By: Leah Dover
El Bodegón, located on 96th street in Fishers near WalMart, is a tapas bar and grocery store all in one. For those that don’t know, a tapas bar serves appetizers where you order a variety of small dishes that everyone shares. This kind of dining is very popular in Spain, which is the inspiration for everything at El Bodegón. It’s a very different restaurant, but it’s definitely a fun experience.
Food:
Everything that El Bodegón serves is authentic Spanish food from Spain.
It can all be a little intimidating at first if you’re unfamiliar with Spanish food or tapas, so you should go with someone who speaks the language or has been to a tapas bar before. We ordered the empanadas with chicken and beef, and both were very good. Those are probably the most American-friendly item on the menu.
We also ordered paella, which is Spanish rice with seafood, and that was a little more exotic. I ate a mussel for the first time, and it was weird to say the least. It tasted good, but it had a very strange texture.
Many of the items on the menu seem bizarre, but I’m sure that once you give them a try you will find that they really aren’t that bad. Personally, I was slightly confused the whole time and was weary of what foods to order. I stuck to food that I had heard of before, and it was mostly good.
Atmosphere:
The vibe at El Bodegón is fun and festive.
One of the walls has shelves full of food items to sell. There is a bar, the cooking area, and plenty of seating.
This restaurant is a great place to go and eat with a large group of friends or a small family.
Service:
Because many of us were new to tapas, the waiter explained everything we needed to know. He explained the menu, prices and how people normally eat the different foods.
The staff members were from all over the world, and they all seemed very friendly and very eager to help.
Cost:
For the amount of food that you get, the prices are pretty perfect.
Most of the tapas items are around two or three dollars. Portion sizes in Spain are normally small, and that’s how they’re served at El Bodegón. The idea is to get a lot of small items and share them, so two people could easily eat for around $10 to $15.
Wrapping Up:
El Bodegón is a very cool restaurant in theory. It’s unique, fun and appears to have a lot to offer.
However, unless you can understand all of the Spanish terms and are familiar with tapas, this restaurant can be a little too much to handle. Before I went I looked online at the menu and it didn’t really help because it’s all in Spanish.
This restaurant is for the cultured and the adventurous. American food junkies, El Bodegón is not for you.
