My friend and I have claimed this as our new spot in Lafayette. They always have great food, amazing service, and drinks just as good. The atmosphere is amazing and flows very well. I have traveled through Spain and I rather eat here then most places there!
(5)
Angela G.
Really gorgeous outside and in. Fascinating menu and perfect service. I enjoyed two great Vespers with my tapas. It's romantic but not stuffy in this place, and the food was really superb.
(4)
Ernesto E.
To be honest, I had not become a fan till recently, and now I find myself going there one way or another. The tapas menu is not bad, but not their best feature. Their lunch menus always outstanding, their specials always impressive, and their wine menu outstanding!!, their bar one of the best in town with class "A" bartenders, and the rest of their staff, always friendly, helpful, and very knowledgeable of the specials and menu. If you're in town, a must try. You won't be disappointed.
(5)
Anthony N.
We asked about the paella but it takes an hour so we are gonna try it next time order it ahead of time next time. Started off with the ceviche, it was very tasty. Then duck fat fries which are awesome. We then proceeded to the beer braised pork and it was good. Not a fan of blue cheese but it was still good. The braised pork cheeks were kind of bland for my taste but they were also good. The smoked Gouda Mac and cheese was great. So cheesy and delicious.
(5)
Alastair T.
We just had the best meal! We had the Boudin with quail eggs, duck fat fries, calimari and the cantillian mushrooms. Maybe not Cajun, but easily the best meal we have had in Lafayette. We'll done Pamplona!
(5)
Ramin P.
Escargot, garlic shrimp, Mac n Gouda , and hanger steak were all so very delicious. The wife had a red sangria and a whir sangria. The white sangria was awesome. The service was also vey good.
(4)
Suzy B.
Everything was perfect! The highlight of my trip...so romantic and charming, w/ an excellent and reasonably priced wine menu.
(5)
Megan S.
This place is easily one of my favorite restaurants. I love being able to sample different foods and sharing with friends. I wish we had more places that offer shared plates such as this one! My favorite (which I am unashamed to say I get every single time) is the duck rillettes... try them if you haven't!
Best cocktails in Lafayette--no contest. They have homemade bitters, 10 different Absinthes, and the wine selection is outrageously lengthy.
(5)
Chris R.
The bar itself deserves 5 stars, the food however is a 3 at best. Personable bartenders suggested and mixed great cocktails. Atmosphere on a packed Thursday night was energetic with an older than 30, well dressed crowd. The decor was authentic European and quite charming. How much we enjoyed the bar scene may have added to the disappointment with the tapas though. None were exceptional and all were disappointingly small portions even for tapas. Even the olives (my usual measuring stick) were far below expectations. Good thing the sangria was excellent and priced to flow. Maybe the entrees are better but for a place with Tapas in the name, we were disappointed with the signature dishes. We'll return for drinks but dine somewhere else in the area.
(3)
Adam C.
This place is a real diamond in the rough around here. The atmosphere is unique and entertaining. The food is absolutely delicious and the staff is courteous and helpful. It's a little pricey to eat dinner here every night, but if you are looking to do something different and special, it is a real treat to be able to eat here. The last time I ate here, I was especially pleased by the seafood stew! It was out of this world! They've also got a drink that I don't think I've had anywhere else, the Caprihini (not sure the spelling) which is amazing! Love it!
(5)
John V.
If you would have asked me who made the best tapas in the US, I would have said Paplona. However, my second visit has changed that.... Food: 7/10 Service: 8/10 Atmosphere: 7/10 I love my tapas, but after my second visit I am not that impressed. This time around the food seemed to be a little more expensive and the menu was not that Spanish. The dishes are creative, but I feel like they are missing the focus on true tapas. Don't get me wrong. I love the place, but we spent almost $70 per person (including alcohol) and I didn't feel the "wow" factor. I appreciate the wine selection. You can pick $30 to $200 bottles of wine. I also like their unique cocktail list...always a plus in my book. Overall I was satisfied, but that may be due to the company I had. I will give them another try....but in the distant future.
(3)
Colleen R.
The lively atmosphere and delicious food make Pamplona a great place for lunch, dinner, or post-dinner drinks downtown. Men seem to enjoy the dark woodwork and other masculine design touches that revamped the interior from its former days as a po-boy shop. The open kitchen keeps the energy up, with bursts of flame periodically lighting up the dining room. The sangria is a little weak, and the flan is thicker and creamier than I'd typically want, but oh man, those duck fat fries are awesome. Overall, pricey, but definitely worth a try.
(4)
Tyler F.
Great food and a lot of fun. Best cocktails in town. You can go small tapas plates or big plates. We love going here.
(4)
Debbie R.
Best restaurant in Lafayette when you are looking for something other than cajun!!!!! Love it!
(5)
Abigail S.
Great atmosphere. Amazing food. I have eaten tapas in London, New York City, and in Atlanta before eating here. Pamplona definitely stands up to the big boys. It's definitely a splurge, but you will get your money's worth. I loved the white sangria to start. It was a date night, and we ordered about 10 tapas between the two of us. The little tastes were so decadent, and while you think you want more, the exciting part is that you can try so many delicious and unique dishes. Try to save room for dessert!
(4)
Eric P.
