Tapeo
When my friends took me out for tapas the first time, I was told it was like Spanish dimsum. Unlike dimsum, though, tapas make a great evening date. I prefer eating tapas at a bar for the prompt refills of my sangrias. In Boston, many restaurants offer cheap tapas specials at the bar. Tapeo’s go for $5.
My date and I arrived around 6 p.m. to a half-packed bar. The service was zippy, remaining prompt even as the bar filled up. The bread tasted generic, and the garlic sauce was equally bland.
The tapas, though, did not disappoint — they were not the most authentic, but still exceptional for the price. Not all dishes were $5; some are $7.50.
I wasn’t expecting much selection — to my surprise, I was greeted with over 40 options. My favorite were the beef empanadas. (The chicken will disappoint you.) Tapeo also offers a solid drink selection, with many variations on the sangria.
The restaurant has patio seating, which on a nice summer evening sounds romantic — but Tapeo just isn’t as intimate as I find most tapas places.
The decor was colorful, but even then, the restaurant just felt like it was trying too hard. My date laughed as I butchered the Spanish words, and then ended up ordering in English.
The bartender seemed used to patrons ordering in English. Overall, I find it to be a nice date spot, but there are better. —Christine Yu