Cosmo Tapas

It is so sad and disappointing that they are no longer in business. I have been craving the Spanish cured meat and their sangrias.

Hooray for tapas and award winning bartenders! Howie has a great review and I would prefer to eat than write… nom nom nom.

Went there a couple weeks ago. Food was pretty great. Prices were high and service was disappointing.
My friend ordered the nachos and the figs. I ordered the dates and empanadas. The food came out at different times which was less than ideal but acceptable, and everything tasted pretty great. We ran into an issue though when my friend’s nachos came out. The cheese had already cooled to the point that it was thick (coagulation times ten!). She asked our waiter if she could have a side of hot cheese since hers was already cold, and he said they’d have to charge her for it!!! Crazy. We spent 40+ dollars and they wanted to charge her for one ounce of cheese for her cold nachos??!
For the prices, the customer service and commitment to customer satisfaction should be much better.

Did you know they make real gawddamn paella? No seriously! Here, take ALL MAH MONEYS!!! Also the tapas. Not that small portion, appetizer shit that some local places pass off for «tapas», no siree bub, this is the real bonafide 100% Spanish style shizzle. We had the beef empanadas and the artichoke hearts and goat cheese. EMPANADA WARNING!!! cut the end off those bad boys before you sink your teeth into them and let them cool the fuck off. Those golden fried, flak, y hand held nuggets of heaven retain the heat of the Sun in all that delicious juice that’s lurking inside. Remember you have been warned. Don’t be like that dumbass that sued McDonalds cause the coffee was too hot. Once you feel like it’s safe to wrap your pie around it don’t forget to put on some of green chile sauce stuff that comes on the side. That shit makes them even better. Save some for your bread and whatever else you want to put it on. Hell, ask the waiter to bring you more cause that shit is that good.
The artichokes were a thing of poetry and beauty. No, seriously. Even a hardened jaded beeyotch like me was almost brought to tears by the simple elegance and beauty of the artichokes gently laid out like lotus’ with a perfectly round dollop of orange peel infused goat cheese and a gentle sprinkling of finely diced red peppers. I swear to God I have seen these depicted in a Japanese Ukiyoe painting complete with a geisha looking upon them all adoringly. It was almost a shame to eat them they were so pretty but that’s when the heartless beeyotch came back and I murdered those chokes.
Now if this review of the food isn’t enough then let me hip you to the rest of the package. Wait staff was super friendly and attentive without being Bad Touch Uncle creepy. We sat outside on a slightly overcast day and the only thing that was slightly sucky was the flies and the frickin pigeon that kept wanting to get in the fountain behind me and take a bath.
Halfway through our meal the owner came out and chatted with us, Old school old world Spaniard that super care about his chow. We did our best to act all civilized and remember all those manners lessons Mom and Dad taught us. Told him we LOVED the food we’d be back with reinforcements next time. On hindsight maybe it was too much of an aggro threat than a polite promise of brining him more biz. Either way, like Arnold, We’ll be back.

A tad expensive. Know that. its modern and cool inside, and the food is Great. Service is good. Dependable eatery perfect on a late weekend afternoon. Hit the happy hour if you can — they have great specials. Gazpacho is the best I’ve had, maybe ever. The white gazpacho is extraordinary (but strange) too. House-​created drinks are AMAZING.

This is a cool little place. Good drinks and food. Soccer on the TV. Home made infused vodkas, and the bartender knows some good ways to make them into drinks. I was here for the AFME happy hour event, which was pretty cool. The music is a bit loud and distracting for such a nice place, but there are areas to escape should you wish, including the very nice patio. Don’t get me wrong, the music was good and the musicians we talented. But it was a but hard to hold a conversation when you were close. The staff was great, as was the owner, who circulated and made sure everyone was taken care of.
The drinks were tasty, though a bit on the smaller side it seemed. But they had Marble IPA, and if you know me, you know I love that beer.
The food was also very good. Reasonably priced and respectable portions for tapas. Better than other places I have been, that’s for sure. The only thing that irked me a bit, and drops them from 5 stars to 4 was the service. The bartender and owner were great. But we sat on the chairs and had waiter after waiter walk by us without so much as a glance. That was until the owner realized the group was from Unilocal.Then we had several hovering around us, thanks, but you guys should really be taking care of everyone more evenly. I almost had the feel that they were still trying to figure out their rhythm, even though they have been open for some time.
I’ll be back, for the interesting food and creative drinks. But I’ll be looking for some improvements.

