Tapa the World

One of the many benefits of attending The Roaming Spoon's vegan pop-up dinner recently was the opportunity to talk with other diners about their local restaurant experiences. For example, if I hadn't been sitting next to a particularly vegan-savvy young woman, I might never have known that Tapa the World had begun offering a vegan menu. Thanks for the tip, Ashley!


Less than forty-eight hours after hearing this exciting news, I stopped in for lunch at Tapa the World. I asked for the vegan menu, and lo and behold, I was handed a listing of seventeen different vegan items. It appears that they have taken the same approach as Lucca Restaurant and Bar -- looking at their regular menu to see which items can easily be "veganized" by omitting all the non-vegan ingredients. I wish more restaurants would do this -- it would make so many vegans very happy, and the restaurant staff wouldn't have to worry about keeping a lot of seldom used ingredients in stock.


I'm rarely able to go to Tapa the World without ordering Patatas Bravas, chunks of deep-fried potatoes served with a spicy tomato sauce, and this lunch was no exception. I know all the arguments about how fried food isn't good for me, but I couldn't resist.

I also ordered a bowl of delicious Harira Soup, consisting of lentils in a tomato-based broth and seasoned with a variety of interesting spices (I know I smelled cinnamon). It's a wonderful soup for cold fall and winter days.

Finally, I ordered the excellent Mediterranean Salad, a plate full of greens, Kalamata olives, peppers, artichoke hearts, and cucumbers. The one in the picture below is a small salad; a larger version is also available.

Yesterday, I went back to Tapa the World for lunch with my husband. We shared a plate of Aceitunas (olives) and I had a lunch-sized portion of Garlic Herb Vegetarian Pasta, ordered without butter. It was a very satisfying meal.

I've always liked Tapa the World, but now that they've made it so easy for me to order vegan dishes, I'm sure I'll be dining there more often.


Tapa the World is located at 2115 J Street, and their phone number is 916-442-4353. Their website address is http://www.tapatheworld.com/, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tapa-the-World/144030812712. The restaurant is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to midnight.