Stumbled on this place by accident when I was on business in Lafayette. The atmosphere is very reminiscent of places I've been to in Spain, although it is really more of a restaurant than a true tapas bar. No matter -- the food is inventive, delicious and combines elements of traditional tapas presentation (e.g., montaditos) with local influence and ingredients. This fusion is what tapas are about. The bar has an impressive selection of wines by the glass and an equally impressive selection of quality call spirits. The service was first-rate. My rating of four stars is based on my limited experience with the menu; everything I had was delicious, though, especially the Asturian fabada. The restaurant is celebrating its 3-year anniversary. I hope they'll be around a good, long time. Highly recommended.
(4)
Kimberly H.
Regardless of whether or not Pamplona does "true" tapas, the food is simply wonderful. While it can be on the pricey side-especially with cocktails-the quality of the dishes is too great to ignore. Besides, they have a great lunch menu with specials if you don't want to spend too much. This place is my absolute favorite place to eat in Lafayette.
(5)
bill s.
2nd visit & greatly reduced quality of food over 1 yr ago. This time scallops were extremely salty and therefore inedible and much smaller in size than before. They were graciously replaced with an Andalusian stew which also was extremely salty. The chef needs to realize that good ingredients do not benefit from huge amounts of salt.
(2)
joe s.
We had the best dinner in quite a while at this wonderful, lively restaurant. Our server was very knowledgeable about both the wine list and menu items. The wine list is mainly Spanish, with many selections. We had several Tapas and the nightly fish special. The special was a grilled halibut, which was prepared perfect. We live in California, so we know fresh halibut and this was as good as it gets. The server was not only well informed, but knew how to pace the evening for our maximum enjoyment. We're just sorry we live so far away from this great restaurant. If you're in Lafayette and want a great dining experience, go to Pamplona.
(5)
Jeanie N.
i hate this place. the staff was unprofessional, the sangria taste gross and the food was too sweet. never again!
(1)
Candice R.
I went to Pamplona for lunch the other day, and was not overwhelmed, nor underwhelmed. Just mostly disappointed. First, the atmosphere is really nice. It's got your traditional lunch vibe but you can tell that at night, this is a nice place to have drinks and a few snacks before you go out. Second, it somewhat misses the mark on it's Tapas claims. First, the Tapas menu is short, as it only has about 12 items. For a restaurant that includes Tapas in its name, it should have more selections. I ordered the Manchego Croquettes, which I was pretty excited about, and this is where I was DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED. They serve you, and I'm not joking, 3, yes, 3, incredibly small croquettes. They are literally the size of a small to regular-sized gumball you get out of a machine at Wal-Mart. Generally, croquettes are about the size of a fish stick or chicken nugget, about 2 inches long by 1/2 inch wide. These were about 3/4 of an inch in diameter. On the other hand, they were fried to perfection and the Manchego was great. But, seriously, who doesn't love mangego? The croquettes are served with a quince sauce, which was tasty. But, at the end of that measly little plate, I was just wanting more, but at a price of $4 for three manchego balls, I thought I'd better not waste my money. I also ordered the marinated olives, which were AWESOME. They included some small sweet pickles into the mix, which gives the olives a sweeter edge, and it was nice. I would have been extremely angry if there were no marinated olives on the menu. So, after I finished by olives and croquettes, I was quite hungry. My expectations on the croquettes had me thinking that my small lunch would fill me up. So, I ordered the mixed green salad. It is comprised of, obviously, mixed greens, including spinach, and red onions, with a creamy peppery vinaigrette. That was delicious! The vinaigrette is mixed into the salad in just the right amount, it slightly coats the salad and gives great flavor and a good dose of pepper. However, it's an incredibly small salad, which was fine with me. My boyfriend ordered the chorizo stuffed mushrooms, and I believe there were a whopping 6-8 mushrooms of good size. I wasn't overly excited about them. He also ordered the garlic shrimp. These were great, served in a garlic broth, and easy to peel. He, too, after the Tapas selections was forced to eat 1/2 of his father's giant club sandwich. All in all, I would go back to try it again for dinner, to experiment more with the entrees and sandwiches they have to offer. But, overall, this is NOT YOUR TRADITIONAL TAPAS BAR. It needs slightly larger portions on some of the Tapas selections. Three machego croquettes does not make sense when you are serving 6-8 stuffed mushrooms and 6-8 garlic shrimp. It seems out of proportion, especially considering how GIANT the club sandwich is. So, for a restaurant with TAPAS in it's name, I would recommend that the chef rethink and rework the Tapas menu so that the expectations of those who are familiar with Tapas in its traditional form are in alignment with what's actually served.
(2)
Spark V.
well who knew that such a wildly good tapas place would pop up in Lafayette? my girlfriend and i were here for a wedding and my parents and we decided to try this place out. amaaaazing. we ordered the Moorish Pork Kababs in Rose petal sauce, Carpaccio of Beef in Chive Vinaigrette, Crab Stuffed Piquillo Peppers, Seared Scallops in Curry Sauce, and the Duck Fat Fries. the kababs were so good we had to order them again. the meat was cooked perfectly and each bite just melted in my mouth. the carpaccio was delicious. the duck fat fries were incredible as well - very savory with pressed garlic and parsley. we also ordered two bottles of the Vina Gormaz Tempranillo - by their recommendation and it was a really nice easy drinking spanish red. the service here was very friendly and raved about the restaurant - you could tell they actually loved it there, which was refreshing. my girlfriend has been to both of Mario Batali's tapas places in new york and she claims this blew them out of the water. take that Batali, you rat bastard!
(5)
Carolyn V.
