Romesco Bistro & Tapas

Food was really good, but the service was subpar and the food just literally took forever to come out. Had to wait for our food so long that we weren’t sure they put the order in! Had they been extremely busy it would’ve been easier to understand why the ceviche and salad were coming out after some of our entrees — but we were one of three parties in the restaurant at the time so not sure what happened there. Maybe just a very small kitchen staff that couldn’t handle the orders. We actually ended up cancelling one of our salads because they hadn’t brought it out more than halfway through the meal.
Also ordered churros con chocolate and it wasn’t sprinkled with cinnamon/​brown as seen in other photos posted; apparently previous customers didn’t like it so they changed the way they make it? Was the explanation given when we inquired. Maybe good for some people but a little bland for my taste. Anyway, all the other food was good but can’t see myself coming back, unfortunately.

Was craving Spanish Tapas for a change and Romesco hit the spot. The Sofrito of the Seafood Zarzuela was creamy not tangy. The Gambas were flaming and delicious. The Cojonudus was so good either fried quail egg on top. We’ll be back. Five stars for the food 4 stars for the ambience. Noise level too high due to close quarters. Not a Cozy place if you plan a romantic brunch. May be for dinner though.

This place has been open awhile but its in a place we drive by but very rarely go in. We opted to try it out over the holiday weekend.
The service was great, which is why I give it three stars.
Food and drink on the other leaves a lot to be desired.
First up — Sangria — $ 5 a glass or $ 20 for a pitcher. My wife and I will often have 2 glasses each of wine with dinner so we opted for the pitcher. Well that was a mistake. The pitcher they brought had about 3 glasses total in it! Order by the glass, the sangria is good but the pitcher pricing is way off.
Food — we ordered some tapas and they were good, not great. The chicken with figs was very tasty.
Dinner — Seafood Paella to share. We’ve eaten our fair share even in Spain and this was way too salty. Dish was good enough to split size wise but even my wife who likes things salty didn’t like it all that much.
Can’t say we’ll be back. Disappointing though the location has had turnover with an Italian bistro closing down recently.

This Spanish restaurant is located away from the main drag and so it does not get a lot of foot traffic but is so worth the visit! Food is best characterized as traditional Spanish food with an artistic flair. Beautifully presented, marrying contrasting elements and flavors. Ingredients are locally sourced. The seafood dishes are super fresh. The pancakes had a beautiful texture and the syrup exotically flavored with cinnamon star anise and perhaps clove. People may or may not like this take on pancakes syrup but it’s definitely fit for foodies.

Amazing surprise find in Half Moon Bay. Great food. Great service. Great wine! Worth stopping in!!!

Went here to celebrate Mother’s Day, it was the best choice I have made in a long time ! My mom, husband and son were all very happy with food. We ordered lots of small plates to try as much as we could ! Sangria was out of this world ! Cuban sandwich amazing, sea food paella the best so far, veal empanadas were very little but very tasty, symphony salad was ok. Can’t wait to go back and try soups :) very small place but so worth going to.

I would like to give this place 3.5 stars but I will round up because I thought the service and staff makes the difference.
I enjoyed everything we ordered, however I feel like the portions are a little smaller than other tapas places I’ve visited.
Patatas Bravas – they are squares vs like a country style fried potato. I thought they were good but nothing special.
Ham croquettes – I really liked these. Crispy outside with a nice consistency
Mussels in tomato sauce – also very good. A little messy but worth it.
Crab stuffed piquillo pepper. We had this but I was too full to try it. Looked delicious though.
Churros con chocolate, really can you ever go wrong here? I say no. They were so good.
I feel like we ordered one other thing but I cannot remember it at the moment.
The location is a little random and it was not very crowded so I’m hoping it gets more crowded and sticks around because the food is worth it, just wish the portions were a bit larger.

Great addition to the coast. Small spot just off Hwy 1, handy for lunch after the HMB farmers market. Had sopa a la Castellana and tasted a companion’s seafood paella. Both excellent. Looking forward to trying several other items on the menu.

First time here. had the Pacific clan chowder, cojonudos (chorizo, sausage, quail egg, on toasted bread), and sobrassada con manchego (sausage, cheese, and figs on toasted bread). the clam chowder was amazing. fresh clams still in the shell filled the cream broth with the flavor of the clams. the cojonudos tasted like a perfect breakfast bite. and the sobrassada con manchego was a completely acceptable dessert.
next time: sopa a la castellana and chorizo a la sidra.

The food was good but the atmosphere was uncomfortable. I was the only one there and they weren’t friendly not even what I would call nice. I asked I would assume is the son what wine would he suggest and he shrugged at me. And then I tried to chat and he gave me a blank look. The two other people that I would assume were the owners didn’t crack a smile either. Next time (if there is a next time) I would go with a group and try not to make eye contact.

