El Bodegon Tapas & Wine

El Bodegón is owned by Nadine Lopez and her children, daughter Jacqueline Mendez and son Alexis Mendez. As a newlywed, Lopez moved to Spain with her husband, and during a 15-year period learned to cook Spanish dishes and appreciate the intricacies of that cuisine. Jacqueline was born in Spain, Alexis in Puerto Rico after the family moved back. After a move to Florida, mother and daughter decided to open a restaurant and called on Alexis, who was still in Puerto Rico working in restaurants there, to come help. Noticing that Central Florida had few authentic Spanish restaurants among the myriad Puerto Rican and Cuban eateries, they decided that cuisine is what their restaurant would serve. And to ensure it was as authentic as it could be, they employed Francisco Figueras, a native of Galicia, to be their chef. That was perhaps their most brilliant move. Figueras offers a menu of delicious Spanish dishes that will satisfy anyone who knows how good that cuisine can be. - Orlando Sentinel, Scott Joseph El Bodegón serves time-honored, and strongly flavored, tapas fare - cured serrano ham, chorizo and honeycomb tripe, to name a few - and garlic is expectedly ubiquitous in many of chef Francisco Figueiras' dishes. The gambas al ajillo ($9), plump curls of subtly sweet shrimp in a shallow bowl of bubbling sherry wine sauce, is absolutely sublime. Flecks of cilantro, chili pepper and diced bulbs of the stinking rose give the dish its aromatic and full-flavored essence. - Orlando Weekly Enjoy our extensive Spanish wine selection and homemade Sangria! Please note that El Bodegón will be closed from June 15th through the 23rd for vacation.