Bocado Tapas Wine Bar — Restaurant in Wellesley

My boyfriend and I visited this restaurant for the first time this passed Friday night. The atmosphere is very casual and relaxed, but felt like a spot that the locals visit during the weekend to catch up and hang out with friends. They have an extensive, yet unique spanish tapas inspired menu that will have you hemming and hawing over what to order. The previous reviewers commenting on the speediness of the food must not be familiar with tapas or a shotgun kitchen. If you want your dinner being spaced out, then do not order something until you are ready to eat it as they will prepare and send it out pretty quickly. We didn't have a problem with the speediness.

As for food, we tried the Carne Paella (for 2 was HUGE; very unique with onion ring top and worth a try), Octopus (very tender and cooked perfectly - could have done without the potatoes on the side), Calamari (fried to perfection but was a little dry and missing more sauce - next time we will ask for more on the side), Fried Rice Balls with Moz (the basil aioli was DELISH), the Fried Avo Salad with Shrimp (very refreshing and citrusy), and Bacon Wrapped Scallops (the bacon was crispy and it was coated in a sweet sauce). Highly recommend all of them.

Overall, we were very pleased and will be coming back to try more of their food. We also didn't get a chance to dip into their wine list, but I noticed they have wine flights which is a huge plus for wine lovers.

Last but not least, the service was speedy and our waitress (Olivia I think) was friendly and provided great...

I had higher expectations for both the food and service. We went on what was not a busy night, and the service was particularly, uncomfortably slow. It may have just been an off night, and perhaps the staff faced some unexpected challenges, so I don't hold a grudge on this front. Folks were very kind in the end. But it is something to note. Really this 3 stars reflects food which all of us thought was well.. just ok, not great, not bad, but not that memorable. The quality of ingredients were average and flavors and preparations did not wow. To be fair, the menu is rather expansive, so it would have be impossible for us to try more than a handful of dishes in one sitting. At the same time, I think the restaurant suffers because of this expansive menu. The cuisine draws from so many different backgrounds, instead of just focusing on Spanish and nailing it. Bocado feels like it's trying to please everyone instead of just doing a few things really well. And the unfortunate kicker is that everything is way overpriced. I mean, egregiously overpriced, especially for what you get. I could see a justification for these prices if this was some truly some of the best cooking in greater Boston, but it didn't feel that it was. In the end, a place has to nail the value factor - that beautiful place where you feel content parting with a hefty chunk of your hard-earned income. Here, I think Bocado...

sadly saying goodbye. a self proclaimed foodie. last year a physician co-worker recommended bocado and the great food he experienced. my family and I went there last fall and had a terriffic experience. I was so impressed that I have recommended the location to numerous people. we decided on a Mother's Day dinner there with 8pm rese. we were sadly very disappointed with the meal. pro: awesome waitstaff gazpacho bread

con: 1- Iberico jamon, paper thin. server it right (thick, hand cut), flavor was just not there. 2- gambas, really weak presentation, shrimps were pale, not crisp , only oil flavor, like they just laid the shrimp on the oil, it was warm. must be served sizzling hot 3- Tortilla, fluffy omelet, barely any potatoes, very little flavor 4- churros, room temp + stale, like it sat for hours., must be severed fresh and hot 5- talked with the Manager, cold, indifferent, robotic. major reason we will not be eating there in the future.

a fair well to Bocado, once beloved

I could never in good conscience refer anyone to this restaurant again.

lucky there are other options out there.

hope this helps...