[rating:3]
I visited Cafe Español after work with a coworker and his wife. My own wife had planned to join us but got held up at the office. Since I was already looking forward to paella, I decided to head over anyway.
We started with bread and water before ordering the croquettas appetizer. They were decent enough. The outside had a slight crunch while the inside was soft. I am not entirely sure what the ideal texture of a croquette should be, but they tasted good regardless.
For the main course, I ordered the paella valenciana with lobster. The lobster was fresh, though the portion was on the smaller side, which honestly suited me fine since dealing with lobster shells is not my favorite part of the experience. The rice was a touch salty but still flavorful. One thing I noticed was that the paella had a slightly soupy consistency, whereas most versions I have had tend to be drier. I am no expert on the matter, so I cannot say which style is more traditional.
Overall, the meal was enjoyable. I brought some food home for my wife and she liked it as well. As a one time visit, Cafe Español was a perfectly fine experience, but nothing stood out enough to make me want to go out of my way to return. We did use a coupon for this visit, which was a nice bonus.
Would I recommend giving it a try? The food is decent and probably worth experiencing at least once. That said, I likely would not make a special trip back. That is just my personal take on it.
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