We visited Cosmo Tapas this past weekend to celebrate a high school graduation. You will not be disappointed, service was awesome and food was outstanding. Started off with asparagus wrapped with beef which was fantastic, then moved on to the fish tacos with Albacore tuna that was not deep fried but grilled with shredded cabbage, green chile salsa, and soft corn tortilla… best in Albuquerque, did not have anything like this since La Jolla. For dessert had mixed fruit empanadas which was icing on the cake.
Only drawback, a bit pricey for amount they served.
We will be back.

Michael & I went out with some friends and went to Cosmo’s Tapa Bar for the first time. Our waitress, Natasha, was great, the service over all was friendly and fun. Many nice young people are working here. The drinks were fine, I settled into a Basil Hayden Bourbon, and enjoyed the music, the friends and the tapas. We tried the Asparagus wrapped with beef, the chicken wings, a cheese plate, Seared Tuna, and the ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ sliders. All the tapas were tasty, not knock my socks off amazing, but tasty. The Asparagus was really good, the chicken wings were pretty damn hot, and I eat hot food, but my mouth was burning, so maybe it’s just me, but 3 out of the 4 of us thought they were hot. There is always one who swears the food is mild and the rest of us are weenies, but I stand my ground, they were hot! The cheese plate had nice cheeses, just it seemed very light on the cheese for the $ 18.00 price tag. I also liked the seared tuna, but again it was light for the price. I didn’t try the sliders, but they all disappeared. Overall, I had fun, I enjoyed the staff, but I probably will eat somewhere else before I go for a drink.

We visited Cosmo Tapas in February. We’d had our share of green chile burgers and the like already and wanted something different – and we’re big fans of tapas. Cosmo Tapas did not disappoint and was one of the highlights of our trip.
Our group of four tried several different items from both the regular menu and the special Valentine’s Day selections. Many of the tapas are local takes on traditional items, like the Cosmo Papas, which are a tasty and colorful blend of yellow, white, purple, and pink (!) potatoes diced and fried and served with a chile pepper aoili (compare to the Spanish standard, patatas bravas). Others depart far from tradition but are nonetheless quite yummy, like the tempura avocado (a large slice of tempura-​fried avocado – deliciously creamy in texture – severed beneath a helping of tuna salad) or a Japanese-​style vegetable curry with rice. We also had bowls of the artichoke crab bisque from the special menu – some of the best crab bisque I’ve ever had. The Spanish cheese selection was very tasty as well, served with some pepper jelly which went well with the blue cheese.
I wish we had room in our stomachs to try even more selections – well, we’ll have to go back. The only real disappointment with our choices was the asparagus con carne; the idea sounded great, and it came highly recommended by our waitress, but the asparagus itself was tough and rubbery, and the meat wrapping it a bit dry as well. Everything else was absolutely fantastic, and I can honestly say rank amongst the best tapas we’ve had outside of Spain itself (the owner, when stopping by our table, recommended several places in the DC area where we’re from, but I’ll say that his food outdoes theirs, including some really pricey places we’ve tried).
The wine list was good; there were many gems from Spain on the menu, most of them priced very affordably both by the glass and by the bottle; they also offered specials by the half-​bottle. I had a Garnacha (Grenache) from the Castille y Lyon region, which at $ 8 a glass was mid-​priced but very good; it compared favorably with the Garnacha I’d originally wanted but which they were out of that evening. The cocktail list looked great, but we didn’t sample any of them. Finally, they carry several good local beers on tap as well.
Dessert was quite good as well; we split the tres leche cake and a cheese flan, the latter of which is basically more a cheesecake rather than the traditional custard flan.
As for prices, I don’t know how they stack up against other Albuquerque restaurants of comparable quality, but they are very much in line with what I expect to pay for tapas anywhere else. Our party of 4 with drinks and plenty to eat (including dessert) spent under $ 100 in total. Individual tapas run from $ 5 to $ 11 or so, with an average around $ 8, which is very standard pricing just about anywhere for tapas (in other words, I don’t get those who object saying Cosmo is «expensive»).
The owner stopped by our table to inquire about the meal and ask where we’d visited from; when I mentioned the DC area, he talked about visiting some of Chef Jose Andres’ restaurants (including Jaleo, his tapas mini-​chain) and La Tosca (where I went for my birthday last year), which he pointed out had a great selection of sangrias.
I definitely want to visit Cosmo Tapas again, and as I expect my wife and I will travel to the Bosque del Apache every year or two to see the wintering cranes and snow geese, I am sure we’ll be able to make time to visit Cosmo!

