Yay for birthday dinners and my bestie’s love of cheese boards. I know we had both been eyeing this place for a while, but finally we had a chance to dine in and celebrate her birthday. We came kind of early for us– but luckily scored happy hour pricing on our cocktails as well as ½ off bottles of wine. We started with the old timey old fashioned’s and then switched to a bottle. To start we shared the cheese board but requested a few modifications– the addition of pickled veggies and duck prosciutto. Everything is better with cured meats really. Then we had the watermelon salad which was typical fare. We opted to share the akaushi filet for an entrée and then the banana bread pudding for dessert. I think we overshot how much we could eat and could have cut out one course. The portions are not massive but they aren’t smaller either. The stand outs for me were the cheese board and the filet. Service was excellent. I did notice a much older crowd seems to hang here– I felt that we were by far the youngest people dining that evening. Also it really gets going for happy hour! The bar was packed with locals. I’ll be back for some more cured duck bits and cheese!
Richard M.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Fort Worth, TX
Great menu, great wine selection & unique beers on tap. Was not disappointed with a single dish I had, the one that really stuck out to me was the black pepper gnocchi. Highly recommended.
Ashlee W.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Fort Worth, TX
I took my boyfriend here for his birthday. Neither of us had been there before and I didn’t know exactly what to expect. Everything we had was beautiful and delicious!(lamb, salmon, clams…) Our server was attentive and helpful. He was always nearby to refill our wine glasses for us, but I never felt rushed. It was a very leisurely, decadent dinner. Quiet and nice atmosphere! Can’t wait to return!
Jill H.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Dallas, TX
Fantastic! Food is great — so creative and different. Service was warm and friendly and personable. Our server never steered us wrong, from the steak tartar to the pot pie(!!!) to the chocolate dessert, every single item we ordered was amazing.
Lauren R.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Dallas, TX
I absolutely love Sera! The service is excellent and the food is incredible. The restaurant is cozy and has a great, relaxed ambiance. After studying abroad in Spain, I crave everything Spanish! Sera fills that void. Their tapas are amazing and always take me back to Spain. John always helps us pick out the perfect bottle of wine. Start with the cheese board! The honeycomb is awesome with the moody blue cheese. All of the small plates I’ve tried have been consistently great. My most recent trip featured a new menu — which wasn’t as Spanish as previous visits, but was equally delicious! I couldn’t decide what to order and our waiter was extremely helpful(and funny)! I most recently had the Akaushi Tri-Tip(the waiter helped with pronunciation) and it was incredible. The red wine poached egg was a killer touch.
Jim J.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Fort Worth, TX
We tried Sera for the first time Wednesday night. When we arrived at 7:00, we were the only patrons in the entire place. The menu was somewhat confusing, being grouped into small plates and large plates. Besides a bottle of white wine, our party ordered: (2) Caesar salads consisting of curly leaf kale, not lettuce, with anchovy dressing -$ 9 each Squid Ink Calasparra, purported by the waiter to be similar to paella but not even close. This dish consisted of dark squid-ink rice in a thin layer in a metal pan topped with five TINY mussels, all of which was overcooked. They might as well have left them off and served me a bowl of rice. $ 22 Olives, Almonds and Bread Cheese Plate(small plate), quite tasty but a small portion — $ 10 Beet Tartare — a well chopped beet with a raw egg on top(small plate) $ 8 Charred Maitake Mushroom —(small plate), actually quite good, but a small portion $ 9 Jeri’s Gulf Oysters — six medium sized Gulf oysters on the half shell with toppings. These were also pretty good, but only six — just enough to get started. $ 12 We all felt a number of the small plates should have been large plates and vice versa. I would not recommend the Squid Ink Calasparra or Caesar salad. After spending $ 78(my half of the check for four), I was still hungry and had chips and salsa when I got home.
Joyce K.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Logan, UT
Warm and caring neighborhood bistro. Terrific food and small plates a plus. Good, reasonably priced wine list.
Adrita R.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Minneapolis, MN
Everything from the off-the-menu sweet French wine to the desserts were amazing. I had the cheeseboard as an appetizer, which was delicious. Try eating the honeycomb with the Spanish blue cheese. Yum. I had the Fideua Negra — with squids, octopus, and scallops — and I told them to make it a bit spicy. It was delicious. For dessert, we had a chocolate tart with meringue and this crème brûlée with oranges type of delicacy. The wine I got was off the menu — a sweet French wine. My friend had their sangria and it was good, not as sweet as typical bar sangrias. I am definitely going back!
