How to order Tapas?
 

How do you order Tapas? Do they have menu for it? Or they are already ready on the plates and one just asks for or points to it? Thanks.<BR>

Most of the tapas bars will have menus - sometimes printed, sometimes simply on a board on the wall, often both. I have not seen pre-made plates, but very often the cold items will be in a long glass case on top of the bar and, if your Spanish is not up to the task, you can simply point and the bartender (I suppose there's a more correct Spanish term, but I don't know what it is) will make up a plate, often adding other things such as a sauce or garnish.

I had tapas in Munich and the dishes out for viewing and numbered, lined up along a counter next to the kitchen, and you ordered what you wanted at the end of the line. A waiter brought your selections to the table. I've had tapas in the states too and it was on a menu.

Depends on where you are. At a bar, samples of the tapas will usually be out on plates, and you order what you want. Sometimes, the day's selections will be on a chalkboard or other board behind or next to the bar, and then you order what you want from there. In the Basque country, they are already laid out and you take what you want, paying for what you've consumed at the end. Some (usually very small) bars specialize in one tapa to the point where they don't have anything else.<BR><BR>In a restaurant or the restaurant part of a bar, tapas and raciones might be listed in the menu.

Your opening conversational gambit should be something like 'Tapas, please.'

There is a menu. Good luck on figuring out what the items are, though. Lots of times your guide book will not list them. I have not seen pre-made plates, but in some tapas bars, they have a chilled section where you can see them and order what looks good to you.

Try to find out before ordering what (if anything) is the specialty of the place you are going to. Spaniards will very often go from bar to bar, ordering only the specialty at each. One may specialize in shrimp, another in squid, another in anchovies, another in potatos, etc. As a result, other selections may not be as good/fresh. If you do not speak Spanish, a culinary phrasebook will help deicpher the menu. It's usually fairly straghtforward.

We did a night in Bilboa making the round of tapas bars in restaurants. They were lined up on the bar and took what we wanted and had to tell how many we tasted...almost an honor system but I'm sure they were alert.

Hi<BR><BR>Tapas bars normally have the plates on display.<BR><BR>It is easy to point at each chosen item in turn.<BR><BR>They tend to fall into one or two price groups, dishes being larger or smaller according to value. So the egg and potato omelette is much bigger than the baby squid.<BR><BR>They either come on a small individual plate, or with a wooden skewer from a large plate. The bill is calculated from No of plates + number of skewers.<BR><BR>Simple ?<BR><BR>Peter<BR>

Sometimes, they even print a little picture on the menu, but not often. You might try our little trick -- order drinks first, then check out what other people are eating, and discretely point to the plate you want to try.

Would tapas be similar to ordering dim sum?

We ate at two tapas places in Barcelona a couple years ago and they were actually both Basque places so they were technically pinxtos rather than tapas. <BR><BR>One of them, Sagardi, had all the pinxtos on plates on the counter. The other, on Passeig de Gracia (I forget the name but there's a face of a guy with a beret out front) had some pinxtos on the counter and others that you'd order off the menu. <BR>

hi<BR><BR>yes, it is similar to dim sum (yum cha !) but it is served in bars mainly.<BR>Dim Sum is normally served in very ethnic chinese restaurants at lunchtimes.<BR><BR>We've had excellent Dim Sum in Soho, LA, Melbourne, Sidney, HK, Singapore, and ................. Brussels !<BR><BR>I've found the best Dim sum arrives with the little trolley that circulates throughout the meal.<BR><BR>Normally, you are given a card. Each dish from the trolley is ticked by the the trolley driver, and the till lady does the calculations for you.<BR><BR>Cheap anyway !<BR><BR>Peter<BR><BR>

What is the average price of a "tapas" and how many can an average person scarf down in one sitting? Anyone give an example of what might be on a plate? Can you try a tapas, love it and order a bigger portion?

Sounds like there might be some regional differences in how tapas are ordered and served. My earlier post was based on my experiences in Andalucia where I never saw plates pre-made. Others obviously have, but it seems like most of those reports came more from the north (Bilbao, Barcelona).<BR><BR>Anyway, it's hard to generalize about prices - my recollection was that the price of tapas could vary from very cheap, perhaps the equivalent of a US dollar for a dish of olives (free, in some places) to as much as $20 for baby eels (angulas), a delicacy that I opted not to try. If I had to guess at an "average" price I'd say about the equivalent of 3 or 4 US dollars.<BR><BR>Similarly, it's hard to generalize about the tapas themselves because there's so much variety, but here are a few of my favorite examples:<BR><BR>Shrimp in Garlic Sauce - probably the best known and universally liked tapa<BR><BR>Jamon - thin slices of Serrano ham, something like prosciutto<BR><BR>Croquettes - various ingredients: chicken, ham, salt cod.<BR><BR>Stuffed Peppers - little triangular piquillo peppers filled with salt cod and other things.<BR><BR>The aforementioned olives and also large caperberries.<BR><BR>Chorizo (sausage) in red wine sauce.<BR><BR>I'd guess something like a half-dozen plates might be a reasonable dinner for the average American appetite, particularly with bread. Don't know about ordering a single dinner size portion - don't see why you couldn't.<BR><BR>If you really want to learn more about all this before you go, and also be able to duplicate tapas at home, get a copy of Penelope Casas' book "Tapas" it's pretty commonly available and is a wealth of information.<BR><BR>

Last month in Andalucia, most tapas were 1.2 euros (closer to $1.1 US), and depending on what we ordered, we found that sharing 3 for lunch and 5-6 for dinner was plenty. Neither of us are big eaters, so larger people might eat a couple more. Add wine and that is a pretty cheap meal.

luvto, I can only speak about our experiences in these two Basque pintxo (I earlier transposed the "t" and "x") places in Barcelona. The pintxos at Sagardi were, as I recall, around $1 and we were sated after about ten each. The pintxos at this other place -- which also had a greater variety -- ran a bit more, with some close to $2.<BR><BR>I can't recall any exact combinations of items but they were generally simple, with one or two items on a small sliced piece of bread (which I think is typical of pintxos.) <BR><BR>Here's a website with some info about them (it says the most famous pintxo is called a "Gilda" and explains the interesting origin of this name, having to do with Rita Hayworth):<BR><BR>http://www.cooking.com/advice/adfeat...s=AR_bw_sanseb

Hi<BR><BR>my best tapas (but not cheap ) was ........ Carne Calliente.<BR><BR>It starts with an earthenware plate from the oven, brushed with olive oil and some crushed garlic. It is served with very thin slices of bull fillet which you cook on the plate.<BR><BR>Excellent !<BR><BR>Peter<BR>

a larger portion of a tapa is called a "racion," and is usually big enough to share, as opposed to tapas, which are really a very small portion. It might be 3-5 dollars. A tapa is usually $1-3, although it can vary a lot.<BR><BR>BTW, the baby eels (angulas) are a real delicacy, although very, very expensive. Bellota ham is also worth the price, in my opinion, although the cheaper serranos and iberico is good too.

point!!!!!!!!!!!<BR>don't forget gracias!!!!<BR>riquisima works well too!!