Cafe Sevilla of San Diego

This restaurant had many great choices. We came in early for dinner and pleasantly found a happy hour lots of great drinks mocktails and reasonably priced tapas options. We were able to watch the World Cup on TV and learned that they had flamingo dancing later in the evening. Beautiful restaurant, walking distance from the convention center, conveniently located in the gaslamp district of San Diego.

Overall pretty good! Dined last night, had 4 tapas. Ensalada mallorca- very good, refreshing. Papas bravas- a little spicy, but delicious and big helping! Gambas Al ajillo- good, not that many shrimp but tasty and very garlicy- would have been great with a piece of toasted bread like they do in Spain. Lamb sliders- excellent! Service was very slow at first- our waiter disappeared and another one ended up taking our order. They had live music which was nice, but way too loud. We moved our table to back of the restaurant because we couldn't hear each other talking and we were right in front of the speaker. Was a fun dinner and a fun reminder of our trip to Sevilla/Spain last year!

Back in the early 2000s, my best friend and I used to party and dance all night long downstairs in the club area. Now, we can appreciate the calmer vibe upstairs in the restaurant, where we could sit back, order food, and enjoy watching the band play and people dance all while relaxing, eating, drinking, and enjoying the show. We were lucky enough to get front-row seating, and thankfully we arrived in time to order because the kitchen closes at 10. Our server was great and very attentive. The band played an amazing mix of salsa and bachata music, and the lead singer not only had an incredible voice, but he was also easy on the eyes. 😅 My only complaint was the small dance floor area. It felt too narrow, and people kept bumping into our chairs and table. Either the tables were placed too close together, or there just wasn’t enough room for everyone dancing. Other than that, we had a wonderful time!

Missable spot for vegetarians. Tried the papas bravas which were NOT like the patatas bravas of Spain! This one had onions, peppers and a huge amount of aoili. Didn’t taste horrible but it’s just saucy potatoes unlike real patatas bravas. The vegetables skewers again come drenched in aioli and don’t taste well by themselves. The biggest disappointment is mushroom and garlic paella. The mushrooms are cooked in some tomato sauce and it seemed they were added on top of the rice that were cooked separately! It wasn’t much of a paella. The sangria wasnt tasty either. All in all won’t be coming back.

Best Paella Ever! This place is incredible! Here’s why I give it 5 stars: • Mind-blowing Paella: I ordered the "Single" size, but it was huge enough for 3–4 people! Loaded with seafood and perfectly crispy at the bottom. It was so delicious it gave me goosebumps—the best I’ve ever had. • Insane Value: The Happy Hour tapas were mountain-sized and far exceeded my expectations for the price. We were stuffed! • Perfect Vibes: The Spanish-style interior with red glowing lamps is beautiful, and the service is top-notch. Highly recommended for both the food and the atmosphere!