Went in for a takeout vegetable plate. Carrots tasted like chemicals, macaroni cheese tasted like rotten Velveeta cheese. The only thing decent was spinach and jalapeño cornbread which I ate, threw the rest away. And, they charge $.50 for takeout! The whole mess was $10.00!...DO NOT EAT THERE.More
Great concept, drinks and tapas! After reading a few reviews we decided to visit. Great tapas and drinks.
Highly recommend to stay away from this restaurant. I was in Houston for a Real Estate conference and recommended by my hotel to try this restaurant when I asked for good Spanish food. Not only was the service miserable but the food was almost equally...as bad. I had to wait over 5 minutes to get seated at the front although I was one of perhaps 8-10 guests inside.. Who knows where the receptionists and waiters were doing this time but I happened to see the chef who came out in what looked like pajama pants. Given that I love Spanish food and paella specifically, I said why not try the house paella which had some unauthentic ingredients but thought was worth a shot. First, the paella color was dark brown!! I have never seen a paella look like that making me think perhaps it is closer to Asian fried rice than Spanish paella. The ingredients (most seafood) added no flavor and ended up giving me a stomachache after. It was probably the worst version of paella I have ever tried (although it was a large portion which I chose not to take home) The lack of authenticity continued when I decided to order the chicken croquetas as an appetizer. I have heard of croquetas made up on ham, cheese, and of course codfish, but never had I had chicken. They were a cheap imitation of Spanish croquetas and something worthy of what you would find in a cheap supermarket. With the service being as bad it is, and the food not being much better, it is easy to understand why the restaurant was basically empty on a beautiful Thursday night. One tip, stay away folks.More
I had a great time here! The food was great! The service was great! A friend of mine and I ordered different tapas so that we could try a bit of different ones. I highly recommend the empanadas de carne(!!!) and the plantanas meduros. Nice...spot.More
I went to Batanga last night September 28th 2019. It was the worst experience I have ever had at a restaurant. Our issues started as soon as we walked in the door. We had a reservation for 8 people who arrived within a few min....That night it was warm as it usually is in Houston and she asked us if outside was okay. We let her know that we wanted to be inside since it was warm. The host told is it was not possible they had no room we had to sit outside. She walked us outside past a table set that could have sat us perfectly. Once we got to the table the host found some candles to put on out table since it was in a dark area with no lights.(as of this time the table was not set it was empty with only the candle on the table) After a few minutes the waitress came out and brought out these big bottles of water to pour into cups but no cups. After we asked for cups 3 times about 20 minutes later someone brought some out. We ordered drinks and some food after we could finally flag down our waitress. She ended up coming back and we had to re order since 2 things we had ordered they had run out of. Once food started arriving in 5 minute intervals per couple of plates we again had to ask 2 times and waited 15 minutes for utensils to be delivered. We ordered a second round of drinks just 2 beers they took 20 min. When we were done she came back since we were missing a plate still and told us they had no more. Her attitude the whole time was horrible very un-apologetic almost rude. When she finally brought our check it was all wrong. Also it did say on the bottom of the menu that parties larger than 8 would be charged 20% tip which would be fine if we had had decentMore
My husband and I were super exited to eat here. The waitress was nice but it looks like she was overloaded with tables running between inside and outside. We ordered a drink and chicken empanadas as a starter. We waited for 40 minutes and we...never got the drink. The waitress came to our table once to apologize and told us that the bartenders were slammed. There was a couple seating next to us saying to their waiter that their food and drinks had not came out yet. We decided to walk out to find a different place to eat. It looks like this place needs to hire and schedule more staff!!!More
Met some friends for dinner. Drink orders were taken and after awhile the food order was taken in a hurry and one persons order was missed. Waitresses were overloaded with tables and we would miss them for hours. Finally got all our food an hour...and a half later and we were never able to order more drinks. The food was just ok, atmosphere was ok, everything was just meh.More
We stopped by on a Saturday afternoon for drinks, so the restaurant was not busy. The outdoor patio area has a unique atmosphere and allows a view of people passing by on the street. The drink selection and service were pleasing. Parking can be an...issue, but that is true for most businesses in the area.More
Thank you for the kind words delnorn!
After reading the wonderful reviews, a coworker and I decided to try Batanga. It is located downtime, with lots of homeless people near the parks and such, but it didn't seem to bother the wide variety of people (we ate around 7pm). Street parking was...free. Food was tasty and high quality, there were many drink options, and the service was good. If only the location was easier to get to and less threatening, I'd give it 5 stars. Don't let this deter you...walk proud, be observant, and enjoy your visit.More
Thank you for your review. Unfortunately we cannot control the outside world but I assure you Downtown Houston is a safe and easy place to visit.
Wonderful food! Be sure to get get several different Tapas to sample what they offer. So good!!! The chef has added different spices together to create an explosion of flavor for your palate.
Thank you rkthicke!
While visiting Houston this past weekend, we stopped at Batanga's for a lite Sunday nite dinner. We waited a little while for service, but once the food arrived it was delicious! We had the chicken empanada's, beet & goat cheese salad, meatballs, chicken skewers, and...lobster bisque, (one of the best I've ever tasted!). Our host said that the place is always 'jumping' on Saturday nights with live music on the outside patio. The prices are really good, too!!More
My husband and I loved this place ! The place was warm and inviting and our service was excellent. We ordered the 6 tapas and it was all very delicious! We definitely will go back and loved the fresh yet different food we tried ,...hats off to the chefs!More
Thank you for the kind words Maps776260!
Excellent food proportions for the person with the smaller appetite. The grilled avocado with chorizo and the fish tacos were absolutely to "die for". Great specials offered daily. Staff very friendly with suggestions for out of towners.
The Paella was burned, Ribs tasted like vinegar Sangria was old the bread was a slice of pizza poor service
We decided to try Batanga on a Friday night recently, and don't understand why we haven't tried it before. It was delightful - the servers were fun and had great suggestions, and the patio, with good weather, is superb. We tried a large selection of...tapas and loved that they bring it when it's ready, so a steady stream of things to try. We will definitely be back soon.More