Gini P.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Fort Worth, TX
I’m about to blow your mind: the squid is better than the scallops! But before I jump into that, let me offer you some background. My husband and I visited Sera for the first time last night and were greeted/seated right away by the owner(nice touch), then had the pleasure of being served by Durrell. He’s everything you could want in a waiter-attentive, knowledgeable, unobtrusive, genuinely warm, didn’t laugh when we mispronounced menu items. Seriously, this guy is good! Dinner started with tiny, tasty green olives. When it came time to order, the scallops were the deciding factor in pushing me to order the Fideua Negra(squid ink pasta). So my plate comes out and it’s this unexpectedly gorgeous pile of black pasta with green beans, squid, and scallops. The scallops were good, damn good in fact… but that squid, though! Those subtly flavored little ringlets of seafood were the perfect compliment to the briney, depth of earthly umami flavor in the pasta. My husband combined a couple of small plates to make a meal and we were both impressed by the Pan con Tomate-really simple, really yummy. A note about the menu: This ain’t Chili’s.(And I mean that in the best way.) The menu is limited to just a few dishes in each category, so very picky eaters might have a hard time finding something familiar. Keep an open mind when ordering and you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised. This is a great place for vegetarian/pescatarian options. This place is really charming. We’re already planning a trip back!
Brian J.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Fort Worth, TX
INCREDIBLESERVICE&FOODTOMATCH! Not sure why we waited a year to try this spot that’s practically in walking distance. The server(Amber) was awesome. Upon request, she made some strong recommendations that were perfect despite my skepticism: Serrano ham with goat cheese and Meyer Lemon spread… amazing Steelhead trout over cauliflower cous cous with pistachios, apricots… insane. Basically a mild salmon. They put a Moroccan spiced butter on top, very unique flavor but not overly hot(perfect for my tastes) Chocolate Hazelnut tart… perfect ending. They ran out of lamb, will be back to try that! Also, Amber swears that the calamari are NOTCHEWY… so yeah I’d like to try those as well to be adventurous. John, the owner-manager was beyond welcoming and gracious. We ended up winning their«random guest» contest to celebrate their 1 year anniversary, unexpected and memorable. We will be back soon to try this reasonably priced and very high quality spot.
Ornella G.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Arlington, TX
A date brought me here for my birthday dinner and if all of his decisions are this good, I’m ready to settle down. We started off with the cheese board which came with a softer blue cheese, a drunken goat cheese(phenomenal), and a third that wasn’t as memorable yet still fun to play with. That was the beauty of the cheese board: throughout our conversation we eagerly piled our buttered toast and explored different combinations, my personal favorites being the quince + drunken goat, and honey + blue cheese. We ate every last crumb and commented on how it’d be a fun dessert, too(later confirmed by it’s second appearance on the dessert menu.) I was quick to choose the Arroz de la Huerta but my date was caught between the Fish of the Day and the Fideua Negra, to which our wonderful waiter explained that while we certainly wouldn’t be disappointed with the Fish of the Day, the Fideua Negra is a dish we’d remember for years on out. My rice came out full of flavor, risotto-like in texture, and generously portioned. The waiter said he’d bet it was one of the best vegetarian dishes currently out there and I’d agree it’s a strong contender. TheFideua Negra, though! The pasta is solid black, which is fun to look at because you realize how potent squid ink is. The pasta itself looked like short pieces of spaghetti that reminded me of urchin spines. Add to that the squid, scallops, and naturally briny flavor of the dish and it simply tasted like a masterpiece from the sea. The waiter was right –everyone we ran into that night and for the next few days we mentioned the dish and it piqued the interest of many. For dessert we split a delicious apricot tart with goat cheese whip on top and finished off our bottle of fantastic wine. The environment was great for conversation, the waitstaff helpful and attentive, and I received plentiful Happy Birthday wishes on my way out that made it feel like I’d left a dinner party instead of a restaurant. I really couldn’t have asked more from Sera’s and I very much enjoyed the experience.
