Maps are approximate only. Please call or visit site for directions.
If you need to report a correction, please contact us.
5 Reviews for “Suba”
Write your Review
Subscribe to Reviews RSS feed
Maps are approximate only. Please call or visit site for directions.
If you need to report a correction, please contact us.
Subscribe to Reviews RSS feed
September 15th, 2008
Have eaten at Mangia Qui many times, never to be disappointed. Have been to Suba several times in the past, but it’s been awhile. This weekend, took a friend from out of town there, thinking this would be a great way to showcase the best of Harrisburg. Boy was I disappointed.
When we arrived, we asked for a table. One was empty, but we were told that it was being moved out of the restaurant to make way for the band. There was a couple paying their check, so I asked about that table and was told that table, also, was being moved out to make way for the band. So, I said we’d sit at the bar, but would like the first available table.
We promptly ordered several tapas. The first was a Atun, an ahi tuna with onion and black currant confit and a cilantro yogurt sauce. I almost vomited, seriously. It tasted pickeled and had a very strange texture. My friend had the same response. Definitely not a good way to start. The second selection was the crab fritter, which tasted an awful lot like Long John Silver’s fish. I couldn’t get that comparison out of my head. All in all, the food was mediocre at best. It was a struggle to get drinks or the attention of the staff, even though we were right at the bar.
About half way through our first round of tapas, a table opened up. I asked the hostess if we could be seated there and was told “no, that table is for the group that just came in”….just came in? We had been there for a half an hour and had requested upon arrival the first available table.
We left shortly after….all three disappointed. The place is lovely. The art is very nice. It has a fabulous vibe. It’s a shame the food and service could not live up to the initial impression.
Suba needs to decide what they want to be. Do they want to be a live music venue or a restaurant. The space does not lend itself to both. Moving out tables, when there are so few to begin with, is a bad idea, if you’re wanting to be a restaurant. Nothing wrong with live music, but it should be on the scale of the restaurant. Beyond that…Mangia Qui is just downstairs. When I’m paying the kind of money I do for Mangia Qui and having a quiet, intimate dining experience, I don’t want to hear a loud band rocking out from upstairs.
They are trying to be too much. Perhaps they could take their live music act to the new deli area at the Harrisburg Arts Center, where it may be better suited.
We will not likely return.
September 6th, 2008
Finally got upstairs to Suba, the Spanish Tapas Bar that compliments the Italian restaurant downstairs. Wow. I mean really - wow. Everything was incredibly fresh and high quality, the decor is really relaxing and beautiful, the service great, I’ll go ahead and say this is my favorite spot in Harrisburg hands down.
Tried the Fritura de can grejo - seasoned crab fritter fried with a spicy chili cream sauce, Alcach ofa Frita - crispy fried artichoke with a dill horseradish dipping sauce, and Monte caballo - almond stuffed dates wrapped in peppered bacon with cabrales cheese. All were magnificent. I mean really unique and wonderful combinations of flavor.
The martinis and sangria were also delicious and just right. You need to go to Suba . .
May 2nd, 2008
Just to update my previous review, went back recently and this place rocked. I guess I had more reasonable expectations this time (see review 1). As noted below, the fish tacos are amazing. Seriously. The ambiance is wonderful, and the service is prompt and friendly. This place manages to be classy and comfortable; posh and reasonably priced, all at the same time.
I’m glad there’s a place like this in the ‘burg.
May 1st, 2008
I really think this is the best place in the ‘burg. Incredible ambiance, fantastic music and art, and drinks to blow your socks off. It can get crowded to the point that service gets slow, but the surroundings and drinks keep you occupied.
I recommend the atun (tuna), gambas (sizzling shrimp), patatas bravas (spicy potatoes), julias verdes (best green beans in the world), and the fish tacos.
If you haven’t been there, you are really missing out!
September 17th, 2007
after having eaten at Manga Qui many, many times, I finally made it upstairs for tapas at Suba this past weekend.
The food was a little better than good, but only two of the six dishes really knocked my socks off. The pork kabob and the tuna were incredible. The salad and grilled bread were disappointing. The rest was good, but nothing special.
I guess they’re just suffering from my unrealistic expectations.