So I have been told this is Authentic Spanish cuisine. We had a Christmas party here and boy, very impressed. The service was fast, friendly and we had a good time. The food was absolutely amazing! I wish I had gotten seconds! Mmm bacon wrapped dates? and fried shrimp in a pineapple yogurt sauce. Everything was so delicious. It didn’t look like it would be, but man, very pleasing. Alcohol was stiff and buzzworthy ! I am a fan and look forward to coming back soon

This was a fun spot that I stopped by for my Birthday last December. I’ve been wanting to review it for a while and realized today that I’d been remiss in shouting this place out. It’s a tapas bar so it’s filled with exotic tapas to try. My favorite was the fried beef empanadas. I am a sucker for empanadas and these were no exception. I was really excited for the Tempura Avocado but was really disappointed that it was no more than squishy avocado with some breading that sadly wasn’t tasty enough to make this dish work. We also had the Calamari and while this is another one of my favorite dishes, it wasn’t my favorite because it was bland and I was expecting more from a Latin infused restaurant. The service was really good. The waiter was attentive and kept bringing my mojitos (I did thoroughly enjoy these), and even the owner came by to see how we were enjoying the place. The atmosphere is cool because it’s set up with a nice bar and some high tables and bands usually play on the weekends (get on the mailing list if you’re interested, they send an invite for every event they have). Overall, this experience was enjoyable. Although, I haven’t been back since so I guess the food didn’t overwhelm me with enough joy to want to rush back. However, I do want to go back to try their Tres Leches cake and an entrée. I would definitely give this place another shot, and if you haven’t given it a first look, it may be time.

I am in no way associated with the owner or employees of Cosmo Tapas restaurant. We went to the restaurant last evening with friends. The food was delicious, especially the Paella, which contained mucho seafood. The salads were freshly made and the salad dressing was perfect. They offered a trio of tasting wines from Spain and Chile last night which gives one the opportunity to taste many more of these wines. I especially enjoy going to the restaurant when they have entertainment. It rocks! Over the past year, we have gone there three times and this is not in our neighborhood, so we need to travel to get to it. The owner stopped by last night and told us that in November (16^th and 17^th, he will be serving
Mofongo, Pasteles and Roast Pork. We will be there. YUM!

We – 2 of us– went there Friday, August 31, for early dinner. Had 4 Martinis– the house special, watermelon infused, hibiscus, and piña colada coconut infused. They were all very good.
Seven tapas were all nice, had a variety of veggie and meats, and one dessert tapa. More than enough food for the two of us to share.
Every plate was unique, tasted great, and gave our taste buds a treat.
We had chicken teriyaki; asparagus with carne; fried cheese empanada; olives and almonds; baked beef empanada; tortilla espanola; and fruit empanaditas.
The tortilla espanola was exquisite.
Our service was excelent, Stephen spaced out the delivery of the courses, brought us clean pates and silver 3 times, owner came out to talk to us.
We had an enjoyable 90 minute, well paced meal.

Die Tapas hier sind definitiv nicht spanische Tapas, schmecken aber gut. Wer hier hingeht macht nichts falsch, wenn er dem Fastfood entfliehen möchte.

Okay, I’m feeling pretty well-​prepared for this review and I’m excited to write it, because our party of eight did this place right on Saturday night. I got feedback from everybody, and now I’m under some pressure to do the experience justice, so here goes…
The business didn’t make any major architectural remodels when it cleaned up the once Albuquerque-​famous Martini Grill. The bar is in the same room, the patio remains private and comfortable, the bathrooms are clean and well-​maintained and the back dining hall, once home to a grand piano and weekly salsa lessons, is now home to flamenco performances. The place hasn’t lost its vibrant flare, basically; the ivory walls and modern cabana lighting lend themselves to a Puerto Rican theme, which is an emphasis on the menu as well.
My first impression, confirmed later by my wife, was that they were a tad understaffed. Drinks came late and the wait staff was rushing all night long, though the place was hardly busy. This was our only serious issue with the evening. By the same token our party was well cared for during and after the meal and we were allowed to hang out for a long time afterwards.
The cocktails, most of them mojito variations, were really well received. I loved the delicate balance of the simple syrup with soda water, rum and a fistful of mint. Others enjoyed the basics: Jack and Coke, Marble Red brew, a cosmopolitan. High fives all around.
So anyway, the food. Here’s what we tried, take notes and utilize as you wish for your visit. Desserts follow:
The Special: Cuban cured pork with rice, beans and plantains – an entrée. The pork was mighty tasty, salty, fat cracking and toasted. The sides were fine, plantains weren’t anything great.
Scallops Pil Pil: A good representation of a hard-​to-​dine shellfish in Albuquerque. Just the basics, scallops in a butter sauce of some kind, the way they should be.
Asperagus Con Carne: Not very interesting. A concept dish that doesn’t succeed, which is a shame, the description makes the mind drool.
Fried Empanadas, cheese and beef: On the better side of good. The way they should be, hot, crisp and fluffy, nothing daring, just right.
Stuffed Dates: I ordered these. No one else would try one. THEIR LOSS. Absolutely fantastic. I mean come on, feta cheese in a bacon-​wrapped date? I’m fantasizing…
Grilled Choke: More of a presentation thing, don’t expect much sustenance, but they were excellent. Can’t really screw up a grilled artichoke, and if you add goat cheese…
Champinones Al Ajillo: Mushrooms in a butter sauce of some kind. If you’re a major shroom lover, go for it, otherwise get them at a steak house for half the price.
Tortilla Espanola with chorizo: A little New Mexican love with this dish. Potatoes, cheese, eggs, delightful chorizo, comfort food in the midst of artistic cuisine.
Finally, a couple desserts.
Delicia de Choclate: Exactly what it pimps, chocolate heaven.
Homemade Churros with fruit sauce: Lovely. Flakey crust, on the lighter side, excellent choice.
So on the whole, my impression is that Cosmo makes some bland crowd pleasers, some inspired but lacking artisanal forays, and some dynamite winners. The best way to sort the grand from the bland most likely involves quizzing your server.