Kendall S.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Denver, CO
I had such a beautiful Friday evening here. I was on Unilocal looking for something new to try, came across Sera, and gave them a call to ask if they could accommodate gluten-free eaters. The gentleman on the phone — who I’m guessing was either an owner or chef — said, «of course,» and«a large portion of our menu is gluten-free.» Also, he had recently returned from a trip to Santa Fe and was inspired to print new menus that clearly labeled which dishes were GF. Woo! A few hours later, I found myself inside this lovely little Spanish restaurant. When you first enter, there’s a small but busy bar to your left(with a bartender who looked awesome) and little tables all over with white tablecloths. There are a ton of windows, so lot’s of natural lighting before the sun goes down. We were led to our table and brought out some complimentary olives(I believe they were Arbequina olives??). Tiny and delicious. We went through them so fast. For an appetizer, we ordered the«Patatas Bravas» with spicy brava salsa and aioli. Kind of like a fancy version of french fries, but so much better and extremely good. Their texture was perfect; crisp but super soft inside, and soooo hot, and topped with the perfect amount of salsa and aioli. Highly recommended! I wish we would have tried out a few more appetizers, but we were too excited to move on to the entrees. I ordered the«Fish of the Day,» which happened to be Arctic char cooked to absolute perfection. This fish was buttery and flakey and so amazing with its crispy skin. The fish was absolutely wonderful on its own, but made even better because it was served on a bed of cauliflower couscous mixed with apricots, pistachios, and fennel. Such an incredible melding of flavors, I loved it. $ 25 for this fantastic dish? The quality of this meal is worth the price, and I can’t wait to order it again. Adam ordered the steak and loved the romesco it was served with. Sera has a great wine menu with most options being from Spain. I of course ordered a sparkling wine(Mercat) for $ 6.50 per glass. So good! Adam had a tempranillo(Calma) for $ 8 per glass. Pretty great prices, I’d say. Service was wonderful of course. Our waiter was extremely knowledgable about the menu. He told me about all of the items that weren’t labeled GF and whether or not they could be made gluten-free. He had wine suggestions and was just overall helpful and awesome without being overbearing. Sera has a beautiful menu and ambiance. I’ll definitely be back.
Jojuane P.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Washington, DC
I generally like to try places a couple times before I become so critical, but if you’re going to feature Paella, it’s needs to be outstanding. Talk about a boring and bland dish. I started with the lamb skewers and it was flat and not very flavorful. Not sure what the hype is/was about. I wouldn’t prioritize this as a destination dining choice.
Jen D.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Fort Lauderdale, FL
WOW-am I ever so happy to give this place 5 stars! If you want to get taken back to Spain and more, a MUST to come here. All the food was outstanding and delicious! A group of 6 us shared: Pig ear frites(very weirdly interesting & addicting), meyer lemon marmalade(2 die for), roasted cauliflower & leeks(who comes up with this goodness?), littleneck clams, grilled lamb skewers, cheese board, spring salad(both awesome!) And 1 bottle of wine. It filled us all up except my partner and I ordered fideau negra. Everyone had a little taste, and this dish was so savory, but very inky afterall is it black squid ink. Kind of a bummer since they were out of the pork belly, but everything else made up for it for sure. I would pretty much order everything over again, if not just to try other items. I could skip the lamb, but I’m spoiled & can get good lamb made at home. OH, and let’s not forget our friendly server. The place wasn’t packed for a weekend night, but our server was perfect on timing and very friendly to us.
Steve L.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Irving, TX
What a wonderful place with wonderful people. Many thanks to owner, John and«hat man» Jim behind the bar. They make you feel welcomed and appreciated. The food is special too. Wife likes fish and had the grilled trout over cauliflower couscous. She was thrilled. A couple of small plates makes a great meal. The omelette is fluffy and flavorful. Don’t miss the Ajo Blanco chilled almond soup. An outstanding taste. All in all everything we have ever tasted from Sera has been wonderful.
JoanaLola F.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Atlanta, GA
I think we found our new favorite restaurant in Fort Worth! The food was amazing. We had the Patatas Bravas, Tortilla Española, Croquetas de Jamón, Meyer Lemon Marmalade, and the Brandada de Bacalao. All delicious! We were already full but as we didn’t know the sizes of the tapas we had ordered an entrée to share: Arroz de la Huerta. We are glad we did as it was excellent! This restaurant was a great find! We would have given it 5 stars if the sangria had had some fruit instead of being plain watered down wine. We will definitely be back!
