Federicos Tapas & Wine Bar

I had never been to a tapas restaurant before and we only came here because Gerry’s Grill was too full. I brought my granddaughter and her brother. We didn’t know what to expect. The décor was very impressive and I soon realize that this is really not a family restaurant. It seemed more like a wine bar with appetizers. We ordered several tapas. The service was very slow. We waited a long time between tapas. What we did order was delicious. I don’t think I will come here again because I don’t drink and prefer my meal to come all at the same time. For couples and people who love wine, this is the place to go.

CLOSED FOR RENOVATIONS
They haven’t updated their website or phone message stating this. There is just a handwritten sign on the door. So we wasted our time driving to the place. Very unprofessional and no planned date for reopening.
We went there once last year and thought it was pretty good. I especially enjoyed the Chicken Mole Tacos, and the prices were very reasonable. But this lack of respect for their customers means we probably won’t be going back.

The restaurant was less than professional. My friend and I called to make reservation for dinner on a Thursday and they confirmed for 5:30pm. Upon our arrival, they said the restaurant was closed due to a private party! We both drove 45 minutes from different locations to get there — and they couldn’t accommodate us — even though they confirmed the reservation only a night prior ! Not one sincere apology from anyone from the restaurant.
Not sure if the food was any good but I don’t think I will make another effort to try it!

OMG this place is such a Diamond!!! Federico and his family and staff make this restaurant beautifully unique!!! Needless to say service is always above and beyond. Federico is always a joy always smiling, it’s contagious! You will want to eat everything on the menu! Read the story on the menu about the place and background!!!
They really create a awsome ambiance. You really feel the vison, creativity and passion behind the restaurant. Its a very cozy place. Really great for date night. Im really happy that I got to know this place!

Was fooled by 4 star Unilocal rating. Honestly, this is probably the worst tapas & wine bar I’ve even been to due to the mediocre food (eg: soggy, flavorless bruchetta) & lack of available wine from their wine list. Never been to a wine bar where they were out of more than just a few wines from their list.
Needless to say, have no motivation to give this place another try.

The four star rating convinced me to come try this place, but nothing at restaurant is going to persuade me to come back.
Ordered the traditional bruschetta, and the tomatoes weren’t fresh. You could tell by the color of the tomatoes and how watery they were.
Next up was the fish, octopus, and shrimp ceviche. It was impressive how the restaurant managed to have old ingredients for all of them. The seafood tasted particularly old, like some kind of leftover cooked shrimp was chopped up for our dish. Again, not fresh tomatoes.
After agreeing with my boyfriend that the two dishes weren’t spectacular, decided to stay away from the seafood on the menu and ordered the chicken mole tacos. I’ve never had mole tacos before, but it was pretty good. I have nothing to compare it to, but I think it was bit too much mole and not enough chicken.
Last up, was the potato gnocchi. Pretty good sauce, but gnocchi was overcooked.
Needless to say, overall incredibly disappointed. Will not be returning.

Pleasantly surprised! Had croquettes, bruschetta, and risotto!
CHICKEN RISOTTO — ⁴⁄₅ — pretty good! Also very nice presentation. A bit pricey for the amount that you get, but that’s tapas for ya
CROQUETTES — ⁴⁄₅ — got half ham and cheese, half chorizo. And they were good! Again, a bit pricey for the amount that you get.
BRUSCHETTA — ³⁄₅ — only because it doesn’t compare to B Street and Vine in San Mateo
OVERALL: Good food, good service, but because it’s tapas, it’s a little pricier than you’d expect. But being in the East Bay, I think it’s nice and convenient being next to the movie theater. Perfect for a nice date out! :)

Full of energy and character!
If you didn’t know, all of the artwork on the walls was done by the owner himself. He even built the fountain on the side!
Came here with a group and the owner definitely entertained the crowd. Fun place, but beware it can get loud.
There’s a bar in the back, so this seems like a nice place to hang out.

