bomba downstairs

good atmosphere, friendly service.  food was a bit of a mixed bag, loved the machego croquetas but the kingfish was a bit average. likewise the burrata and tomato with anchovy was delicious but in the duckpaellathe rice was a bit gluggy and salty.  great patatas bravas!

this place was good overall; i came here twice in 2016. the tapas was between good and excellent; i loved the manchego cheese fritters; cheesycand rich however not oily, the leek added some sort of extra flavouring and freshess to it. we also ordered the deliciously flavoured and tender lamb ribs, however for me the star was thepaellawith seafood. it had a great flavour of seafood and fish mixed with saffron (usual for a paella) however i find for the portion sizes the price was quite a lot ($38). i would, however, go back here again; quality ingredients and nice ambiance; staff could work on their people skills and be warmer though.

went here last night with a friend. we were offered a table for 2 but needed to be out in 1.5hours due to a booking or offered a 2 on the bar. we opted for the bar which was really nice. we had some croquets,paellaand bugs. all the food was delicious. the service was great. the atmosphere buzzing and vibrant. really enjoyed the whole experience.

our first time here, and the food here was pretty tasty. the lamb ribs and bone marrow on toast was super delish. we also really enjoyed the crocquette and patatas bravas. the only hiccup was when they sent the wrongpaellato the table, but we were full then anyway so it didn't matter to much.

friendly service and great food!. back a second time after a great initial experience. once again, thepaelladid not disappoint and the tapas were tasty my favourite being the hervey bay scallops. the bread this time was a little too salty for my personal liking. the john dory was cooked nicely and the wagyu rump was juicy and tender for those who like their meat pink. for dessert, the orange and vermouth sorbet and the rhubarb ice-cream was absolutely delicious, the chocolate croquetas were a little salty for my liking. overall, had a superb night with friendly service and reasonable pricing...would return again!


-----10 mar, 2014-----

nice paella. home baked sourdough was really fresh and moist! came for dinner without a booking and sat at the bar...no complaints. we ordered a couple of tapas - scallops, croqueta, quail - tasty. my favourite was the seafoodpaellawhich they cooked on order as the wait was longer. prawns were really fresh and rice was cooked to perfection...love the mildly burnt rice taste towards the bottom of the dish! looking forward to returning and trying their other dishes.

nice but something lacking.... my friend and i went to bomba last friday (09/05/2014). the food and drinks were great aside from thepaellawith sausage and pork crackling. the tapas items ordered were lovely, the quail and croquetas with leek and machengo cheese were the best!

unfortunately, the jamon we ordered never turned up but we weren't charged for this in the end. thepaellaas mentioned was so salty that we couldn't finish it! nothing was offered to compensate for the half that was leftover.

we sat next to the window - the tables were set out in such a way that we had to wait for the waiters to serve a large group on a table opposite ours before being able to squeeze past to be seated. i felt that the waiting staff didn't make us feel too welcome. it was also pretty dark inside.

i might try bomba again down the track but for tapas, but my first two choices would be mamasita and movita.

seriously good spanish style tapas andpaellamakes me want to return to bomba all the time. located in a great spot in the middle of the city, bomba is a bustling restaurant with a crazy good vibe and super friendly staff. it gets really crowded for very good reason. the food is divine and the atmosphere feels like a big, happy party any day of the week. it's not a huge space, so it can feel a little cramped; but that just adds to the party like atmosphere.

you have to start with a cocktail, as the drinks list us fun with some interesting choices, and delicious summery spritzes. everything tastes great, and it would be so easy to try to work your way through the whole list.

the food at bomba is made for sharing, so coming in a group is fantastic as you can tryits of fabulous dishes. we had the potatas bravas, pippies,paellaand pork hock, as well as an excellent barramundi dish. everything was sensational, with so much flavour. thepaellawas perfect. just done rice with the crusty bottom, loads of chicken and chorizo abd an ample amount of spice. the fish was so soft and flavoursome, and the pork hock was crazy good.

you cannot leave bomba hungry, as the serves are plentiful and great value. the popularity of this restaurant is testament to the fact that the team here really get it right. we were made to feel welcome immediately, and our evening of tasty food, cocktails and heaps of fun really makes bomba one of our favourite cbd venues.

