peppers. Both weren’t super impressive. The patatas were quite dry and the aioli was too acidic. The squid ink paella is fantastic. The fine print of our groupon said we would get two desserts despite the title so we had a minor disagreement on whether it was valid but eventually they gave it to us. I would come back for the paella but it’s extremely pricey.

Came here for dinner on Monday because I bought the Groupon for it. There was nobody in the restaurant. Because we want to eat paella, we had to order 2 of that for $ 20+ per person, which I think is kinda expensive because my husband & I could’ve finished it right away. It takes 30min to cook so make sure to order it right away then decide on other items. We ordered the black paella «negra» which was really good and unlike your usual paella. The aoli sauce on top definitely is a nice touch. We also ordered patata bravas which is your regular country fried potatoes but with some special Bravas sauce which is delicious. Probably won’t pay $ 9 for it thou. Don’t think the food worth their regular price. Wish they’re cheaper then I’ll definitely be back

Came here for dinner tonight and genuinely enjoyed the entire dining experience.
We tried multiple tapas that ranged from calamari to steak to mushrooms and enjoyed them all.
The Paella Negra was downright fantastic. I plan to eat my leftovers for breakfast tomorrow, so yeah it’s tasty.
What really made this place standout for me was our waiter Edwin. He was such a friendly guy, with a good sense of humor, and he hooked us up with our calamari and a shooter of sweet wine to wrap up our time there.
I plan to come back again, hands down!

I was here on a Thursday night having dinner and some wine. First of. the owner and wait staff here is on point. Super nice and friendly.
I accidentally ordered the chicken Spanish soup instead of the seafood soup. I told the waitress that my order was wrong but then I realize that it was my mistake. It was me who ordered the wrong item but they are so nice about it. They even gave me a free Caramel Flan… which is also spectacular.
Love this place and would definitely done here again.

Had a Groupon. So I think as soon as you say that you kinda get shund. Ordered Sea food Pallea (sp?). First of all 4 shrimp max. kinda salty, oily and expensive!!!
No bread, crackers with 10.00 salad. Sangria was good though!
Sorry, I will not be going back…

My friends have spoken highly about this place and I was expecting a fantastic dining experience, but was very disappointed. Overall, Picasso’s is definitely on the pricey side — their tapas average ~$ 10 for tiny portions. Their paella is priced at about $ 42 to feed 3 people. The owner provided excellent customer service, can’t say much about his other waitstaff.
My 2 friends and I ordered:
Paella — Chef Favorite: **We were advised that it takes about 30−40minutes for the paella to come out. Our party waited over an hour for it and decided to cancel it. The waitress seemed irritated with us on our decision to cancel, but the owner was really nice about it and apologized. He explained the paella was cooking under a low heat the entire time, hence wasn’t ready within that 30−40min window mentioned.
Ensalada de Salmon: Never got to try it, they forgot to bring it out.
Croquetas: 4 pieces. Fried, delicious goodness. The aioli was very tasty.
Meatballs: Moist and light. The sauce had a lot flavor.
Sauteed Shrimps: Shrimp was cooked well, but was drenched in tons of oil.
Sauteed Scallops: Overcooked, on the rubbery side.
Carafe of Red Sangria: Got about ~4−5 wine glasses out of it. There was nothing special about their sangria, but it was definitely refreshing and complemented our food.

Disclaimer: I am not a huge fan of tapas, so take this review with a grain of salt. My friends had been to Picasso’s in the past, so we came here for a girl’s dinner on Sunday night. There was no wait when we got there around 6:30pm, and the restaurant was about a quarter full at the time. They have a pretty extensive menu, so it took us a while to finally place our order:
–Patatas Bravas (Fried Potatoes) & Tortilla Espanola (Traditional Spanish Potato & Onion Omelet) [
: The patatas were good, and I liked the aioli it was served with. The tortilla espanola was also good, and I liked the hint of sweetness it had. I would recommend both dishes.
–Calamari Frito (Deep Fried Rings of Squid Served w/​Housemade Aioli,
): Ok, but it was on the greasy side. The calamari also was a bit chewy or something, not sure exactly how to describe the texture.
–Bacon Wrapped Dates & Vieras al Ajillo (Sauteed Scallops w/​Olive Oil, Garlic, Parsley, Spanish Dry Sherry) [
: The bacon wrapped dates were good, as were the sauteed scallops, just that they were on the pricey side from what I remember.
–Oxtail Stew (
): Eh, just so so. The oxtail was salty, and I didn’t like the sauce it was in– skip.
–Coconut Caramel Flan (
): Ok, but the flan was very dense. I wish we had just ordered the plain flan.
Service was ok, but we ended up not really enjoying the dishes that were highly recommended by our server, so make your own dish decisions here is the moral of the story. The food here isn’t bad, but just a smidgen on the pricey side for the ambiance and portions. Parking can be difficult since this is downtown San Jose, but street parking is available.

