Sketches of Spain

I give this place a strong four stars. They get creative with their meals. I enjoy the potatoes bravo tapas and paella. I had a few dishes such as their prongs and the portions were very reasonable. I would recommend this restaurant for those seeking something different. However, I would suggest bringing your wallet because this place gets expensive.

15 years after our graduation from Barcelona, Spain we decided to have a small get together for our school friends here to reminisce our days in Spain. Almost everything at this place was good except the decors. If you are not too picky about decor & ambience then this place serves excellent Spanish food. For a weekend it felt like almost empty but we could use that to get faster service for us. Drinks were good too.

Glad we came here! We have been craving paella, and drove 2 hrs. We were very pleased! LOVED the octopus!

We had such a great time on our first visit to this place! It was a wonderful discovery. For appetizers, we tried the ham croquettes, prawns, and pescaitos fritos definitely our favorite! We were really excited to try the callos, but it didn’t quite live up to our expectations. However, Mario was super friendly and made our experience even better!

Amazing! Food is delicious and the ambiance is precious. Definitely need reservations, we had patio seating and it was nice. The Spanish cheesecake is a must have to end the night.

I'm not sure if we were just there on an off night, but overall our experience was pretty poor. The service was by far and away some of the worst I've ever experienced. Very infrequently checked in on and inattentive. Almost seems like the wait staff found waiting on us a nuisance. No bar tender on staff and took a very long time to even get cocktails. I got the secreto paellav(iberico pork) and my wife had the a Banda (seafood), mine was cooked perfectly, flavorful, rice was fluffy. However my wife's was severely overcooked, 50%+ of her rice was burned into the skillet and the rest of her dish was so dry from overcooking it was borderline inedible. The potato bravas were excellent though and one of the few highlights. We will not be returning.

Been wanting to try this place out and it did not disappoint! Super well done and cute on the inside. All the staff we encountered were very nice and super helpful. The tapas were excellent! Exceeded expectations. Great happy hour deals on drinks (awesome sangria for $8). Paella was our least fav dish of the meal but overall loved everything - and also appreciated that they wanted honest feedback on the food. Wednesday nights they have a great industry night (includes hospitality people, teachers, etc). Recommend: patatas bravas, eggplant, croquettes, shrimp, basque cheesecake, sangria.

We decided to try this restaurant on a whim and are so glad to have found it! You can tell the care and attention to detail in each dish, so much flavor and unique flavors!

This place is unbelievable. The cod stuffed pepper is maybe my favorite dish ever, and the pitcher of sangria would've lasted us a fortnight at home!

The service is top tier! I usually come sit at the bar after a long day of work but today I met a friend. We both had paella and sangria. Both were delicious but it seems the paella may have sat under the heater too long as they were a tad burnt. I would definitely come again and go back to my usual meal.

The stars aligned and we were able to snag a table here- it had been a couple years since we all mentioned we wanted to try this place together. We reserved a table on a Saturday night and it was real snug inside. Minimal tables- but cozy and intimate. Nice set up. We were greeted by our server, he was professional- but I wouldn't say friendly. We ordered a few tapas and waited for the main event- the paella !!!! We were so excited but patiently passed time by nibbling on all the little plates. Both potato plates were delicious! The shrimp, bread and meat and cheese platter were tasty too. We finished up the small tapas and the paella was beautifully prepared- lovely display- living up to the name- "sketches of Spain" Then things took a turn- as we were eating we caught glimpses of grotesque- there was something repulsive in our paella. We quickly stopped eating and notified our server- he took a closer look and took the plate away. He never showed any emotion or apologized- he quietly mentioned they would take it off the bill. My disappointment comes with the lack of emotion and empathy. It was awkward- it was the service for me and the yuck in our paella. Totally ruined the evening. So sad, because we were really excited to try this spot.