i had an amazing time celebrating my completion of study in bomba. they have so many amazing items in the menu, i really want to try them all if i could.
started my meal with wagyu cecina, spiced lamb and scallop tapas. then seafoodpaellaas main and raspberry creme brulee as dessert. they were all wonderful.
the service was excellent and attentive, the food came at the right time and the water is filled without needing to ask.

i will definitely be back to try more dishes here!

we loved 😍
this place has got to be one of my favourite spanish tapas places in melbourne. the pork neck and cauliflower purée was amazing! it made for a good dip for bread also. the scallops and prawns were also very flavourful! i’m not usually a fan on corn but the charred corn paired with the chipotle-like sauce really made it a stand out. the crime brûlée is an excellent choice for dessert!

we disliked 😖
i was really excited to try thepaellabut it was a let down unfortunately. the seafood didn’t taste as fresh as the other seafood dishes and the flavours just weren’t there. there are betterpaellaplaces in melbourne.

went here last night for some nibbles before going to ngv, shared the seafood paella, the calamari and mussels were flavourful and thepaellawas super hot and delicious.
for tapas we had the scallops which were crunchy - a little bit salty but i would recommend it.
the lamb ribs were probably the best with sumac yogurt,
we also had the bone marrow on toast with wagyu cecina and croquette which was okay, we shared one between two. 
the place was pretty busy on a saturday night and we managed to get a one hour seating from 6:30-7:30 without booking, great vibes and would love to visit the rooftop another day!

my boyfriend and i went here last week for the first time and what a great discovery ! 

when we arrive around 8pm, the restaurant was full so we had to wait 30 minutes before to get a table, the waiter at the door suggested to have a drink upstairs in their rooftop bar. amazing cocktails with a beautiful view on the city - highly recommend to come early and have a drink here before dinner ! they also serve snacks on the rooftop, we tried the olives and the school prawns which were both very good. 

once our table was ready downstairs, we ordered some oysters, the pipis, the sardines, quails, and a seafoodpaella- everything was excellent ! 

we tried 4 different glasses of spanish wine, all very nice.

the waiter that served us was very attentive, helpful and efficient.

will definitely come back again !!

came here on a late dinner with my sister. had the school prawns, seafood/fishpaellaand pork jowl. the pork jowl with mashed cauliflower was really good. the mash is so soft and creamy, great pairing with the saucy pork.paellaon the other hand is a disappointment. seafood was not fresh and it ruined the whole dish. overall it was an okay meal. will i come? maybe no.

we recently went to bomba for a last minute dinner. we ordered some croquettes and lamb ribs to start and shared a seafoodpaellaand patatas brava. the lamb ribs and croquettes were super tasty, i could have eaten more of them. thepaellawas nice, however it was a little burnt on the base. the patatas bravas were crispy. good choice of drink options on the menu. seating available at the bar or on high tables, some low table seating also available. a nice spot for dinner

i love love love this place, been here twice already and always enjoyed the food and ambience. they make amazingpaellaand also the grilled corn cob ahh! the bomb! the staff and are really friendly and knowledgeable with food and drinks pairing. i give this place a two thumbs up 👍🏻👍🏻

finally got to try the famous bomba! with 4.5 stars on zomato definitely a must go and my expectations were sky high. i would really like to give this place 3.7 stars rather then 4 but had to round it up i guess.

first impression: cozy atmosphere for a casual dining experience. doesn’t have much spanish flare which i thought was a little disappointing because what’s better than a dining experience to escape your daily norm? what i thought was very unusual too was that they only had about 8 different tapas and all of them are bite sized which totally isn’t what tapas is like at all.

food: we ordered a bit of everything so apologies that i wasn’t able to take photos of every dish. the dishes we tried were delicious and nothing we ordered lacked in flavor. a little too much cheese on the asparagus for my liking but lovely in general. all in all nothing outstanding to my surprise so i feel like i have to go back forpaellaas that was one of the only dishes we haven’t tried.

to summarize it i think i’ll stick to las tapas on chapel street as it’s a safe bet and authentic too but i’m glad i ticked bomba off the list.