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The dining room at MAD.
Feel like you’re dining on tapas in Madrid at River Oak’s Mad.
Mai Pham

9 Houston Restaurants With the Tastiest Tapas

Indulge in a dining experience with small dishes for the sharing

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Feel like you’re dining on tapas in Madrid at River Oak’s Mad.
| Mai Pham

Throw a dart on a world map and you will probably land on a region whose cuisine is featured in the Houston dining scene. While our city is renowned for its great Latin American cuisine, there is no shortage of great spots showcasing the cuisine of the Iberian Peninsula and Spain through delicious small plates and tasty tapas.

The phenomenon of these shareable dishes all started with the Spanish, and if you know where to look, you’ll find hearty plates of tapas classics like jamon, smoky octopus pulpo, plate-size tortilla Espanola alongside paella, and great wine that will make you feel like you’re dining in Barcelona or Madrid. But if traditional Spanish tapas aren’t your jam, there are plenty of other spots churning out their own brand of these snackable plates. From South Asian tapas spots to impressive bar food and small plate destinations, here are Houston’s best tapas restaurants.

Is your favorite tapas spot missing from this map? Shout it out in the comments.

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Plane & Level

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From Basque country to the ‘burbs, this Spring wine bar and tapas spot marries rare wines with chef-driven, Spanish shareable plates such as its sweet shrimp gambas al pil-pil, meat and veggie empanadas, and jamon Iberico by the ounce. Do not miss out on Plane’s egg and caviar dish, made with an egg custard with a healthy bump of caviar on top, be sure to check out its iteration of the Basque cheesecake, and rest assured that your glass will stay full when dining here.

Barcelona Restaurant and Lounge

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At this late-night dining destination, Spanish street food staples such as jamon, octopus, and sausages highlight the menu alongside bar fare like burgers and sandwiches. To get a good snapshot of Spanish tapas fare, opt for any of the sampler platters, which feature a healthy helping of staples like its croquetas de jamon, warm empanadas, Manchego cheese bites, and jamon-stuffed peppers.

Oporto Fooding House & Wine

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Taking to the traditional Portuguese dining style of pairing snack-sized bites with wine, this Midtown hotspot is serving up world-class tapas alongside one of the best wine lists in Houston with an extensive selection of Old-World vino from the Iberian Peninsula. Expect flavor bombs such as its squid-ink fried rice, the croquetas de bacalhau cod fritters, or its almondegas marroquino — lamb meatballs packed with pine nuts and mint. Top off dinner with some Portuguese lemon pastels, and pair it with some Madeira dessert wine.

This buzzy River Oaks restaurant pays homage to the vibrant nightlife and culinary scene of Madrid. Upon entering, you might think you’re at the famed tapas destination Tickets in Barcelona- from the inventive menu to the electric décor. From a wide range of shared plates like the foie gras with berries and cassis and bone marrow with caviar to the build-your-own paella offerings, there are plenty of options for every taste. For a bucket-list experience, go for the $155 12-course tasting menu, or order the whole pulpo — a monstrous Spanish-style grilled octopus nestled upon a bed of crispy squid ink black rice.

BCN Taste & Tradition

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Chef Luis Roger’s Spanish fine dining destination is home to some of the best tapas on this side of the Atlantic. Get transported to the streets of Barcelona with bites of imported acorn-fed ham Iberico, patatas bravas, ham croquettes, or Spanish smoked octopus. Not only are the small plates stunning, but the dining room and mains such as the suckling pig “a la Segoviana” are equally as dashing.

Ambrosia

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Tapas with a Pan-Asian twist await diners at this small but stylish Museum District joint. Indulge in Indian fare with the Baadmash wings. Enjoy Japanese flavors with dishes like ponzu Brussels sprouts, or dabble in Korean cuisine with the “papas” umami potatoes plate. Either way, these snack-size platters are perfect complements to larger entrees like the sambal and Gojuchan-glazed ribs or the Szechuan rib-eye.

El Meson

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Spanish and Latin flavors collide at this homey University Village dining room. With a Wine Spectator-recognized wine list, El Meson is the perfect low-key spot to down a bottle of Spanish wine alongside plates of Spaniard classics such as the tortilla Espanola, a traditional Spanish potato omelet, Morcilla sausage, or more Latin-influenced tapas like the piquillos del mar, piquillo peppers stuffed with cod in a creamy bechamel sauce.

