Tapas Culture Explained: Why Sharing Beats Courses.

When you walk into Bodega 1830, you don’t see starters, mains, and desserts. You see small plates stacked across the table, friends leaning in, forks crossing. That’s the point of tapas: sharing beats courses.

The Roots of Tapas

In Spain, tapas began as a simple cover (a tapa) over a glass of sherry or wine—bread, cheese, ham to keep the flies away. It grew into a way of eating that’s about connection as much as flavour. A night of tapas isn’t three courses; it’s two hours of plates arriving, stories told, bottles opened, and nobody worrying about who ordered what.

Why Sharing Wins

• Variety: With tapas, you don’t gamble on one main course—you try six flavours in a sitting.
• Pacing: Plates arrive as they’re ready. No long waits, no food cooling while one person’s steak takes an extra five minutes.
• Connection: Sharing plates forces conversation. “Try this, pass that.” The food becomes part of the social fabric.
• Value: Two or three courses can lock you in; tapas flexes to your appetite and budget.

How We Do It at Bodega 1830

• Our “5 for €59.95” set lets two people try five different tapas without overthinking.
• Dishes like gambas al ajillo, patatas bravas, and beef sliders land on the table together, so there’s always something in reach.
• We build the menu to balance richness and freshness—so you move naturally from creamy mushrooms to lamb koftas etc.
• Finish downstairs with a final plate, then head upstairs to Gatsby’s for dessert and a cocktail. The night doesn’t stop at the bill.

Why It Matters

Clonmel doesn’t need another starter–main–dessert restaurant. It needs a place where people connect over food, discover new wines, and leave already planning the next visit. That’s why we built Bodega 1830 on tapas culture—because sharing beats courses, every time.

Book your table via OpenTable. Tapas downstairs, cocktails upstairs at Gatsby’s.

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