Pipa Restaurant and Bar

Solid 4 Unilocal stars to Pipa.
The cuisine could probably be a little more authentic, but nonetheless it was still delicious. The service was fairly good (maybe a little slow), and the fish stew with rice and vegetables was delicious. Our server also mysteriously switched half way through the meal which is unusual (unless she had one of those strange advanced aging diseases). The ambience reminded me of an old ski-​lodge on the side of a mountain (again, not really Portuguese), and was dark and warm. They’ve got a massive dance floor and lower level for salsa on the weekends ($ 5). All in all, it was a nice dining experience at a very affordable price.
Tapas plates although inexpensive are all very large and could be shared. Had trouble finishing the kale salad and making sure I had room for the main dish I had ordered.
Chorizo was a little weak (reminded me of Brother’s pepperoni) and they were all out of Vino Verde. A Portuguese restaurant should never run out of Vino Verde! That fish stew though, boy. That was a nice meal.

My wife said for her 40^th birthday she wanted salsa dancing. So we found Pipa. Thankfully, salsa dancing did not disappoint. Sadly, everything else did.
I’ll be quick, per comment:
***Not Prepared***
We reserved the place as a big party — 35 people at 6:30pm. But at 6:10, we were already 12 strong, over-​crowding their tiny entrance corner bar.
I asked the waitress if we could move to the our tables in the large atrium. «No, can’t sit you until 6:30. Waiter hasn’t started to prepare the tables.» That was a bit of shock, but we rolled with it.
***Can’t Do Menus***
When I reserved the night, I made sure we could order off the menu. Turns out not an option when it was time to order. They really pushed us to the «tapas» style eating, bringing little plates of food to share among all. By the time the food arrived, we were all starving and thankful for anything. But the tapas style delivery made for real awkward billing.
***Food Wait Times***
The very first food arrived over an hour after we did. About 7:45pm, over an hour after we all sat down. It’s not like we ordered from a menu. It was a few sardines, some bread and mussels. Then Sangria. Why so long if we are doing simple tapas, not ordering meals?
***Billing Nightmare***
We had all different groups of people. Retired folks. Coworkers. Near friends to eat and stay until salsa starts. And friends who traveled and stayed late.
With such a big group, you don’t want one bill.
Unfortunately, a very large, single bill is what we got. A logistics nightmare. It got awkward fast, when the first old couple finished and were readying to leave, before other tables were cleared or finished.
***Awkward & Embarrassing***
At the end, I decided to pay for our closest friends. I go up to the waiter and say I’m paying all the remaining bill. The bill was closed and paid in full: about $ 300.
We get our coats and we go to leave. The waiter counted the heads of folks leaving (9 of us) and decided now the bill was open again for 2 more. !!
I had to pay yet again for 2 more people (another $ 80). Even among our closest friends, it just seemed «off» and awkward.
This waiter — he had me pay the bill off in full. But when he saw us leave, he then decides to charge per head. ??
I remember his name was Andrew, but that doesn’t help me now.
Note: just a few days before the party, Pipa changed their name to Brown Hound.
I read about the Health Dept concerns citing their staff (6+ times in 2013), so I’m happy for them for the attempt to try again. Maybe a different name will bring new people?