My bf’s friend told us to try out this place as the food here was phenomenal he said, so we gave it a try. We booked it for our ✨ Saturday Date Night ✨ and OMG the dishes were mindblowing! 🤯 We started with some Fresh Oysters, this was my first time trying it (idk why I never had one before), I’m now in love! 🦪😍 The freshness of the oyster was prominent, loved the taste of the ocean that people generally dislike and the texture was great as well. Then, we also had their quail dish 🐥 which was wrapped in brik pastry served with labneh, pine nuts and saffron apricots. Easily one of the most interesting and amazing flavor combination I’ve ever tasted! Every item worked perfectly with each other 😍 Our mains were the braised beef cheek and scallop ceviche. The braised beef cheek 🥩 was the dish that my bf’s friend recommended. The beef fell apart so easily with just a slight touch of the fork, the cauliflower puree was so light and creamy, it was as soft as a cloud! The scallop ceviche was the winner for me 🏆 This is the dish that I will definitely order again when I revisit this restaurant. I was always interested in how heirloom tomatoes tasted, now I know that they’re so sweet and juicy. The scallops themselves were perfectly fresh, combined with the dressing, everything was oh so perfect 🥰 Overall, it’s quite an incredible experience to dine at this place. I 100% recommend the quail dish and scallop ceviche as they’re now my favorite! ✨

I’m a caterer and the main chef in my business, going out for a meal is almost always a disappointment for me as I come from an authentic Spanish Moroccan family where food is everything. My husband and I visited Movida Aqui last night and pretty much ordered everything pescatarian and vegetarian on the menu I can say none of the plates was returned with food in it 😋 absolutely delicious and very much reminded me of my childhood. Thank you so much and a special thank you for two of the staff members Mario and lovely Alex you added so much value to this experience! Definitely coming back 🙏🏼 Ps. We also had the special fish but I ate it before taking a photo 😆😬

Very Attentive Staff. Well done. Never been before,so thought we would try it out as Spanish Tapas is my partner's favourite. Ordered almost everything off the Tapas menu. Didn't think it would fill us up but was pleasantly surprised. A little of the salty side on some of the dishes but overall,an enjoyable experience. What's pictured and 2 alcoholic beverage plus the non compulsory gratuity,the bill was $230.17

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!

This is a Spanish tapas style restaurant with the dishes mostly being small portions and encourages you to drink more while nibbling on the food. We ordered a number of small dishes as we were not that hungry when we got there. Dishes we would recommend are the tabla (selection of cured meat) and the prawn toast. The buffalo Burrata and the creamed corn although okay but definitely not worth the price. The service was friendly but we felt a little rushed to go as soon as we finished eating. The place was dimly lit so it felt a little romantic and personal, perfect for date nights. Food - 8 Service - 8 Vibe - 8 Price - $$$

Delicious food and great staff - everything you want when dining out! The Movida group of restaurants never fails on so many fronts and Aqui is no different. The service was awesome and extremely helpful - the staff here clearly excel at what they do. In particular, we were going to order an extra dish and our waiter explained that we had more than enough food - something other restaurants would happily have added to our bill (BTW he was right - we had seriously over ordered!). We ordered the Jamon Iberico with Pan Catalan, Burrata, Tartar, Croqueta, Tostada, Cordero, Coles, Carrillera De Buey (detailed description is with the pics). The food itself is without a doubt, outstanding. So delicious that with very bite you take, you appreciate the effort gone into it, from the produce all the way to the creation. Once we had finished we were not hurried off, just left to enjoy each others company and let our meals settle. Again, a welcome way to finish a meal. Would thoroughly recommend Movida as they are professional and unpretentious but most of all for the delicious, unforgettable food!

Squid ink paella was delicious. It was quite big portion for two people, so it might be a good idea to come more than three people if you would order other tapas I guess. Anchovy and tomato sorbet was unique and very good. Sausage one was also very tasty. Good ambiance and friendly staff!