PICASSO’S TAPAS
Nice hole-​in-​the wall restaurant in downtown San Jose, where Spanish tapas are served. There is a lot to choose from! Choose
1) Vieras al Ajillo: sauteed scallops with olive oil, garlic, parsley, and Spanish dry sherry
2) Morcilla de cebolla: traditional blood sausage, also known as black pudding
3) Lengua en Salsa: beef tongue simmered in a flavorful tomato broth with fresh veggies, capers, and raisons.
4) Patatas Bravas: fried potatoes served with spicy «Brava» sauce.

Having heard about Picasso’s great following years ago, it piqued my interest when a Groupon popped up. So my husband and I made it a date night. Parking downtown in San Jose is always a bit of a challenge, so we expected that first hurdle to be the greater obstacle than to getting a good seat in the house.
Upon arriving, we were kindly greeted by the staff both hostess and waitress. The atmosphere was relaxed and the Latin tunes and candle lit décor made things both non-​intimidating and festive. We were quickly seated and provided with a choice of sparkling water or tap. Pellegrino was a nice choice to clear our palates between tapas plates as we would soon realize.
Let the eating begin! First we sampled one of the day’s specials, Salpicon (Ceviche with baby octopus, shrimp, with red bell peppers), which was basically a tapas appetizer of sorts. The presentation was nice, the flavor was good, and the lemon and salt was balanced — not overpowering… a decent dish.
As a lover of all things red peppers, I had to try the Pimientos de Piquillo (Red peppers stuffed with seafood with a reduced wine lobster sauce). The pureed seafood and delicately roasted pepper skins made for a succulent dish all around. Even my husband who isn’t a big fan of bell peppers had compliments on the dish. The sauce was to die for indeed (as other Unilocal reviewers have said)! It was fun to hear that a certain VIP of the establishment had once eaten that dish almost daily as one of his own favorites! I definitely have to agree that this was one of our best dishes of the evening.
Another choice Vireos al Ajillo (finely sautéed scallops) ranked as a delicacy of the night which we savored at a pricey 3 pieces for $ 16. Lastly, my husband decided on the Champinones Salteados con gambas a la Catalana (Savory sautéed mushroom with shrimp). This dish was served in a deep bowl with generous portions of American mushrooms. The level of spice and salt would go well with a glass of wine for balance. In itself, it may be slightly overpowering. The flavor was robust and likely would be enjoyed by many.
To our surprise, the service included a pleasant chat with the owner who turned out to be that VIP! He kindly offered us a few complimentary shots of flavored tequila for our nightcap! Overall, we had a fantastic evening at Picasso’s!

It sounded too nice to be good… real Spanish tapas in this blah San Jose downtown… we needed to try! A friend came all the way from LA to vote in the mock-​up consultation to decide the independence of Catalonia. Curiously, the autonomous government has some business creation offices in SJ, so we could go and check the ambiance there (my friend ‘voted’). After the historic moment he wanted to eat some Spanish food (the country he wants to be separated from:). I don’t know why we choose this place, but it was just bad quality food that does not taste like authentic Spanish not even from far.
The good:
–The German server was awesome, she was very friendly, talkative, the joy of the party.
–The place is pretty colored, nice looking small restaurant.
The bad:
–The croquetas did not even have bechamel and they did not taste chicken or jamon at all, they taste like falafel! Really, like falafel! Even the texture was falafelish.
–The jamon and queso was just blah (the cheese was ok, but too thin, the cut of the ham was too think and not the best).
–The anchovies in vinegar tasted good but too small for a tapa, that was the only thing I liked in there.
–The calamari a la sevillana were just horrible: gummy, super garlicky, unedible.
–The tostadas bread was subpar.
I complained about how bad the calamari were and we got a free flan as dessert… that was good but was not Spanish at all, it was something different, good by not real thing.
I will not go back. Spanish cuisine is not tons of garlic and cilantro galore, sorry.

P A E L L A!!! That’s it!!! Both the black one (squid ink) and the regular with seafood are pretty good portion, moist and delish!!!
We also had some tapas but the paella were the winners for me. Sangria was tasty without feeling too strong.
Owner is from Venezuela and very welcoming.
Since the tapa portions are to share, it can get a but pricey but a good experience. There were some dishes I’ve never seen, not even in Spain!
Restaurant is not too big but it has cute Picasso art on the walls. Check it out!!!