A group of us visited Pamplona during our stay here in Lafayette for a business trip. As soon as we stepped in, we were greeted immediately and brought to our table. The decor had a nice modern/sultry look, so I was really pleased with the ambiance. We ordered almost one of everything off the tapas menu to try out and the food was delicious! Our waiter was also very helpful in making selections. I highly recommend this place.
(5)
Linda S.
Great. interesting food. Excellent wine list. Very fun place to go and eat a little, drink a little. Eat a little more, drink a little more. Service is consistently good. Have been there several times and have never been disappointed. Bring a fat wallet, though. It ain't cheap! :)
(4)
Shay L.
In Lafayette for a few days again & we wanted to try something new & NOT cajun so we stopped in for happy hour. Lucky us, 2 -7 pm (Tues - Fri only) Pamplona offers $3 sangria & house wines & 25% off tapas. We loved the old rustic bar & stools, as a former bartender, I love to sit at the bar & dine. Our bartender, Jeremy, was great.! He was very nice & knew the extensive food & drink menu well. He made great suggestions & even let us have a small taste of their red & white sangria before making our decision. We chose the red because the white was super peachy but we usually pick a red wine based sangria. We love sangria & have tried many delicious versions in many places in the world & I would recommend the red sangria this one. We tried the Morcilla-Quail Egg fried served on top of black boudin which was absolutely amazing! Then we tried the Escargo which were baked burgandy snails in lemon butter which made me want to lick the bowl. Thankfully, it only came with a few pieces of toasted ciabatta bread or I would have........LOL! We will definitely be back! There's so much more I want to try on the menu!
(4)
Cest L.
At one time this was one of my favorite restaurants in Lafayette. We would always look forward to trying several of their unique dishes while enjoying their lovely wine selection. But last night was different, something was off. We ordered the calamari which has always been one of our favorites, this time it was greasy and overly salty. The fois gras although cooked well was placed on top of this really sweet compote that overwhelmed the entire dish. The special was duck risotto which had a creamy texture with nice pieces of duck, however it too was a little salty. The service was good.
(3)
Aileen L.
There used to be good food. But today it was loaded with salt. There was not enough tea selections. The air conditioning was so low that it was freezing. The menu changed and some good stuff was gone. The flamingo dancers were long gone, too.
(1)
Anna B.
One of my top three favorite restaurants!!! I can not go to Lafayette and not eat here, frankly I base my trip around going to Pamplona :) Everything I have tried is wonderful; escargot, french fries in ....., garlic shrimp, dates, mac N Gouda etc etc etc I could eat here everyday.
(5)
Elaine M.
YUM! The food here is unbelievable, the sangria is refreshing, and the atmosphere is simple and rustic, yet classy. I'm a Taurus so I especially love the bull theme throughout the restaurant. We got there 10 minutes before our reservation and we were told that our table wasn't ready, so we waited at the bar. Some of us ordered white sangria and some of us got the dark & stormies. All the juice is fresh squeezed and while it may take a while to get your drink, you can't rush quality. These drinks were definitely quality! However, the bar was crowded and there wasn't a whole lot of space for the servers to get to & from the kitchen. This stressed me out, I felt like all of us were in their way until I found an empty stool. This stool was located right in front of the gorgeous absinthe decanter. A brass goddess statue hold up the glass jar of absinthe with silver hoses and tap coming out of it. The tap drips the absinthe into the glass over a sugar cube, fun to watch but I didn't order it, not much of a fan myself. We had to send one of our 5 person party to check on our table after waiting for almost 30 minutes, well past our reservation time. He was told that they were waiting on clean knives. Our friend told her we were fine to sit without knives and waved us over. We were starving & already knew what we wanted by this time! In spite of that fact, our server wanted to tell us the specials. We gave her our long order & she didn't write it down, which made her forget certain things. Luckily, it's tapas so a slow trickle of small plates to share is ideal or else it probably would have been a problem. At one point she said, "I'll go ahead and leave a few tables on your menu." And to the five of us she said "I'll bring y'all six glasses for your sangria." Then she only brought us four. Gah! But the food made me overlook any of these small issues. We shared pretty much 2 of every order. Some of my personal favorites were the pork belly, the duck fat fries, the beef carpaccio, and the crab fritters. The meats were cooked until ridiculously tender. The carpaccio was so delicate and thin. I thought the bacon wrapped, blue cheese dates were a bit tough and extra smoky, but other than that, every single thing was well prepared and perfectly textured. We told her to just keep the fresh baked ciabatta coming and we dipped it in everything. Including the chili oil it came with, we also dipped the crispy bread in the drippings from the chargrilled oysters, the herb butter from the escargot, and gravy from the pork belly. Yes we were hungry, it was a celebration and we wanted to taste it all! We were there for my friend's birthday and our server noticed we toasted her and brought her a small, ridiculously awesome, bread pudding and a scoop of cinnamon gelato with a candle in it. It was all in all a delightful experience and I cannot wait to go again and finish tasting everything on the menu. Because wow.
(4)
M. B.
I recommend reservations if you have a party of more than 2, this place gets busy on a weekend night. Amazing food and amazing cocktails! Nice cozy atmosphere with a mellow crowd and a great wait staff- (shout out to waiter Michael from Seattle.)The few low star reviews seem to be written by Millennials, so that should answer everything for you right there.
(5)
Jack S.
