Aventura

Sangrías and beer are perfect companion for the tapas. We ordered four different ones and everyone enjoyed every bite of them. The flop: the $40 seafood paella. Paella is a RICE dish, originated in the rice-growing areas of Spain. So, rice is a BIG component of this typical Valencia’s dish and both of ours were missing the rice; it was just uncooked “pegao.” Yes, there was plenty of seafood but the rice was MIA. A big disappointment. Good ambiance and good service. I wouldn’t go back for paella!

The tapas was provided in appropriately generous portions, and we particularly loved the gambas, which was fresh and delicious. The burrata was very creamy and complemented well by the tomato and pesto. In addition, we ordered the Paella Valenciana, which was cooked to perfection, with tender and juicy chicken, and the artichokes made it unique and exciting. Our waiter, Zen, was very friendly, knowledgeable and attentive, making our evening much more special. We will definitely come back again soon.

Update: We came again the following day, as we liked our experience so much the first time. Cate, our server, was very friendly and helpful. We particularly enjoyed the delicious mocktails. We ordered the seafood paella (Paella Arros Negre), which was fresh, and they kindly made an alteration to include artichoke. However, on balance, we preferred the Paella Valenciana last time. The sliders (Hamburguesas) were very tasty, tender, and with fluffy soft bread.

The ambience here is overall very good, though some evenings it can be almost too crowded and noisy for conversation at the table.
Food is good, though don't expect large servings. I've had better food at similar prices and similar serving sizes, but we still return regularly to this restaurant before operas/plays at U of M. Nice wine selection run by a knowledgeable wine director, whose recommendations were spot on with our meal.

The good: the food presentation is on point. Everything looks great, you eat with your eyes first and this place delivers. The food came out on time, and the service was great. All of the tapas we had were really good.

The not so good: I did have a little shell in my crab dish I know it happens sometimes, but for the price of this I expect closer to perfection. Our table had 3 paella, 2 of them were great, the third fell flat and was left largely untouched, which went overlooked, no offer to exchange or remove the $70 plate of rice.

The bad: Price. Man, I've been to Spanish tapas places all over, and I'd never call them budget friendly bites, but our bill for 2 people was $340 after tax & tip. The other couples in our party were in the same ballpark. That's without bottles of wine. At half that price I'm a little bummed but I'd go back. I'm not sure I'll be back.

We really enjoyed our food & overall experience at Aventura Saturday afternoon! We tried some different food items & everything was delicious! The presentation was lovely & great waitress too. Sat by the window - nice view.