@movidaaquimelbourne @movidamelb 📍CBD 🌶️ Adobo Chicken Skewer 🦪 Oysters 🍣 Ocean Trout, Golden Beetroot Semolina Cracker 🍤 Prawn Toast, Jamon and Cheese Croquette 🥩 Steak Tartare 🌼 Zucchini Flower 🥔 Bollo - Fried Potato stuffed with Sobrasada, Red Mojo 🍫 Churros, Dark Choc Sauce Melbourne’s iconic Spanish restaurant Movida Aqui is located away from its other Hosier Lane venues, at the rear of the NAB Building on Bourke St. This space is much bigger, better suited for groups but still intimate enough for two. It even offers an outdoor dining terrace, perfect for those warm summer nights. 🌞 We were asked by staff wether we had anywhere to be, to ensure we received our dishes in time. Feeling like a light dinner, we decided to eat solely from the tapas section of their menu - 7 each + dessert was enough! With every dish we were drooling, I’m not even sure I can pick a favourite dish! There is so much flavour packed into their food and I love how consistent they are. We were offered some complimentary bread and oil to start (always a pleasant surprise). 🍞 The Bollos was nice and spicy, a potato stuffed with a chorizo style sausage. The Chicken Skewer was probably some of the most tender I’ve tried and was in a delicious marinade. The Steak Tartare and Ocean Trout Cracker were tiny (😢) BUT amazing. The Prawn Toast was also a nice take! There were two dishes we didn’t love though. The Zucchini Flowers surprised us with a very pungent choice of cheese inside. The Churros were abundant, 4 long pieces, however the batter was so light that you could barely hold them. The dipping sauce was also very runny. Overall a beautiful dinner, all the little tapas plus a cocktail do add up and you end up paying around $100pp. There is also a set menu for $90pp available. ⭐️ 4.3/5 💸 $$

Awesome meal at Movida Aqui. First time here, used to go to the one at Flinders Ln. The ambience here is so much better and less tourists. Had 7 tapes and beef cheeks as main meal. For drinks had the sangria and sparkling. Very good service and super attentive from our Spanish waiter.

We had a great night for our anniversary dinner at MoVida Aqui. The atmosphere was great with the open kitchen and bar and the view over the courtyard. Then when the food came out our night just got even better. We had the lamb loin and the moonfish and oh my goodness... They were both amazingly beautiful dishes. The churros were the best I've had thus far. The service was great. Highly recommend this place for anyone looking for a really special dinner.

The staff were kind and the food was excellent. Lamb perfectly cooked with incredible flavour.

I've been to the original MoVida and thought we'd try this one. Food was not good at all. Couldn't finish some meals like the squid ink paella as it was just not nice. It's rare for us to go to a restaurant and share 3 mains and find that almost everything was not nice. The atmosphere is great and our service was not bad

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

Tapas are outstanding. Love the cauliflower cream and beef cheek. The chicken rice was a bit disappointing tho.

ORDERED: Aperitivos 🐟  Crudo: Cured Hiramasa kingfish, tomato oil, chilli and citrus emulsion ($24.00) Tapas 🍅  Anchoa: Hand-filleted Cantabrian artisan anchovy on crouton with smoked tomato sorbet ($6.00 each) 🐑  Tartar: Roaring forties lamb tartar with fermented cauliflower leaf, ancho chilli and fresh horseradish ($8.50 each) 🥔  Bollo: Pan fried potato filled with sobrasada and red mojo ($9.50 each) Raciones 🦆 Arroz Caldoso: Wet style bomba rice, duck leg, Otway shiitake, pancetta, broad beans and saffron ($50.00) 🐖 Cerdo: 400g Western plains pork cutlet cooked over charcoal with hispi cabbage and black garlic sauce ($48.00) Postre 🍨 Sorbete: Mango sorbet with yuzu jam and olive oil crisp ($17.00) I spent $114.50 here which included 1 drink! REVIEW: Heard that the Anchoa was the Movida special and an iconic dish. Ordered it and it was certainly a different experience - the saltiness of the anchovy wiht the sweet smokiness of the tomato really balanced each other out. Really cool dish. The two dishes which were part of the mains portion "Raciones" needed to be ordered early because of the longer cooking time 🕠. Appreciated how the waitress gave us the heads up early! The arroz caldoso was interesting. Using bomba rice, it's different from the classic aborio rice since the aborio doesn't hold its shape as well when cooking more "wet" dishes. It's still a short grain rice which was great in retaining and carrying the flavour across. Wished the duck had more flavour, as it seemed to be great in the crunchy skin but felt it was lacking depth in the meat. We definitely preferred the cerdo from the raciones. I'd recommend this! The pork was cooked extremely well with a smoky flavour from the charcoal 🔥, and a garlic sauce with a sweetness and saltiness that was incredibly addictive. Hispi cabbage was soooo moist, and was a great compliment and wrap with the meat. Interesting and good place to have Spanish food. Great environment and service that was very bubbly and attentive. Verdict is still out whether I'll go try the Movida group, but currently no plans to. @jas.eats

