Aioli Bodega Española

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Aioli_Exterior.JPG

Location Davis sacramentoSacramento
Address 808 2nd Street, Davis 1800 L Street, Sacramento
Phone (530) 757-2766 (916) 447-9440
Hours Lunch Mon. - Fri. 11:30am - 3pm
Dinner Mon. - Sat. 5pm - 11pm, Sun. 5pm - 10pm
Website [WWW]http://www.sacramentomidtown.com/aioli/aioli.shtml
Price range $6-$8/$15-$20 depending on what part of the menu is appealing
Payment Methods American Express, Diner's Club, MasterCard, Visa

Aioli Bodega Española is a restaurant that serves Spanish cuisine (including Tapas) in an upscale setting. They also have a sacramentoSacramento location.Welcome to Aioli Bodega Española Restaurants, where our authentic food, wine and ambiance will transport you to Spain for the evening. We offer a full selection of Spanish tapas, meals, wines, and desserts for lunch or dinner.

[WWW]Read a story and see more photos in Davis Life Magazine.
[WWW]Read a review with beautiful photos in Davis Life Magazine.

Replaced Cafe California.

Pictures

Door.jpg Aioli Interior01.jpg

Comments:

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2006-03-03 11:21:59   I ate there on Tuesday night and I liked it. Service was a bit slow and chaotic (but they're new and still getting organized), staff was friendly and the food was good. Portions were just right and their wine selection is awesome. I think its a great place for a date. —KarthikRam

2006-03-10 20:03:30   Just got back from the restaurant. The food was pretty decent, I especially like the tuna & spinach with a sherry & vinegar sauce and the pork braised with raisins. The portabella mushrooms were okay, but a bit underwhelming as was the calamari and lemon. The appetizer tortillas tres colores was also pretty good. The service was decent and the food was timed well. The only thing I could say that was poor was the hanging copper wires with the glasses holding candles (decor). It's a strange thing to pick up on, but it bugged me. —AlvinTsao

2006-03-16 21:42:11   We ate there on March 9 and it was very good. Perfect atmosphere, decent prices, and awesome tapas. Definitely reminded me of being back in Spain again. —MonicaWilliams

2006-03-24 19:14:11   Just ate there. The lentil soup was very good but most everything else was disappointing. The meat bourek was basically a Pillsbury pastry crust stuffed with plain, browned ground beef, no seasoning at all. And the "baby chorizo" were as bland as the cheapest hot dog, I've had little smokies with more taste. The sauce in the Pollo Andaluz had good flavor but the chicken wasn't tender at all. The atmosphere was pretty nice but the brown butcher paper on top of burlap for the table covers probably saves money on linen cleaning but seems to cheapen the decor. —WeezyTheDog

2006-04-01 17:00:58   This is a place to get a drink, grab a dessert, or sit at the bar, but I wouldn't recommend it for dinner, especially if you have a large party. We weren't seated until 45 minutes after our reservation. The tapas were mixed in quality, and compared to most San Francisco tapas places, the portions were small and the prices expensive. I must have eaten 3-4 loaves of bread to keep the tab down. The complimentary chick-pea aoili spread was better than the average Davis hummus, the lamb brochettes were excellent, the portobello mushrooms were lackluster, the mussels were about average, the lamb sausage went well with its spicy sauce, the shark was interesting but not especially noteworthy, the cold mushrooms were overspiced and dull, and the tortilla tres colores was great but tiny. The desserts were mostly excellent, with one of the best flans we'd ever eaten, a rich chocolate mousse with unpleasantly tough blueberries, a flavorful wine infused sponge cake, and an appealing creme-brulee-like special. The service was prompt, but we were displeased with the automatic 20% gratuity for our party of 9, especially since they included 20% of our $135 in wine.

2006-04-11 01:16:13   Based on an enjoyable meal some months ago at the Sacramento Aioli, my wife wanted to try the Davis one for her birthday tonight. I think my wife would say she had another enjoyable meal, but my impression is mixed. Our party of 7 (2 families including 3 kids) was seated promptly (but what would you expect for a Monday?). Our waiter seemed hasty and annoyed that we did not want to order drinks right away but instead wanted to look over the wine list. Since it was a birthday celebration, we wanted a sparkling wine like cava, all of which are listed on the menu, only a few correctly, as "Champagnes." When one of our party wanted to verify that our choice was indeed a cava, the waiter did not seem to understand the word. He brought special chilled glasses for the cava, a nice touch, but then poured it much too rapidly as if he were filling water glasses.