Kathy K.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Franklin, TN
I travel every week for work and have a rule: avoid chain restaurants if at all possible. Rarely do I get to experience an amazing, unique, and delicious meal like tonight. I love places that offer a small menu of totally special offerings. I love having to really read a menu because every dish is unique! This is a restaurant where the owner greets many patrons by name, stops by often to check on things and makes sure you are enjoying your meal. From our small plates to our sinful dessert every bite was heaven. I can’t wait to go back!
FortSki G.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Fort Worth, TX
There is something wonderful happening here. After a long week of travel, I was honestly ready to sit on the couch and crash out. That being said, we had made pre-Christmas dinner plans with a few close friends and I’m thankful we had made plans to try out Sera. In short, the dinner was exceptional in a number of ways. 1. Food — My wife and I had the Arroz de la huerta(+scallops), red fish with squash noodles, Fideua negra(scallops, squid ink pasta, octopus) and persimmon tart. No kidding… each dish was perfectly crafted, well plated, full of flavor and priced perfectly. 2. Service — I have to agree with the other 4 — 5 star ratings as we found the service to be personal, well educated on the product and very friendly. Not to mention the owners’(John) and Exec Chef(Brandon) both stopped by to ask us about our meal. I realize this happens in other restaurants but I have always appreciated this type of relational quality from a Fort Worth establishment. 3. Vibe — we sat in the back room which was large while still intimate based on how they have spread out the seating. The soft music and laughter from our table and the other diners’ made it comfortable and Fort Worth-warm. Next time, I’d like to sit in the front of the house which is a bit smaller, candle lit and closer to the kitchen(always interested to see the chef expediting and what other folks are eating). I’m excited about this place. I hope Fort Worth grabs onto it and makes it their own. Truly great food and something we have needed in this town for a while. Good work Sera.
Nicholas W.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Fort Worth, TX
Went there for a Christmas dinner with good friends. Sera has great Spanish dishes that are well executed. I will probably use the word perfect a bunch in this review, which may be over the top, but it accurately describes the technical excellence of the preparations. There was a good selection of wine at reasonable prices. Impeccable service from the start and the whole way though, which turned this 4 star into a 5 star review. Also whoever gave a 1 star below needs to be offset, clearly. Back to business: Being a large group that loves tapas or turns everything to tapas by splitting and sharing, we got to try just about everything currently on the menu. Pig ear frites — as good as they sound. Croquetas — rich, and ridiculous, and disappeared from the table in under a minute. Jam /marmelade & serrano ham — one of the favorites of the night, the jam hits hard and makes every bite super enjoyable. Littleneck clams — I probably wouldn’t get again, but technically very good if you like this preparation. Roasted cauliflower — another one that disappeared too quickly. Perfect. Foie gras — prepared and served perfectly. If you have to pick one or two, my strongest recommendations would be the croquetas and the jam & serrano ham. And the foie gras. Arroz de la huerta — I had this with scallops which were perfectly seared and seasoned. The rice fell exactly as it should. This is served with smoked mushrooms that brought everything together very well. If you get this, get something of everything in each bite, and enjoy. Fideua negra — my favorite dish of the night. No one was willing to commit so we ordered a share dish for the table and it disappeared quickly. We also got the suckling pig, and special which was a redfish… both extremely tasty, though a bit less memorable for me. Our group had a great experience and will definitely be back.
J G L.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Fort Worth, TX
I’m going with 5 stars because everything worked really well. Service was great, Eric was not pushy but was there when we needed him. BYOB makes me almost want to throw a sixth star. Assuming until they get their license, wine is corkage free and we obliged to bring a couple bottles. Small plates and the tapas were all great. We had the cauliflower and leeks with romesco, which they said was their best seller– for good reason. Also had the pig frites and the chorizo croquettes. Both were awesome. Smoky Spanish chorizo with cheeses, balled and served 4 each with a dipping sauce and pig ears sliced thin and fried with a tarragon aioli. The entrée was a flatiron steak with celery root purée and a Tempranillo reduction. Great stuff. Desserts were a persimmon tart with goat cheese crème fraîche along with a Spanish custard like a looser crème brûlée. Really good. We can’t wait to go back.