El Pulpo & Tapas Bar - Middletown

El Pulpo & Tapas Bar - Middletown reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

1. J

   Jake

   Greater Boston9 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on April 27, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Excellent experience - service and food! There were two very large parties there at the same time as us, but we still got plenty of attention and prompt service. When we were placing our order and considering a paella, the waitress let us know that it would take a while, which was both appreciated and an indicator that it would be done right. Food highlights - Gambas a la Plancha - shrimp was excellent. Grilled Octopus was super-tender. Cazuela de Mariscos - seafood broth was amazing. Crema Catalana dessert - don't miss it.
   

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2. J

   Jael

   Greater Boston2 reviews

   1.0

   Dined on February 14, 2025

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   This place was an insult to an entire country to say the least. The server was good and the wine was great (but you can get the same wine for a quarter of the price at the local store). The lights kept flickering like a night club in the late 90’s and that was definitely not Spanish/Mediterranean food. The croquetas de bacalao were potato balls, the croquetas de jamón were cheese balls. The gambas al ajillo came on what looked like a cast iron full of dishwasher water. The pulpo Gallego was not really pulpo Gallego. The dessert looked and tasted like it was bought frozen from Aldis.
   

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3. B

   Brad

   New York City4 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on February 8, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   We end up coming to El Pulpo fairly often and for some reason we're always surprised how much we enjoy the dining experience.
   

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4. d

   daniel

   New York City3 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on January 10, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Great food. Attentive staff. Awesome experience Reasonable price . Can’t wait to go back
   

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5. s

   sebastian

   New York City37 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on January 4, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   Delicious food and great presentation. Quite low key vibe.
   

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6. D

   Dana VIP

   Greater Boston22 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on January 1, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 2

   Went for New Years Eve. Not very busy. Food was okay. Seemed short staffed. Decor & furniture need updating. Stained ceiling tiles too. Probably won’t return.
   

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7. P

   Phillip

   Greater Boston1 review

   5.0

   Dined on January 1, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   Great food, seemed under staffed by 1 server for a holiday period. Hopefully just a call out. Happy to get in 15 minutes early while it was still more empty. FoH service was still slow. Both had price fixed option. Food was good. Had a special request to remove sausage from one dish. Came out with sausage anyway. Had to wait longer than expected to have dish corrected. My partner had to wait while a new paella was prepared correctly while I ate. They left the other paella for us to have. Check was more than appropriately adjusted with our asking. Will return.
   

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8. K

   Kirby

   Greater Boston4 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on November 1, 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 3

   Some of the tapas, like the grilled octopus and lamb croquettes (a special of the day) were exceptional, and most were very good. Fans of gambas al ajillo may want to skip it, as the shrimp were disappointing. El Pulpo also has many paella options, and the Valenciana was nice. It had a good crust around the edge of the pan and rich flavors.
   

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9. P

   Peter VIP

   New York City4 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on October 24, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Staff was attentive but let us set the pace. We weren’t rushed. Low noise level made conversation easy. Food was delicious. All around enjoyable evening.
   

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10. L

    Laura

    New York City17 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on September 28, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4

    One of the best meals I have had in some time. The grilled artichokes were my favorite along with the paella Valencia and the pistachio cheesecake.
    

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