Bodega Tapas

If you’re stranded in Sydney and feel a yearning for Barcelona or San Sebastian (where they have more Michelin stars per capita than anywhere else in Europe) then we highly recommend a trip to this divine tapas bar where the food may well convince you to save on your airfare. Bodega serves, quite simply, the best tapas we have ever tasted. Arrive at about 5 minutes before 6pm if you don’t want to sit in the bar and wait on an available table. Like many popular Sydney restaurants, Bodega doesn’t take reservations. We arrived at 5:45 to find the street empty and the restaurant closed only to return at 6:05 to a massive line that had materialised from nowhere. Fortunately the gods were with us and we secured the last available table.

Service was slick and professional and at no point did we feel hurried. Your tapas arrives fresh from the kitchen which is situated right behind the bar so you can watch your chorizo being grilled if you so desire. The wine list includes some great Riojas as well as such Spanish delights as Pedro Ximenez sherry. Should you arrive late and need to wait a while the bar next door does a fine variety of cocktails to get you in the mood. Highlights of our meal include the best squid I have eaten for a very long time and the slow roast lamb with roast garlic miso and eggplant. This took a while to turn up – and when we asked why we were told this was because it was being slow roasted! At $32 for the lamb (a tapas-sized portion) Bodega is not cheap. For food this good I’m afraid we don’t care. I would remortgage the house to go back – be warned!