We've been here a lot in the past, ordered them via Providoor during lockdown, and will continue to come here because the food is always outstanding. The friendly service and great cocktails is a bonus.

Food is great here - some very nice dishes with a few ok ones. It's a little pricey but food and atmosphere is good.

The food was absolutely delicious. Fresh and perfectly cooked mussels, tender and tasty calamari. Exquisite tuna tartare and the silkiest, softest churros I've ever had. Watching the people in the kitchen was like watching a beautifully choreographed dance. Almost Impecable service, bar for the food server who could just take a bit more time and place the plates carefully on the table rather than letting them go when they are close to the surface. I'll be back!

I had on this place on my bday and Oh, My boyfriend couldn’t had chosen better!! The environment is cool and relaxed, but with a really nice menu. We had the taste menu and we can’t decide which dish was our favourite or which we loved least. Everything was tasty and delicious, from entrees to dessert, incredible experience! Definitely the anchovy and tomato sorbet was surprising! The only thing we the waitress, she couldn’t understand what we were asking for, but we hadn’t problems with that. Must must must try!

We went to MoVida for celebration and really enjoyed the food and service. We were in 8 people and ordered the set menu. All plates were very tasty and had a great presentation. Our only feedback was that most plates (except for the last 2 and jamon) were seafood and we would have liked better if there was a better mix of meat types throughout the experience. We enjoyed and would return.

Went here for lunch. We were greeted by helpful and happy staffs. Place is clean with natural light coming through. We went to go a la carte as we just came from Merriment for coffee and cake. Anyway, drinks selection is varied and with spring, a glass or two of the sangria is such refreshing drink. Service was quick, food portions are generous and well seasoned.

Lovely dinner in a lively and sophisticated restaurant. It is tapas style and we shared most of our dishes. The corn croquettes were amazing and the chicken skewers were also flavoursome and juicy. I really enjoyed the paella, the calamari was tender and rice also cooked perfectly. Would definitely come back to try more!

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!

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.

💚 Fantastic dishes, nothing disappointed from the 10 items we tried - see my images for dishes. 💚 Staff are incredibly friendly. 💚 Best seats are the bar stools, it’s a lot more private than the regular tables (they’re a little too close to each other).

We picked the feed me, which was pricer than others but the food was delicious. Special shout out to the beetroot honey and cheese dish, wow! While the food came out fast the table booking times are so tight they got dessert out with ten mins to go. And needed us to leave on time so not ideal. Service wasn’t perfect either - left us at the table without water/drink and had to flag them down, they weren’t scanning the room so it took a while to be noticed when we needed to order things.

First up the staff and service was exceptional, good timing between the multiple courses we had during the night and good advice on portion sizes. Menu descriptions just does not do justice to the effort and flavours that flow from the dishes we enjoyed. The calamari sandwich was just so tender, the quail and slow cooked beef cheek just melted in your mouth. The scallops and sardines are just a flavour bomb, just a sample of what we enjoyed on the night. Very light crème brulee, not over sweet like so many out there and of course beautiful Spanish cheese.