My visit here was maybe the worst experience I've ever had at a restaurant. Sadly, it got from bad to worse even after expressing how bad things were at several instances. The only way I would ever eat this food again is if it was delivered to my home and was free. I came here to dinner with my son on a Weds evening. We arrived approx 7:45 pm and were seated outside on the patio. The patio had one other party and there were 1 or 2 larger parties in the main area. After 20 minutes I walked inside and asked the host if someone was going to take our order. Someone came out a few minutes later and took our order which consisted of 2 appetizers and an entree. Spanish Tortilla, croquettes and La Banda Paella for 2. about 5-10 min later our Spanish Tortilla arrived. They almost delivered us some prawns, but one of the workers caught it and said that it was the wrong table. At this time they also offered me a free sangria and my son a free soda. We both declined. The menu stated to allow 25 minutes for the paella so we did expect a wait. We ordered this at 8:10. By 8:35 we had not received our second appetizer or our main. No one checked in with us through out this entire time. There were multiple tables around us that came after and received their food. At 8:35 a waiter came by and asked if we were ok. I explained that we still had not received our second appetizer and wanted to know when our main course would be here as we had already waited the prescribed time. They told me that the paella should be out in 5 more minutes. At this time I did tell him we were about to leave and this was the worst service I had ever received. At 8:40 our second appetizer finally arrived. We did not enjoy the croquettes. My son and I each ate one. At 8:45 our paella arrived. Upon first look it was very small, especially considering that they charge $25 per person, so this is $50 worth of food. It contained many very small scallops, 2 large shrimp and 4 mussels. We determined that the shrimp were cooked fine but had zero seasoning. The scallops tasted like amonia and the mussels were just ok. we both ate a few bites but couldn't eat any more. At 8:49 the server came and asked if all was ok. I said we were done and they said ok and walked away. at 8:55 the server brought something to the table behind us and said nothing to us. At 8:58 the server came back and asked if we were ok. I told them that I said we were done 10 minutes ago. They asked if we wanted to take our food to go to which I stated no and told them the food was terrible. I said can I just please get the check so we can go. 9:00 the server comes back and says its on the house. We walked out and no one said anything else or acknowledged us. No manager ever came over to talk to me or offer an apology. At no point did I ever ask for anything free or discounted. I was not mean, rude or beligerent but I was highly dissatisfied and was vocal about it. I am very disappointed and came here after receiving a gift card. I spoke with a friend who came here a few years ago. She told me that the food was not very good then either. It's very expensive for small quantities of low quality food.

I went here on a date with my sister, it was a nice time. The food was pretty standard. It wasn't the best Spanish food I've ever had however, it still was really good, our servers seem to be a little new and confused and so that's why I took one of the stars away because it seems as if everyone who worked there was new to the establishment without training. I would still definitely return because I enjoyed the food. I enjoyed my drink, and I want to give them another chance.

I had a girls Sunday date here and was super excited to try this place! We ordered the seared prawns, octopus, tellinas, and the secreto paella. Of all these dishes, our favorite was the seared prawns! However, rest of the other dishes, we did not enjoy and ended up leaving a lot of it untouched. The tellinas had way too strong taste of just white wine, the octopus was a big no for me, the texture was just very off.. I was done with this dish after 2-3 small bites, and the secreto paella was just not my style. I wasn't very happy because compared to the price of all these dishes, the taste did not satisfy me. However, the service was great! We initially ordered the lamb but the server notified us that the condition of the meat wasn't great and that they did not find it right to serve. Letting us know ahead of time was a big big plus!

We spent father's day lunch here yesterday and definitely so much better this time around! The food is still delicious. Service is impeccable! Our servers are topnotch. It's our second time here and thank goodness the air-conditioner is working great this time! Ambiance so much better too since it wasn't too crowded. Highly recommended!

The food is really good! We ordered 3-4 tapas and a bottle of wine. The service was good and the restaurant has a nice vibe

I arrived with my friend around 7:30pm. There were no tables available inside so we had to choose between sitting at the bar or outside. We chose to sit at the bar. We were promptly attended to. We shared several plates: Bravas; Octopus; Tabla de Embutidos ; and Spanish Tortilla. The Spanish Tortilla was okay. Nothing amazing to say about it. The Bravas were wonderful--definitely hit the spot. I loved the special sauce on the Bravas. The Octopus was also very good. I was not too crazy about the Tabla de Embutidos but my friend loved them. Finally, for dinner we had Chocolate Textures. I am not really a fan of chocolate, but it was tasty. All in all, it was a great meal. When I return, I will definitely order the Bravas and the Octopus. Note: consider making a reservation.

