Vida Tapas y Cocteles, the new tapas spot in downtown Mountain View, has been around for a year now. It boasts a vibrant atmosphere perfect for social gatherings, with plenty of seating for both small and large groups, both indoors and outdoors. The modern, chic interior features eye-catching touches like wall art, hanging lights, screen displays, and what might be artificial grass wall panels (though I can't be certain).The service at Vida is a mixed bag. While friendly and fast, attentiveness dips when it comes to managing larger groups. During our visit, some people in our party didn't receive their drinks even after requesting them twice, and empty plates piled up on the table without being cleared.The food itself presented a similar inconsistency. The Spanish Mule was a definite highlight - a tropical and visually appealing drink that tasted just as good. However, the tapas themselves ranged from bland to overly salty.Here's a breakdown of some dishes we tried:Paellas: The Carne paella with chicken, sobrasada, skirt steak, and wild mushrooms was the clear winner, with a flavorful sauce that outshone the (admittedly not great) paella at Cascal down the street. The Vegetales paella, however, was quite bland despite featuring broccolini, mushrooms, and cauliflower. We also tried the Mariscos paella with shrimp, clams, and octopus, and it was okay.Tapas: The Coliflor (fried rainbow cauliflower) and Alcachofa (fried artichoke) were bland and lacked excitement. The Papas Bravas, a classic Spanish potato dish, were a saving grace with the smoky brava sauce, while the Croquetas de Jamón were undeniably cheesy but too salty.Other highlights: The Gambas al Ajillo (blue spot prawns) with black garlic and chili flakes were a delicious and flavorful choice, as was the Jamón Iberico with its imported Pata Negra ham and crushed heirloom tomato.Overall, Vida Tapas y Cocteles has a lot of potential. The lively atmosphere and some standout dishes make it a fun option for a group outing. However, the inconsistency in food quality, particularly the blandness and excessive saltiness in some tapas, needs improvement. With more attention to detail on the plates and improved service for larger groups, Vida could become a truly great tapas destination in Mountain View. Please don't mind my blurry photos - it was a team dinner, so I was trying to be subtle (clearly failed ?).
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
C. S.
Camilla was our knowledgeable server with several recommendations. The carne paella was flavorful. Four of us also shared the olives, eggplant, cauliflower, jamon croquettes, calamari and papas bravas. Pleasant indoor or outdoor seating…the dirty martini and passion fruit margarita drinks were nice too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Croquetas De Jamón, Papas Bravas XL
Vighnesh Birodkar
The timings are wrong. They close their kitchen at 10pm and don't serve food after that.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
York N
tapas are so good that even your taste buds will start dancing the flamenco!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rohan Bedekar
TAPAS GOT ME SCREAMING MAMA! The vibe of Vida is just amazing with a cute spot in the back where they seat larger groups and that is where they fit the 6 of us! The service is also stellar with every single waiter we encountered having plenty of friendly banter and wit which we enjoyed! The food was also amazing! As a meat eater I was able to enjoy every single dish that I got. However some of the vegetarian dishes were lacking in flavor. Definitely come if you are a big meat eater. Their drinks were also BOMB the ginger mock tail was one of my favorite non-alcoholic drinks of all time that packed a bunch! The carne paella was also insanely good. It was so flavorful and there WAS NO SKIMPING on the meat which I loved. The portions were large and I think it was worth its price. The three meats beef, pork, and chicken complemented the rice perfectly. The octopus was also cooked to perfection with there being no chewiness yet plenty of texture which I love. The only con was that the sauces lacked a little flavor but it also let the octopus flavor shine which I liked a little bit too! OVERALL Vida was bussing and I would definitely reccomend to large groups and also for corporate parties. Definitely check Vida out.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pulpo Gallego
Alan Stokes
Very popular, great vibe, and friendly and quick service. I was on my own so ate at the bar, with opportunity to see the skill and flair with which cocktails were being made.The paella is not cheap but it's worth it; big enough for two, or one greedy person like me.Vegetarian options: I had the veggie paella, which was extremely good. Good selection of veggie tapas too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Curtis Barrett
Vegetarian options: Coliflor and Alicachofa tapas are amazing. Berenjena tapas is really good too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Forest Mushrooms
Danny DeBruine
Went for my fortieth birthday celebration last night. We had a two month old with us and there was plenty of room for the stroller. Service was mostly very quick and attentive. Food was pretty good, with just a couple dishes that didn’t stand out. Artichokes were very good as well as the short ribs. Would skip the albondigas and I’ve had better churros. The cheesecake they gave me on the house was excellent. House sangria was good, not great. All in all had a great experience and would definitely recommend!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tortilla De Patatas, Basque Cheesecake