As for the starters, the lentil soup was well received, except for too much salt, but the green salad with vinegarette was tasteless: the greens seem to have come from a Safeway salad bag (and a small number of them were rotten) and the dressing was practically nonexistent. Among the tapas we tried, the most flavorful was the mahi tuna with spinach. We got chicken skewers for the kids, but they were turned off by the sauce (so the adults got to eat them). Instead the kids finished off 4 plates of anchovies and 2 of olives, plus very good bread. I enjoyed the stuffed clams with lots of garlic and the 2 types of squid tapas we got were also good.

One question: tapas are supposed to be small dishes, so why does Aioli serve them on such large plates? We quickly ran out of room on our table and spent considerable time rearranging and stacking needlessly large plates. Alerted by the comment of CraigBrozinsky above, I was not totally surprised to see a 20% gratuity added to our check, but I had thought that maybe 10-year old kids might not be counted toward what I was told is their trigger point of 6 guests in a party (a notice in the menu might prepare one for the sticker shock). When I asked our waiter for clarification and pointed out that we were being required to tip on the tax as well, he recalculated the tab without the 20% (even though we told him it was not necessary and it was not our point) and presented it back to us saying "you can tip me nothing if you want to." This guy obviously has a great future as a server. Like suckers we tipped him about what the original check required, but I am certainly not going to beat a path back to the Aioli door the next time we want to have a nice meal in Davis. —RichardBreedon

I have not eaten there yet. I tried. One of my sisters turned 50 this week. When I called to try to make a reservation for 25 friends and family about 3 weeks ago, I was told that the restaurant was not ready to book such a large group. I told him that I was a Cafe California regular and we always just used the back room, we would keep the celebration to 2 hours so they could have an additional seating after we left. I told him that we could order all of the food in advance and have people just order their drinks from the bar, thus ensuring that we spend a lot of money. He told me that he would do it mid-week but not on a weekend night - that he wasn't ready and turned me away. So we went elsewhere. From what I am reading above and my experience, this restaurant doesn't like groups larger than 4 people. It is sooooo different from Cafe California, where impromptu gatherings of up to 20 people would push tables together and eat and order drinks from the bar and have fun. —SharlaDaly

2006-04-30 02:58:43   My date and I had to wait a quite a while to get a table, even though we had reservations. The portions are very inconsistent! I don't know why the aceitunas variadas (cured olives) came with such a huge spoon while the legumbres a la parilla (grilled veg), which was as delightful as the sauces it came with (aioli and olive tapenade), came with no utensil. The bavette de boeuf (skirt steak) melted in my mouth, but were on the bland side, while the tiburon picado (sauteed shark) was delicious with the beurre blanc sauce with capers- too bad we got only six dinky little pieces of it. The tortilla tres colores were my favorite, but they tasted more like potatoes and onions than anything else. Finally, the pastel de almendras (almond cake) was sticky, sweet, and yummy, but nothing to write home about, and the chocolate con accento frances (chocolate mousse) is the best mousse I have ever tasted- not overpoweringly sweet, so you can really taste the chocolate. The only other berries in that dessert is blueberries, and the strawberry sauce was a tad scant. I was annoyed that the plates are so huge and the paper table covers were odd, but the ambience and decore were great, the servers were friendly, and they worked well even though it was a busy night tonight. Thom the waiter sure knows his wines! The Spanish cava is light, sweet, fruity, and refreshing. —JennaChan

2006-05-14 17:23:23   We had a good time and a nice dinner. We were seated before our reservation time, the service was attentive. Our tapas came out one or two at a time, allowing us to enjoy the great variety of flavors. We shared 5 tapas between 2 people, which made for a great many flavors and plenty of food. Desserts were also great! The wine list is diverse with some good picks. —AcrZpu

2006-07-20 21:07:34   I've had food there on a number of occassions and found the menu options a refreshing change from most others offered in downtown. If you are looking for something different and good in downtown Davis, give it a try. —ChristopherMckenzie