$%&# this place. I was at the beach and sat in Sunday traffic for an hour instead of just going home because their Unilocal said they were open until 10. I missed the driveway and went all the way back around through traffic and FINALLY pulled into their parking lot at 8:30 for the woman working to inform me they were closed. I could have been halfway home by now.

Excellent! I’ll be back. The food was delicious. The location is perfect. I love the bacalhau.

Tried Romesco with a friend last night and we were both very happily impressed. We sat outside at one of the café tables because we had her dog with us (they brought a water bowl for the dog without us asking for it – that was nice). Despite being essentially right next to the parking lot, it was very quiet and few cars came by. We enjoyed a glorious sunset and the unseasonably warm weather.
We both ordered Caesar salads for starters — could easily have split one between the two of us if we’d known they were that big. We then each had the Seafood Zarzuela, and it was spectacular! Shellfish and sole cooked in a dense and tasty tomato-​based stew, w/​peas. With bread to sop up what was left — heaven!
My only quibble was that the salad was served and then the stew came about two minutes later. They should have given us more time between courses. But hey, the food was great, so who really cares? And the main course was hot enough that it stayed hot while we enjoyed our salads.
The place isn’t inexpensive, but because the food was so delicious I completely felt like I was getting value for the money. I highly recommend you give Zarzuela a try!
As for people commenting here on Unilocal that they don’t have a restroom in the restaurant itself and you have to get a key and go to a restroom a few doors down in the little complex, so what? That’s not uncommon, and does it really put you out that much?

Had lunch here last week with my friend, G. Once again (as with every other time I’ve peeked my head in here) it was empty. I wonder if they’ll survive. This location has seen a string of places go under over the years. Most recently was Tortellini Originale, which I sorely miss. I always root for my little local spots. Romesco seems to have a bit of an identity crisis, though. It wants to be a bistro, but it looks like a slightly dark cafeteria to me. It’s tapas, but with sandwiches, soups, salads, and paella. Service was pretty amateur, but that’s true almost everywhere on the coast, if you ask me.
One fatal flaw here, like India Beach in El Granada, is that they are open for lunch, but they don’t have a lunch menu. If you get two tapas per person, which seems about right, it can get pricey.
We shared the ENSALADA RUSA: boiled potatoes, dill pickles, mayo, peas, eggs, carrots, anchovies, and red caviar /​$ 10. This is a dish I first had in London, sometime in the previous century. I love the retro, fattening combination. I’ve had several versions. The presentation here was beautiful. I liked the addition of the caviar, although it was black, lumpfish, not red as advertised, and very tiny bit. I could not detect the dill pickle at all which would have supplied some acid and some crunch and made it even tastier
Then we each had a Cuban sandwich, and I agree with my local Unilocaler friend, Bill O., we could have easily shared one. I was slightly luckier than him, in that I did get some pulled pork, but so precious little that I only realized it was there when reheating the second half at home the next day. Prices seem a tad high, but not outrageous.
Food: ²⁷⁄₄₀
Service: ¹⁵⁄₂₀
Atmos/​intang: ¹⁵⁄₂₀
Value: ¹⁵⁄₂₀
Overall: ⁷²⁄₁₀₀

I was in town for a wedding and I ended being stranded due to the 1 being closed for a bad accident on the road. I saw their welcoming restaurant from the road with a lovely glow of fire pits outside. Food was excellent and fresh! The service was lovely and everything came quick. Had the empanadas, the patates, the crab stuffed avocado, and the churros with chocolate. My favorite of course was the stuffed crab avocado and the churros with chocolate. Make sure to wash it down with some red wine. Modern and inviting décor with a nice festive flair. Intimate place and yet perfectly fun for a group. I’ll have to come again next time I’m in the area. Thanks for a great experience!

I cant wait to go back! Came here couple of weeks ago with my cousin and his gf she loves this place so much! And so do I! All the food we ordered was excellent! We had the black paella, empanadas, sausages, mussels and the lobster soup (i think)! All were yummy! the sangrias are good too! The presentation look so good and cute with all the flowers they add on it!
They are also very friendly! The location may not be so great but the food is what I came here for! Also the bathroom is not inside the restaurant, u need to ask for the key to get in which is right next door! Its clean and big so nothing to complain about it!

This is my new favorite spanish/​tapas restaurant! I have been looking for the best authentic spanish food/​restaurant here by the bay and this one is the best so far! Love the paellas and the churros (tdf!). Every single tapas we ordered were tasty! Everything was good. Service was great, felix and felix were nice! Will definitely be back!

