Venga Cocktails & Tapas Bar in North Somerset

Hmmm... This is a tough one. It's Tapas, it's expensive, it's not a place for a 'main meal'. The issue I have with Venga, is that it only offers Tapas, but implies that it's a restaurant on its menu. All this would be Okay, except it charges main meal prices for its Tapas dishes. Now this would be Okay, if they were main meal sizes, or Tapas prices... But they aren't. £12 (at time of writing) for Prawns Gambas in which the prawns were just bog standard prawns... Not even king sized and only about 8-10 in the dish. Tapas is about a quick nibble while out with friends and traditionally priced accordingly... A few Euros, maybe 5. On top if this the new menu was trying to charge £12 for a single (medium) sized baguette with two very small dips (olive oil and balsamic + and Aioli) So I think my advice to anyone going here would be, don't plan to eat here as your main meal, if you do, be prepared to get small portions and pay a lot for them and don't expect to fill up on bread unless you want to re mortgage the house. The atmosphere is what you go here for, which is great, as are the staff who were very friendly and helpful. Please hit like if this was helpful.

Fantastic place and very accommodating as we had three dogs with us. They made our evening welcoming and the food hot and delicious. Cannot fault the heavenly croquette braves, Fantastic n fresh flat breads with a team that could not do enough for us. Will be going back.

Had the best tapas and cocktails here. The chef Alfie is only 17! And his food is amazing, tasty, fabulous flavours. He will be a Michelin star chef one day for sure! The staff were fabulous, bringing out food a little at a time, served the best espressos martini and generally really friendly and inviting. Thanks for a great evening Issy and Conor. Will definitely be going back!

Really amazing food and great atmosphere. The service was good and they made lots of effort with us. Highly recommend if you’re a couple, family or a group of friends. We stayed for a few drinks after and they were delicious. Will definitely head back there.

If you are thinking of going to Venga RUN don’t walk… seriously the most fun we have had in ages. Birthday drinks party age range from 22-52. Staff so welcoming 🤩 food- gorgeous and flavourful Cocktails delicious and delivered a punch table- large with comfortable seating and socially perfect for seeing all guests faces. Then the garden OMG! Just so perfect- with outdoor bar. Then as the night cooked- all inside for shots and dancing. The whole place was a beautiful summer nights party. VENGA WE ❤️ you.

Venga Tapas Bar Review by Giles Coren --- If there’s a recipe for capturing the essence of a local tapas bar, Venga Tapas Bar in Portishead has nailed it with effortless charm. Strolling into Venga is akin to being welcomed into an old friend’s home; it’s relaxed, unpretentious, and every bit as friendly as you’d hope. The interior is a delightful nod to Spanish culture. It cleverly avoids the garish pitfalls of theme bars, instead opting for subtle touches that evoke a warm Mediterranean spirit without the need for flamenco dancers or plastic bulls. It’s the kind of place where you could lose a whole afternoon, basking in the comfort of its laid-back ambiance. And then, of course, there’s the food. Ah, the tapas! Each dish is a little celebration of flavour, from the succulent albondigas to the perfectly charred padron peppers. The patatas bravas have just the right amount of kick, and the chorizo is a smoky dream. It’s all so effortlessly lovely, you almost forget you’re in a small town in Somerset and not a bustling bar in Seville. Now, let’s talk about the garden. The back garden is Venga’s best-kept secret—a serene little haven that feels a world away from the bustling High Street. It’s the perfect spot for a summer evening, where you can sip on sangria and watch the sun set in a blaze of oranges and pinks. In a world awash with pretentious eateries and over-hyped culinary fads, Venga Tapas Bar is a breath of fresh air. It’s the kind of place that doesn’t need to shout to be heard; it quietly goes about its business, confident in the knowledge that it’s doing something really quite special. Worth a visit? Absolutely. You’ll be back for more.

Lively and good vibes. Great atmosphere and always busy. The sharing platter of meats for the tapas and the calamari were good. The croquettes were very average. Friendly staff.

Lovely hidden garden, under cover should it rain!!! Very pretty

I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my Sunday. This is truly a gem of a venue. Great atmosphere, food, drinks and staff. I will happily recommend to others and I can't wait to be back.

Pre-booked for a birthday. Food was lovely, but they don't seem to be able to cope when the restaurant is full. Long wait for food & weren't told that the kitchen was closing so when we went to order desert at 8.50 we were told the kitchen has already closed. The lad serving us was really friendly, but customer service cone the end wasn't great

Lovely bar and the garden is stunning. Always have a good night here. I am yet to sample the food, that will be next, which I'm sure will be beautiful

Attitude of staff terrible. Sat at the bar when relatively quiet and couldn’t even get the attention of the rude staff. Forgot food order also.

Sunday dinner reservation for 5 people. As we’re ordering, we noticed the menu on tables is not the same menu online, as we were going there specially for the portuguese chicken. When ordering, 3 plates of chicken and 2 of pork, we got the news that there wasn’t enough food for the 3 plates of chicken. Managed to change orders, and everything was ok. The meat portions were good, all the veggies and potatoes were far behind and only actually served 3 people. By the end, we decided to order the only desert on menu which the restaurant also didn’t have. I’ve had better experiences on Venga portishead and hopefully the next one will show a bit more of organization and better management. Thank you to all waiters that kept a lovely attitude even with lack of organization of food supply - which I believe it’s not part of their job role.

Amazing cocktails! Definitely will come back!

Nice casual place with friendly staff and larger than expected (for Tapas) portions.

Sunday lunch excellent, with really good service. Just beware if you have issues sitting on high stools with no back, there is very little normal seating.

There was a mix up with our booking, but was quite quickly resolved. Friendly staff, good atmosphere & great food and drink!

We visited on a Monday night for the Saucy Griller pop-up. The food was delicious, and cocktails were superb. I highly recommend the lobster roll and Singapore Sling. We'll definitely return.

Excellent service and the best tapas! I used to live in Spain and this is the best!

We hired out the private room for Sunday lunch, there was 16 of us, what a lovely room, excellent service, very friendly staff, food was amazing will highly recommend and will definately return

Perfect place for a recent gender reveal party. Really lovely outdoor space . Staff were really helpful and accommodating. Look forward to coming back soon

My partner had a issue the owner dealt with it with real charm and concern .Was a fantastic evening with great food and really good value

Great vibes, atmosphere, excellent customer service but wasnt impressed about the quality of foods. They looked low profile to be honest and way too overpriced.

Defo will be back again. First time today and Izzy, Laila,Rory and all staff exceeded customer service. Food incredibly tasty, environment for all kind of public. Suitable for private parties! AMAZING SUNDAY ROAST but also worth to try their tapas!! And amazing cocktails...Will pay more visits. Thanks IZZY!!!! Franc

Fabulous food, amazing service, wonderful atmosphere- great venue- thank you so much for a brilliant evening ❤️

Always wanted to try this place and finally did so last week. The bar is really nice with a great selection of Spanish Beers. I opted for the Patas Bravas & Meatballs as two Tapas dishes. Now I don't know whether it was Chef's night off, but both dishes were really disappointing. Bravas not crispy, clearly sat for a while and meatballs dry. I simply ate and left without fuss. Summary great little bar, but food disappointing on this visit

Update 26/7/23. Fantastic new menu guys! The new fish pie was to die for and the fish tacos were absolutely excellent!! Thank you so much Yet another sublime Sunday roast. Thanks so much for fitting us in guys. Hassleback potatoes were particularly good today and the meat was as beautiful as ever

Best Sunday lunch I've had in ages well worth it

Really great food and service with a smile