La Bodega

Always thought this place is overrated. No change in that opinion even at this location. Service is better than the Southwest Blvd. Like the ambience. Their red sangria is pretty good.
BUT their ‘gin and tonic project’ is extremely underwhelming. I had really high hopes for this… but was really bad. Tried the saffron, rosemary even rose: the flavor of the key ingredient was almost ‘absent’ in all! They really need to fix the recipe to continue serving these!
Good live music today.

I decided to take myself out for a date the other night because I was out south shopping and figured, why not? I landed at La Bodega. I initially thought this was a Mexican restaurant, which shows my cultural ignorance. It’s a Spanish tapas restaurant, which was a wonderful surprise. The bartender Casey, or K.C. was incredibly helpful. She guided me through a tapas dinner and made me one of the best old fashioneds I’ve ever had (her secret recipe). Here are my tips:
Get a drink from Casey
Order the papas fritas and the pincho de pollo.
Don’t assume something is Mexican food because it has the word la in it.
Will be back.

I recently visited KC. We ended up at this wanna be hip restaurant. People get a clue, this place is a ripoff and sucks big time!!! Don’t waste your money here!!!

I have visited this restaurant several times and go back and forth as to whether this place should be given 2 or 4 stars. Tha atmosphere is lovely. Sometimes the food and service are good but sometimes not so good. The quality of the food changes. For example; during one visit, I ordered a flourless chocolate torte which was to die for, the 2^nd time I ordered it, I couldn’t eat it because it had too much cinnamon in it. I wasn’t able to send it back either because our waitress never checked on us.
One thing is constant… service is sloooowww… On a positive note the bartenders are well trained. I highly recommend the pineapple mojito.
The waitresses are not trained well, which might partially be due to the detailed menu. There are so many tapas, some tapas get happy hour prices other dont.
Also more than once when we got our check we didn’t get the happy hour prices on our appetizers, sometimes we were charged for appetizers we never received .
At this restaurant you get tired of waiting and just want the check so…
2 stars for them!

As a Spanish native, I can always appreciate true Spanish cuisine. La Bodega is a pleasant and vibrant find in the Overland Park area. Food is delicious, drinks are tasty, and atmosphere keeps me coming back whenever I am in town.

I ate here for the first time today and the food is excellent! One of the best sangrias I’ve ever had and the wait staff was very attentive and knowledgeable. Great ambience and food. Definitely will return.

I’m a little surprised at La Bodega’s 3.5 star rating on Unilocal.Sure, the menu’s not super innovative, nor is it particularly authentic, but I don’t hold such high expectations for restaurants in KC. I found La Bodega to be pleasant, the food just fine, and the prices reasonable.
I had the tuna tartare, calamare, and the embudito con curtido (chorizo dish). The tuna tartare was well balanced with just the perfect amount of heat. The calamare was expected, but just fine — though I wish the squid were a little more tender. I enjoyed the chorizo dish, but found it a bit unbalanced; it was too salty overall and could’ve used some brightness. However, where the dishes lacked somewhat in balance they made up for in portion size: the calamare would’ve been plenty to feed my (admittedly) small appetite; even the tartare — a notoriously skimpy dish — came in a generous portion. At $ 7 – 9 per tapa, the price is certainly worth it.
Cocktails are on the sweeter end here, which is not really my style (but many of my friends were happy!). Note that if you opt for the martini, it is quite heavy on the sherry. I’ll probably go for a beer next time.
Me and my large group of friends and were seated at a large table in the back of the restaurant — it was the prefect amount of privacy. Our server was incredibly on top of service for our large group, and he even put on a nice show when one of my friends ordered a flaming drink!
Was the food perfect at La Bodega? No. But the atmosphere and reasonable prices will keep me coming back. I can’t wait to try HH!

I enjoyed everything we tried on my first visit; the pintxos, the pollo y chorizo, the paella abanda and red win sangria. It was all delicious. But, I brought my husband here last weekend and he had a panic attack before we could even order. Sorry about that glass of Sangria we ordered but never got before we left. LOL. I think all the Spanish on the menu, him expecting a Mexican restaurant, and having been through a haunted house earlier that evening got the best of him! We’ll be back though!

