Bombabar

Spanish tapas and paella in a Lonsdale Street laneway, with a rooftop bar upstairs.

Buzzy, warmly lit tapas bar that stays conversational even near capacity; a cosy, occasionally tight room downstairs with a more relaxed rooftop bar above that encloses on cold nights.

A rooftop bar with retractable windows, an open kitchen guests can watch, complimentary bread and olive oil, and dedicated pre-theatre and weekday workers' lunch set menus.

Mixed - most reviewers read it as genuinely Spanish (paella, tapas, sangria), though a Spanish-speaking reviewer felt it leaned more Mediterranean than authentically Spanish and another noted the paella lacked saffron.

The set menus (workers' lunch, pre-theatre) are consistently called great value, but a long run of reviews criticise small à la carte tapas portions against their price ($10 a scallop, $15 a prawn).

Summary drafted with AI from public reviews.