We were feeling adventurous today so my girl made a reservation at La Marcha. All I knew about this place was that it was well recognized and awarded. I'm glad we made the trek to Berkeley...Super Good!!! We only had three main entrees but they were delicious: Stuffed Pequillo Peppers: First time having this dish but not the last. Stuffed with goat cheese and basil, with honey. Just creamy goodness with slight sweetness. Great way to start the meal. Grilled Octopus: I've had Octopus at many a well known Spanish places in Nor Cal. I believe this one was best one I've had. The texture was just right. Not rubbery at all. Perfect. The seasoning was on point and the crunchy chickpeas provided crunch. One of the best bites of the lunch. Brunch Paella: This was so good. The proteins were egg, lardons, chorizo and shrimp. The egg yolks provided nice creeaminess especially when you ate the crispy rice bits. The lardons added saltiness and the shrimp nice taste of the sea. I think my favorite was the chorizo though. I kept looking for bits to add my bites. Red and White Sangria: Just excellent. I favored the red more as it was a little sweeter. Fresh diced fruits in both. If you are a sangria fan this one is a must order. It took us a few minutes to figure out the service style. These guys a are buzzing around, bringing food, filling drinks and taking orders. Just as a heads up, you need to stop theses guys and ask for what you need. I wouldn't necessarily wait for them to approach you. Overall the service was adequate+. The dining room is not very big but adequate. In typical European l bistro style, the tables are just big enough. I think table of 6 max is would be the most I'd have. Large groups would be hard to manage there. Bathrooms were clean. I was surprised by the quality of their hand soap. Parking is typical Berkeley. If you can score parking on San Pablo then you are lucky. We circled back behind in the neighborhood. I don't think it's as bad as some places I've been to in Berkeley. Just requires some patience.

Tapas were great, service was quick. We got the scallops, calamari, broccolini, Brussels sprouts, shrimp, and croquetas. Everything was amazing except for the shrimp-- which were sadly a little overcooked. But what I think sets this place apart is flavor. The cashew ajo blanco sauce they use with the shrimp and hazelnut pistachio romesco sauce with the broccolini were exquisite.... better than I've had in Spain. Definitely want to come back. I also appreciated that the bar tender knew exactly which dishes and wines we should try.

Spanish Tapas in the East Bay? The holy grail has been found! I feel like I have been to 10 different places in the Bay that are labeled as "tapas/small plates" that should be labeled as "small plates". Came here on a weekday night during Happy Hour (4-6PM) and was lucky enough to score the one legal parking spot right out front with no meter. It was going to be a good evening. Our server was super friendly and gave excellent suggestions. We shouldn't have strayed! We really liked all the food, so I will just try to give some guidance to you and my future self: Sangria - Red vs White. Red was traditional and White is very pineapple forward. Both good but we preferred the red. Word of warning, they have a lot of diced fruit in them and it was hard to get an even pour from the pitcher. Wound up pouring four glasses and evening out the fruit with a spoon. Patatas - Bravas vs Aioli. The potatoes are fabulously roasted and super crisp. Bravas packed quite a spicy kick, so if you have kids, you could ask for sauce on the side. We really liked the Aioli anyways, so that's is the easy pick for being a general crowdpleaser. Croquetas - Pollo vs Champinones vs Cangrejo. They were all fried to perfection. My vote was for the mushroom. They were all good and why not try to sneak in some vegetables into this meal? Paella Marinara - we find that paella is pretty hit or miss at restaurants. Sometimes with dry rice or overcooked seafood. The version here is excellent with a good amount of flavor and saffron. Albondigas - the ultimate tapas comfort food - meatballs in a generous amount of sauce with toasted bread. If I just had bread and this dish, I'd probably be a pretty happy person Tocino - tender pork belly with a little sweetness from the figs Cesar Negro - Tastes and looks like a well done Caesar salad with squid ink. Can't say I really understand the appeal of squid ink, but it's something we would order again if we wanted some greens (or blacks in this case) Gambas - grilled prawns. I feel like it's very easy to overcook these little guys, but these were not Fabada - beans with pork belly and chorizo Pulpo - grilled octopus with sunchoke purée and crispy garbanzos. This is the point where we strayed from the recommendations. I would swap this one out with Vieras (scallops) which we saw others order and looked amazing. Excellent food and service. Looking forward to the next time we can celebrate a special occasion here.

We went here for lunch on a Friday. I made reservations, but didn't seem to need them - only a few tables were occupied. Nice, high ceilinged place with a charming feel. We sat at a table next to the window, great spot. The food is incredibly good! Not one thing was bad! - The Bruselas (Brussels sprouts) were very crunchy, good flavor - The Bravas were my favorite - love the spicy sauce with them - The Bimi (grilled broccolini) was very tasty. Veg was not overcooked! - The Croquetas de Champinones (mushroom and manchego fritters) were tasty. They weren't what I envisioned though. These were like a paste, fried. Excellent job on frying - very light and crunchy. - The Albondiga Sub was good. Like the bollilo roll. Meatballs were a good size without being too large to eat. They were tender, so they stayed in the sandwich when you bit into it (didn't squeeze out). Sauce was not overly spicy. - The Tuna sub was good, according to the diner. - The Rucula salad was very good. - My Pollo Bravo sandwich was excellent! The fried chicken piece was fried perfectly, wasn't dry. The slaw was excellent. I was really impressed that the bun had been grilled/toasted. This kept the slaw from making the sandwich mushy. Great job!

