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bota tapas and paella bar, San Francisco, CA

bota tapas and paella bar

4.4
4.4
973 Reviews
$31 to $50
Tapas / Small Plates
490 Geary Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

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2 people
19:00
Booked 11 times today

About this restaurant

  • Charming
  • Good for special occasions
  • Neighbourhood gem
Bota is an authentic Spanish style tapas and paella bar located in the heart of Union Square in San Francisco. A place to go to share food, savor rustic flavors and enjoy Spanish wine in a casual, yet chic, environment. Inspired by the concept behind our name “BOTA”, a vessel to share wine with the people around you.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Tapas / Small Plates, Spanish, Vegetarian / Vegan
  • Hours of Operation
    Tue–Thu, Sun 11:30–20:30 Fri, Sat 11:30–21:30 Dinner Mon 16:00–20:30
  • Phone number
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Executive Chef
    Chef Roberto
  • Private party facilities
    Bota is an authentic Spanish style tapas and paella bar located in the heart of Union Square in San Francisco. A place to go to share food, savor rustic flavors and enjoy Spanish wine in a casual, yet chic, environment.
  • Private party contact
    Chef Roberto Medina: (415) 345-2303
  • Area
    Downtown / Union Square
  • Cross Street
    Taylor
  • Parking details
    Street parking and paid public garages.
  • Public transit
    Geary muni, Bart exit Powell Station
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Chef's Table, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Delivery, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeaway, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Private dining

What 973 people are saying

bota tapas and paella bar reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.4
4.4 based on recent ratings
  • 4.4Food
  • 4.5Service
  • 4.4Ambience
  • 4.2Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • San Francisco Bay Area

    Tapas / Small Plates

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Bota Tapas and Paella Bar offers a delightful dining experience with "exceptional tapas" and "great service." Located conveniently near theaters, it's ideal for pre-show meals. While some find the paella hit-or-miss, the "friendly and accommodating" staff enhance the overall experience. The cozy atmosphere and standout dishes, like bacon-wrapped dates, make it a popular choice.

973 Reviews
  1. Leena VIP

    San Francisco22 reviews

    5.0

    Dined today

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Awesome place! Great food and service! Loved all the dishes we ordered. Paella was great! A little pricey but great!

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  2. Linda VIP

    San Francisco18 reviews

    4.0

    Dined today

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    A good choice for pre-theater dining. Food was tasty and moderately priced. I will definitely return and will recommend to others.

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  3. Joe

    Sacramento1 review

    5.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We have had bad luck with Tappas places but this one was great! The service was spot-on and the food was delicious. I especially liked the saffron old fashioned I got.

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  4. Sheri

    San Francisco8 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Very good! We love Spanish food and wine, so we were looking forward to trying this restaurant almost directly across from the Curran Theater. We made reservations but almost had the place to ourselves at 2:30 in the afternoon after a Saturday matinee. The restaurant is in a lovely space attached to the lobby of the hotel next door, and although it was quiet during our visit, I'm pretty sure it's bustling during normal meal hours. We weren't quite hungry enough to taste all we would have liked, but enjoyed some tapas recommended by our kind waiter -- Secreto Ibérico, Oxtail, and Grilled Prawns -- along with grilled bread and a delicious bottle of Tempranillo. Note -- if you plan to have 2 glasses each, it's worth it to get a bottle here. The prawns were very slightly dry, but the meats were outstanding. Overall the food was rich and succulent, accentuated with lots of Spanish olive oil and garlic. We'd definitely return and I'd love to try more dishes next time. Delicioso!

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  5. Steve

    San Francisco1 review

    5.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great response time and helped with the change request I had.

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  6. Martha

    San Francisco8 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on 12 April 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    We chose this place due to its location near the Curran Theater. We generally like Spanish food and were looking forward to this meal. The food was only “ok”. The tapas (dates w/ goat cheese & bacon) (cannelloni with chicken & béchamel sauce) were good, but the paella was not good. The meat bits were tiny and it needed salt. The white sangria was good, but we did not stay for dessert.

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  7. kitty

    New York City1 review

    1.0

    Dined on 12 April 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 1
    Mussels were fishy. Huge huge and not fully cooked and smelled like they had expired. No yummy broth, very dry, weird lemon suds on top. Food was overall bad. Paella also terrible and included even more mussels. Restaurant was empty on a Friday night, we should have known. Hands down the worst meal of our lives. Server was nice and sent round of drinks. Still had to pay for expensive paella. It was my night to pick the restaurant and I was mortified.

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  8. Dolores

    San Francisco14 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 4 April 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent menu selection, service, ambience - great restaurant!!!

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  9. Corinna

    Greater Boston61 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on 1 April 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food and service. The waiter made me an individual portion of paella because I wanted to try other things on the menu as well :) He was very accommodating and friendly.

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  10. Kimberly VIP

    San Francisco18 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 22 March 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Tapas here are exceptional. Haven’t had paella though. This is my go to place before theater.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

bota tapas and paella bar does offer delivery in partnership with Postmates and Uber Eats. bota tapas and paella bar also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (415) 345-2303.

bota tapas and paella bar is rated 4.4 stars by 973 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. San Francisco Bay Area
  4. San Francisco
  5. Downtown / Union Square

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 11 times today
Google Map for bota tapas and paella bar

490 Geary Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    Taylor
  • Area
    Downtown / Union Square
  • Hours of Operation
    Tue–Thu, Sun 11:30–20:30 Fri, Sat 11:30–21:30 Dinner Mon 16:00–20:30
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Tapas / Small Plates, Spanish, Vegetarian / Vegan
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    Street parking and paid public garages.
  • Public transit
    Geary muni, Bart exit Powell Station
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Chef Roberto
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Chef's Table, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Delivery, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeaway, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
  • Private party facilities
    Bota is an authentic Spanish style tapas and paella bar located in the heart of Union Square in San Francisco. A place to go to share food, savor rustic flavors and enjoy Spanish wine in a casual, yet chic, environment.
  • Private party contact
    Chef Roberto Medina: (415) 345-2303
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