Matadora Tapas Bar — Restaurant in Halifax

We had our first visit to Matadora this past Monday. Our experience was incredible from start to finish. The aesthetics of this place are stunning and I LOVE all the beautiful comfortable furniture and pillows. Most importantly, it was inviting, cozy and fun! Our server Laura was a gem and took excellent care of us. The star of the show was the manager Ana Correa. She greeted us with warm smiles and hugs. She was genuinely excited as we were about the whole experience. We took all of her recommendations on food and we were blown away. Ana paired the perfect bottle of red wine that was juicy, delicious and went beautifully with every dish we tried. The olives, boquerones (wow) squid a la parilla (yum) smoked spanish mackerel (my fav), braised beef cheeks (unreal), halibut (best we ever had) were nothing short of amazing. We loved every single dish. AND THEN…dessert. You have to save room. The sheep's cheese ice cream? Move over cows..this was the best ice cream I have ever tasted! So unique, creamy, and flavourful. The cheesecake was like silk and so delicious. She paired a Sherry with our desserts which blew me away. I didn’t know I liked Sherry until she introduced me to this. Throughout our evening, Ana checked in on us at all the right times. She was excited to hear what we thought of everything and it was just so sweet and caring. She added fun, humour and a genuine pizazz to our experience that we will never forget. Thank you again Ana, we are so grateful! Hands down one of the best dining experiences we have ever had in Halifax. Someone give this woman a raise because she is truly amazing! Congratulations to the entire team and a big shout out to Chef Alister for the outstanding food! Bertossi group has nailed it again. Matadora’s Tapas Bar will be your new favourite spot. We can’t wait to come...

Matadora has been one of the most positive experiences dining in that myself and my wife have had over the last year. The staff were friendly, prompt, and even helped us with a wine selection for our food. The cocktails were top notch and tasted amazing.

Our experience doesn’t stop there. We ordered from all aspects of the menu except the dessert. The first dish was the Pan Con Tomate. This dish was delicious to start the experience. The next dish we tried was the Croquetas De Jamón which was a tasty treat before we got what is described by staff as the best dish of the menu the Carilleras a la Rioja. This one was a treat if it was acceptable practice to lick the plate it would most certainly have been. The final dish was the NS Lobster Paella, this one we had to try as we loved the Paella we had while in Spain a few years prior. This dish was perfectly cooked and loaded with seafood.

The environment of the establishment was what as I describe as the perfect date night location. The location wasn’t overly crowded. The atmosphere wasn’t to loud and you could easily hear each other without yelling across the table.

Last off I wanted to talk about our waitress Laura she was very kind and checked up often but not so often that it felt forced. Something I noticed that may go under the radar is how often she would come by and not do another check in but would silently fill our water glasses with more water. Laura was easy to chat with never brushed us off although she was very busy. Good service these days is hard to come by and my wife and I feel Laura is an exceptional waitress.

We will be back in the future for another...

Hello Matadora,

Today, my wife, our children, and I enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Matadora Tapas Bar. In Turkey, when we experience truly exceptional service or hospitality, and someone asks us, “How was the dinner? How was the restaurant?” — we often reply by saying: “Everything was ten out of ten, five stars!” In our language, this means everything was flawless and perfect.

Here in Halifax, we would like to express our sincere thanks to Mr. Blue (Bülent), the restaurant manager who kindly shared the inspiring story behind this beautiful restaurant chain, as well as to our server Rory, the Chef, and the entire team. The paella, tapas, desserts, wine, and the complimentary cocktails were all unforgettable.

Mr. Blue and Mr. Hakan have beautifully blended the world-famous Turkish hospitality with the rich and flavorful spirit of Spanish cuisine.

First, I must say that the hospitality industry — especially food and bar service — is one of the most challenging professions in the world. It’s never easy to please everyone, because people’s tastes and preferences vary deeply by culture and geography. Bringing together the spirit and flavors of another country’s cuisine and recreating them authentically on the other side of the world takes great dedication.

The flavor of a tomato grown in Spain is not the same as one grown elsewhere; what truly matters is being able to achieve a certain standard and to reflect that spirit to your guests.

Matadora has not only met that standard — it has exceeded it. I write these words not out of passion, but from what I have truly seen, felt, and experienced.

Thank...