Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun North Bar Street ,Sanlitun,Between 3.3 and American Apparel
三里屯北街81号，那里花园北侧一层,三里屯,3.3 与American Apparel 之间
This lively spot brings the atmosphere of a Spanish auberge to the heart of Sanlitun. The great location and live flamenco guitar draws in the crowds, and tasty sangria and the excellent and generously portioned tapas, salads and paella keeps customers coming back.
After an scooter accident, I received a compensation of 300 yuans. I decided to spend this money in something I miss: spanish food. We took a lot of tapas. Patatas Bravas are really great, I don't remember well all the tapas, most of them were good, some rwere great. However dessert , creme brulée & an another I forgot, good but with really too sugar inside... Decor is nice, looks like a little auberge and the music band with guitare create a good ambiance.
Loved that place! Great Paella, good tapas, good wine at decent price, staff is exceptional and smart in its service. The best is the live band which gives a great ambiance. We had a good night, and it feels like an evening trip to Spain. Glad that I finally could get a seat as I passed by a couple of times during summer but it was full! Paella serving for 2 was way too much for 2 people, I recommend it for 4 people! Maybe the tapas choice could be more creative and some have a better taste. The cheese anchovies tapas was rather blank.
Wanna feel like Spain without leaving Beijing? Just come to Carmen. The owner of this place is like a Film director. Everthing makes sense; decoration, lights, colors, ambience, food quality, prices, service. The most accurate example of a real TAPAS BAR/RESTAURANT that you could find in the South of Spain. Prices are very reasonable and suitable for everyone, as you can have dinner here for 100 rmb or go up to 500 rmb.
Best mashed potatoes + 'chicken chop' in Beijing.
This restaurant is not for everyone, music is loud and the tables are really close to each other, things that can be bad for some people. Personally I love this place, it has a nice ambiance and I think they have the best tapas in town, I love the raspberry and goat cheese toast, the gazpacho is to die for, the lamb skewer is good and the egg with tuna and aioli is amazing. I don't care for the paella, it tastes nothing like the real thing but everything else its pretty damn tasty. I always make reservation so I've never had any big problem with the service, they can get a bit slow when its full but the ambiance is great so you wont even notice.
We had a pretty good experience the last Saturday night although we did not try all the dishes. The decor is nothing traditional for a tapas place even if it looks like they tried to do smth. The service was very good, no problem with that. The tapas are nothing special and they are expensive The three ouïghours who were playing were doing a good job but the music was not flamenco but some cheezy covers with a latino style... Overall, I had a nice evening in a noisy place with people singing and claping....for the ones who like that kind of atmosphere from time to time and are ready to pay the price !
Real tapas with absolutely amazing Qi! Really no complaints about the quality and taste of their food. Service can be a tad-bit slow, but its absolutely worth the wait! Things they could do better... the bread (always found it too dry and rubbery) and the limited seats during colder months.
I've been to Carmen maybe 10 times since it opened, and I really have no complaints. I always order the exact same things, and I've never had a problem with the service. Perhaps, given the other reviews, I am extraordinarily lucky. Last night, the waitress took my order almost immediately, and our food and drinks arrived in about 5 minutes. The gazpacho is incredible. The other things I get are: garlic chicken toast (so garlicky! so delicious!), the goat cheese and raspberry toast, and the beef salad, which is huge and comes with super tender, nicely marinated beef and a fairly generous portion of goat cheese. I like the outdoor area close to 3.3 and never have problems getting a waiter or waitress out there. Also, they always have fapiao. There aren't a lot of places in Beijing where I eat regularly, but this is one of them.
Great place to go if you only want to do drinks and light tapas, but if you go for a meal, you'll leave disappointed and still hungry. Many of the tapas were drenched in mayo - which was disgusting. I found it to be very expensive for the quality of the food. The paella was the worst I've ever had - it was overpoweringly fishy. I will not be back.
The food was above average. I haven't had any Western food that is outstanding in Beijing and I've been to many restaurants from cheap to expensive (perhaps I am being too hard on Beijing because I am comparing it to my hometown NYC) But this place is a place that I would recommend for it's tapas. It was reasonably priced and delicious albeit the portion sizes are a bit small. The atmosphere is warm and cozy. Overall it is a cozy place to have dinner with friends.
calamary was too salty and croquette was small and flavour was so so
Well, croquette was small and so so in flavour, calamary was too salty.. we came last saturday, and had a average tapas experience
If waiting 2.5 hours for tapas that will never come is for you, then this is your place. We were a table of 10, with only light tapas and we were missing 4 different tapas. Not a big deal except that a set of them were the goat cheese tapas with raspberry sauce. No big deal except that a monkey with a paint kit could have whipped those up right fast. For an area redolent with competition, you would think the owner would care alittle more about good service and food.
Have been twice in the past month and both time we thoroughly enjoyed it. Great food (quality and quantity), and excellent music. Only 2 negatives: One is the speed of service. The waiters/waitresses were trying hard, but there are just too few of them to cope. Even at 7pm when the place was half full, they were struggling, so by the time it filled up, every request took 10 - 15 minutes. They needed at least 2 more. And then there's the smoke. Tables are so close together, that you really can't escape if the table next door are smoking. Despite that, we'll definitely be going back.
Great tapas, good price, loved the sangria, hated the service.
Just been there. We had had great food & great service. The atmosphere was perfect - we are definitely going back.
Are they competing for the worst service in town or what ?? Most of the time this place is half empty but you won't get a seat without reservations. However if you insist you'll get one and notice it stays half-empty! Anyway if you really try, you'll be ignored by waiters most of the time, will wait hours for ridiculous portion of food, and much more! And no, the food is really not worth the experience.
Have been 3-4 times since my girlfriend took me here - and been impressed each time. Given the very reasonable tapas prices, it's a great restaurant with a lively atmosphere and above average food. Would not hesitate to go back!
food is soso, although the garlic prawns is tasty, music is way too loud, terrible service (the waiters ignored us the whole night, so you do have to shout!)...also when i called to make a reservation, the lady who picked up the phone refused to give me the table i want....hello, that's why people make reservations in the first place!!
Carmen is great! Relaxed, cosy, and friendly, the food is well priced and tasty, the wine and beer selection is excellent, while the live, energetic Spanish guitar performances (although slightly loud) creates a fun, delightful atmosphere! Oh, and did I mention the sangria...
Had a range of tapas last night, best was the beef in tomato sauce, worst was the some sort of peppers dish. Everything else was in between. The gazpacho is definitely a must order as well. It's a solid option if you're in the area. It's not expensive. Asahi is RMB20. The ambiance is 4 stars. It's fun, relaxed, very well executed. The Spanish guitar is pretty good too but if you want to talk, you'd better sit on the other side of the room.
First walked in to this place, I fell in love with the ambiance right away. Their tapas were good but agree with baobabs, didn't leave me thrilled either. I like their seafood soup. A comfort food for me. Good sangria. Good service. The Spanish guitar performance top it all. Will still come back.
Good quality tapas and Spanish fair at a reasonable price! my boyfriend loves the Maho Spanish beer here which is a big hit for beer fans and the atmosphere is romantic with a good Spanish atmosphere created on an average budget. we'll be back!
I forget to add, the ambience is perfect.
We had Chinese seafood fried rice masquerading as paella, which was palatable nonetheless and a variety of tapas that didn't leave us thrilled. I wish they did better bread tho. It was really the excellent, obliging service that won us over... given that we sent back our dishes twice--nothing beats friendly, good service with other kind recommendations from the waiter!