I rarely write 5 star reviews, but Sketches of Spain deserves it. Eating here was like a little oasis right in the heart of Dallas. We ate on the patio and it ended up being the perfect night out to do so. The beautiful weather coupled with the idealistic decor on the patio really made the experience that much better. I came with a group so we ate family style so we could try a little of everything. The food that stood out to me was the seafood paella , the seared prawns, the Spanish ham croquettes and the Tabla de Embutidos. The paella was made with smaller round grains of rice, almost like couscous. It was interesting in a good way. The prawns were my favorite; I could have eaten them all night. We obviously ordered some wine to pair with the food. I ordered a glass of Ochoa calendas. As far as Spanish white wines it wasn't my favorite. After the white I moved onto red. We ended up ordering a bottle of the Carlos Serres Tempranillo. It did not disappoint; it was complex, yet balanced. To make the experience even better, our server was amazingly. He was attentive and efficient, despite this only being his second day. Towards the end of dinner a manager came and brought us two rounds of shots that tasted like a Mexican candy. Overall it was a great night, and I can't wait to go back.

What a great place! Friends recommended it to me. We had a few adult beverages and the octopus appetizer. Who knew Coke and red wine made a refreshing drink? The octopus was absolutely delicious and so fresh! The service was amazing too. If the weather is nice, sit outside for a great atmosphere!

Giving 4 stars for the system, but the service gets a 3. I wish the wait staff had asked us if this was our first time dining with them. It was our first time, and we felt rushed by the staff to figure out what we wanted or how we should order, with no information offered to us. This is common practice at other establishments in Dallas with similar price points that offer a unique and elevated dining experience. Since the menu was all digital, they could add more helpful information about all food dishes and wines. The photographs were helpful, but the meatball picture is inaccurate, as it came out with a dark brown sauce instead of a light-colored sauce in the photo on the menu. We had to point to the kitchen counter display at the bar seating and ask about something we saw that wasn't on the menu--another shortfall in the service we received. If you have things available that aren't listed on your menu, it should be the server's responsibility to tell us about them. Had we not been seated in that part of the restaurant, we would have never known that dish was even available. The menu gave very brief descriptions of the menu items, and it would have been helpful (and more welcoming) to have some guidance from the server. The wine list provided names of wines but no descriptions of the wines; this would have been helpful. Instead, I had to google to see which I'd prefer.

The seared prawns are genuinely fantastic and I wish I had gotten my own serving of that for my meal. The patatas bravas are also super tasty and crispy, but maybe not worth $10. The cod was a bad choice, it was undercooked and chewy. Service was friendly and somewhat attentive but also extremely slow, drinks took forever to come out. Others in the group said the paella was fine. Parking is minimal in the area.

Very good experience.... Food flavors were straight forward, simple but tasty!!!!!! Sangria i have to say one of the best I've tried!!! Fideo paella was excellent (would've left the mussels out, they were kinda chewy) other than that the rest of the food was on point. Very good service & ambiance well music was a little too loud & modern not that i don't like that type of music, but would ve appreciate a more low, spanish music (gipsy king, oreja de van gogh kinda music) bathroom very clean

After studying abroad in Valencia, I can say with confidence that Sketches of Spain is the best place to get Spanish food in Dallas. I appreciate how the menu offers drinks and dishes that are true to Spanish cuisine that can be hard to find elsewhere such as Agua de Valencia, a variety of gin & tonics, boquerones, and fideua (paella but with thin noodles). Additionally, the service is great here. Every time my friends and I dine here we are treated so well. We are never rushed and are given the space and time to enjoy our team -- just like how it is in Spain. Overall, our favorite dishes are: 1. gambos al ajillo (literally can sip the butter bc it's that addicting) 2. boquerones 3. fiduea 4. peppers stuffed with cheese & cod

If you're looking for a neat dining experience, I'd totally recommend giving this place a try! During Happy Hour- $6 Sangria & Agua de Valencia. This is a great way to get out of the comfort food zones in Texas. Everything we tried was delicious, fresh, & hot. Our bartender Lalo was a treat and we had a wonderful evening here. Parking is free & easy (right across the street). Interior was well decorated and lighting changed as evening progressed. I can't say enough good things about this location.

