Basque Tapas & Wine

This place was super pricey especially considering you seem to be paying for the ambience. You certainly aren’t paying for the food it’s not great and you will wait forever for it. There are certainly better places within walking distance where you can get a great feed from friendly efficient staff

I so wanted to enjoy this place but sadly could not. It would not surprise me to see this place on Hells Kitchen with Gordon Ramsey screaming at the owner. How do I describe why? Once I made the leap to give it a go, everything about this place just made me feel uneasy. The food was ordinary — not horrible — but nothing to rave about. And there just seemed like something was hanging in the atmosphere, something unresolved.

If I could give zero I would. Ordered food at 6:30. Called them after an hour and was told they were five minutes away. Waited another 10 mins called again and was told the driver was just leaving the restaurant with our order… It has now been 2 hours no food.
I can’t give an opinion on the food because we cancelled after waiting far too long for our food.
Never again. Stay clear, there are far better places on Chapel St to order from.

Yuck Yuck Yuck
No I know why this place wasn’t busy.
Food was served almost cold and tasted like it came out of a tin.
I could seriously make a better meal.
Staff made us feel hurried and I have no idea why this place is still on Chapel.
Please do yourself a favour and do not even consider it.

Being a Windsor local I have instinctively steered clear of this restaurant because I felt that there were better options on Chapel St.
I felt that the tapas items were a little overpriced, and the flavours were not in the food to compensate.
The service was friendly and they were attentive to our wine glasses.
I felt that the seating was a little cramped to the back of the restaurant, so if you are planning to come here then it is best that you tell your waiter to seat you at the front of the restaurant.

Nothing to write home about. Being from NY, I think that the tapas thing seems fewer and further between here in Melbs. But I was craving patatas bravas and all things Spanish tonight. Unfortunately it disappointed.
I liked my wine, I liked the croquettes. Everything else was so-​so. The patatas bravas seemed reheated, not crispy and tempting like the better ones I have had. We left most of them in the bowl. The meatballs were lacking excitement. I want want I can’t make at home and there was not much flavor at all. The mussels were tough. The chorizo was not that good.
For $ 100, we walked out going «meh». Not bad, not good.
We didn’t like that a waiter (not ours) walked by and said «would you like some bread to soak up that sauce from the meatballs»? We were like — what the hell — sure. Turns out the other waiter took the bowl of sauce away while we were engaged in convo and to make matters worse, we were charged $ 2 for the 3 little slices of bread-​not-​baked-​there.
Really not all that exciting and disappointing. Save your money and go to Movida.

Definitely will not be back… bit shocked at how terrible the food was. This is definitely going to seem a relentless review, but both bro and I were like, stunned silent… lunch was not good.
Décor alright; sat outside among the 2 al fresco tables to people and streetwatch.
Came with a LSocial lunch deal including sangria (that was definitely not bad). Chose some albondigas and, of course, paella for 2 with all that supposedly yummy goodness. Not enough saffron, rice was not fully cooked through, the seafood was absolutely, for certain frozen beforehand, and the albondigas were passable.
But the worst thing of all, and this is scary — there were not yet any other patrons along this very busy shopping street… and they still stalled and stalled. Slow and disorganized with cooking timing. Unimpressed.
Bathroom is behind the restaurant via another entrance. Take key, go up the stairs, turn right, and don’t imagine any boogeymen.
Shocking this place has not yet died. Sorry, owners. Yours was perhaps the worst meal I had while visiting AU.
PS Lunch ran somewhere between $ 80 – 85 USD.

I like Basque, I think they have been successful in creating and maintaining an authentic Spanish restaurant, that exudes traditional European style both in cuisine and in appearance.
Being a lover of Spanish food myself I couldn’t go past the Paella, in true traditional style I chose the Paella Del Mar which contained a great selection of Clams, Mussels, Calamari, Fish, Prawns, Capsicum and Saffron Rice. Basque pride themselves on cooking with fresh and more importantly only local ingredients and this was definitely evident in the Paella, the rice was cooked perfectly with that little bit of stickiness and the Seafood literally melted in your mouth! To drink? Sangria of course! The jug of Sangria was sweet, fruity and refreshing, it went perfectly with traditional rice dish. I would love to go back and try one of Basque’s additional Paella’s or perhaps the degustation menu.

It was nearly a walk out the other day when I came here because we were waiting so long for service. My brothers wanted to leave but I made them stay and let them know that it will be worth the wait. All you need to do is smell the food that is being prepared outside on the giant paella pan and you know that it is going to be worth it.
The food was alright but not amazing. If we had a better experience then things would have been better. I might think about coming back for a dinner service in a couple of months when things might have changed.