There are only a handful of tapas restaurants in Phoenix, and Lola Tapas is rumored to be one of the better of the few. Unfortunately, rumors are not always true.
Lola Tapas is located in a small Phoenix home, where owners make the most of their space with a long communal table located just inside the front door. Sitting at the elevated wooden table, diners can see over the order counter and into the kitchen. There is a small bar and a tiny back room with a few smaller tables. Diners are seated on backless stools, forcing them to hunch over the tables and thereby create a sense of intimacy in the dimly lit restaurant.
Tapas are a Spanish tradition of small plates or appetizers. They are served hot and cold, and several can be combined to make a full meal. The menu at Lola Tapas contains fewer than a dozen choices, two of which are daily-changing specials. If all of these dishes were praiseworthy, this would be a sure recipe for success. However, Lola's tapas are disappointingly mediocre and surprisingly overpriced.
Think of paying, for instance, $4 for a small dish of olives soaking in olive oil. Or consider spending $14 on a three-ounce piece of filet mignon topped with a dollop of seasoned butter — and then finding a stringy piece of gristle on your meat.
Not everything at Lola Tapas is this dismal. Upon arrival, diners are given a plate of tasty soft white bread rounds and salted dipping oil. The tortilla is a pleasing and original choice. In Spain, tortillas are potato cakes similar to quiche, and at Lola Tapas, the inclusion of onion and peppers and the side of caper berries and saffron mayonnaise make this dish worth the money. The sangria is fresh and delicious, with the perfect mixture of wine and fruit emulsion, topped with fresh slices of seasonally ripe fruits.
Overall, however, Lola Tapas is a bit of a let-down. None of the dishes are exceptional, the service isn't standout, and the atmosphere leaves something wanting. For a slice of Spain, Lola Tapas leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Let's hope something was merely lost in translation.
— jessica.kokal@asu.edu or foodinphoenix.com