Dingran Wang
We loved the squid ink paella, the skewers, the lamb chops. And many other tapas were pretty tasty.One thing we did not like, our server. She was very pushy to make us to order more food and drinks. We had 16 people and she told us to order 3-4 taps for each person, we told her we will order less to try first, she was not happy about it. Later, She refused to bring us more wine cups because she claimed two bottles were far from enough and force us to order more bottles?.They charged us 20% tips for large party but if we had a choice, we’d tip less.On the bright side, the food came out pretty fast.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 1
Juliet Rothenberg
Delicious tapas, full of flavor. We especially liked the artichoke and cauliflower. Dishes came quickly, and atmosphere and service were great. They even brought a water dish for our dog. Not sure what the other comments about slow service were - we had zero wait for anything on a Friday night.Dietary restrictions: Very thoughtful about my dietary restrictions
Good ambiance and quick service. We enjoyed their paella very much. We also loved their Cauliflower in small plates that we ordered, it was cooked to perfection and had that perfect crunch! We also tried Papas Bravas and it was delicious! For drinks we really enjoyed the Spanish mule.For dessert we tried the cheesecake, it was okay.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Ignacio López
Great Spanish restaurant at the north end of Castro St. I really enjoyed the paella de mariscos, the croquetas de jamón, and the octopus.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Croquetas De Jamon XL, Paella De Mariscos, Pulpo Gallego
Apoorva Gharat
Great place for tapas. We liked almost everything we ate. Really great atmosphere and amazing service. Would recommend for date nights or a night out with friends.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Flan, Pintxos Morunos, Croquetas De Jamón
Jesus Zuluaga
This place is the worst in food, I do not recommend it, if they ask me for a rating I will give them less (0000) we ordered two dishes with my wife, and the food was poorly prepared, and the worst thing is that it poisoned me, I called them and they told me , and they answer rudely, rather you go out and owe them, and I think that is not right.
Michaela S.
Came here with my girls for happy hour one day and I was actually quite surprised by the quality despite it being on the HH menu! We pretty much ordered everything from the HH selection. We started off with some cocktails which were super refreshing. We got 2 orders of pan con tomate, papas bravas, croquetas de jamon, pintxos morunos, and hamburgers which fed 10 people. If you're coming here for good vibes with a group of people, I would definitely recommend coming during happy hour when it's a little more affordable!
Vida Tapas y Cocteles, the new tapas spot in downtown Mountain View, has been around for a year now. It boasts a vibrant atmosphere perfect for social gatherings, with plenty of seating for both small and large groups, both indoors and outdoors. The modern, chic interior features eye-catching touches like wall art, hanging lights, screen displays, and what might be artificial grass wall panels (though I can't be certain).The service at Vida is a mixed bag. While friendly and fast, attentiveness dips when it comes to managing larger groups. During our visit, some people in our party didn't receive their drinks even after requesting them twice, and empty plates piled up on the table without being cleared.The food itself presented a similar inconsistency. The Spanish Mule was a definite highlight - a tropical and visually appealing drink that tasted just as good. However, the tapas themselves ranged from bland to overly salty.Here's a breakdown of some dishes we tried:Paellas: The Carne paella with chicken, sobrasada, skirt steak, and wild mushrooms was the clear winner, with a flavorful sauce that outshone the (admittedly not great) paella at Cascal down the street. The Vegetales paella, however, was quite bland despite featuring broccolini, mushrooms, and cauliflower. We also tried the Mariscos paella with shrimp, clams, and octopus, and it was okay.Tapas: The Coliflor (fried rainbow cauliflower) and Alcachofa (fried artichoke) were bland and lacked excitement. The Papas Bravas, a classic Spanish potato dish, were a saving grace with the smoky brava sauce, while the Croquetas de Jamón were undeniably cheesy but too salty.Other highlights: The Gambas al Ajillo (blue spot prawns) with black garlic and chili flakes were a delicious and flavorful choice, as was the Jamón Iberico with its imported Pata Negra ham and crushed heirloom tomato.Overall, Vida Tapas y Cocteles has a lot of potential. The lively atmosphere and some standout dishes make it a fun option for a group outing. However, the inconsistency in food quality, particularly the blandness and excessive saltiness in some tapas, needs improvement. With more attention to detail on the plates and improved service for larger groups, Vida could become a truly great tapas destination in Mountain View. Please don't mind my blurry photos - it was a team dinner, so I was trying to be subtle (clearly failed ?).
