Tinto

Spain is such an amazing country and it is unbelievable that LA has such a small representation of the gastro-greatness of the country. This is a Spanish family so they get the feeling right. The food doesn't even have to be good because you feel good in there. But the food is good - A solid B to B+. Gambas and Jamon - I love that stuff! The Paella is one of the better to be found in LA. White sangria on a warm day, red sangria on a cold night. My only complaint is that they have both a Barcelona and Real Madrid jersey hanging in the bar and no true fan of either team would allow that. more

Being from Spain (Barcelona) I was very wary of the type of authenticity and quality I would find in LA. Apart from the fact that South American food here is considered Spanish, I wasn't expecting to find the following: A funky, contemporary, classy authentic style restaurant, run by a real Spanish family, who are adorable btw. Everything I tried food-wise was outstanding, not only for LA standards (we always tend to accept a lesser quality because we are not in the actual country) but for Spanish standards too. It is always packed, so make sure you have a reservation. The ambience is fun and buzzing as to be expected in a Spanish restaurant. I LOVE IT and I am so happy to have some true Spanish cuisine so far from home! If it wasn't for the sound of American customers, you could be fooled into thinking you were in Madrid! Olé to Tinto's Restaurant! Sois una maravilla!! Pros: Awesome Décor, Amazing Food, Friendly Staff... Got it all! more

We live in the neighborhood and have tried to visit this restaurant when it first opened.......they were having a private party and we could not get in.......they were not polite about it. We have just now decided to give it another try.....Friday night........we were asked if we had reservations......by the stuck up woman that had an attitude..(believe it or not...THE OWNERS DAUGHTER!!) .we did not and were told we could eat at the bar or at a small table (very undesirable)......I wanted to leave........We go out to restaurants and spend money at least twice a week......and really did not like the way we were treated.....BE AWARE IF A RESTAURANT HAS MANY GOOD REVIEWS AND IT SEEMS LIKE THEY ARE REALLY TRYING TO TELL YOU 'HOW GOOD IT IS' ....IT PROBABLY IS NOT!.....\r on another note....the wait staff seemed to understand how we felt (they saw how it was handled) and the service was very nice, ......the food was also okay....So if you can stand the rudeness........go for it! more

I am from Spain and I have been living in LA for three years. As you can imaging, any of us are looking for home made food which remind us our country, our culture, our family and friends...\r \r After trying a lot of Spanish restaurants and being so disappointed because they are sooo expensive for the amount of food they serve and so different from what Spaniards use to eat, I was desperate for the real Spanish food for almost two years!! \r \r So well...I have been looking for the real deal!! the authentic Spanish food for a reasonable price. What was my surprise when I found a year ago Tinto Tapas!!!! Guys, this is for real!!! The atmosphere of the place is marvelous, the people working in there are amazing and the food!! uumm uumm umm DELICIOUS!!! \r \r I invite you to try my favorite tapas: ""Datiles Rellenos de Queso de Cabrales con Bacon"", ""Albondigas a la Espa?ola"" like the ones our grandma used to make for us!!, ""Croquetas de Jamon"" and of course the ""pulpo""!!! ( Thank you Alex for always keep me in mind!!). Those are the ones that keep me going to Tinto :D ( I have to be honest!!) \r \r But nooow!!! The chef has changed!!! and the PAELLA!!! uuuuf what to say about the new way the paella is made... it even has socarrat!!! (Valencianos sorry for my spelling!!) Thanks Mercedes to have those recipes and share them with us!!! My friends and I really appreciate your commitment!!\r \r Moreover, I truly recommend Tinto for any occasion!!! The restaurant is a traditional place in where you can have business dinners, parties, thank of their amazing catering, friendly meals or just a romantic dinner. Oh!! And don?t forget the bar!! With Alex!!! You should go and meet him!! LOL\r \r Go and have fun in Tinto!! You will thank me!!! They ALWAYS have a big smile :) Now that I live in NYC I miss your yummy food and your great service!! you should open one in here!!\r \r Pros: Amazing ambience, great service, delicious food, outstanding music, easy street parking plus valet parking Cons: I couldn't find one yet more

I live around the corner from this place and went for the first time tonight, and it was great! I had been warned that it's a little pricey, so I checked out their happy hour. My boyfriend and I ordered a total of six tapas ($5 each at the bar during happy hour), and it was more than enough. The real standout is the bacon-wrapped cheese-stuffed dates. The complimentary bread is really good -- soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside. The sangria was awesome, and my boyfriend raved about his mojito. The atmosphere is great -- exposed brick and comfy leather chairs (even at the bar). It's sophisticated, but also relaxed. Everyone who worked there was really friendly, and the service was exceptional. The drinks are reasonably priced, but the regular (non-happy hour) food menu is kind of expensive. I definitely plan on hitting up the happy hour again, but for other times I think it will have to be more of a special occasion place. Pros: Happy Hour, Great Service Cons: Expensive Entrees more