Costa Brava Bistro

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Spanish fare with French influences takes center stage at this down-home Bellaire neighborhood bistro. Meats and seafood highlight the tapas offerings, which included its jamon Iberico tomato pan cristal dish — a Spanish-imported ham spread across a Catalan glass bread — and the three-citrus Scottish salmon belly ceviche. Mains such as the Texas quail with wild mushrooms also showcase a Spanish flair with French technique and Costa Brava’s meshing of local ingredients, which keeps diners coming back for more.

Cleo Lounge

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For a less traditional, but still stellar take on tapas, trek down to this Pearland dining room. Expect an unassuming yet homey ambiance with live music and plates ranging from the chef’s special jerk baby lamb chops to its crab cakes or chicken lollipops.

Plane & Level

From Basque country to the ‘burbs, this Spring wine bar and tapas spot marries rare wines with chef-driven, Spanish shareable plates such as its sweet shrimp gambas al pil-pil, meat and veggie empanadas, and jamon Iberico by the ounce. Do not miss out on Plane’s egg and caviar dish, made with an egg custard with a healthy bump of caviar on top, be sure to check out its iteration of the Basque cheesecake, and rest assured that your glass will stay full when dining here.

Barcelona Restaurant and Lounge

At this late-night dining destination, Spanish street food staples such as jamon, octopus, and sausages highlight the menu alongside bar fare like burgers and sandwiches. To get a good snapshot of Spanish tapas fare, opt for any of the sampler platters, which feature a healthy helping of staples like its croquetas de jamon, warm empanadas, Manchego cheese bites, and jamon-stuffed peppers.

Oporto Fooding House & Wine

Taking to the traditional Portuguese dining style of pairing snack-sized bites with wine, this Midtown hotspot is serving up world-class tapas alongside one of the best wine lists in Houston with an extensive selection of Old-World vino from the Iberian Peninsula. Expect flavor bombs such as its squid-ink fried rice, the croquetas de bacalhau cod fritters, or its almondegas marroquino — lamb meatballs packed with pine nuts and mint. Top off dinner with some Portuguese lemon pastels, and pair it with some Madeira dessert wine.

MAD

This buzzy River Oaks restaurant pays homage to the vibrant nightlife and culinary scene of Madrid. Upon entering, you might think you’re at the famed tapas destination Tickets in Barcelona- from the inventive menu to the electric décor. From a wide range of shared plates like the foie gras with berries and cassis and bone marrow with caviar to the build-your-own paella offerings, there are plenty of options for every taste. For a bucket-list experience, go for the $155 12-course tasting menu, or order the whole pulpo — a monstrous Spanish-style grilled octopus nestled upon a bed of crispy squid ink black rice.

BCN Taste & Tradition

Chef Luis Roger’s Spanish fine dining destination is home to some of the best tapas on this side of the Atlantic. Get transported to the streets of Barcelona with bites of imported acorn-fed ham Iberico, patatas bravas, ham croquettes, or Spanish smoked octopus. Not only are the small plates stunning, but the dining room and mains such as the suckling pig “a la Segoviana” are equally as dashing.

Ambrosia

Tapas with a Pan-Asian twist await diners at this small but stylish Museum District joint. Indulge in Indian fare with the Baadmash wings. Enjoy Japanese flavors with dishes like ponzu Brussels sprouts, or dabble in Korean cuisine with the “papas” umami potatoes plate. Either way, these snack-size platters are perfect complements to larger entrees like the sambal and Gojuchan-glazed ribs or the Szechuan rib-eye.

El Meson

Spanish and Latin flavors collide at this homey University Village dining room. With a Wine Spectator-recognized wine list, El Meson is the perfect low-key spot to down a bottle of Spanish wine alongside plates of Spaniard classics such as the tortilla Espanola, a traditional Spanish potato omelet, Morcilla sausage, or more Latin-influenced tapas like the piquillos del mar, piquillo peppers stuffed with cod in a creamy bechamel sauce.

Costa Brava Bistro

Spanish fare with French influences takes center stage at this down-home Bellaire neighborhood bistro. Meats and seafood highlight the tapas offerings, which included its jamon Iberico tomato pan cristal dish — a Spanish-imported ham spread across a Catalan glass bread — and the three-citrus Scottish salmon belly ceviche. Mains such as the Texas quail with wild mushrooms also showcase a Spanish flair with French technique and Costa Brava’s meshing of local ingredients, which keeps diners coming back for more.

Cleo Lounge

For a less traditional, but still stellar take on tapas, trek down to this Pearland dining room. Expect an unassuming yet homey ambiance with live music and plates ranging from the chef’s special jerk baby lamb chops to its crab cakes or chicken lollipops.

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