This place is NOT authentic.. Trendy, yes.. Cajun Style Tapas In Lafayette! Yech! Full of Cayenne.. NEVER see Cayenne in Spain.... The bread ($4.50) .. was the best thing we had.. ! They charge for BREAD! .. And. you have to pay this for one small boleo! Everything we had... a disaster.. hot, spicy, salty, sauces were HOT...blah.....could not discern tastes.. and this place is expensive.. non-flavorful cayenne overwhelmes... and VERY disappointing.. Very Poor quality..service good though.. careful, guys.. empinada.. rip off, veggies,, super lousy, shrimp.. not good, buyer beware! This one I rated one star because that is the least one can give.. I would rate it less if possible. Go get boudan or real cajun while in Lafayette.. Get Spanish food somewhere else... not here... no kidding.
(1)
Knox K.
If you are ever in Lafayette, Louisiana, YOU MUST EAT HERE! I must admit that I was terribly worried when I was sent to Lafayette for 8 days of work. I had nightmares of Appleby's (a la Dayton, Ohio)! Let's get to it. Why Pamplona? This is one of the BEST restaurants I've been to in the world! Yes, I just said that. Keep in mind that I have lived overseas (including Spain), so to say that Pamplona is the best is really saying something. One of my colleagues seconds this opinion. Atmosphere -- very European. (See pictures I upload.) Service -- spectacular (Natalie took care of us on the multiple times we ate here. Tell her the Texas boys sent you!) Drinks -- Stellar! (Try to Sazerac -- used to be the state drink of Louisiana; still is the official drink of New Orleans; Also try the Viceroy -- very similar to a caprioska. Bother are super!) Food -- OUTSTANDING!!! Let's start with the tapas. You can make a meal out of them. My favorites were: 1) Bacon wrapped dates 2) Black boudin, fried quail eggs 3) Ceviche 4) Montaditos -- change daily Also had the Charcuterie and Cheese -- fantastic! Also had the Filet -- one of the best pieces of meat I've eaten (and again, I'm from Texas and extremely picky about steak / fillet / meat!) I can't wait to go to Lafayette again because ALL of my meals will be at Pamplona! Enjoy!
(5)
Peter N.
This a really nice place to hang out with your friends and have a couple bites. Really nice setting to kick back and relax that has a great, friendly, knowledgeable staff. We came here for dinner, we had the following items: -Galician Octopus: this is an OK dish, nothing special, somewhat flavorless -Jamon Corquettes: Small, flavorless corquettes, not that great -Fried Calamari: very awesome calamari, and their jalapeno lemon sauce was right on, I would definitely go back just for this! -Lamb Osso-Bucco: very nice, tender, flavorful lamb, over a bed of saffron rissoto, which was cooked perfectly -Clams: very flavorless, not good..AT ALL! -Mac-n-Smoked Gouda: has a very nice smoked flavor with chunks of pancetta in nice thick macaroni noodles -Pancetta Risotto: nice flavors, but was disappointed that the risotto was undercooked, otherwise, it would of been perfect -Duck Fat Fries, this was probably the highlight of the dinner, it was so perfect and crisp Overall, this would be a place to hang out with a few buddies for drinks, and to munch on some calamari and duck fat fries, yum.
(3)
Corey L.
Working in Lafayette today, and turned to yelp for a lunch recommendation. We decided on this place. If it's your first time, like it was for us, parking can be a challenge. So pay attention and look for the lot that is designated for this place. It Is on the opposite side of the street. First to our table was their version of ceviche. Its made with a cocktail sauce base, and is very good. The horseradish was perfect. Second we had, duck fat fries. All I can say is WOW. I am going to crave that for a long time. Next up pork belly flat bread. I am not a fan of blue cheese. So I will skip this one next time. But if you like blue cheese, have at it. Then came the braised pork cheeks . This is a mediocre dish. Could have done without it. Then the Mac and smoke Gouda with bacon. Another WOW. Do not miss it, trust me. And we finished with the coffee. A great finish. To a great lunch. If you are in Lafayette, stop in. You will be pleased.
(5)
Spencer H.
Foodies beware, this place will blow your socks off! Pamplona is a trifecta of a dining experience, the food, drinks and service are all top notch and is a testament to Lafayette winning Southern Living's Best of the South Food award. There is not much here that I don't enjoy however, I recommend going with a group of people so you can sample a wide variety of tapas.
(5)
Seif E.
As stated in previous reviews. Excellent menu. Nice wine by glass selection. I had the Andalusian lamb sliders which were very good but the Catalan spinach was the greatest.
(5)
Jennifer F.
The atmosphere is top notch...sampled quite a few tapas and all were delicious. The charcuterie board was the least impressive, but i enjoyed it non the less. Great wine selection as well.
(5)
Cydni A.
One of the best places that I have eaten at in Lafayette. The food was delicious, the service was excellent, and the atmosphere was great. I highly recommend this location! It definitely met our expectations, and we were highly satisfied with all of the dishes we tried.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Street Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Patrick P.
My friend and I have claimed this as our new spot in Lafayette. They always have great food, amazing service, and drinks just as good. The atmosphere is amazing and flows very well. I have traveled through Spain and I rather eat here then most places there!
(5)Angela G.
Really gorgeous outside and in. Fascinating menu and perfect service. I enjoyed two great Vespers with my tapas. It's romantic but not stuffy in this place, and the food was really superb.
(4)Ernesto E.
To be honest, I had not become a fan till recently, and now I find myself going there one way or another. The tapas menu is not bad, but not their best feature. Their lunch menus always outstanding, their specials always impressive, and their wine menu outstanding!!, their bar one of the best in town with class "A" bartenders, and the rest of their staff, always friendly, helpful, and very knowledgeable of the specials and menu. If you're in town, a must try. You won't be disappointed.