In Tinto restaurant you can feel Spanish taste: really excellent food and service. It is worth to go there an relax yourself. Best tapas in town!\r Congratulations.\r Chuli more

My wife is from Spain. We both try to travel to spain as much as possible and when we're not and in need of authentic Spanish food and atmosphere we go to Tinto's. We always feel transported... The food is wonderful and the service top notch. So save your self the cost a plane ticket and just drive down to Tinto's...it's a great night out!!! Pros: Atmosphere & Food! more

As a Spanish native living in L.A I am really happy to know that finally there is an authentic Spanish restaurant in L.A. This is a restaurant that combines great traditional recipes with innovative and delicious dishes. We chose Tinto to celebrate an anniversary and we had the most exquisite dinner there. All the staff at ""Tinto"" really made an effort to make our date a perfect one. I can highly recommend it and I do think it is the best Spanish restaurant in L.A.\r Pros: Quality of food Cons: Doesn't open for lunch more

Tinto is One of the Best Spots in L.A.! You can not help but be brisked away in this incredibly unique setting. I drove a long way to just to 'check it out' and it was so worth it! I will come here again and again because of the mouth watering dishes & the warmest & friendliest service around. Tinto's is a Gem! Pros: Atmosphere, Food, Wine, People Cons: I wish i lived closer to it! more

I am from Spain and I ended up in Tinto during a visit to LA, and I need to say I was really impressed by the experience. Tinto is better than many upscale restaurants in Spain. The atmosphere is really cozy and romantic, the staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and the food is gorgeous. The wine list is very comprehensive (although I think they only have Spanish wines), and they really have fine examples from the best wine regions of Spain (I also tried the sangria). The price list is absolutely reasonable. You can eat on little tapas and taste different dishes while you enjoy a warm and comfortable Spanish atmosphere. When I was suggested to dine at Tinto I thought to myself it would be just another tourist-oriented fake Spanish restaurant serving Mexican tacos mixed with cold croquetas, but my perception changed radically as soon as I stepped into the restaurant, and at the end of the evening I could really say that Tinto went beyond my expectations about what an upscale Spanish restaurant should be like. I would absolutely recommend Tinto to anyone looking for an authentic, high-quality Spanish culinary experience. more

Really enjoyed sitting at the bar and having dinner and drinks, and on Friday night no less. Around 8pm my girl and I walked in and found we could sit anywhere we wanted. We opted for the bar. I love that. Tinto has a really great relaxed atmosphere where people can actually sit and talk and drink and laugh and eat. Although the food wasn't 5 star quality, it was good, but really, its tapas, not Bastide. Drinks were great, and hey, who doesn't love to drink Spanish beer with Spanish food. I will be back again. \r Pros: The Serrano ham, mushrooms more

I read through the reviews and was surprised by how uneven they were. I've only been there once, so I don't know if the food is inconsistent, but my experience was fantastic. My family is Basque, from Northern Spain and we have a tremendous culinary tradition. Tinto is the most authentic Spanish restaurant I've been to on the West Coast. The croquetas were absolutely out of this world. I was transported back to the parte vieja of Donosti. Txistorra, patatas bravas and really well-selected jamon serrano?all were delicious and perfectly seasoned. I wasn't crazy about the txipiriones, they were too thick-skinned and the sauce was too sweet. It needed more garlic and tomato. Also, they were stuffed so tight that none of the sauce made it into the squid while it cooked. I wanted to try more dishes, but one can only eat so much at one sitting. The wine selection is worth a visit if nothing else. The bartender is very knowledgeable and made some stunning recommendations. I was especially amused to see that they carried Txakoli, a young Basque white wine I almost never see outside of Northern Spain.\r \r I really hope they stay in business as I've FINALLY found a source for real Spanish food and not the nasty slop they try to pass off in other places in SoCal. Pros: Genuine & delicious food, friendly staff, great wine selection Cons: A little too dark, boring txipirones more

I had an amazing time sitting at the bar, the bartender is friendly, very helpful and knowledgable ( christian). The best place to enjoy Spanish wine ! Would love to participate in a wine tasting!\r Food was lacking love though. Pros: bar, ambiance, wine, staff Cons: food inconsistant more

My friend and I made a reservation at the last minute. They totally welcomed us. We ordered a pitcher of sangria, mushrooms, garlic shrimp, and pork. The tapas aren't as innovative as Cobras and Matadores, but they were solid classics. Very tasty. \r The waiter was very nice and prices were reasonable for the neighborhood. I enjoyed! more

