“Oh El Pulpo, I adore thee!” reads one Yelp review for this restaurant. For its fresh, delicious tapas and peaceful environment, El Pulpo does warrant adoration. My love for this small restaurant, tucked into the Main Street Market past Perk on Main, comes from its high quality and exciting, yet affordable, dishes. This tapas bar was the perfect place to celebrate one of my best friends’ 21st birthday. They offer an array of vegetable, seafood, and meat tapas, as well as an expansive list of general entrees and a few desserts, all to be enjoyed in El Pulpo’s white tablecloth, soft jazz music type of environment. 

Entranced by their “3 for $35 tapas” deal on Mondays and Wednesdays, my party of five ordered six tapas for our celebratory dinner. We ordered the Brussels sprouts salad for $14, the ensalada de remolacha (beet salad) for $12, an artichoke dish I cannot find on their online menu, the tuna tartare for $15, gambas organicas a la plancha (Shrimp over Chickpeas) for $16, and the restaurant’s namesake dish: pulpo a la parrilla (grilled octopus) for $17. The birthday girl is pescatarian, so we stayed away from meat dishes. We also ordered two glasses of wine (one for the birthday girl, of course), at $8 each, bringing our total to $111 with tax and tip.

I was pleasantly surprised by the innovation and excitement of the Brussels sprouts salad. Shaved Brussels sprouts are mixed together with Parmesan and black truffle, contorted into a tall cone shape and placed on top of a thin rectangle of crispy risotto. They are accompanied on the plate by a separate zig-zag drizzle of a mystery yellow sauce. We quickly dismantled and divided this geometric plating between the five of us. As I often feel with any dishes at upscale restaurants that incorporate truffle in their menu, the extravagant addition was insignificant and unnecessary. Aside from my repeated distaste for truffle over-usage, this dish was incredibly enjoyable. It had everything a Brussels sprouts dish needs. It brought freshness, acidity, and exciting textures to an otherwise overdone bistro dish. The crispy risotto complimented the crunchy, fresh, acidic Brussels sprouts mixture, contributing to an amalgam of textures. One of my friends mentioned that some sort of heat, possibly wasabi cream, would act as a great addition to this dish, a comment I agree with. It was definitely my favorite dish of the night, but I have to deduct points for the unnecessary truffle. 9.5/10

The artichoke tapas were delicious, with a wonderful mixture of warmth, tang, and sweetness. Roasted artichoke hearts sit in a pool of tomato sauce and are topped generously with goat cheese and something reminiscent of a salsa verde. There was a subtle acidity and a sweetness in this dish, likely from the tomato sauce. The goat cheese added another great dimension to the already great combination of flavors. 9/10. 

The ensalada de remolacha was a simple yet cohesive dish: a bed of mixed greens with chopped beets and asparagus lightly bathed in a vinaigrette topped with goat cheese. The beets were perfectly cooked, and none of the flavors overpowered each other. A more generous serving of goat cheese atop this salad would have been nice. 9/10.

I had never had shrimp and chickpeas together before, but after trying the gambas organicas a la plancha, I can appreciate the pairing. Three buttery shrimp were placed atop a blended chickpea mixture in this rich appetizer. This dish was simple and could have benefited from the addition of a subtle spice, but was well done nonetheless. 8.5/10.

The Tuna Tartare was fresh and tangy, but the sauce drowned out the flavor of the tuna and prevented it from really coming through. The yucca chips were a fun addition to a typically basic tartare combination of chopped tuna over avocado. 8/10.

In El Pulpo’s namesake dish, grilled octopus was served over chopped asparagus, chickpeas, and tomatoes. The octopus was buttery and tender—simply delicious—with nothing threatening its flavor from coming through. The combination of chopped ingredients underneath the octopus felt unrelated and did not act as a relevant addition to the octopus itself. 8.5/10.

6 tapas for 5 people at $14 per person is an incredible deal. Overall, the food was fresh, and the flavors were great. I would recommend El Pulpo to anyone who wants to dress up, go to a nice restaurant, and eat innovative and exciting food with high-quality ingredients. Definitely order the Brussel sprouts salad if you have the chance.

Atmosphere: Relaxed yet elegant.

Noise Level: Low

Recommended Dishes: Brussels salad, gambas orgánicas a la plancha, pulpo a la parrilla, artichoke salad, tuna tartare. 

Price: $$ ($14 per person)

Open: Monday to Sunday, hours vary per day. 

Reservations: Not needed on weekdays, encouraged for larger parties on weekends. 

Website: www.elpulpotapasbar.com

Isabel Kapner can be reached at ikapner@wesleyan.edu.