Food was pretty good and the portions were quite large which is nice considering other places only give you half a fingernail and some breadcrumbs for the same price. Stuffed Piquillo peppers with cod were very different and the cod was kind of like a paste which was a delight. Service was out of this world. The staff were really friendly, funny, and quick. The service itself felt very upscale as they were very attentive and meticulous. We even got complimentary champagne and cheesecake for our anniversary! The restaurant was super decorative and cute. This place is a must go. 10/10

Vibe was perfect, it was pretty busy for a Sunday evening but that did not create an issue. Food and service were fantastic! We can't wait to go back.

Sketchy!! Extremely slow service. Meh Tapas. Even the drinks are not good. The place is always packed and servers are lagging. They show their frustration openly. Nothing good about this place.

This places has a good variety of authentic dishes from Spain! Definitey delicious and worth trying! My favorite thing here is the Sangria! It's the best! It's very chill and the device is so friendly!

This the third of fourth time here. This place is chill! The sangria are so delicious! Today we are here for their happy hour!!! Perfect ambiance, great staff, cozy atmosphere, delicious drinks!

Absolutely awesome experience here for date night! It's a cute and casual spot with some amazing food!! We ordered a lot of food. So much so that even our server recommended to cut a few items out lol. But that said a lot to me because I can't tell you how much I appreciate the fact that he wasn't just interested in upselling or a higher bill. Bravas - so good! Love the spicy sauce that they put on top of these crispy roasted potatoes Octopus - grilled and delicious and spread on top of some potatoes Assorted Meat & Cheese - these were also very good but I do wish they had given a different cheese than Parmesan. Parmesan didn't really work with the selection of meats Seared Prawns - this was my favorite dish of the night! The sauce they come in is amazing and the flavor is incredible Stuffed Peppers - this wasn't my favorite but my husband loved it. For me it had too much of a seafood taste for a non seafood dish Paella - a tad bit salty but good overall! REALLY wish they offered a paella with meats (chicken, sausage, etc) because I think that would be a hit Chocolate Dessert - I pretty much single handedly ate this whole thing lol. It was like a chocolate pudding with chocolate chips/chunks inside So happy that we came here and enjoyed this delicious meal!

I'm so happy for this place! Me and my husband had been there 4 times, we are fans. We are grateful of having finally a Spanish place of this quality and level. The tapas are perfection. The place is very nice, had a good atmosphere, great service. Yesterday we came back to this place and had a wonderful time and food. This time we had the oxtail that it was incredible, so much flavor, cook to perfect, all the food here is cook to perfection, all the details, everything is perfect.

I cant tell if this place was hit hard by the pandemic or if their main focus is to push the wine, but the food is NOT the focus of this place. I order a variety of pinchos (bread with a variety of toppings) and all of them were underwhelming in flavor, as well as bread quality itself. The paella was for two, but one person could easily polish it off. The amount of seafood used was disappointing as I could have fit all of the mussels and shrimp into the palm of my hand. For 30 dollars, Im expecting a little more than a handful of seafood. I like that they use authentic bomba rice, but there was barely any flavor from the saffron or the sofrito that was almost non-existent. I did enjoy my sangria. They dont use cheap alcohol, and have fresh fruit in it. So that was nice. Overall I question the overall intention of this place. Either they are struggling to make ends meet and have to shrink their portions with big price tags, or they are scamming the rich locals into thinking they are getting an authentic spanish experience. Go to Si Tapas instead of this place.

Our prawns appetizer was the best item we had. The "secreto iberico" was so dry, chewy, and tasteless. Also, they ran out of fish of the day red snapper! And even more disappointing, the Paella tasted bad. The rice was burned and the whole thing tasted metallic. The ambience was the best aspect of our visit. Service was good too, with complementary wine for our anniversary. Prices are competitive for the area. All in all, my expectations were high for this place, but it was a sad disappointment. I know Spanish cuisine is not big in Dallas, but even then, this is not the place for it. We will not be back.

