Aioli Bodega Española

I hadn't been here in about 10 years. I went recently for a friend's 50th birthday party--seven other people. I could have just copied some of the reviews on Yelp--not the phony ones mind you--of which there are many--shame in you! (Yelp.com, BTW, is a better place to find out the truth about restaurants!)...same old school pushy waiter ("Trust me!")...same $56 rioja--tasted like $8 Rioja...mediocre food..scorched paella, overcooked soaked-in-olive-oil grilled vegetables, Boring mixed grill. The best thing was the salad, bread and dipping sauce, which they keep coming thoughout the meal--fill them up on bread so they feel satisfied?

O.K. we probably had 6 or seven bottles of that wine, and the rest of the meal was served 2-up family style and was mediocre at best-I could do better in my sleep. All 8 of us split 2 desserts. Half the table was shocked when the bill came--$120 a person with tip--worth about half that--seriously. I will never go back. If it wouldn't have been a friend's birthday, and we were all having a good time, I would have been pissed.

I will not be back.

WOW.  I have never had such an infuriating dining experience!

First, I would like to make a comment about the "fake" good reviews.  The reason they are obvious is because they mysteriously all have only posted one review, ever, all at Aioli and all FIVE stars and so detailed and carefully written, it's like the owner sat down and typed it all out himself/herself.

Anyways, back to my worst dining experience EVER. . (which is quite an accomplishment, Aioli should be proud they've beaten the likes of Taco Bells and such).

One of my close friends has been an Executive chef for many fine dining establishments and had told me he enjoyed coming here.  It had always been a place I'd been meaning to check out.

My friend and I went for Tapas last night, and BOY WHAT A LET DOWN.

The restaurant was not very busy, our pushy waiter (shorter hispanic male, 50s or 60s, dark short hair) brought us to our table and literally threw our menus down on the table and walked away.  That was just the beginning of the terrible service we received.  We were taking some time to review the menu and he asked if it was our first time there, and when I said yes, he open up the menu to the entrees (pricey pricey) and said "THIS IS WHAT YOU ORDER".  It was like, uhhh. . . yeah, I'm pretty sure "I ORDER" what sounds good to me, so. . . thanks jerk.  So we order 3 tapas and a glass of wine to start.  After ordering the calamari, mussels, and pork, he told us "THAT'S NOT ENOUGH FOOD".  lol.  I told him I was keeping a menu and we would order more later if we wanted, which was the truth.  So once the food and wine was dropped, he NEVER came back to the table.  The calamari was good, the mussels, not so great.  The broth was yummy but we ran out of bread quickly and sat, not touching our plates, for the longggggggessssstttttt time,waiting for the server to check in, which he never did.  We tried flagging him down constantly.  Eventually, I chugged my water glasses, we even tilted the bread basket in his direction, trying everything to get their attention.  Finally, the buser stopped by to fill the water glasses and we asked for more bread.  I had intended to order another glass of wine and more tapas, but at this point, I was so irritated by the server never coming back I just wanted to get the HELL out of there.

We got the impression that he was treated us unfairly because we were a younger looking couple and he probably felt we didn't have money to spend.  After reading these reviews, seems like he treats everyone in this fashion.  We wrote him a nasty note highlighting why we were offended by his actions.  He really blew it, I would have ordered a lot more, and I never tip less than 20%.  In this instance, we left the worst tip I have ever left, and it was completely deserved.  I will NEVER return to this place.

Oh, for those of you that are "trying your luck" with Aioli anyways, try to avoid this server at all costs.  There was a tall slim, curly gray haired man serving the table next to us, and he seemed very friendly and attentive.  I will say it make me even more mad, because we had the complete opposite experience.

I treated myself to dinner the other night and decided that downtown Sacramento was the place to be. Naturally, I came to Aioli Bodega Espanola Restaurant, a.k.a., Aioli’s, as I have come to know the owner, Reda, and many of the long-time servers by their first names, and they have always made me feel like I’m part of a big Mediterranean family. Living thousands of miles away from home, and away from your oldest and best friends, people who treat you like family tend to readily grow on you, and so I come back on a regular basis. This is a family of chefs, sommeliers, philosophers, and kings.

Much of this big family comes from Algeria, France, Morocco, Spain, and Mexico, bringing forth a great number of otherwise hard to find fresh and delicious recipes. On this particular visit, I thought I’d try the lamb shank, which prompted me to write this review, as I have only had such a well prepared lamb one other time. The other time was at the base of Franz Joseph Glacier in New Zealand, commonly known as the home of the best lamb in the world. In both cases, the lamb was cooked to perfection, falling off the bone, as if it was cooked in a stew marinade for hours, despite being prepared in less than 20 minutes during peak hour. It was accompanied by tender vegetables and complimentary bread and hummus, and of course several Heineken beers.

Some other perks include live classical guitar music towards the weekend, a discrete outdoor garden patio, changing and permanent art, including a hand-pounded copper bar, artistic copper lighting, murals, large impressionist paintings, and photography. And just when you think it couldn’t get any better, there is also Aioli’s at The Grand Wine Bar, two blocks towards the Capitol rose gardens, and Aioli’s in Davis.