Truly enjoyed the small plates here. Can’t wait to head back soon!

OK spanish food with some of the food is hit or missed. Grilled food are some too burnt to eat. They have duck paella which we dont see it very often. Wide range of food available with friendly staff. There's inside or outside seating area which is good for spring and summer.

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.

Fresh exquisitely prepared food. Smart flavours and great portions. Very friendly staff and lovely ambience.

Amazing ambience,diligent and friendly staff and good food.The calamari burger was awesome.The portion of wagyu beef was a bit heavy in the set menu.Loved the mango dessert,lovely textures and taste.Thankyou for making our anniversary lunch memorable.

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.

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.

Amazing food and great music. The wine selection is vast and the beer selection solid.

The paella here is a must order!!!! I made the mistake of filling up on so much delicious paelaa that I couldn't finish the amazing beef cheek. Can't wait to try more of their menu next time I come back

Another fantastic culinary experience in Melbourne. Movida Aqui is a modern stylish establishment. We booked a tall table with bar stools. The view is not great over a building site, but don't let that put you off. The service was incredible, our host was fully invested in the business married to the chef and daughter a waitress. So knowledgeable, warm and friendly. Guiding us through a delicious meal. Not cheap but great value. The squid ink finale was unbelievable as was the croquettes and sesame toast. I tried some things for the first time too. Excellent! A lovely evening.

Visited in 2022. The best restaurant amongst the ones we dined in Melbourne. Would like to visit their original Movida branch and Movida next door.

Service is exceptional and attentive. Food flavour was rich and as expected, providing a reminisce of Spain! The Churros were definitely the highlight of the meal, light and fluffy, with a chocolate dipping sauce that I gladly bottoms up 🤤

Everything about this place is excellent. By its nature, the food is exquisite, our waiter was knowledgeable and patient whilr we asked about most things on the menu. The venue is busy, professional, and classy. It was easy to get to with the lift, for people with crook knees... I came in by train, and it was just a 7-minute walk from Flagstaff. If you're Spanish, the wine list will make you very, very happy, but there was also a great selection of local wines. There were 4 of us and we ate until we couldn't eat anymore. The bill was hefty, but more than worth it for the care and passion with which everything was presented. I'll be back!

Great relaxed atmosphere and staff were fantastic, making recommendations, and ensuring we were attended to throughout our meal. We chose to be seated on the bar stool tables rather than the booths and had a great view of the open kitchen. Food was great, as can be expected of Movida, with plenty to choose from and lots to try.

Goodness where do I start. Tapas were unauthentic finger food, spend $80 dollars for quick lunch. One tiny portion!!! Service was 1/10 very slow. Worst experience and service I ever experienced eating in the city. Who runs Movida these days! Pathetic food and service as well as pricing

I haven’t been here for a while so when I was invited w some friends for a Xmas get together I had big expectations and I wasn’t disappointed. We had a range of dishes which I didn’t order so I can’t tell you all the names but a picture tells a thousand stories so please bear w me as I describe some of the highlights lol. Initially my Aperol Spritz was a nice start but not the best spritzer I’ve had. The sangria was good and not too sweet. For mains we had some beef cheek w cauliflower purée which was excellent. A totally melt in your mouth experience. Our duck paella was very good, it had a nice flavour but it was quite thin so some more ingredients would have been helpful. The calamari rolls were delicious, the calamari was perfectly cooked and the white buns, ok. A wagyu beef tapa on a crunchy biscuit was soo tasty that we had to order them twice lol. The aranchini balls were really tasty, with some excellent mustard and tomato flavoured sauce. The different ice cream dessert was good, and the churros were light and fluffy, and perfectly cooked. The milk chocolate sauce was rich and flavoursome and sweet so I didn’t eat much. Overall this was a solid experience that’s definitely worth a visit for a special occasion. Previous review Jan 2016 This place is great. I love tapas and this place serves the freshest, tastiest food. It's not cheap but the food is amazing, and the service is excellent. You willneed to book ahead as the place gets booked out quickly. What an amazing experience.