This little tapas place recently opened up near us, so we thought we would check it out. What a fantastic find!! We got there at around 7:30 on a Friday evening and were seated at one of the tables. The atmosphere is really intimate with low lighting and music playing at the perfect volume. Our waiter was very attentive and helpful. We had a selection of 5 tapas which were all incredible. The cheese plate was fantastic (and about 3 times the size of the one offered by BottleRock in Culver City). We also had the grilled shrimp, spicy fried potatoes, spanish omelette and the chicken with beer. Everything was excellent and they also didn't bring it all out at the same time, which was great.\r We honestly couldn't think of anything bad about this restaurant and will definitely be back with our friends. Pros: Value for Money, Atmosphere, Food more

I am a Spaniard who has been living in LA for the last 7 years. All this time I have been looking for a place where I can get authentic food like te one I always had at home in Spain and I have finally found it in Tinto. So many tapas restaurants claim to be Spanish becuase they have some flamenco dancers or serve Sangria, and yet there is little else true Spanish about them. Other tapas restaurants serve a variety of Latin American dishes in the hopes of capturing a wider audience. Not Tinto. The food is a good as in good places in Spain and just as authentic. The atmosphere is great (low lighting, leather booths, and stone covered walls). The service is extremely friendly and professional. Everytime I walk into Tinto I really feel like I am transported back to Spain for a while. I would recommend this place to anyone who really wants to taste what real spanish tapas are about. Be sure to order the gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp) and the patatas bravas (spaicy potatoes with alioli). more

I need to say that we were though crowd - world travelers and all good cooks who enjoys good food and takes cooking classes etc. and Tinto Tapas did an extraordinary job hosting us. So much that I felt the need to post this review. \r We chose this place from Los Angeles magazine when we were looking to find a small plate restaurant close to my place. The real treat started as soon as the salmon tartare was served. I turned to my friend and said 'Taste that olive oil'. It was pure, rich and so flavorful. Salmon was fresh and totally delicious.\r Then we got the first dish. I should say we were AMAZED by the mushroom dish they had. For 10 bucks, you get the best mushrooms (mixture of wild mushrooms) -- really decent size portion (not like other tapas places!). The potatoes (small cut fried potatoes with aoli) were so good, we ordered them twice. I should mention the bread. OH THE BREAD! It was warm, fresh out of the oven. We continued with the beef dish. Again no surprises, tender and totally delicious. \r I saw tons of people having paellas. Full of seafood they looked and smelled great. We recently talked about it again and we will definitely go back and try.\r By the way, the service was really good. Even the owner came to our table and talked to us. Really sweet man with a true Spanish accent. I totally loved it and will definitely go back. Pros: Great food, good service more

when this place opened I heard from a friend that it was breaking in - there were problems and it needed time. As someone who works in the restaurant industry and someone whom has opened three huge clubs in los angeles, this restaurant is ready for its opening\r the staff is friendly and helpful. The interior is beautiful, like a forgotten gem in the extension of a castle.\r the food and wine are exceptional. they have chosen to be quite proud of spanish wines in a california culture and \r the selection and knowledge of the bar staff of their spanish wines helps to enhance the experience.\r The staff also includes family and as a proud daughter, the hostess made several suggestions that,in fact, made our choices for dinner more enjoyable. the food was fantastic in portions that shouldn't anyone worry about in LA. as well as exceptionally being well cooked - my choices to eat were off of the tapas menu and they were all delicious.\r The food was exceptional, compliments to the cheff, the bartender and staff are exceptionally friendly and knowledgeable, a place to find yourself away from LA in LA\r \r \r \r \r \r \r \r \r \r \r \r \r \r \r \r \r \r \r \r \r \r more

A Spanish friend invited me to Tinto for late night tapas the other night. As soon as we arrived, I felt transported back to my days of studying abroad in Barcelona. The father/ daughter team was very gracious and welcoming. The place is nicely designed, but not over the top trendy or gimmicky. Similarly, the food and drink were very authentic - simple, good ingredients put together in the traditional manner without trying to be anything more. I recognized just about everything on the menu. There where no small plates of 'fusion' under the guise of tapas here. Overall, the experience was wonderful in a very unassuming way. I'm excited to go back! more

Wow!!!! To those that wrote bad reviews in the last few days. Come on guys. It's way too obvious you're trying to hurt this restaurant for no reason!!! Mind your business and back off. Tinto speaks for itself. Maybe you should know that Tinto is being awarded with a West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Creative Business Award in the Restaurant category. I am a patron so are all my friends and co-workers and we LOVE IT!!! Pros: Service and food more