Paella was meh, if that. The only reason I gave two stars was because of the great service and cute house.

Love love love this place!! Don't get disappointed by the location of the restaurant, it's a bit secluded but the ambience, the food and the service is great! We were here for a bachelorette party and we had a great time! I loved the vegetarian paella which was easily shared by two. My friends got the chicken paella which was okay, the Spanish red wine was the best I have ever had! And we had the torrija which was so good we ordered twice! We got champagne on the house (bachelorette party treat!) which was very sweet of them! Do try this place! Highly recommend!

Sketches of Spain is amazing. The service is incredible! Even on their busy nights they will go out of their way to accommodate their patrons. Thursday they have half off paella and let me tell you, it does NOT disappoint. You have to try their amazing assortment of appetizers too.

Food full of taste... sangria excellent in my opinion. Service excellent smiley, friendly faces. Place is clean a bit loud but great.

Absolutely love this place! Staff is amazing, service is prompt and accommodating, food is always delicious, and chill overall vibe.

Been seeing a lots of food programs on TV and wanted to know what all the hype was about Paella Found this place on yelp looked pretty good so I made a reservation Well let me tell you not exactly what I was expecting not saying that the food is bad it's ok but different to me personally it lacks that WOW factor and a bit of flavor I'm sure if you have the same dishes in Spain they taste a whole lot more authentic Staff is very nice We had a good experience until the Host/Manager rushed us to leave reason was other couple was waiting to be seated ( keeping in mind we made reservations) Overall OK if you just want to try for the first time and experience food from Spain

We had an amazing experience celebrating a birthday here! Angel and Lalo took such good care of us and made it a special night. The food and drinks were amazing. Highly recommend the bravas!

Increíble soy española y me transporto an mis lugares favoritos. Cada vez que visitamos Dallas volvemos

This place was a pleasant surprise. After living in bishop arts for 3yrs, I decided to try this place on a random Thursday with a girlfriend, and I'm so glad we did. Service was AMAZING, and Angel was great. Everyone was so welcoming and pleasant to be around. The bartender was great and the drinks we so good !! I am looking forward to my next visit, and can't wait to be a regular! **ask for Angel!!

We went here for my birthday celebration back in May ! Tapas ! I love tapas ! First of all , the ambiance is absolutely amazing ! It's a former house turned into a restaurant , which makes it not so large , but very cute and intimate . Whoever did the decor did an amazing job! It wasn't too busy on a weekday . Perfect for my official day ! They gave us free drinks for my birthday , which was a sweet gesture . I'm not sure if it's always like this . As for the food , this was a different type of tapas for me . The food was good , but could have used a bit more spice , but this may be a specific type of Spanish tapas. The potatoes and Prawn are amazing ! I had a great time !

The menu is limited for a tapas restaurant. The food is good and that is why I am giving it 3 stars. We were there with a group of 6 on Saturday night. Unfortunately the service was so disorganized it took 20 min to put in a food order. Then items were being delivered to the wrong tables. We couldn't even get water despite multiple asks. Our final bill wasn't bad but that is because after being there for 3 hours we were only able to put in two drink orders.

I love this place!! Cheers to the chief because the food tastes like I'm back in Spain. The service was the best that I have had in months. My server was Angel and he was on top of it. So friendly and provided the best recommendations. I can't wait to come back!

Food was gross!!! How was this place rated a 4.8!!! Way over priced!! Would not recommend.

We had an amazing time at Sketches of Spain this past weekend celebrating my birthday! I've never been made to feel more like royalty than at this restaurant. Our main server (Pablo S.) really pulled out all the stops, from a round of champagne to start the meal to multiple shots of various fun mezcals and tequilas that kept showing up throughout the meal. The food was fun and unique; we really enjoyed the selected tomatoes and the paella, although most everything we tried was delicious. The drinks were tasty and refreshing as well; I especially enjoyed the variety of gin and tonics they offered. Definitely a smaller, intimate space so make a reservation if you can. We really had a great dinner here and will definitely be back. A true Bishop Arts gem! There's also a valet just across the street which is a must for Bishop Arts.

