Reviews for Mateo Bar de Tapas in Durham, NC
The best food I had in Durham! Atún tuna tartar, blue crab thingy was good for me a seafood lover. Pulpo, the octopus with inky... black olive aioli was perfectly cooked! The other were also excellent. Even though they are expensive, I’d still recommend itto anyone who loves seafood and small elegante dishes. Oh right, the male waiter was super friendly and patiently explainedeverything to us. Read more
This is a great restaurant with amazing food and friendly staff. But it seems like the place is a bit understaffed. We were... waiting for our food for a long while, and we needed to remind them one item never showed up. The place is super busy, so domake a reservation before visiting. Everything is small and pricy but tasty! Read more
Loved some of the dishes a lot especially the picked sardines, duck confit, and pulpo. We also ordered the bone marrow, shrimp,... and serano ham but they were just good, didn't wow us like the other 2. Would recommend we paid 140 for 2 people dinner plus 2drinks and left very satisfied. Would recommend! Read more
My hubby and I have been to this Tapas Bar twice. The atmosphere is nice. The small plates we have tried were very delicious.... The bone marrow dish, fried rice, and the brussel sprouts are a few of our favorites. The plates are shareable and its a greatexperience. Eric is a great and knowledgeable waiter. He was busy on Saturday, but took care of his tables with no problem! Trythe spicy margarita and the rum punch too. The bartender was on point also!! Give them a try and see what you think!! Read more
Very good options! I would seek the menu to tell you the dish’s name in Spanish, but you can deduce it for yourself- let me... explain. This menu (or was it a Valentine’s selection?) isn’t too complex that you’re undecided whether to order the steakburger, cheesesteak melt, steak on fries, steak n’ eggs… There were ~10 options: shrimp, calamari, red meat, tuna, trout,octopus and so forth. The pricing was ~$75 for 4 small (-not all) dishes , including those of the dessert. The 4 options: flan,banana pudding, cheesecake and one that requires heating manipulation. I personally liked the shrimp the most, followed by thecalamari. Dessert? I recommend the banana pudding. I also tried the cheesecake which was flavorless- though everything else waspretty spot on! Wine? Sweet white wine wasn’t available, nothing like Moscato that is! ???? Anyway, great ambiance, tons ofgood energy all around! My only complaint (which wasn’t a big deal really) was they are unorganized or something was going onbeyond my knowledge that was causing them to be unsure who ordered what. I was brought another’s plate a handful of times. Itwas a bit funny. I was tempted to say, “Yes! Right here!” ???? To mgmt? I had fun tonight! Great experience alongside mydate! Read more
Great tapas place for any occasion! The dishes are all delicious and look great! The atmosphere of the restaurant is romantic... but may have difficulty talking due to the noise. Try to get a seat upstairs if you want a more quiet setting. Read more
This is great for the experience but I wouldn’t make it a regular spot. Since it is a tapas restaurant the dish sizes are VERY... small, even to share with one other person. You can easily rack up an insanely pricey bill at this place just trying a fewthings. Note that part of their dining section is upstairs and causes great traffic jams so if your party is not good withstairs you should make a reservation ahead of time. I didn’t get to take pictures of everything that we tried, but mostthings were pretty delicious. The chicken croquettes were absolutely TINY, like smaller than a donut hole. Some things were noteasily shared (like the fried chicken ball stuff with cheese and topped with pickles / pickled radish is one piece we needed tocut up) and I feel like that should be indicated on their menu which dishes are shareable and which are not. Their dessertportions were just as tiny as the tapas portions. The desserts were also extremely lacking in flavor. I think the Apple hand piewould have been better if served over a vanilla bean cream because the cream on the plate was flavorless and not giving anythingto the dish. The sweet potato cheesecake was also flavorless and could have used some cinnamon or something to liven it up. Read more
Revisiting this place was long overdue. I don't think there was anything we disliked in the 2 hours we spent at this wonderful... place. Wine selection was great and the cocktails didn't disappoint. The tapas were exceptional and the paella was as you wouldexpect. Meat and cheese selections were limited but didn't disappoint. Service was spot on. We love this place. Dine in, takeout, it's just awesome. Read more