MoVida Aqui

Visited here for part birthday part team Christmas gathering and we took the set lunch menu for $80.

And what a journey it was, simply stuffing food every time a new plate arrived.

I was remiss to take photos of the food but suffice to say you will enjoy every bite!

They have both a set menus and a la carte menus which allow you to creat your own tapas experience.

Well worth the visit!

Outdoor drinks and dining right next to a residential building, who that that was a good idea? The noise is outrageous.

Very over priced for the quality of the food. Service was slow.
Sangria was delicious.

Really good Spanish food! The burrata was amazing. Beef cheek (Carrillera de Buey) was amazingly soft and delicious (pardon for the picture that looked like a dark brown blob). The pulpo (octopus) was grilled and seasoned to perfection. Soft and tender. The arroz al horno (paella) was great too but the real stars were the previous three I mentioned.

I was definitely expecting a little more from this restaurant. The food is nice, but far from amazing and the service was standard.

Amazing food, amazing service! Beef cheek, calamari boccadillo and broccolini with manchego custard were highlights. Perfect for a night out with good friends.

Our first night out in a long time - warm evening sat outside - food excellent, ordered most of the tapas section of the menu… everything made with love. No criticisms! Service friendly and professional again no complaints. Consistent and of a high standard in general - would definitely recommend.

I had seen on “must eat” list but was extremely disappointed! The food lacked flavour and even the Sangria was tasteless.

Friendly staff, sometimes slightly rushed service, but otherwise very good experience. Food was tasty, portion sizes were a little on the small side (for the price), but flavours were lovely and really enjoyable. Overall recommend.

Food was really good and waiter gave us good recommendations to make sure we didn't order too much food. We didn't believe him but ended up really full afterwards.

What an amazing dining experience! I loved every meal, staff was incredible, I couldn’t fault anything. Thank you we will be coming back again

One of the Movida venues in Melbourne with a spacious indoor dining area and outdoor seating available. Dined here and tried most of the tapas and desserts from the menu:

- Oyster; refreshing with nashi pear and sorrel granita
- Anchoa; salty anchovy on a thin crunchy crouton paired with a smoked tomato sorbet which added a depth of umani flavour
- Corqueta; creamy centre with a mild cheese flavour, crumbed coating was nice and crisp
- Pincho; tender chicken grilled on skewer with a nice char, seasoned with spice and topped with some sweet onion
- Tartar; lamb tartar was tender and not gamy, sitting on a thin crisp with fermented cauliflower leaf
- Bocadillo de calamares; slider was filled with a generious amount of lightly fried calamari with creamy aioli; and the guindilla pepper added a tangy spice flavour
- Bollo; soft starchy potato filled with minced savory sausage with a salty and spicy red mojo sauce
- Lengua; grilled ox tongue was soft and tender, quail egg had a creamy centre and the caperberry added some acidity to balance the fattiness of the ox tongue
- Parfait; creamy duck liver parfait paired with sweet rhubarb and crunchy hazelnut on top of a toasted bread
- Sorbete; passionfruit flavour was sweet and tart with a icy smooth puree texture
- Flan; crème custard was smooth and creamy with a addictive burnt caramel which was not too sweet. The fried biscuit sticks tasted like cinnamon ginger bread
- Churros; deep fried, crispy and slightly coated with sugar; oil flavour was quite strong. The dark chocolate dipping sauce was a little bitter and not that sweet so you can drink it all without feeling guilty

Overall a tasty meal with a good variety of tapas and desserts to choose from; service from staffs was great.

TLDR; expensive for small portions and average flavours, no ambiance as you are rushed out the door

Came here to celebrate an occasion and had mixed feelings about MoVida Aqui.

Firstly, big issue was the feeling of constantly being rushed by the staff. We had a 5: 45pm booking on a Wednesday night, with tables around us still free. We had about five tapas, two mains, and two glasses of wine between two and we were out before 6: 45pm! And trust me we were not intentionally eating quickly. The staff were attentive to the point of buzzing - like a mum that is dusting the living room when you're just trying to chill - TOO MUCH! The tapas were flying onto the table basically at the same time and mains came out with absolutely no break in between. Dishes were being pulled from under us when we still had the tapas in our hand. Please guys, let the dust settle. After finishing our mains they were taken within a split second and then we were quizzed on whether we wanted the dessert menu. Three times in 10 minutes. We couldn't even sit there without the bill being plonked in front of us. Inelegant.

The food is overly pricey. Set menu is $90 but even going a la carte gets costly. The spirit of tapas is kind of quashed as MoVida has decided to make 1 x tapas a "bite" for one person. They recommend against sharing which reduces the experience as the fun of tapas is sharing. An expensive bite at that - $13 each approximately?

Overall the food is not bad, not mind blowing, however the experience and cost really killed it for us especially when there are plenty of amazing and more breathable restaurants in Melbourne CBD.
Highlights if you're coming are the calamari sandwich, quail, and broccolini. Tartare and pan fried potato was so-so. The beef cheek unfortunately was overly rich and unbalanced. It was saturated in a thick red wine sauce which was overpowering and the cauliflower just added to the heaviness of the meal. Not my favourite.

Overall, I don't think I would return. Part of the high cost of restaurants at this level is the expectation of good ambiance and a relaxing conversation. Not hovering your hand over your dish in an attempt to keep it on the table. I'm sitting for a three dollar restaurant not a Springvale laksa

I won't be returning.

Nice place to eat but the chairs are quite uncomfortable for dine. The place takes its time to bring you the food to your table so after a while you will feel you in your back. Portions to small for the price but still delicious! I don't know if I would back but definitely a place that you must visit.

My wife and l had the set menu. Amazing food that was well spaced so we could enjoy each dish. The beef cheeks were the highlight. Highly recommended.

Movida is always reliable for good food. Great spot for a date or nice meal out. Friendly service. Definitely recommend

Great Spanish food in town. Wen to another Movida but like the other one better. Rather salty in my view for most of the food served here.ordered the anchovy as you shouldn’t miss but rather salty to my liking. The pork skewers is perfectly grilled as the meat is tenderness with just right flavoured! The charred Brussels’ sprout is superb! So yummy… the beetroots is refreshing and perfect to pair the very rich food! The squid ink paella is great but towards salty. Squeezing on the lemon with the garlic mayo made perfect! Very attentive service and great vibe for a chill too!

Pork neck skewers were good, as was kingfish. Beef cheek too dry, and fish of the day had too many little bones in it, which was a disappointment. Service very attentive and nice

This place deserves 9 stars their food was so gratifying & creative that even my 10 year old son loved it.

Food was delicious. Found the Yabbies not worth it. Taste was great, but after scooping the flesh out of the shell I had 3 forkfuls of meat for $38.

Staff were on the ball and the other dishes were fantastic. Beef cheek was just epic.