(5)Anthony N.
We asked about the paella but it takes an hour so we are gonna try it next time order it ahead of time next time. Started off with the ceviche, it was very tasty. Then duck fat fries which are awesome. We then proceeded to the beer braised pork and it was good. Not a fan of blue cheese but it was still good. The braised pork cheeks were kind of bland for my taste but they were also good. The smoked Gouda Mac and cheese was great. So cheesy and delicious.
(5)Alastair T.
We just had the best meal! We had the Boudin with quail eggs, duck fat fries, calimari and the cantillian mushrooms. Maybe not Cajun, but easily the best meal we have had in Lafayette. We'll done Pamplona!
(5)Ramin P.
Escargot, garlic shrimp, Mac n Gouda , and hanger steak were all so very delicious. The wife had a red sangria and a whir sangria. The white sangria was awesome. The service was also vey good.
(4)Suzy B.
Everything was perfect! The highlight of my trip...so romantic and charming, w/ an excellent and reasonably priced wine menu.
(5)Megan S.
This place is easily one of my favorite restaurants. I love being able to sample different foods and sharing with friends. I wish we had more places that offer shared plates such as this one! My favorite (which I am unashamed to say I get every single time) is the duck rillettes... try them if you haven't!
(5)Rhonda G.
This is a very lovely tapas restaurant in downtown Lafayette. The ambiance is great; service is wonderful, and the food was good. The shrimp ceviche wasn't a typical ceviche, but the shrimp were good and the sauce was great. A small loaf of bread is not gratis, but at $4 was worth it. Crusty and hot and full of flavor. My only problem was the paella. Paella Valenciana is an "award winning" house specialty, and if you order it, the menu clearly states to expect a wait period of 45 minutes to 1 hour. I had no problem with the wait. My problem was with the paella. I ordered the mixed meat and seafood paella, and the seafood was cooked perfectly. The chicken tasted the best in the lot, but at the end of the day, this was not paella. It was a very good seafood and chicken yellow (saffron?) rice dish, but there was no crust, and without a crust, it is simply not paella. It was cooked in the right pan, and it's their specialty, so where was the crust? It's like ordering a crème brûlée and getting a custard without the burnt crackling topping. It might taste okay, but it's not crème brûlée. If I order an award-winning paella, I don't want yellow jambalaya--I want paella, and Pamplona puts themselves out there as an award-winning paella, so I would expect them to know the difference. Still, I enjoyed the restaurant immensely, and I would most definitely go back. The ambiance was 5/5. The bar was spectacular, and the Old Fashion cocktails were perfect. For drinks alone 5/5 stars. The food was really good, but it was missing the oomph that would put in in a 5 category. I guess I would give it a really high 3 or low 4. So... a solid 4 with everything combined.
(4)Jesse J.
Best cocktails in Lafayette--no contest. They have homemade bitters, 10 different Absinthes, and the wine selection is outrageously lengthy.
(5)Chris R.
The bar itself deserves 5 stars, the food however is a 3 at best. Personable bartenders suggested and mixed great cocktails. Atmosphere on a packed Thursday night was energetic with an older than 30, well dressed crowd. The decor was authentic European and quite charming. How much we enjoyed the bar scene may have added to the disappointment with the tapas though. None were exceptional and all were disappointingly small portions even for tapas. Even the olives (my usual measuring stick) were far below expectations. Good thing the sangria was excellent and priced to flow. Maybe the entrees are better but for a place with Tapas in the name, we were disappointed with the signature dishes. We'll return for drinks but dine somewhere else in the area.
(3)Adam C.
This place is a real diamond in the rough around here. The atmosphere is unique and entertaining. The food is absolutely delicious and the staff is courteous and helpful. It's a little pricey to eat dinner here every night, but if you are looking to do something different and special, it is a real treat to be able to eat here. The last time I ate here, I was especially pleased by the seafood stew! It was out of this world! They've also got a drink that I don't think I've had anywhere else, the Caprihini (not sure the spelling) which is amazing! Love it!
(5)John V.
If you would have asked me who made the best tapas in the US, I would have said Paplona. However, my second visit has changed that.... Food: 7/10 Service: 8/10 Atmosphere: 7/10 I love my tapas, but after my second visit I am not that impressed. This time around the food seemed to be a little more expensive and the menu was not that Spanish. The dishes are creative, but I feel like they are missing the focus on true tapas. Don't get me wrong. I love the place, but we spent almost $70 per person (including alcohol) and I didn't feel the "wow" factor. I appreciate the wine selection. You can pick $30 to $200 bottles of wine. I also like their unique cocktail list...always a plus in my book. Overall I was satisfied, but that may be due to the company I had. I will give them another try....but in the distant future.
(3)Colleen R.
The lively atmosphere and delicious food make Pamplona a great place for lunch, dinner, or post-dinner drinks downtown. Men seem to enjoy the dark woodwork and other masculine design touches that revamped the interior from its former days as a po-boy shop. The open kitchen keeps the energy up, with bursts of flame periodically lighting up the dining room. The sangria is a little weak, and the flan is thicker and creamier than I'd typically want, but oh man, those duck fat fries are awesome. Overall, pricey, but definitely worth a try.
(4)Tyler F.
Great food and a lot of fun. Best cocktails in town. You can go small tapas plates or big plates. We love going here.
(4)Debbie R.
