10/14/09

good place for out-of-towners

by Luvpeace

Although the small plates of food had me worried that it wasn't enough, my worries were quickly abated. I am not from Philly and going to Tinto showed me that I can get really good food and ambience outside of NYC. Service was courteous. Food came out quickly. The server recommended a really good bottle of wine and gave my friends and I the attention we deserved. If I find myself in Philly again, I would definitely return to Tinto.

• Pros: Good service, good food, great wine selection
• Cons: kitchen closes early

09/01/09

Amazing $25 brunch

by aggiemay

I have only been to Tinto for brunch, so cannot comment on anything but that.

It was fantastic. We went for the 5 course Sunday brunch tasting menu. I thought it was very good for $25/person. Yes, the plates are small, but you can choose between numerous sweet/savory items. All were absolutely delicious. The maple grits were the standout for me- so rich and delicious, the perfect complement to the rest of my meal.

The brunch service was not rushed at all, and our server was appropriately attentive and very helpful in explaining the different dishes and answering our questions.

We are not big brunch people, in fact we despise brunch culture and waiting around for overpriced mediocre food. Tinto was nothing like that- a truly relaxing and wonderful experience from start to finish.

A splurge, for sure- but worth it.

• Pros: 5 course brunch
• Cons: nothing

08/10/09

too expensive for what it is

by martino1

I think I am done with small plates.I went to Amada and Tinto and both times I left hungry and felt that I spent way too much to fell that way.

I won't go back.

• Pros: nice ambiance
• Cons: leave hungry

10/16/08

Great Dining Experience

by lau1717

I live close to Tinto and have been here multiple times and every visit has been great. I always get the cheese mixto and the figs. I've probably tried at least 10 of the menu items and was never dissapointed. The restaurant is very romantic and the service has been ok (not the best). A few times I needed to remind the server about my wine or food order. I wouldn't go too hungry because the small dishes and the wine can add up. This is a good place for a date or a light meal.

• Pros: Food, wine, ambience
• Cons: not the best value, service could be better

09/30/08

Probaby the best dining experience in Philadelphia

by Elgallego

I took a date here recently. It was the first time I've been since the expansion and the menu change and Tinto has stepped it up HUGE. We went for the deluxe tasting menu and it did not disappoint. The Iberian ham is quite simply one of the best things I've ever eaten--so simple, so perfect. The baby artichokes and the steak we received with our main course were excellent as well. By the time we had finished, I was ready to pop. The service was outstanding as well. Our waiter, Nate, was like an encyclopedia of food and wine; he recommended us a perfect bottle for our meal, and when we told him how much we liked it, he wrote us down a list of other wines to try when we got home. It wasn't cheap, but quality comes at a price. Hats off to Jose Garces--we'll definitely be back.

• Pros: Food, service
• Cons: small tables

09/27/08

false advertisement

by pppppppppp

I agree with one of the reviews I have seen from another fellow Spaniard. It was a horrible experience and I will not go back. Being from Spain, I guess I am a harder critic than most guests at the restaurant. However, most people may not really know what they are supossed to get when they order dishes from 'El Pais Vasco". Besides having pimientos de Padron (from Galicia) and patatas Asturianas (from Auturias), which are dishes outside the realm of the Pais Vasco's cuisine, what they really offered is NOT what it is suppossed to be. Take for example, pimientos de padron, very specific type of peppers (dark green). Well, I ordered some...To my surprise, I received a plate with jalape?o peppers (nice presentation, by the way) which I asked to be removed from our table as it was not what I ordered. Then I proceeded to order merluza (a fish called hake) and I got sea bass intead. Once again, I asked them to take it away. The manager, who I think is clueless, comes over and tells us that he is sure that these are the right items as he orders those from Tienda com (An internet retailer). Let's think about this for a second... this is a really nice and extremely expensive restaurant in Philadelphia. WOULD YOU PUBLICLY ADMIT YOU GET YOUR FOOD FROM AN INTERNET RETAILER? Clueless...

