Movida Original

★★★★★★★★★★via Google

“Delicious food in one of Melbourne's most famous alley way. Very busy even on Monday night. Even though they use the same ingredients one does but the taste of the food is exceptional. Be it the drinks, tapas or mains. The names are hard to say. Food is beauty on a plate and photos next to dishes would be my suggestion should they ever upgrade their menus. This venue is a bit squishy and dark. That table lamp is needed.”

★★★★★★★★★★via Google

“🍷🍷🇦🇺🇪🇦​ I recently visited MoVida in Melbourne and had a mixed, yet memorable experience. If you are looking for an authentic Spanish dining experience, MoVida offers a unique Australian-style interpretation of Spanish cuisine. ​ The tapas were the true star of the show. While they differ from the bite-sized, multiple-portion style found in Spain, the quality was excellent. The selection was fabulous and truly enjoyable. To complement the food, the wine list was great, and we were particularly impressed by the exceptional service—the staff were incredibly helpful, especially when it came to our magnum of rosé. ​ But need some improvement....😁😪 I was disappointed with the paella. It was quite bland, lacking that "wow" factor in terms of flavor. It relied heavily on tomato sauce with a high ratio of rice to seafood, featuring only a few prawns and calamari 😭. If you are visiting specifically for a traditional, authentic Spanish paella with a mix of seafood and chicken, this might not be the place for you. ​ So .... Come for the fabulous tapas and the wonderful service, but perhaps set different expectations if you are specifically craving a traditional paella.”

★★★★★★★★★★via Google

“Highly recommend the anchoa, croquetas, and beef cheek. The arroz with honey bugs had good flavour, however, the portion of rice was quite small (also takes 45min to prepare). Not sure why tonight it was presented quite messy compared to photos of neatly placed bugs I've seen. We dined at Mo Vida pre-show on a weeknight. We allowed 1h30m but it was slow to get service at the start, so I would recommend telling the waiter ASAP if you are on a time limit so they take your order promptly.”

★★★★★★★★★★via Google

“OMFG … yum!!!! Tapas were exquisite 👌 THIS is the food you want to experience when eating out. I definitely couldn’t reproduce these amazing dishes at home. Service was friendly, hospitable & attentive, without being in your face. Atmosphere was upbeat but calm, great location. Highly recommend ❤️🇪🇸”

★★★★★★★★★★via Google

“We’ve always wanted to try this place but never got around to it. Went in recently and sat at the bar, two of us. Barman (server?) came over and explained the menu in great detail. A huge selection of dishes and we wanted to try as many as we could. I’m afraid I can’t remember the names of all of them, but I do remember the Cecina, that’s the air-dried wagyu Beef. Not my favourite, but it was good. All the other dishes were excellent. Wine also good. Special shoutout to the server who took the time to explain everything and even took a couple of photos of us when we asked. Excellent food. Excellent Wine. Excellent service. 5/5 Try it, you won’t be disappointed.”

★★★★★★★★★★via Google

“Absolutely amazing. Haven't been back to movida in many years but it's as good if not better than I remember. The Bomba rice is absolutely worth the wait and was the standout of the meal alongside the smoked kingfish gazpacho dish. Service was friendly and personable and cosy yet bustling. Highly recommend and will definitely be back. Hope the rice stays on the menu!”

★★★★★★★★★★via Google

“What a restaurant! We tried a few of the tapas, and all of them were excellent. You can tell that each dish is made with great care and attention to the ingredients. We had a wagyu croqueta from the specials menu that was top-notch, as well as the black paella with calamares — both were fantastic. They also have a great drink list with some excellent spanish wines and great sangria. Service from Liza could have been better and we appreciated her recommendation to visit MoVida next door. We ended up going two days after. Overall, I highly recommend this place!”

★★★★★★★★★★via Google

“MoVida is a truly delicious and exciting place, offering a creative take on Spanish cuisine with a wide variety of dishes to explore. Almost everything we tried was outstanding. The goat with cheese was an absolute masterpiece — rich, flavorful, and perfectly balanced. The pork neck was also excellent, tender and packed with taste. The octopus sausage was on the heavier side and quite greasy, but still enjoyable. The tapas here are unique and full of character, definitely different from the usual offerings you find elsewhere. The only real letdown was the scallop — it was burnt and ended up dry, which was disappointing compared to the otherwise high standard of the food. Service, however, left something to be desired. One of the waiters who served us was abrupt, condescending, and even tried to tell me how I should be eating my food and what to pair it with. That kind of attitude is simply unacceptable in a place of this caliber and definitely took away from the overall experience. In short, the food is fantastic, creative, and mostly unforgettable — but the service needs improvement. For that, I’d take off one star.”