Ugh, my experience here reminded me again why I think tapas and tapas restaurants are best left for bar hopping on trips to Spain. First, the restaurant is in Crystal City / Arlington, and sits at the end of a food-court inspired strip-mall of chain restaurants with pointless outdoor seating and faux urban clustering. The area feels more like an industrial park than a neighborhood and the streets were eerie and vacant.
Our group of seven was seated immediately at a large and comfortable table, near other large tables in the HUGE dining room. This, I assumed, was a good indication that Jaleo was prepared to work with largish parties. I was wrong. The food itself was fine, not memorable in any way, just fine. What really made the whole experience a bust was the service. If we had been okay with simply ordering dozens (and dozens) of $8 - $15 ?small plates? and pitcher after pitcher of sangria, we would have been golden. However, not everyone at the table was interested in nibbling ? nor were they all familiar or comfortable with ordering this type of food ? and the wait staff provided zero guidance. Would a shared paella and a tapas be enough food for each person, we asked? They weren?t sure. How many people could sample an individual tapas? Tough question apparently. Can we get water? Hello? Anyone? Several in the group left hungry and very disappointed.
If you find yourself wandering the empty streets of Crystal City and desperately in need of an itsy bitsy, microscopic plate of food, then I?d recommend Jaleo without reservation. If, however, you need a place for a mixed group to visit with food and service handled in a way that ads to the experience, rather than being the primary focus and distraction, then this is NOT the place.
Cons: SERVICE
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