• Pros: Nice Txacoli
• Cons: Everything else

08/17/08

Better than Amada

by ashleengodshalk

I went here with three friends and it completely lived up to my expectations. There was not a single thing on the menu that wasn't delicious. And our waiter was extremely friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable. Definitely talk to your waiter because he recommended some things that were outstanding. I liked the food better than Amada, but that may be just that I like this region of Spain better. All 4 of us ate until we couldn't eat anymore, and had 2 or 3 drinks per person and the bill (including tip) came to 60 dollars a head. It was much more affordable than I expected. Delicious! I would definitely go back!

• Pros: Cool atmosphere, intimate tables, great wine list, knowledgeable waitstaff
• Cons: NONE

07/01/08

Big Prices Little portions mediocre food

by SteveSarkis

I rarely am this critical of an eating establishment, but I feel I have an obligation to warn the people of Philadelphia about Tinto. The place looks nice and actually serves some great tasting and novel cocktails. Just dont go there for dinner unless you expect tp get dissapointed by a combination of high prices and small portions. I mean really small portions. The salads are 3 small leaves of lettuce. Ask for bread and they give a tiny dish with 3 pieces in it. The taste and creativity is not there either...if after reading this, you go anyway..remember I warned you

• Pros: Beautiful Place. Some interesting cocktails
• Cons: portion size, value, flavor

06/03/08

As good as Amada

by tomike

Amada is my favorite restaurant in Philly so I thought I'd give Tinto a try. I was not disappointed. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable, the atmosphere was inviting and the menu was filled with so many wonderful dishes that we had a hard time narrowing it down for our order. We ended up with 8 dishes including one dessert and were completely satisfied. Every bite was amazing and along with a beautiful bottle of crisp white wine our bill came to $140 without tip for two. Not bad in my in my opinion and if you wanted to make it less expensive, sit at the bar, have a few dishes, a bottle of wine and ENJOY!

• Pros: wonderful food and service. nice atmosphere
• Cons: not for an everyday meal if you're on a budget

05/05/08

The Biggest Ripoff

by espaniola

First of all, I cannot believe that all the reviews I read were only good reviews.

I'm from Spain and I have lots of family in Pais Vasco, so I've visited them many times. I went to Tinto last Friday for the first time ever and I won't come back. My family would be laughing at this place (or crying) if they order Patatas Asturianas and they bring them between 7 and 10 little pieces of potatoes in a microdish and they have to pay $7... Yes, well, that's one of the cheapest item in the menu. I guess olives were cheaper (although nothing impressive). All the portions made me feel so annoyed and mad, and I'm NOT a big eater. I felt bad for the people we were with. I just don't want them to think that you have to spend that money in Spain to eat good. You don't.

I couldn't believe what SOME people here are willing to spend for a little tiny dish. The owner of this place must be laughing at everybody. I'm happy that Capogiro was across the street and we all could get a second desert because the ones at Tinto were insanely small. Yes, we all had second deserts in another place.

Anyway, in case someone is wondering, I do know exactly what PINCHOS and TAPAS are. In many regions of Spain pinchos are FREE when you order your wine, beer, or beverage. It's courtesy of the bar. The best the pincho is, the more wine they sell. Pinchos are not designed to be share like in Tinto's menu. What you share are tapas. Tapas are 10 times bigger than pinchos and you don't need to get 30 tapas to get satisfied. You probably need one tapa per person or two. In Pais Vasco you DO pay for pinchos. They are usually very elaborated, but the prices are VERY reasonable. People eat pinchos every day in different bars. They would be ruined if they went to Tinto. Some pinchos at Tinto were good, but I wasn't very impressed. Maybe they should change the concept, but if they are doing good, that's o.k with me. I'm the one that won't come back, but I'm trying to let people know my point of view.