Best restaurant in Lafayette when you are looking for something other than cajun!!!!! Love it!
(5)Abigail S.
Great atmosphere. Amazing food. I have eaten tapas in London, New York City, and in Atlanta before eating here. Pamplona definitely stands up to the big boys. It's definitely a splurge, but you will get your money's worth. I loved the white sangria to start. It was a date night, and we ordered about 10 tapas between the two of us. The little tastes were so decadent, and while you think you want more, the exciting part is that you can try so many delicious and unique dishes. Try to save room for dessert!
(4)Eric P.
Stumbled on this place by accident when I was on business in Lafayette. The atmosphere is very reminiscent of places I've been to in Spain, although it is really more of a restaurant than a true tapas bar. No matter -- the food is inventive, delicious and combines elements of traditional tapas presentation (e.g., montaditos) with local influence and ingredients. This fusion is what tapas are about. The bar has an impressive selection of wines by the glass and an equally impressive selection of quality call spirits. The service was first-rate. My rating of four stars is based on my limited experience with the menu; everything I had was delicious, though, especially the Asturian fabada. The restaurant is celebrating its 3-year anniversary. I hope they'll be around a good, long time. Highly recommended.
(4)Kimberly H.
Regardless of whether or not Pamplona does "true" tapas, the food is simply wonderful. While it can be on the pricey side-especially with cocktails-the quality of the dishes is too great to ignore. Besides, they have a great lunch menu with specials if you don't want to spend too much. This place is my absolute favorite place to eat in Lafayette.
(5)bill s.
2nd visit & greatly reduced quality of food over 1 yr ago. This time scallops were extremely salty and therefore inedible and much smaller in size than before. They were graciously replaced with an Andalusian stew which also was extremely salty. The chef needs to realize that good ingredients do not benefit from huge amounts of salt.
(2)joe s.
We had the best dinner in quite a while at this wonderful, lively restaurant. Our server was very knowledgeable about both the wine list and menu items. The wine list is mainly Spanish, with many selections. We had several Tapas and the nightly fish special. The special was a grilled halibut, which was prepared perfect. We live in California, so we know fresh halibut and this was as good as it gets. The server was not only well informed, but knew how to pace the evening for our maximum enjoyment. We're just sorry we live so far away from this great restaurant. If you're in Lafayette and want a great dining experience, go to Pamplona.
(5)Jeanie N.
i hate this place. the staff was unprofessional, the sangria taste gross and the food was too sweet. never again!
(1)Candice R.
I went to Pamplona for lunch the other day, and was not overwhelmed, nor underwhelmed. Just mostly disappointed. First, the atmosphere is really nice. It's got your traditional lunch vibe but you can tell that at night, this is a nice place to have drinks and a few snacks before you go out. Second, it somewhat misses the mark on it's Tapas claims. First, the Tapas menu is short, as it only has about 12 items. For a restaurant that includes Tapas in its name, it should have more selections. I ordered the Manchego Croquettes, which I was pretty excited about, and this is where I was DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED. They serve you, and I'm not joking, 3, yes, 3, incredibly small croquettes. They are literally the size of a small to regular-sized gumball you get out of a machine at Wal-Mart. Generally, croquettes are about the size of a fish stick or chicken nugget, about 2 inches long by 1/2 inch wide. These were about 3/4 of an inch in diameter. On the other hand, they were fried to perfection and the Manchego was great. But, seriously, who doesn't love mangego? The croquettes are served with a quince sauce, which was tasty. But, at the end of that measly little plate, I was just wanting more, but at a price of $4 for three manchego balls, I thought I'd better not waste my money. I also ordered the marinated olives, which were AWESOME. They included some small sweet pickles into the mix, which gives the olives a sweeter edge, and it was nice. I would have been extremely angry if there were no marinated olives on the menu. So, after I finished by olives and croquettes, I was quite hungry. My expectations on the croquettes had me thinking that my small lunch would fill me up. So, I ordered the mixed green salad. It is comprised of, obviously, mixed greens, including spinach, and red onions, with a creamy peppery vinaigrette. That was delicious! The vinaigrette is mixed into the salad in just the right amount, it slightly coats the salad and gives great flavor and a good dose of pepper. However, it's an incredibly small salad, which was fine with me. My boyfriend ordered the chorizo stuffed mushrooms, and I believe there were a whopping 6-8 mushrooms of good size. I wasn't overly excited about them. He also ordered the garlic shrimp. These were great, served in a garlic broth, and easy to peel. He, too, after the Tapas selections was forced to eat 1/2 of his father's giant club sandwich. All in all, I would go back to try it again for dinner, to experiment more with the entrees and sandwiches they have to offer. But, overall, this is NOT YOUR TRADITIONAL TAPAS BAR. It needs slightly larger portions on some of the Tapas selections. Three machego croquettes does not make sense when you are serving 6-8 stuffed mushrooms and 6-8 garlic shrimp. It seems out of proportion, especially considering how GIANT the club sandwich is. So, for a restaurant with TAPAS in it's name, I would recommend that the chef rethink and rework the Tapas menu so that the expectations of those who are familiar with Tapas in its traditional form are in alignment with what's actually served.