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Camilla was our knowledgeable server with several recommendations. The carne paella was flavorful. Four of us also shared the olives, eggplant, cauliflower, jamon croquettes, calamari and papas bravas. Pleasant indoor or outdoor seating…the dirty martini and passion fruit margarita drinks were nice too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Croquetas De Jamón, Papas Bravas XL
The timings are wrong. They close their kitchen at 10pm and don't serve food after that.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
tapas are so good that even your taste buds will start dancing the flamenco!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
TAPAS GOT ME SCREAMING MAMA! The vibe of Vida is just amazing with a cute spot in the back where they seat larger groups and that is where they fit the 6 of us! The service is also stellar with every single waiter we encountered having plenty of friendly banter and wit which we enjoyed! The food was also amazing! As a meat eater I was able to enjoy every single dish that I got. However some of the vegetarian dishes were lacking in flavor. Definitely come if you are a big meat eater. Their drinks were also BOMB the ginger mock tail was one of my favorite non-alcoholic drinks of all time that packed a bunch! The carne paella was also insanely good. It was so flavorful and there WAS NO SKIMPING on the meat which I loved. The portions were large and I think it was worth its price. The three meats beef, pork, and chicken complemented the rice perfectly. The octopus was also cooked to perfection with there being no chewiness yet plenty of texture which I love. The only con was that the sauces lacked a little flavor but it also let the octopus flavor shine which I liked a little bit too! OVERALL Vida was bussing and I would definitely reccomend to large groups and also for corporate parties. Definitely check Vida out.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pulpo Gallego
Very popular, great vibe, and friendly and quick service. I was on my own so ate at the bar, with opportunity to see the skill and flair with which cocktails were being made.The paella is not cheap but it's worth it; big enough for two, or one greedy person like me.Vegetarian options: I had the veggie paella, which was extremely good. Good selection of veggie tapas too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Vegetarian options: Coliflor and Alicachofa tapas are amazing. Berenjena tapas is really good too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Forest Mushrooms
Went for my fortieth birthday celebration last night. We had a two month old with us and there was plenty of room for the stroller. Service was mostly very quick and attentive. Food was pretty good, with just a couple dishes that didn’t stand out. Artichokes were very good as well as the short ribs. Would skip the albondigas and I’ve had better churros. The cheesecake they gave me on the house was excellent. House sangria was good, not great. All in all had a great experience and would definitely recommend!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tortilla De Patatas, Basque Cheesecake
We loved the squid ink paella, the skewers, the lamb chops. And many other tapas were pretty tasty.One thing we did not like, our server. She was very pushy to make us to order more food and drinks. We had 16 people and she told us to order 3-4 taps for each person, we told her we will order less to try first, she was not happy about it. Later, She refused to bring us more wine cups because she claimed two bottles were far from enough and force us to order more bottles?.They charged us 20% tips for large party but if we had a choice, we’d tip less.On the bright side, the food came out pretty fast.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 1
Delicious tapas, full of flavor. We especially liked the artichoke and cauliflower. Dishes came quickly, and atmosphere and service were great. They even brought a water dish for our dog. Not sure what the other comments about slow service were - we had zero wait for anything on a Friday night.Dietary restrictions: Very thoughtful about my dietary restrictions
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Patatas Bravas
Restaurantji Recommends
Good ambiance and quick service. We enjoyed their paella very much. We also loved their Cauliflower in small plates that we ordered, it was cooked to perfection and had that perfect crunch! We also tried Papas Bravas and it was delicious! For drinks we really enjoyed the Spanish mule.For dessert we tried the cheesecake, it was okay.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Great Spanish restaurant at the north end of Castro St. I really enjoyed the paella de mariscos, the croquetas de jamón, and the octopus.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Croquetas De Jamon XL, Paella De Mariscos, Pulpo Gallego
Great place for tapas. We liked almost everything we ate. Really great atmosphere and amazing service. Would recommend for date nights or a night out with friends.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Flan, Pintxos Morunos, Croquetas De Jamón
This place is the worst in food, I do not recommend it, if they ask me for a rating I will give them less (0000) we ordered two dishes with my wife, and the food was poorly prepared, and the worst thing is that it poisoned me, I called them and they told me , and they answer rudely, rather you go out and owe them, and I think that is not right.
Came here with my girls for happy hour one day and I was actually quite surprised by the quality despite it being on the HH menu! We pretty much ordered everything from the HH selection. We started off with some cocktails which were super refreshing. We got 2 orders of pan con tomate, papas bravas, croquetas de jamon, pintxos morunos, and hamburgers which fed 10 people. If you're coming here for good vibes with a group of people, I would definitely recommend coming during happy hour when it's a little more affordable!