Typically, the Spanish tapas places I have been to have small portions because they're tapas, with like maybe 1-2 bites per person for every dish (with a party of 4). Therefore, because I was hungry, we got 15 dishes including a paella. We ordered 16, but we didn't get the goat cheese (Piquillos) but that didn't matter since we were absolutely stuffed. Some of the dishes only come with 2-3 pieces, but you can always add an extra one for a party of 4. Here's a rundown of what I would get next time knowing what most of the menu tastes like: Vegetables: Cesar: Light, refreshing, great to start the meal. Not too sure if the squid ink contributed that much to the flavor. Patatas Cargadas over Patatas Aioli: both are great, however, the additional of the tender oxtail with the brava sauce just elevated the crispy potatoes. But, the brava sauce may be spicy to those who are sensitive to it. Think higher quality, leveled up Taco Bell cheesy fiesta potatoes. Coliflor over Bimi: Again, both are great, all the vegetables were cooked perfectly. The cauliflower, to me seemed more complex compared to the broccolini which was more on the simple side. Seafood: These are lighter than the meats and can't go wrong with any of them. Calamares: Nice portion of light, crispy squid that pairs well with the squid ink aioli. Pulpo: One tentacle that was tasty and tender, can't go wrong with it. Vieras: Big scallops that are beautifully cooked with a nice sear on them. Meats: You probably only need 1 of these as they do get heavy. Tocino: One of the favorites, crispy, tender, fatty and rich pork belly with a small sweetness to it. Costillas: Super tender, fall off the bone with a side arugula salad. The pickled vegetables and salad complement the richness of all the foods thus far. Carrilleras: Super rich, heavy and full of flavor. Goes well with the toast. Croquetas De Cangrejo/ Croquetas De Bogavante: These all tasted very similar to one another so best to just get one. Think crab cake like filling, not like a Japanese croquette. Bunuelos: It was alright, didn't stand out from any of the croquettes, similar to like a crispy fried shrimp you can get at dim sum. Paella Marroqui: Flavorful rice with some crispy bits. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the paellas. Staff is super friendly, very quick, changed plates, amazing. Ambiance is lively, about 25-30 ish seats inside with a bar. There's street parking outside that's free after 6pm. Overall, super stuffed, could've probably gotten away with 10 dishes including a paella. This place is worth checking out.

This is easily one of my favorite restaurants for happy hour in the East Bay. Good sangria. Awesome food. Every single dish I've had here has been tasty. I love the paella here too. Pricing is on the higher side, average $40-80/pp depending on what you order. But I like it for special occasions. Service was always good. The restaurant gets pretty busy late afternoon.

Forgive me for the half eaten food photos, my associate Craig is quite gluttonous when we go for Tapas! 10/10: crispy and light breading with a well seasoned calamari interior. Squid ink aioli was well balanced: earthy yet creamy, savory yet zesty Salad: 9/10 perfectly dressed with slightly smoky crunch. Dressing was a little on the underwhelming side but shredded cheese added the savory balance needed scallops 7/10: slightly overcooked but the olive tapenade packed a flavorful punch. Chorizo flavor was close to absent, as olive over powered any presence of the sausage. Negro Paella: Always incredible. Wonderful umami from the squid ink, saltiness from the fish roe, creaminess and citrus balance this dish so well. Service is always spectacular, always a go to for tapas and paella!

Birthday dinners are so special to me because I can experience new foods surrounded by loved ones. For my birthday, I requested that we dine at La Marcha Tapas Bar because I had never tried paella and had always wanted to! It might've taken me this long, but my dreams came true! My companion made reservations for us which I recommend as the restaurant is popular! Inside is quite spacious with tables spread throughout for different party sizes plus a bar to sit at. It's lively, loud, colorful, and airy. My family came earlier and the staff were kind enough to let them set up decorations and use our birthday plates instead. After ordering, service did seem a bit staggered and we weren't checked on. We came at the perfect time and were able to take advantage of the happy hour and dinner menus. My party and I chose to share the tapas as it's traditional to do so. From the happy hour, we had: Patatas Aioli, Croquetas de Cangrejo, and Croquetas de Bogavante. I enjoyed the cangrejo the most because of the sweet and creamy crab. Everything else was tasty! From the dinner menu, we shared: Patatas Cargadas, Bimi, Gambas, Tocino, Paella Mixta, and Arroz Negro. The paella was phenomenal, a generous portion, and had so much mixed within. We agreed we enjoyed the Arroz Negro the most. I found some dishes to be tastier than others but overall the quality was decent and the food was good! I am extremely grateful to have tried paella and celebrated my birthday at La Marcha. I recommend this restaurant for those looking to enjoy tapa-style fare. Located off San Pablo Ave. there is street parking throughout the neighborhood. The food will have me coming back, especially for happy hour!