Bodega Spanish Tapas & Lounge (Georgetown, Washington D.C.)

chefsgirlnola@gmail.com — Sun, 05 Apr 2015 21:31:50 +0000

A group of us were planning on going to eat someplace in Georgetown, however, they didn’t open late so Bodega was perfect! We had a fairly large group of 6 and it was about 10 o’clock on a Friday night. They were very accommodating with barely a 5-10 minute wait…

Plato Marinera de la Casa. Seafood Stew of Clams. Mussels. Shrimp. Monkfish. Saffron Broth.

Calamares Fritos con Ali-Oli. Fried Calamari.

Croquetas de Pollo. Crispy, Golden Chicken Croquettes.

Gambas al Ajillo. Shrimp. Garlic. Piri Piri Peppers. Olive Oil.

Patatas Bravas. Potatoes. Spicy Ali-Oli.

Fritura de Cazon Adobado. Crispy Shark Nuggets. Smoked Paprika Ali-Oli.

Bacalao a la Bilbaina con Lentejas de Leon. Sauteed Cod Filet. Leon Lentils. Garlic. Parsley. Piri Piri Pepper Sauce.

Mejillones al Vapor. Steamed Mussels. White Wine. Saffron Broth.

Paella de Pollo y Chorizo. Chicken and Chorizo Paella.

Squid Ink Paella.

I have to mention that on this Friday night, the service was a bit lacking. We didn’t get any recommendations and our waitress was just anxious to put our order in. Secondly, little things were constantly forgotten such as water refills and drink orders. I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt and say she was having a bad night…

The menus were a bit extensive with a wide variety of tapas so some suggestions would have been helpful. In general, our tapas were just “okay”. We ordered the Mussels, Cod Filet, Crispy Shark Nuggets, Potatoes, Shrimp with Garlic and Olive Oil, Chicken Croquettes, and Calamari. Of those my favorites were the Calamari and Croquettes. Otherwise, everything else was just average.

Although some of the tapas were underwhelming, I have to say that the Paellas were amazing! My favorite and probably even the best paella I’ve had was the Squid Ink Paella. (I’ve seen some item posted on their online menu called the Sauteed Calamari over rice, but I believe this was under the Paella section when I dined in so be sure to clarify with your waitress.) From the pictures and description, it doesn’t seem very appetizing, but WOW it was so great that people were fighting to have more. The Chicken and Chorizo Paella was pretty good was well, but was overshadowed by the amazing Squid Ink Paella.

Bodega was definitely a good option for late night dining and decent tapas and the Squid Ink is a MUST have, but be careful of the sketchy service.

Rating: 4/5 (I would give a 3 for service, but the paella made gave it an extra spoon!)

squid ink – ChefsGirl

Bodega Spanish Tapas & Lounge (Georgetown, Washington D.C.)