Neighborhood Gems: Spanish Traditions and Beyond at Sabores Tapas Bar!

Welcome to our NEIGHBORHOOD GEMS series featuring emblematic meals from around the world. This series shines a light on local restaurants and is designed to bring together inquisitive foodies and dishes that are unique and oh so worth a trip on roads less traveled!

When YELP released its annual list of the Top 100 U.S. Restaurants of 2024, only one NOVA restaurant made the cut: Sabores Tapas Bar. The restaurant was ranked No. 48 in the list of 100. Sabores was also recently selected as one of the "50 Best Restaurants - 2025" for Northern Virginia.

Join us for a memorable evening and "colorful, cozy escape where Spanish music sets the tone, and small plates steal the show."

Northern Virginia Magazine says:

For those who love tapas but wish that they went beyond Spanish traditions, Sabores Tapas Bar is a find.

It's the kind of place where you'll want to linger with friends, a itcher of sangria, and a tebl full of tapas. The space is casual and artful, with honey-hued lighting, geometric tilework, and pops of floral color.

Its owners are of South American heritage. Their restaurant trades in the Spanish flavors that they got to know working together at José Andrés’ Jaleo, but also pan-Latin dishes that touch on many of the greatest hits of one of the world’s most delicious continents.

The main menu consists of 40 dishes that range from guacamole to a full-sized bandeja paisa. The bacon-wrapped dates arrive crisp and smoky, perched on honey aioli like they know they're irresistible. Garbanzos con espinacas (a Moorish style- chickpea stew with spinach and toato) is comfort in a bowl. The mejillones al vapor (mussels in sofrito and white wine) are deeply flavorful and served with charred bread for sopping up every last drop.

The arepas (fried corn cakes) are presented in miniature at Sabores, topped with the diner’s choice of shredded chicken or beef. There are few other places one would be able to dig into a plate of arepitas alongside Spanish cheeses, but that’s exactly the kind of thrill that will bring me back to Sabores. The tabla de quesos features a thoroughly European plating of manchego and Mahón cheeses along with olives sunken into a pool of fig marmalade — a surprisingly appealing combination.

Plates are on the larger side for tapas. I could have happily had a lunch of just two or three like the garlic-flavored picanha steak and the pintxo Moruno, a Moorish chicken skewer served over hummus.

So bring your appetite and your sense of adventure for an evening of laughter. good food and great company!

Check out their menus here

Separate checks have been arranged in advance. All diners will settle their own tabs.

We ask that ALL folks honor their RSVP. If you are unable to attend after sending in a YES, please update your status so that others may join and help us support local businesses. In the event our group incurs a fee for no-shows / late cancellations, your ability to RSVP for future events will be restricted. Thank you in advance for your understanding.

To enhance the opportunity for great conversation, we will continue to limit the group size. Please feel free to sign-up to meet us along with up to 3 friends.

** WAITLIST: Meetup does not allow waitlists for paid events. If this event fills and you would like to be added to the waitlist, please send a note to the host through the Meetup app. **

In the future, we will vary the days of the week and the types of restaurants to keep events interesting.

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ARE COMMITTED TO GO WHEN YOU RSVP FOR THIS EVENT. Feel free to make suggestions for future meet locations.

** The small non-refundable registration fee helps us share the cost associated with the Meet-Up platform ($360/yr) and reduces the likelihood of no-shows, allowing us to better plan our events and accommodate all participants. Meetup charges $0.51 and Paypal charges $0.53 on the $2 registration fee. Thanks in advance for your understanding!**

If you are unable to join us in November, we hope you'll stay interested and join us for a meal in the future. Looking forward to catching up with you for Tapas at Sabores Tapas Bar!