After making our reservations on open table, the reviews were impressive
however, I should have relied on Unilocal’s foodies. I was not impressed, the fish
tacos corn tortillas were hard, cold and flavorless. Something that can be
improved for sure. We had the torta which I thought would be authentic
since the owner appears to have spent time in Spain. it was okay. The scallops
that people rant on and on about were fine, not spectacular. The wine flights
are good, especially the Chilean varietials, the Chablis was spectacular. The chips and cheese dip was good. Probably need to try something different although
I’m not sure I would race back there any time soon. Live music is good, nice
atmosphere.

Atmosphere is nice, drinks are good, food is alright, service is horrible. Ordered a variety of tapas, some better than others, got some that we didn’t order, some that we ordered were not available, waiter disappeared for long periods of time, didn’t get water, manager had to come to take over for the waiter. Bar area seemed nice but we took our kids so didn’t get a chance to check it out.

I’ll make this short and sweet–
Location and décor is cool.
Good for drinks.
They think the food is better than it really is. (prices reflect this)
Live music is cool but they do it so early that the place is a ghost town by 10:00pm.
My suggestion– Grab a bite to eat elsewhere and stop here for drinks if you want to be in bed by 10:00pm.

A tad bit expensive… but those empenadas are worth $ 50 a piece!!!
They have Pisco Sours and everything that I need to take me back to Chile except for the Andes Mountains.
The owner is extremely friendly and he will allow you to reminisce about your past life in South America.
The waiter we had lacked a bit on the personality side. Very formal and attentive but when we asked for advice or suggestions he was a blank canvas.

We have eaten here a few times, and really enjoy it. The food is interesting and always good. A wide variety, and kind of fun. Small servings of lots of things. Drinks are fantastic, from traditional (for me) to a bit crazy (for my wife).
Atmosphere is cozy and comfortable. Bartenders and Servers have always been good to us. The owner is down to earth, easy going guy.

While I don’t have any major, major complaints, I do have to say that the service was pretty much crap. Our server seemed uncomfortable in his own skin — like he was new on the job or something — and that made me feel uncomfortable in turn. Aside from his awkward mannerisms, he did not initially bring us individual plates, though there were four of us at the table and we had already made it clear that we intended to share. The plates were brought about two-​thirds of the way through our meal.
I would not call the food outrageously impressive or anything, but there was also not anything I outright disliked. One thing I find amusing is that our server described to us that the artichoke on the menu was epic and HUGE. We ordered it, and it was actually of less than average size. Not a big deal. Just mildly humorous to me.
I am more or less of the mind that this is just not a great restaurant for ME personally, without that being any real reflection on the establishment itself. To better explain: I am vegetarian. And while there are a number of veggie options, the menu is dominated by meat and seafood. In addition, I am not a super picky eater or anything, but two things in this world I loathe are raw tomatoes and mushrooms prepared in any way. Those two ingredients accounted for a large portion of what was available on the vegetarian menu.
The good thing I can say is that like any tapas restaurant, it’s a great dining format if you like having little bits of this and that rather than being committed to a full entrée. That being said, I really feel like you need to be pretty comfortable with your company when sharing small plates. If you are dining with someone whose fingers you would not want in your food, this is not the place to go.
In all likelihood, I would never go back here unless going with someone who was really set on it. But I also would not tell anyone that they should avoid it. Make sense? I just don’t really care about this place one way or the other.