Very impressed with the ambience and the food. You can order regular plates or assorted tapas and make a meal of the variety.
The presentation is excellent, the food is perfectly plated and it is delicious. This is a great place for a relaxed brunch with friends, maybe on the patio, sharing some tapas.
Go there and thank me later.

I got really lucky today and got to go to two wonderful Kansas City restaurants. La Bodega is an excellent tapas style Spanish restaurant, which makes it great for groups. There are two locations in the Kansas City area, and tonight I visited the newer Leawood location. I prefer the original location to the new one, as the newer one is quite dark on the inside and tends to cater to a different, richer crowd than the older location on Southwest Boulevard. Nevertheless, it is still fantastic, if not a bit more formal.
The menu has about a zillion tapas to choose from, and I’m happy to say that a fair amount of them are vegetarian! I had the tortilla española, patatas bravas, judías verdes, papas fritas con ajo, crespelle de feta y puerros, pan con tomate, and queso de cabra al horno.
The patatas bravas are a signature Spanish dish, and are basically potatoes in a cumin-​y, slightly spicy, tomato sauce. They’re pretty good, but if I were to recommend one potato dish, I would definitely say the papas fritas con ajo. These are fried potatoes that end up perfectly fried on the outside and deliciously creamy on the inside, topped with a savory aioli sauce.
The pan con tomate and queso de cabra al horno are very similar dishes, but the latter is by far the winner. The pan con tomate consists of two toasted slices of a crusty bread served with a cold bruschetta-​type topping on the side. It’s good, but nothing I’d go out of my way to order again. However, the queso de cabra al horno is amazing! If you get one vegetarian item off the menu, this one should be it. Slices of crispy bread are arranged around a dish filled with a similar oven-​baked tomato/​bruschetta-​y chunky sauce topped with goat cheese.
The tortilla española — a fritata like dish — once had my heart, but I’m not as fond of it as I once was. It’s good, but a little plain. The crespelle de feta y puerros — a crêpe filled with feta and leaks — is alright, but not great for sharing. I had so little of it that I don’t think I can give it a fair review. And then there were the judías verdes — green beans served with feta, red onions, olives, and a vinaigrette — that turned out to be the underdog of the night! So fresh and crisp! Definitely recommend it.
The staff was kind, helpful, and flexible. Do yourself a favor and try out La Bodega. I guarantee you a good time!

We had 5 different dishes and two desserts. The food was pretty good for the most part. I wasn’t a fan of one of the dishes, but that was mostly personal preference. Everything was well prepared and of high quality. It was well presented as well.
The service, however, was a little on the slow side. Our waiter did not come by often enough and very rarely refilled drinks.
We ate on the patio and apparently the lights were broken, so we ended up literally eating in the dark while getting eaten ourselves by mosquitos.
All in all, I would go back. I would like to try some other dishes and the food makes the mediocre service a little more palatable.

A favorite for tapas and sangria! They also have the best happy hour in town. Lately we’ve been more than once a week for a pitcher of sangria and a couple tapas. Our favorites are Papas Fritas with a garlic aioli, Pan Tomate, and the pancetta wrapped, chorizo filled dates!

I love this place! I wish I could tell you my favorite tapa, but honestly, every one I have tried has always been delicious! Service is occasionally less than par, but for the most part, this is a great place to mix it up! Grab several different tapas and share them among friends.

This place is always a good time. You really can’t go wrong with Spanish tapas and Sangria! Not to mention the amazing Paella they serve.
I haven’t had a single tapa I didn’t like on their menu. EVERYTHING is delicious and the staff is always on point.

I normally hit up the southwest traffic way location but we were out here shopping and was craving for some tapas. The one thing this place has that beats the other location is the ample outdoor space. There’s space in the front and on the side. It was very nice just to sit out and have a glass of sangria, which by the way is the best I’ve had. It’s even better during happy hour! One of my favorite restaurants in Kansas City. And as always the staff are super nice and friendly.