Amazing fiood and great service. Will definitely come back with more friends!. The food is beautiful presented and the flavors are exquisitely delicious. Highly recommended!

If this is a top 100 restaurant in Dallas then the foods scene here has taken a thousand steps backward. Order a bottle of wine and the vintage is 3 years off. The seared prawns were way past prime. Had a ammonia smell and taste. Patatas bravas should have a kick and these had none. Very disappointed .

We loved our experience celebrating a friend's birthday. Sampled appetizers and paella. Decor is so warm and inviting. Staff very friendly and attentive.

If you're looking for a darling little place to take a loved one for a special occasion, the search is over. My husband and I had an incredible date night here filled with fresh Sangria, tasty seafood bites and exceptional service. It truly was a delightful experience from beginning to end! *Our favorite dish was the spicy prawns!

It's a small place. Outdoor seating. Inside not that much seating. Luckily was able to get a spot (no wait) on a weekend evening. I would recommend making a reservation though in case. Not sure if I've had paella before. The pricing was interesting. $20 for a single portion and $18 each if you order more than one. The single person portion could've been split between two people. I got the black paella with black fish ink and small pieces of fish. I really liked it. It had flavor and not a ton of the rice was stuck to the bottom. Wish they added more pieces of fish. Mainly felt like I was eating rice... My friend got the prawns ($14). They were good. Had a buttery taste. Weirdly enough I got the paella before the prawns and the paella says 25 minutes before it comes. It definitely looked like the restaurant was understaffed. Service was kind of meh... so surprised that everybody had high remarks. They had a huge wine selection. Tried one of the reds, which was pretty good. Would recommend to others looking for something a little different.

Excellent service and the food was amazing. We will definitely be back!! Iberic Pork, Seared Prawns

Bachelorette night!! We had such great time last night and enjoyed the amazing Spanish cuisines. This was my first time here at this spot and I enjoyed the drink menu and main entree menu. They have big portions which is great for groups!!

Well.... Pretty much disappointed in this place. Small plates/appetizers were all really good. Then we get to the paellas....please help me understand a seafood paella that comes w either rice or pasta, and the seafood consists of 4 mussels and 4 shrimp on the rice and also included inedible pea-sized scallop pieces that were so hard they were inedible...that's it. WT Heck!!! So if you go, stick w the appetizers, and completely forget about any of the paella dishes. Or find a better place, like Taco y Vino across the street. Nuff said.

I really enjoy Sketches of Spain. The atmosphere is cozy and inviting, and the patio area is very nice. The food was flavorful and authentic, and I especially loved the paella and the sangria. The service here is also excellent. I do wish they had a few more options on the menu, but overall this place is great.

Had high expectations for this place and it just simply did not deliver. Atmosphere: cozy, love the ambiance, just a very romantic spot. Service: a little slow. It could have been because they were transitioning from brunch to dinner but it took forever for us to get our food, check, or even greeted. Food: Bravas was the highlight. So addictive. Seared prawns had a fishy taste and was ok. Octopus feira style: octopus was over cooked and seem like they were way too happy with the seasoning. A Banda (3 course) was a H portion and there was 4 of us. We only ate about half of it but it had decent flavoring. Secreto Iberico is supposed to be a tender and exclusive cut but it was just so tough and chewy here. Highly disappointed because I never had a bad piece of iberico until this day. The flavor was there but not sure if the chef overcooked it or we just got a terrible piece. Drink: they happened to have happy hour that Saturday we went and got a sangria each. It was very refreshing! Overall: would love to visit again but maybe on a day that it isn't 100 degrees outside to try out their other dishes. It is such a cute spot in a great neighborhood that I would hate to not give them another try.

My fiancée and I came here for date night because we had heard good things about this place. Unfortunately, it did let us down. Our server wasn't attentive and it did take about 30 minutes for us to get our drinks. The food was just okay. I've had better tapas in Dallas. We ordered the stuffed pequillo peppers and the zucchini cups to starts and they were good. I felt like they just needed a bit more salt. Our main course was the seafood paella and I wasn't that big of a fan. The seafood tasted like it was frozen and not fresh. The only thing I recommend from here is the sangria.