Aioli Bodega Espanola serves amazing food in a beautiful ambiance. While it's better known as a fine dining spot, I love to go here for lunch. As a big eater, I usually go for the paella for 2 people, and still have plenty to take home with me for next day’s breakfast. I very much like that the menu changes with the seasons, allowing for new fish and vegetable dishes, and the food is always very fresh. My husband regularly orders the pan seared salmon, encrusted with hazelnuts in a fresh herb sauce, along with the scallops pan sauteéd in a garlic beluga lentil anchovy sauce, his favorite. I'm not the biggest fan of scallops and even I love them! We've been here about a dozen times, 11 of them for lunch, and have never had a less than exceptional experience.

Having eaten here once already and loved it, I went to Aioli’s on a first date and things couldn't have been any better. With our reservation, we were seated immediately. The bar was very crowded (where I was waiting for my date to arrive) but I still was served a drink within seconds of standing in the crowd. Impressive! After ordering, our food came quickly, but it wouldn't have mattered anyway because the atmosphere was so fun. Live Latin Jazz! Everything I tasted was exquisite including the wine. The food was very fresh. We had grilled double breast of chicken with red pepper flakes in a wild mushroom & sweet sherry sauce and garbanzo puree. When we complimented the waiter on the food, he informed us that the food comes daily, always a plus! We ended up going back to Aioli’s on our second date with friends for drinks, and danced to the great music. So much fun, a must in Sacramento. I can't wait to go back again.

Dear Editor,

I wrote a review for this great restaurant but was unable to change the default 4 star rating to a 5 star rating after trying several times. Instead, every time I try to give the review I want to give, I am confronted with a pop-up box that says loading...but the star rating I select never loads. Please correct this if you would like me to continue using this site...as you said yourself  "our reviews effect the success of this business", and they treated us really well. Patty

This restaurant so charmed me on a first visit with some ladies who lunch this spring, that I returned 4 more times over the year with my husband who agrees it is a great place for tapas. I'm not a big fan of paella, and previously hadn't found a tapas restaurant in Sacramento that I would return to, but this paella is great. I had grilled prime rib eye steak in a glazed sauce with anchovies and it was OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD!!!! I did, in fact, swoon an evening I ordered the grilled baby lamb chops. And then there was the lunch when I ordered the grilled double breast of chicken with red pepper flakes in a wild mushroom & sweet sherry sauce and garbonzo puree, which was quickly grilled and served quite right, still juicy!! With the large servings, you will not go hungry. Lunch at Aioli’s for my husband and I precludes dinner that day. We haven’t yet found a dish that we weren’t fond of. Being anglophiles and lamb hounds we also liked the grilled lamb sausage with coca bread. I haven't tried the braised lamb shank in tomato and onions served with flageolet beans. I will try again today and persist until I reach that goal. Meantime, Viva Spain!! Viva Aioli’s!

This is the perfect place to wile away an afternoon, drinking wine and enjoying an incredible variety of Spanish tapas. Hot? Cold? Soup? Salad? Dessert? Sautéed shark in a caper and lemon beurre blanc sauce? No problem!  Just slow down, enjoy the food, and spend some time truly tasting your food rather than just finding some place to "eat".  My favorite? The selection of cheeses, meats, and olives.  Fantastic!

Some very close friends introduced me to this little paradise. I have been grateful to them at every Mediterraneo dining experience since then. Every time I've tried tapas in the past, I've been underwhelmed, but the food here is outstanding. Well-prepared , fresh and flavorful. Out with the pretentious "fusion foods" that have been so popular and in with unique combinations of tastes that just work on the palate and have you craving more! The staff is warm, knowledgeable and responsible - by this I am referring to the fact that I ordered one dish that I was not personally fond of and so I ate very little of it. My waiter noticed that I had hardly touched it and asked if I wanted to have it removed from the bill. This is the kind of service that encourages people to try new foods without trepidation. I really appreciated that! Must-have's: Paella con Hungos (saffron rice with truffled mushroom & dry aged Manchengo cheese); Pollo Aragon (grilled double breast of chicken with red pepper flakes in a

wild mushroom & sweet sherry sauce and garbonzo puree); and of course their famous chocolate soup for desert. If you live in Sacramento, you must experience this place. If you're outside of the area, it is worth the drive. Be sure to take a stroll down the street to The Grand Wine Bar..1600 L Street, when you are done for an after dinner drink, and then onto the state capital rose garden, another block down.

I went the Aioli Bodega Espana for my birthday and it was great. the service was attentive and knowledgable. the food was fantastic. we had the bean and tuna tapa to start along with their refreashing sangria and for the main course i had the opera of seafood in the spicy garlic tomato sauce. for desert they brought out a delectible chocolate mousse that was not too rich, with a huge strawberry on top that looked like a rose. they also have live music, a man singing and playing songs in beautiful spanish. the whole place was very relaxing and the most romantic place i've ever been. i would definitely dine there again, it was fabulous!