Went for happy hour on a Saturday, where the dishes with the faces on the menu are ½ priced. (Best time to go for the best deal, these are tappas, small plate dishes) I ordered the goat cheese and tomatoes with crustinies. It was very good! Others ordered the pork and apple skewers, the chicken and chorizo skewers, the squid, and the goat cheese and fig tappas. Everything tasted fresh and delicious.
We also ordered drinks. They were very good, nice and stiff. I ordered the Flirtini.
*Prior to this evening, I did attend our annual Christmas party here. If you have a group event and want to take apart of their tappas bar, that is a cool, tasty option to try different things.

We have dined at this establishment 8 – 9 times and have found it to be delicious and fairly consistent. The sangria (red) gets 5 stars — especially during happy hour. The tapas vary depending on what you order — we love the chorizo stuffed dates wrapped in prosciutto. The entrees are not quite as good as the tapas but the Spanish Cioppino is amazing. I have had a delicious lunch at La Bodega — ordered the special that included a selection of tapas. We also got a Spanish pizza that was Ah-​mazing!

Recently had an opportunity to check out La Bodega. I thought it was a really fun experience. The tapas were super tasty, although I felt like they were slightly overpriced for the portion sizes. The restaurant itself felt hip and trendy, but also had an intimate and cozy feeling. This is a great place to meet friends, chat, share some food, and enjoy the atmosphere of the restaurant.
The main reason this place isn’t 5 star is because we really felt rushed towards the end of the meal. It became clear around 9:30p that the staff wanted us gone so they could close. We weren’t the only people in there, but the crowd had thinned out on the side we were on (non-​bar side). It was so blatant that I checked the hours on the website once we got home. They just say 11a-​Close. Unilocal shows they are open to 1:30a.

My husband and I went with another couple and ordered ten tapas between the four of us. There were all pretty tasty, though overpriced for what you get. Let’s be honest, you’re paying a little more for the ambiance and fun experience. It’s a trendy atmosphere and you’re engulfed in soft yellow light and surrounded by cozy furniture and modern art.
One of the selections that I liked in particular was the pancetta wrapped and chorizo stuffed figs. I also enjoyed the meatballs, though my dining partners didn’t agree. We all, however, agreed on the pitcher of sangria. It’s delicious, even though they try to make it look like you’re getting more by overfilling the pitcher with ice even though your glasses start off topped with ice and fruit as well.
Even so, the ambiance can’t be beat, and the pitcher of watered sangria was worth the $ 30. Overall, our total bill before tip was ~$ 150. I wouldn’t say the food itself was worth that because it wasn’t, but it’s a fun experience and I would recommend it as a good place to go with friends. It didn’t make it into the short list of my favorite restaurants base on the food, but I’ll definitely be back.

I really WANT to like La Bodega more. I have been here on a number of occasions since they opened and I have yet to be wowed. I love tapas, but just haven’t had great tapas here in Kansas City and I feel like that’s a big gaping hole in our food scene. I have had amazing tapas in other cities and La Bodega feels like a bit of a let-​down every time I go.
Last night I met up with a friend and we ordered four tapas. All of them were good, but only one of them was great: The Pintxos de Higo Roasted is grilled bread with roasted red peppers, goat cheese and fig. The flavor combinations were really nice and I’ll probably steal this idea and make something similar at home sometime.
We also had the Crespelle de Feta y Puerros which is supposed to be thin crepes layered with goat cheese, but the «crepes» really seem more like phyllo dough. My friend commented that it just didn’t seem that special, «like something I could easily whip up myself at home.»
I didn’t have it, but they make a flaming Spanish Coffee and the tableside prep is something to see.
Prices are fairly steep in relation to serving sizes.
I have always had good to great service at La Bodega and last night was no exception. Our waiter was attentive and funny without being overbearing.
This is the kind of place that I would never suggest as a place to go, but I wouldn’t balk at if someone else wanted to go.