(2)Spark V.
well who knew that such a wildly good tapas place would pop up in Lafayette? my girlfriend and i were here for a wedding and my parents and we decided to try this place out. amaaaazing. we ordered the Moorish Pork Kababs in Rose petal sauce, Carpaccio of Beef in Chive Vinaigrette, Crab Stuffed Piquillo Peppers, Seared Scallops in Curry Sauce, and the Duck Fat Fries. the kababs were so good we had to order them again. the meat was cooked perfectly and each bite just melted in my mouth. the carpaccio was delicious. the duck fat fries were incredible as well - very savory with pressed garlic and parsley. we also ordered two bottles of the Vina Gormaz Tempranillo - by their recommendation and it was a really nice easy drinking spanish red. the service here was very friendly and raved about the restaurant - you could tell they actually loved it there, which was refreshing. my girlfriend has been to both of Mario Batali's tapas places in new york and she claims this blew them out of the water. take that Batali, you rat bastard!
(5)Carolyn V.
A group of us visited Pamplona during our stay here in Lafayette for a business trip. As soon as we stepped in, we were greeted immediately and brought to our table. The decor had a nice modern/sultry look, so I was really pleased with the ambiance. We ordered almost one of everything off the tapas menu to try out and the food was delicious! Our waiter was also very helpful in making selections. I highly recommend this place.
(5)Linda S.
Great. interesting food. Excellent wine list. Very fun place to go and eat a little, drink a little. Eat a little more, drink a little more. Service is consistently good. Have been there several times and have never been disappointed. Bring a fat wallet, though. It ain't cheap! :)
(4)Shay L.
In Lafayette for a few days again & we wanted to try something new & NOT cajun so we stopped in for happy hour. Lucky us, 2 -7 pm (Tues - Fri only) Pamplona offers $3 sangria & house wines & 25% off tapas. We loved the old rustic bar & stools, as a former bartender, I love to sit at the bar & dine. Our bartender, Jeremy, was great.! He was very nice & knew the extensive food & drink menu well. He made great suggestions & even let us have a small taste of their red & white sangria before making our decision. We chose the red because the white was super peachy but we usually pick a red wine based sangria. We love sangria & have tried many delicious versions in many places in the world & I would recommend the red sangria this one. We tried the Morcilla-Quail Egg fried served on top of black boudin which was absolutely amazing! Then we tried the Escargo which were baked burgandy snails in lemon butter which made me want to lick the bowl. Thankfully, it only came with a few pieces of toasted ciabatta bread or I would have........LOL! We will definitely be back! There's so much more I want to try on the menu!
(4)Cest L.
At one time this was one of my favorite restaurants in Lafayette. We would always look forward to trying several of their unique dishes while enjoying their lovely wine selection. But last night was different, something was off. We ordered the calamari which has always been one of our favorites, this time it was greasy and overly salty. The fois gras although cooked well was placed on top of this really sweet compote that overwhelmed the entire dish. The special was duck risotto which had a creamy texture with nice pieces of duck, however it too was a little salty. The service was good.
(3)Aileen L.
There used to be good food. But today it was loaded with salt. There was not enough tea selections. The air conditioning was so low that it was freezing. The menu changed and some good stuff was gone. The flamingo dancers were long gone, too.
(1)Anna B.
One of my top three favorite restaurants!!! I can not go to Lafayette and not eat here, frankly I base my trip around going to Pamplona :) Everything I have tried is wonderful; escargot, french fries in ....., garlic shrimp, dates, mac N Gouda etc etc etc I could eat here everyday.
(5)Elaine M.
YUM! The food here is unbelievable, the sangria is refreshing, and the atmosphere is simple and rustic, yet classy. I'm a Taurus so I especially love the bull theme throughout the restaurant. We got there 10 minutes before our reservation and we were told that our table wasn't ready, so we waited at the bar. Some of us ordered white sangria and some of us got the dark & stormies. All the juice is fresh squeezed and while it may take a while to get your drink, you can't rush quality. These drinks were definitely quality! However, the bar was crowded and there wasn't a whole lot of space for the servers to get to & from the kitchen. This stressed me out, I felt like all of us were in their way until I found an empty stool. This stool was located right in front of the gorgeous absinthe decanter. A brass goddess statue hold up the glass jar of absinthe with silver hoses and tap coming out of it. The tap drips the absinthe into the glass over a sugar cube, fun to watch but I didn't order it, not much of a fan myself. We had to send one of our 5 person party to check on our table after waiting for almost 30 minutes, well past our reservation time. He was told that they were waiting on clean knives. Our friend told her we were fine to sit without knives and waved us over. We were starving & already knew what we wanted by this time! In spite of that fact, our server wanted to tell us the specials. We gave her our long order & she didn't write it down, which made her forget certain things. Luckily, it's tapas so a slow trickle of small plates to share is ideal or else it probably would have been a problem. At one point she said, "I'll go ahead and leave a few tables on your menu." And to the five of us she said "I'll bring y'all six glasses for your sangria." Then she only brought us four. Gah! But the food made me overlook any of these small issues. We shared pretty much 2 of every order. Some of my personal favorites were the pork belly, the duck fat fries, the beef carpaccio, and the crab fritters. The meats were cooked until ridiculously tender. The carpaccio was so delicate and thin. I thought the bacon wrapped, blue cheese dates were a bit tough and extra smoky, but other than that, every single thing was well prepared and perfectly textured. We told her to just keep the fresh baked ciabatta coming and we dipped it in everything. Including the chili oil it came with, we also dipped the crispy bread in the drippings from the chargrilled oysters, the herb butter from the escargot, and gravy from the pork belly. Yes we were hungry, it was a celebration and we wanted to taste it all! We were there for my friend's birthday and our server noticed we toasted her and brought her a small, ridiculously awesome, bread pudding and a scoop of cinnamon gelato with a candle in it. It was all in all a delightful experience and I cannot wait to go again and finish tasting everything on the menu. Because wow.
