Reviews for Boca Botana's in Gaithersburg, MD
Oh my. There’s no good way to put this…the food was simply God awful. I rarely write one star reviews but felt this... warranted a post because we were caught off guard by the high ratings of this place. Maybe it was an off night but no one at ourtable enjoyed their food or drinks. Aesthetic: tucked away in a random strip mall amongst a Boost Mobile and Planet Fitness,this place isn’t much to look at from the outside. It’s also quite small on the inside and much more casual than I expected.Definitely felt like a low key Tex Mex chips and salsa type of place. I was expecting a nicer environment given the reviews andprice point of the food. Food: we got several different tapa and everything was mediocre to terrible. Bland, soggy, way overcooked - you name it. Nothing was good. A few of the things we ordered were: the Chorizo Tacos, Chicken Empanadas, PulledChicken Tostones, Elote Locos Nachos, Churrasco, Bacon Wrapped Dates, and two different soups. Everything with chicken wasincredibly dry, bland, and awful. My brother-in-law’s churrasco steak that was supposed to be medium rare was completely welldone. The bacon wrapped dates (the only item I managed to grab a pic of) were really tiny and completely burned. The menu statesthey’re thick center cut pieces of bacon but it was the saddest bacon I’ve ever seen. The chorizo tacos, at $5/ea were verysmall and had an odd taste that I’ve never encountered with chorizo. Basically, the food quality was that of an Applebees anddid not warrant the high price tag. We also got a carafe of red sangria that, if you would’ve told me was straight juice, Iwould’ve believed it. Not an ounce of alcohol in it. Service: our waitress was very friendly so at least they had that goingon. It took a bit for her to greet our table as I watched her fix her lipstick at the bar but regardless, she was nice. Wearen’t “send the food back” type people so we did not give the restaurant a chance to correct any of the issues althoughmy br Read more
Looking for great tapas with a great atmosphere, great friendly staff stop by here. The food is absolutely fantastic, the drinks... are great too (clearly). We we amazed by the variety of meat on the platter. Various flavors along with the perfectly cookedyuca with Brussel sprouts and carrots. Absolutely a must try place, will definitely continue to spread the word and will be backhere. The only problem if it was one is they don’t have any other locations yet. But I understand they are exploring thatoption. Can’t wait to see if they do. Read more
Finally tried this place, but generally we are very disappointed with the service and food. We ordered 5 dishes. 1 never got... sent to the kitchen so we eventually cancelled it, each of the other four missed either sauce or ingredients. The server didn'trealize it until we asked. Seems like the chef/staff didn't know or care what they are doing. Saffron scallops were wayovercooked. The seafood paella was $36 with a fairly small portion. Most importantly, the mussels in it are made from frozen notfresh ones. Read more
So the food was good, kind of tapas style small portions and whatnot which is fine. Service was ok, they were nice and gave a... complimentary birthday shot to the birthday girl. Everything was pretty great until the check came. So our bill was somethinglike 225ish$ and of course there’s a automatic gratuity added with a larger party. (We didn’t split the check either) Theproblem was it wasn’t 20% .. it was 35% plus some kind of additional 5% charge so they generously gave themselves a 40% tip ofa 220$ check. The auto tip was 90$ ..... The usual 20% tip would have been around 45. I thought about making an issue of it butdidn’t want to ruin the mood so just paid and left. 2 stars for the cooks in the back doing a great job and minus 3 stars forgetting robbed Read more
Absolutely delicious. Exceptional service super friendly bartender and staff. Truly a wonderful experience. I will for sure... visit again. Very grateful for John for his flexibility and welcoming hospitality. Read more
This is a very nice and small South America and Spanish restaurant. Located in a Hispanic neighborhood and shopping center. It's... small but cozy with a good view. It's choice of Spanish tapas was great. The BACON WRAPPED DATES was surprisingly good. We wentthere because not many restaurants around make the Brazilian national drink Caipirinha. The drink looked classy with a slice ofdarkened lemon but the taste was just all right. The IBERICO CHORIZO PAELLA and seafood patella were good but the size were notas large with $36 and $32 each, little pricey. Although we may ordered a little more than usual, the price tag was about $65 perperson. Read more
My favorite tapas place in the area ! Super friendly staff and management. Things I would recommend are the gambas al ajillo,... empanadas, churrasco and quinoa crusted shrimp. And don’t end the night without a sweet! My favorite is the chocolate moussecake! *chefs kiss* Read more
Amazing and delicious Vegetarian food ???? The Manager Mr. John was so very kind, courteous and professional a big shout and... kudos to his Hospitality. He suggested a few things we could order to suit our dietary needs and for that we greatlyappreciate. Definitely a place to try out. Believe me you would be very happy trying out by visiting this cozy place. We justtried out last evening and a planning to go visit again with a larger party of friends. Thank you Mr. Johnny for your warmhospitality and delicious food. Read more