We were headed out for errands and lunch the other day… and while stuck in a line at the light at 92 and 1, the wife looked over, saw Romesco, and said «hey, I just read a good review on that new place… let’s check it out»…and being the requisite obedient sherpa, I readily agreed… pulled in (to what is a VERY weird location for a restaurant in HMB. You wouldn’t think so, but nothing seems to survive in this little stretch other than Shoreline Shoes), and walked in.
First impressions… CLEAN, very eclectic (see pictures others have posted), yet somewhat homey. We sat and proceeded to check out the menu — chock full of tapas and «stuff».including omelets all day long… nothing wrong with THAT, in my book.
After checking everything out, the wife and I ended up ordering the same thing — a cuban sandwich… and splitting a tapas fries order. She ordered an iced tea and I ordered lemonade.
Ok, unfortunately, this is a pretty big first ding — both of these were store bought 16oz bottles of tea and lemonade. We both think that these are things that should be made in-​house.
The fries came out about 8 – 10 minutes before the sandwiches… a minor ding, but we treated it as an appetizer (’cause the wife is very good at taking my grouchiness over how things should be, and repositioning to where I’d agree. It’s why she’s the boss). And, kudos. Very good fries, and two interesting fry sauces. We liked them both.
Alas, the fries were almost gone by the time the sandwiches came out… but they looked good… and friggin’ HUGE. Clearly we should have split one… ugh. She took hers and cut it into tiny pieces (long story) and proceeded to dig in. I took one bite, and came to two immediate conclusions — one, way too bready. Easy to fix… I proceeded to turn the sandwich into a breadless meal. Two… cuban sandwiches have three primary ingredients — cheese, ham, and shredded pork. This one, while the menu stated all three, was sans shredded pork… unless it was cleverly disguised as a slice of ham, it simply didn’t exist. So a shredded porkless breadless cuban sandwich… made for an interesting meal.
The food was good, and we’ll likely go back to check out a few other menu items… but things to note:
— I understand the need/​desire for a liquor license, but you might want to focus on making your own basic drinks too (like…I dunno. Iced tea and lemonade?)
— prices are a bit out of line (read, pricey) for tapas, given the other tapas available in town. Jus’ sayin’
— might want to check the ingredients on the menu, and make sure that they match what you’re delivering to the table
BUT…good food, good ambiance, and nice staff/​family. I hope they do well in this location, as lordie knows this town needs variety in dining.

No wine is available yet! Location it’s not great (no ocean view, chairs are not comfy & overpriced)!
I prefer Seville Tapas!!!
Thank you for your response.
Maybe the owner should explain why there is no bathroom on premises?!
To go to the bathroom you have to go outside the restaurant… what a fine establishment!

Stopped here because Daddy-o’s was closed. Saw the just opened sign and thought we’d give it a try.
Ordered the Angus Manchego sliders with fries, veal empanadas, seafood stuffed avocado and calamari. The avocado was amazing. The anchovy really makes the dish. The empanadas were a great sweet and savory combination and not overtly sweet. They’re actually more flavorful the closer they got to room temperature. The sliders were just as you’d expect them, but the homemade red sauce for the fries is awesome. Nicely spiced. Super yummy. My only suggestion would be a little less breading on the calamari.
Whoever is doing the plating and presentation has a good eye and creative. Really standout work. All the flavors were there and nothing was overpowering the high quality ingredients.
Appears to be family run business and the service was very attentive. Some may say overly, but while they may be inexperienced in the subtleties of service, their heart and intent was that we enjoyed the food, had everything we needed, we were comfortable and having a good time. I’d rather more restaurants were like this, than overly concerned about memorizing their waiter scripts, hitting all the execution points and steps of service. The service was genuine and refreshing.
They’re definitely off to a great start. They nailed the hard part; good food. It will be interesting to see how this place progresses and is supported. I imagine I’ll wake up tomorrow craving that avocado dish and wishing they were not 45 minutes away. Best of luck. We’ll be back.

What a charming spot, and what excellent food! Always exciting when something new opens in HMB (most especially if it isn’t YAIR (Yet Another Italian Restaurant,) of which we have more than our share).
Romesco Tapas & Bistro has taken a small corner of Shoreline Station and transformed it into an intimate dining venue, featuring a host of Spanish tapas that nearly look too good to eat, made-​to-​order paella, and an equally excellent selection of regional sweets.
We started with the cured meat sampler, an excellent selection of salumi rounded out with bread, cheese, and some olives — very tasty, though generous enough that it was probably better suited to share among four rather than just the two of us that were dining. Each of the tapas that followed in short order proved as delicious as it was beautiful (the cubed Pattata a particular favorite, though the quail egg & chorizo wasn’t far behind.)
Lastly dessert: the Catalana custard was good (elegant and light), but the freshly made churros with chocolate dipping sauce were flat out exceptional — as our very friendly server had said it would be.
We’ll definitely be back to try the paella for a future dinner, as well as a weekend brunch/​breakfast. Hope word starts to travel that Romesco’s is open for business — it’s a great addition to the HMB food scene.