Tapas Catala

It’s a small gem among many touristic places which strive for volume of sales over the quality — here at Tapas Catala quality makes you want to come again!
Not fancy, simple place, packed with tables and an open kitchen where Spanish guys are cooking everything on the fly.
I consider sitting at the bar in this place to be of a special taking:) it’s much more interesting and cozy!
Prices are fair. Not cheap but not overpriced either.

Any restaurant near touristy areas always have me a little nervous. But we were showing our friend around the Spui area and indulging our favorites fries and sweet treats when we realized that we really needed to have a real meal. This tapas restaurant delivered!
I still don’t really understand… but I think you can order tapas off the menu or from the variety at the bar. The menu is a little pricey for certain items, but the portion size makes up for it. The food was pretty tasty and we are happy to go back. The service was very good as the girl who was serving the inside was very attentive, although she did get an order wrong, she tried to fix it (but my husband preferred the mistake order anyway!). The man behind the counter was super nice as well. I can’t speak to Spanish authenticity but people seem to really like the food.
My only concern is that when my husband finished his beer, the server didn’t ask if he wanted anything else. Maybe her mind was elsewhere, but she just took the glass without saying anything. A bit strange.
It is a tiny place, so don’t bring luggage here! And I did overhear that they don’t take reservations. So just pop in to see if they have a spot for you.

This small tapas place is a great find. From the outside it looked a bit touristic to me, but going inside changed my mind. It’s a very cosy and very small restaurant with maybe around 8 tables or so.
The tapas are delicious! I went with two friends and we ordered the chicken, mushrooms, octopus and mussels. Although I didn’t have the octopus, I heard from my friends that it was good. The mushrooms and chicken were soo tasty! Their house wine was also pretty good. The mussels were the main attraction on our table, it was a good portion for three people (since we also had the other things) and had a very nice sauce. It was delicious!
I had eaten mussels before (in Normandy, France) but not really with sauce, etc. it was very bland and I really didn’t think it was worth putting up with the rather funky look of the mussels hahahaha so I didn’t like it, but this place made me change my mind! They serve their tapas very «Spanish style» and I really liked it.
You can choose from the menu, or choose at the counter where they have tapas for 4.50 € each. I’m giving the place three stars because they do re-​heat the tapas and it’s not fresh, and I think the outside signs could be a bit more authentic and less touristy. The good quality is ok. But it makes up for it with taste!
I’ll be going back and I actually keep craving their mussels all the time!

A great tapas bar almost like the ones I have been to in Spain. The service was really friendly. The tapas all tasted great. Only the prices are maybe a bit high for people who are looking for cheap food, but the quality of the tapas are definitely worth it. We had a good time and good food there.

Vale, si eres Español y vas a Holanda, no buscas ir a comer a un restaurante de comida típica de tu país… o sí, no lo se.
Yo paré en sitio porque tenía conocidos trabajando allí y lo cierto es que me llevé una grata sorpresa al probar la comida, noté buena mano de obra y productos de calidad. No pensaba comerme unas croquetas de jamón tan ricas tan lejos.
El precio es lo que cabe esperar por tomar algo así fuera, pero bastante asumible: creo recordar que eran unos 4 € por tapa, pero muy bien nutridas, Podrías salir comido con una por persona.
La localización es genial, muy céntrica. Cerca de Plaza Damm, de canales emblemáticos y a un paso de mercado de las flores, etc.
Del servicio solo puedo tener palabras agradables, ya que nos trataron genial y le dan un ambiente muy bueno al sitio por el buen rollo que se nota entre ellos. No creo que fuese el único en apreciarlo, ya que aquello estaba hasta la bola.

Love this little tapasbar. The tapas are very tasty and it’s really a place where I can spend a couple hours just eating small bites, drinking wine and chatting with friends.

We stopped in for a quick bite at Tapas Catala because it was very close to the flat where we were staying while in Amsterdam. The restaurant itself has some character and it’s nice that they have a few small tables outside, but the food we had did not really wow us, especially for the price we paid.
You have 2 options: pick out small tapas plates from the bar at 4.50 € each or order somewhat larger plates of freshly prepared dishes from the menu (most at a much higher price). The tapas plates at the bar looked like they had been sitting out for quite some time and did not look very appetizing, so we opted to order from the menu. We tried the chorizo with bread and the ham croquettes. Both were quite heavy and just not terribly flavorful. The service was fast but they don’t accept credit cards so that is always a bit of an inconvenience. Unfortunately we just weren’t impressed with Tapas Catala.

bof bof… pas très frais ces tapas! en plus, fait chaud là-​dedans et la serveuse n’est pas très sympathique.

Found this place walking down the Spuistraat on a cold winter evening. Tapas Catala was deserted (it was early in the evening) but the staff was very welcoming. The restaurant is pretty small (cosy and ‘gezellig’) but has a good offering of tapas.
I had the pan con tomate which was a HUGE portion of the tomato bread you see in Spain. I also enjoyed a healthy portion of the famed jamon iberico bellota, an unlawful treat in my home country for some reason. The wine was Spanish and reasonably priced if not exceptional. I had a bunch of other tapas from the case — gambas, some machego, etc. Nice.

Restaurant Tip:
You can order Tapas from the menu or go inside and pick your tapas choices from the two small glass cases on the bar.(This selection is different than the menu.)
If this is your first experience with tapas, this is a good way to go as you can see exactly what you are about to get!
These on average are less expensive than the menu at about 4.50E per dish.
They are all excellent and the serving size is very generous… and so were the wine pours the day we were there!
The garlic aioli and farmers bread is a must!
The staff of two did an excellent job rushing around taking care of all the tables.