If you’ve had the urge to jump on a plane to Madrid to take in some top-rate flamenco and eat your weight in tapas, you can avoid the RT airfare expense by heading over to San Antonio’s very own España Bar de Tapas at 5638 Hausman Road.

I lived in Madrid my junior year of college and I’ve taken two groups of students back for study abroads in 2004 and 2007, so I can assure you that España Bar de Tapas is the real deal minus the cigarette smoke, which is one atmospheric detail I don’t miss.

RIP, España Bar de Tapas. Give Carmens de la Calle a try to scratch your Spanish itch.

On Saturday night, Flamenco dancers Tamara Saj and Antonio Arrebola owned the stage. They were accompanied by Francisco J. “Yiyi” Orozco, a singer with a haunting voice who also plays cajón, and Jose Perello, a master of guitar. If you weren’t there, you missed it. If you did miss it, don’t worry. España Bar de Tapas features live music and dancers every weekend.

My husband and I split a hot tapa sampler, which came with paella, croquetas, tortilla española, pollo al Jerez and albóndigas. We also split an order of pan tomaca con jamón and an order of bonito con pimiento morrón. To top it all off, we ordered a serving of gazpacho and a carafe of sangria. Our friend ordered mojo con Manchego, patatas bravas and pinchos morunos. Check out the menu to decipher all of the above. We loved each and every bite, and we’re already planning our next visit.

Like all great Spanish establishments, España Bar de Tapas is opened daily from 3 p.m. until 2 a.m. For more information or to make reservations for an upcoming flamenco performance, call (210) 690-4433. ¡Venga!

Denise Barkis Richter, Ph.D., author of “San Antonio’s Passport to Fun,” has been blogging about San Antonio since June of 2010. Follow her at facebook.com/SanAntonioTourist so that you’ll never miss a post. Her love affair with the Alamo City began at Hemisfair in 1968. She moved to San Antonio in 1979 as an 18-year-old college student, and San Antonio has been her home ever since. Denise completed certification to become a professional tour guide in 2019. Please contact her at sanantoniotourist at gmail dot com if you’d like for her to curate a fabulous San Antonio experience for you!