(4)M. B.
I recommend reservations if you have a party of more than 2, this place gets busy on a weekend night. Amazing food and amazing cocktails! Nice cozy atmosphere with a mellow crowd and a great wait staff- (shout out to waiter Michael from Seattle.)The few low star reviews seem to be written by Millennials, so that should answer everything for you right there.
(5)Jack S.
This place is NOT authentic.. Trendy, yes.. Cajun Style Tapas In Lafayette! Yech! Full of Cayenne.. NEVER see Cayenne in Spain.... The bread ($4.50) .. was the best thing we had.. ! They charge for BREAD! .. And. you have to pay this for one small boleo! Everything we had... a disaster.. hot, spicy, salty, sauces were HOT...blah.....could not discern tastes.. and this place is expensive.. non-flavorful cayenne overwhelmes... and VERY disappointing.. Very Poor quality..service good though.. careful, guys.. empinada.. rip off, veggies,, super lousy, shrimp.. not good, buyer beware! This one I rated one star because that is the least one can give.. I would rate it less if possible. Go get boudan or real cajun while in Lafayette.. Get Spanish food somewhere else... not here... no kidding.
(1)Knox K.
If you are ever in Lafayette, Louisiana, YOU MUST EAT HERE! I must admit that I was terribly worried when I was sent to Lafayette for 8 days of work. I had nightmares of Appleby's (a la Dayton, Ohio)! Let's get to it. Why Pamplona? This is one of the BEST restaurants I've been to in the world! Yes, I just said that. Keep in mind that I have lived overseas (including Spain), so to say that Pamplona is the best is really saying something. One of my colleagues seconds this opinion. Atmosphere -- very European. (See pictures I upload.) Service -- spectacular (Natalie took care of us on the multiple times we ate here. Tell her the Texas boys sent you!) Drinks -- Stellar! (Try to Sazerac -- used to be the state drink of Louisiana; still is the official drink of New Orleans; Also try the Viceroy -- very similar to a caprioska. Bother are super!) Food -- OUTSTANDING!!! Let's start with the tapas. You can make a meal out of them. My favorites were: 1) Bacon wrapped dates 2) Black boudin, fried quail eggs 3) Ceviche 4) Montaditos -- change daily Also had the Charcuterie and Cheese -- fantastic! Also had the Filet -- one of the best pieces of meat I've eaten (and again, I'm from Texas and extremely picky about steak / fillet / meat!) I can't wait to go to Lafayette again because ALL of my meals will be at Pamplona! Enjoy!
(5)Peter N.
This a really nice place to hang out with your friends and have a couple bites. Really nice setting to kick back and relax that has a great, friendly, knowledgeable staff. We came here for dinner, we had the following items: -Galician Octopus: this is an OK dish, nothing special, somewhat flavorless -Jamon Corquettes: Small, flavorless corquettes, not that great -Fried Calamari: very awesome calamari, and their jalapeno lemon sauce was right on, I would definitely go back just for this! -Lamb Osso-Bucco: very nice, tender, flavorful lamb, over a bed of saffron rissoto, which was cooked perfectly -Clams: very flavorless, not good..AT ALL! -Mac-n-Smoked Gouda: has a very nice smoked flavor with chunks of pancetta in nice thick macaroni noodles -Pancetta Risotto: nice flavors, but was disappointed that the risotto was undercooked, otherwise, it would of been perfect -Duck Fat Fries, this was probably the highlight of the dinner, it was so perfect and crisp Overall, this would be a place to hang out with a few buddies for drinks, and to munch on some calamari and duck fat fries, yum.
(3)Corey L.
Working in Lafayette today, and turned to yelp for a lunch recommendation. We decided on this place. If it's your first time, like it was for us, parking can be a challenge. So pay attention and look for the lot that is designated for this place. It Is on the opposite side of the street. First to our table was their version of ceviche. Its made with a cocktail sauce base, and is very good. The horseradish was perfect. Second we had, duck fat fries. All I can say is WOW. I am going to crave that for a long time. Next up pork belly flat bread. I am not a fan of blue cheese. So I will skip this one next time. But if you like blue cheese, have at it. Then came the braised pork cheeks . This is a mediocre dish. Could have done without it. Then the Mac and smoke Gouda with bacon. Another WOW. Do not miss it, trust me. And we finished with the coffee. A great finish. To a great lunch. If you are in Lafayette, stop in. You will be pleased.
(5)Spencer H.
Foodies beware, this place will blow your socks off! Pamplona is a trifecta of a dining experience, the food, drinks and service are all top notch and is a testament to Lafayette winning Southern Living's Best of the South Food award. There is not much here that I don't enjoy however, I recommend going with a group of people so you can sample a wide variety of tapas.
(5)Seif E.
As stated in previous reviews. Excellent menu. Nice wine by glass selection. I had the Andalusian lamb sliders which were very good but the Catalan spinach was the greatest.
(5)Jennifer F.
The atmosphere is top notch...sampled quite a few tapas and all were delicious. The charcuterie board was the least impressive, but i enjoyed it non the less. Great wine selection as well.
(5)Cydni A.
One of the best places that I have eaten at in Lafayette. The food was delicious, the service was excellent, and the atmosphere was great. I highly recommend this location! It definitely met our expectations, and we were highly satisfied with all of the dishes we tried.
(5)