2006-08-02 19:25:21   Excellent experience! The Spanish waiter and owner are extremely friendly and enhanced the evening. The menu has a wide variety but the entrees are a tad expensive. If you go as a couple, I don't suggest getting the Paella because they are large enough for 2 people and you're better off trying a wider selection of flavors. Besides, I'm not entirely convinced that the mussels in the paella were fresh. The bread was excellent (hot and crispy) and the bread spread is delicious. The desserts (almond cake and the flan) were both excellent and very flavorful. The water served here is filtered and the take home boxes have the item's name calligraphied onto them. Those two small things certainly made the evening very, very enjoyable even if the paella was only average. —LiRic

2006-08-04 20:28:03   Such an amazing improvement over what used to be in its spot. Bravo! Good value for the quality. —JaimeRaba

2006-08-20 14:24:11   Service left nothing to complain about. Food was pretty good- portions, even for tapas, were very small. would recommend the little lamb sausages in red wine. Bread very good. Tapas selection very limited. Wine list seemed...OK. Don't know what corkage fee is or anything...but you can buy a very nice bottle of tempranillo for <$10 at the co-op which is FAR superior than what I had for $7.50 a glass there. overall: pretty good for Davis standards, but don't go there expecting some great tapas or super-special dining experience, you know? —DianaChristofersen

2006-09-23 02:57:03   Took a date here recently. It was definitely a cute restaurant. It took about 5 minutes for the host to notice us (a BIG negative), but once we got seated the service was pretty good. The decor was very Spanish and the lighting was just about perfect. As for the food it was amazingly ordinary. We ordered the portabella mushrooms in garlic and sherry wine and the bourek de casa. With chocolate truffles in a white chocolate sauce for dessert. All three were alright, just bland and not quite what you'd expect from a place like this. Still, the ambience was a plus and I got out of there paying only $26 (including tip) so it wasn't all bad. I honestly can't see myself coming back here on my own, but I might take a date here again. —SteveKent

"2006-10-21 02:58"   My own opinion and feel free to try it out yourself but the food was horrible— I've eaten tons of tapas not only in Spain (having lived there) but also in the US and I would NEVER EVER eat here again. The tortilla was awful; i could have made it better myself! Plus the patatas bravas were cold, even though they are supposed to be a hot dish— and had a sour taste to them. To my knowledge, they are supposed to be in a spicy red sauce, not a sour, gone-bad taste. The beef and tuna were bad as well, the tuna was poor quality. It was overly chewy and thick since it was flash-fried I presume. The only thing good about this place was the service. I'm horrified that this place could hail themselves as having tapas but what I had there definetley was NOT tapas. Again, this is my own opinion, having had lots of tapas before and if you like sub-par food that shouldn't call itself Spanish food, then by all means, have fun. However, you're better off eating elsewhere.

2006-11-13 19:12:18   I tried to celebrate my birthday with my family and my roommates family Saturday 11-11-06 and it was horrible. We had RESERVATIONS and were not sat until 30 MINUTES after our reservation time. Once seated our waiter seemed annoyed to even have to take our order. We were so outraged we requested a new waiter. The new waiter was good, but the food was not worth the wait. It wasnt bad, just not great after such a bad start. We will not be going back. —AshleyDunleavy

2007-01-29 00:00:23   A group of six ate here last night. We had no trouble getting a last-minute reservation, even on a Saturday night. We were seated immediately, and the service quality continued at a high level. The waiter was knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful. She made a great wine suggestion: we liked the bottle so much we ordered another. The food was excellent, if a bit overly garlicky — but what do you expect from a place called "Aioli"?! If I had to complain, I would say the prices are a tad high, especially for the tapas. Also, the guy whose sole job it seemed was to deliver bread to our table was a little slow and a little weird. Oh, and I hadn't really thought about it, but reading the comments above, I'd have to agree that the plates were strangely very large for the "little dishes" that are tapas. Generally, though, I hope to go back soon! —DanLawyer

2007-05-02 20:32:26   Two things I really enjoyed here were: the wide array of vegetarian tapas, especially some little cheesy puffs and the grilled vegetables, and the vegetable paella (which is not something that you see often). The paella is for two, but if you go with a bunch of people you can split a bunch of tapas as well as a paella, and have a nice, varied meal. —CovertProfessor

2007-07-07 21:59:32   Ate there tonight—Saturday. Great food and service. It's a nice place to take a date. We will return. Scallops were tasty. Had a bit of spicy lamb that I enjoyed too. Grilled vegetables, gazpacho, endive salad—all very good. I thought the prices were reasonable as well. —A.K.Athisia