Came over after work with some friends for great tapas and hang out time.
We started out with sangria-​I am not a fan. Too sweet. I decided on old fashioned water while I figured out what to order, the menu is plentiful.
We shared a plethora of tapas – all tasty. I had pesto pizza, they were tiny and delicious. Between the gnocchi, bruschetta and ravioli I thought I was going to burst.
I guess this is when I should mention the alligator… or should I? I lived in New Orleans for several years and I know alligator fritters – these were not the best. The ahi made up for it though.
Great management, friendly and inviting atmosphere, and basically good food. The parking is ample and it is a fun place to go with a group of friends. Next time I know I want to try a few things I just could not find room for in my stomach tonight, but again, there’s always another tomorrow :)
Stephani Smiles for Federicos Tapas & Wine Bar ;)

Excellent food! Excellent service! Great wine selection…
A nice place to go to for food and drinks.
Buffalo Sliders ++
Elk Sliders ++

So I went to FredericI’d on Saturday night as part of my fiancées family’s celebration of her titas 60^th bday. First off they were very gracious about the fact that we were takin over a third of their restaurant. The waitress was so good and pleasant. The food when we got it was very good and definitely tasty. It was supposed to be a Venezuelan restaurant but almost all the dishes had an Asian flair to them. Now all the negatives are only because I’m a foodie and a bit of a food snob.
The steak was prepared on a flat grill, so I was amazed when my temp was perfect but it had the «char» skin that made the outside kinda tough. The major theme to this dinner was that the chef needs to learn how to use salt. He knows pepper because he was bringing the spice but no salt. And there was no salt on the table.
As mentioned before we had a large party and we were one of three. This combined with a very small kitchen caused to dishes to come out in a very disjointed and unorganized pace. You had to pay attention to whenever a dish came out so that they didn’t place it in front of the wrong person.
Lastly to call this jug of wine with fruit floating in it sangria is a crime. Table wine with diced apples and one slice of lime do not a sangria make. I watched as the bartender put all the parts together and then served it to us. Sangria must be let to sit at least several hours before serving with preferably a day or so.
Probably won’t return but if my fiancée wanted to then I wouldn’t fight her on it.

Went here for a book club dinner, and they let us use the little back room — and the TV. The food was amazing. We ordered about ten different tapsa, and they were all good. The calamari was a tad chewy, but the sauce was delicious. The pizzas were a good size and yummy. Even my son liked the pesto chicken! The mushroom croquettes were wonderful, and the bruschetta tasted very fresh.
They do not have a full bar, but their sangria was very tasty.
Staff was very considerate and helpful (although I was told they don’t answer their phone). They were great about keeping water carafes on the table.
We got there at 5:00 on a Saturday and the place was empty. By the time we left at 8:00, it was packed. They also have a happy hour — I think Sun-​Thur from 4 – 6. I will definitely be returning.

Cute little place with friendly service and yummy food.
We ordered the chicken mole tacos, fish tacos, gnocchi, pesto ravioli, and traditional bruschetta. The tacos were a good size and really good. The gnocchi was creamy and different. The ravioli was tasty but nothing special. The bruschetta was delicious!
Lots of tapas to choose from and they also have bigger plates. Will need to come back for happy hour!

Great place, fantastic atmosphere and management.
Good location, parking, security.
Definitely a MUST go

I really, really rarely like to write poor reviews, but I’ve never had food so atrocious in quality. I mean, I drive past this place often when I go to Gerry’s (the much better Filipino restaurant two doors down), and my hairstylist recommended it, so I wanted to give it a shot since I was always curious.
I have to give it to them, they do try. The presentation is very aesthetic, but that is about as far as it goes. Since they are known for their tapas dishes, we ordered all tapas items. We had the renowned alligator, bruschetta, ceviche and salsa between the two of us and we both agreed that none of the plates left an impression. My fiancé is pretty easy to please when it comes to food since he is a fast food aficionado, so when he says something is wrong with food, it ain’t right. LOL!
Our waiter (maybe owner) was so busy flirting with some lady customers and taking pictures of them that he didn’t really come by to check up on us. Instead we had to call on some lady to tend to our table while he was chatting it up with the pretty ladies.
Back to the food: the sangria had more ice than sangria. There was maybe a shot of sangria vs. a full cup of ice and no flavors. I’m used to quality sangria with alcohol-​infused fruits and sweet flavors, but all I tasted was water. So sad. Next, is the alligator: more bread than alligator, extremely greasy and not a complementary sauce pairing. The bruschetta: dry, stale bread and not enough toppings. The ceviche: flavorless. The salsa: tastes like something out of a can.
I feel so callous after this review, but hey, this is my free speech delivered. I have to emphasize that I don’t like giving bad reviews, but hot dang, they disappointed me! Sorry… maybe this will be conducive to the business so that they can work on their kinks, AND menu!

