One of my favorites types of food is Spanish tapas. I enjoy sampling many small plates instead of committing to one large entree and what’s not to like about a pitcher of sangria? When we lived in San Francisco we frequented Thirsty Bear and Cha Cha Cha (the one in the Mission). In Los Angeles we could walk to Orris which was more of an Asian take on tapas. We tried Primitivo on Abbott Kinney once and it was great but super expensive.
So we were pretty excited to read about Firefly Tapas Kitchen on Paradise Road and decided to give it a try. The restaurant is a lot of fun with its eccentric and Euro-campy design and festive music. The bar was packed and looked like a great place to grab a drink after work. The food though, disappointed and we will not be back.
We sampled 7-8 of their dishes but only liked 1-2 of them. The grilled baby octopus scored particularly well with my wife as did the creamy aoili they serve with the bread. The downside of many dishes was that they came drenched in a sweet, mole-like, dark sauce. This took away from the vibrant flavors and varied textures we look forward to when eating tapas. Avoid dishes that come with any kind of sauce if unless you like your food sweet and wet.
Firefly is located on Paradise Road, near the Hard Rock Hotel and in the same strip plaza as Ruth Chris Steakhouse. Be sure to call in a reservation as the restaurant was extremely crowded even on a random Wednesday night.
Firefly* on Paradise, Tapas Kitchen and Bar
3900 Paradise Rd
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 369-3971