2007-08-20 23:25:13   Had a great meal here a few weeks ago when my parents came for a visit. Chef Abby was very gracious, sat with us at our table and suggested some great tapas. We had a chicken dish that I didn't love, but the sauce was excellent. We also had the lamb. That was very good. They also make a mean sangria. Highly recommended for food and atmosphere. —HopeMirlis

2007-08-26 15:39:51   Yum, yum, yum, yum, yummy! Nice place to take your parents if you want to impress them. —ElisaWeller

2007-10-09 08:38:47   This is as good a restaurant as any you will find in Davis. Great dishes and good service. Expensive. Not really Spanish as the food has a bit too much capsicum. —PaulThober

2007-11-02 00:11:41   Great service, great food, but the music is a bit distracting. Sleazy jazz doesn't go with tapas. —WilliamBeamish

2007-11-10 22:30:06   I signed up for DavisWiki.org purely to comment on my experience at Aioli.

Wow.

All I can say is .. Wow. My experience here tonight was absolutely amazing. I found Aioli through DavisWiki while trying to find a place to bring my parents. The most wonderful service, our waiter was so fun, charming and extremely attentive! The food was unexplainable. So delicious and beyond perfection! Everything about our trip here was perfect. I really urge everyone to give it a try. PERFECT for taking family, friends or a date! —Stacy

2007-12-18 09:29:46   Great restaurant in Davis! The food was really good, especially puerco castilla and the paella! The paella was the best I've had outside of Spain.

Disappointingly, they were out of a lot of things on their menu and their wine list. Also, their menu desperately needs to be redesigned. Its really hard to read and not very attractive.

But I'll definitely go back for the good food! —LaurenMcNees

2008-01-20 23:06:11   I went to this place with my boyfriend when they first opened, and had a horrible experience. It took an hour and a half to get our food, and the chicken tappa dish was very overcooked. I told the waiter about it, and he said that I should come in any day but saturday for the chicken because the chef tends to overcook the chicken on the weekends. I thought he was joking, but he wasn't. No offer to replace the chicken, and no offer to take it off our bill. We went there a second time because we were given a gift certificate, and there was a huge improvement. The waiter (different one this time) even gave us a complimentary tappa so that we can give the chef our opinion on it! I think they just had to work out the kinks. —Dr.Lindsay

2008-01-31 12:09:50   very nice date restaurant. My wife and I went here and the bartender was very friendly and kind. The food was awesome, really good. very rich and savory dishes, we had a shrimp bisque that was so, so good. The drinks use fresh squeezed juice not any cheap mixers. —DagonJones

2008-02-19 22:26:52   Yummy spanish tomato soup! The specialty dishes are very reasonably priced for the amount of high quality food. The tapas, while tasty, are a little pricey for the quantity. Many of the tapas should be a dollar less. The service was attentive when we've been with small groups (2-6 people), but somewhat slow for a larger group. Nice atmosphere except if you get stuck in the nook off to the left side of the main sitting area. The table (or is it two tables?) seem to have been added for additional seating, but are not as nice and cozy as the other tables. The veggie options could be improved a little, but overall one of the top places to go in town for a more upscale yet laid back dinner. —mj

2008-04-15 18:54:51   I absolutely loved the food here, I would definetly say that this was the best and most high end fare I've had in Davis. Service was friendly but the waitress definetly talked down to my boyfriend and I, be it our age or my piercings I would just like to note that those things don't necessarily meen we are ignorant so please don't be judgemental of your patrons it's very infuriating. But like I said excellent food so we'll be back very soon. —sdlexie

2008-05-03 10:48:38   I recently ate here, and what I was most impressed with was the fresh squeezed juice (they have a press right there attached to the bar) they use in their cocktails. Very delicious touch! —Catan

2008-05-03 12:27:17   We visited here last summer/late spring, and honestly, all I can remember is how freezing it was. It was pretty warm outside, but inside I shivered the entire meal. It wasn't fun. —ElleWeber

2008-07-06 08:21:00   This is a weird question, but for someone just starting to explore Spanish food and culture for the first time, what's good a dish to try for a newbie to Spanish food? —thelonepiper555

2008-11-18 20:16:53   yesterday i came with a friend of mine for a lunch. I like the restaurant, especially the interior decoration and the paintings on the walls. The food was new to me since I hadn't tried spanish food. By the way, I really enjoyed the best service and the food provided! I urge you to come as many times as possible! —davisangel

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