My favorite dish, CHICKEN RISOTTO! Must try! Actually please DO TRY lol it is awesome!
Served very warm, topped with a tangy, mustard-​like dressing
The MEXICAN SCALLOPS were covered in a very thick batter, not my favorite. Maybe less batter
The AHI TUNA poke was too salty, my suggestion to the chef, less soy sauce
Crab ravioli, was not homemade, tasted like the frozen kind, very thick pasta, the sauce was yummy though!
Overall if they fix these minor glitches this restaurant is quite delicious

I was in town for business & looking for the FedEx store when I saw this place across the street out of the corner of my eye. I did a quick search on Unilocal,while handling my business, and decided to give it a go.
Man, as I pleasantly surprised! The staff here has customer service dialed in, from my server, «Shaggy», to one of the owners himself, Federico-​The Chef. They both handled the front of the house with complete professionalism, all the while making everyone feel at home.
I opted for the tapas & ordered octopus ceviche which came with 3 small pieces of crostini. This dish was by far my favorite. It was well prepared, fresh and paired amazingly with my La Crema Chardonnay.
Next came the 2 chicken mole tacos with avocado, queso fresco & cilantro. I thought the dark mole sauce would clash with the chardonnay, but it actually worked out quite nice.
Lastly, I had the alligator tempura. This dish was well conceived as it was tempura alligator with black seasame seeds in a peanut sauce with diced mango. Man did my wine go perfectly with the gator. The peanut sauce & mango gave the alligator tempura some nice flavor & the chardonnay cut nicely through the rich sauce to balance out the dish beautifully.
If you’re in town or nearby, don’t stand out front & think twice! Just walk in already…

Was here to celebrate a friend’s birthday back in Jan. Was really looking forward to going to this place, especially when this place was so close to home. When I got here, I was alittle disappointed. The Sangria I ordered was watered down and most of the food was heavy. The ambience was pretty good though. Here’s what we ordered:
Sangri — too watered down.
Crab cake — alittle dry.
Traditional Bruschetta — Bread was cold and powdery.
Stone crab in creamy lobster sauce ravioli — was ok.
Chicken Mole Tacos — didn’t like the sauce too much.
Alligator Tempura — Tastes like chicken. Didn’t like the sauce too much.
Calamari — Wasn’t bad. The aioli and sweet sauce would be best on the side.
Mexican Sea Bass Tempura — Crunchy, but would’ve prefer the sauce on the side.
Ceviche Combo — Alittle too salty, but the shrimp and octopus tastes better than the fish.
Eggplant Tower — eggplant wasn’t cooked thoroughly. Overall tastes too tart for me. It might’ve been the seasonality of the tomato.
Escargo — Alittle too salty for me.

Worst dining experience ever.
The host was too busy gulping down wine in the corner and chatting with the regulars to take my order. The waitress was busy chatting up the patrons at the bar. I only was able to order an appetizer– had to wait a long time to even do that-​neither one of them ever came back to take my main course order. Which is a shame, because the appetizer was good. I’ll give them that. After waiting another ten-​fifteen minutes for someone to take my order, I gave up. I walked up to the host, provided him with my credit card to pay for the appetizer and went back to my seat. Another ten minutes went by, and he nor the waitress came back with my receipt. Why? I walked up to the bar and saw my credit card laying next to a patron. Completely unattended. I asked someone else to swipe my card, then got the heck out of there. Extremely disappointed.

Awesome restaurant and staff! Been here about four times. The place can be hidden between Massage Envy and Gerry’s a Grill that many miss it. The place is small but nicely decorated and clean.
Rico is one of the owners and him or his staff are always willing to tell you about their menu or drinks. I have tried so many things here that I can’t list it all. I have been here during a private party as well. You may try inquiring if they do offer that? My favorite drink there is the white Sangria but others are good, too! It’s pretty strong if you have enough of it. I tried my first Escargot and they got me to really like it as it did not turn out chewy and the sauce was awesome. I had alligator wings and it was good, too! They have happy hour from 4−6p I think but prices are pretty decent anyway.
Will be back for sure and bring others!