Good food and wine. Not too loud or pretentious. Just what I was looking for.

Fantastic feed!

Amazing

Our best date night spot. Good service nice fine and fine food.

Absolutely stunning food and very good service. I wish I had eaten more dishes but the ones I tried were perfectly executed with great flavours. The ingredients are obviously very good quality too!

I decided to take my work and head to this beautifully situated CBD restaurant/bar to escape my home office for an afternoon, I was able to sit and whip through all my tasks while being served fine wines and food by the amazing staff who were all very attentive yet not intrusive. It was busy enough to have a nice background atmosphere but not too loud that I couldn't concentrate, will definitely be adding this to my list of favorite work hide outs as well as bring friends back here to show how Melbourne I've become :)

Wow! I'm always a but wary of tapas restaurants because I often end up hungry with an empty wallet. Movida isn't cheap by any means but we opted for the $80 set menu and I have to say it was definitely good value! The tapas was closer to 'fine dining', and there was plenty of food. I absolutely loved the creme caramel dessert, it had a mind-blowing texture and wasn't too sweet. Would go back in a heartbeat.

Tried the tapas they served here and they're of superb quality! Such delicacy goes into ever serving. Flavours are unique and tasteful, textures are amazingly varied and each dish has such a great visual appeal! Would honestly recommend to anyone!

Lovely staff. Lovely food.

Tapas

Many people have recommended this place to me and I never got a chance to go. Made it there the last trip and menu included a good selection of excellent tapas accompanied by quality wines. Ambiance was very hip and made you feel happy. service was good too.

Awesome squid-ink paella. Loved the clams, the asparagus and octopus. Will definitely go again.

Absolutely brilliant. Fabulous food and great service. Can't wait to go back again.

I love this place. When I lived in Melbourne I would come often. Having found myself in Melbourne for a visit, I could not resist coming for a visit again. A few light tapas and a tasty chocolatey porter had me nicely satiated.

A great experience dining at this restaurant!! I was skeptical of what would on offer for a vegetarian like me. But the paella was great..really liked the service and enjoyed the atmosphere of the restaurant!!!

The food is lovely classy modern Spanish. The staff are first rate. I just could not give it 5 stars because the portion sizes are so small and it is too expensive for what you get.

The tapas here are next level, the combination of flavours and always changing specials make it a regular when I'm in Melbourne. The mains and meats are typical but good portion sizes. The bread and oil they use is decent unlike many others using harsh cheaper oil.

The first one followed by two more Establishment by the same name and team, Movida Aqui is all about good times. There's a reason why it falls under 5 best Restaurants category in Melbourne. It's a place for celebrating life with good food under a vibrant decor and amazing music. Cannot go wrong with it if you have chosen to celebrate a special occasion. Of course, it comes with a price, quite expensive but once in a while one should know to splurge. We ordered glasses of Sangrias, 1 zucchini flower tapas (forgot the meat) and a King fish based Tapa and for mains ordered a slow cooked beef cheek Amazing, Outstanding and Beautiful!! Plenty of options to choose from for Vegans and Vegetarians A Must

I can't recommend this place enough. Everything was flawless, from the wait staff, to the food. Wine was a little too dry for my palate but I was offered many wines too try to ensure I was happy with my final selection. Next time I'm in Melbourne I will be sure to include a MoVida restaurant in my dining experience. The entrance is a little difficult to locate so give yourself an extra few minutes just in case.

Never disappoints. Had the $70 set lunch which was great value. Probably ate around a dozen different dishes all of which were delicious. Couldn’t finish everything in the end. Best paella I’ve ever eaten. Love the relaxed atmosphere, especially in the outside beer garden area.

Great restaurant, attentive staff, high quality food. Adapted degustation menu was fabulous

Great food. Really good staff.

Nice atmosphere and location. Very average, expensive tapas. Reasonable vegan/vegetarian range.

Fantastic place! Exquisite food!

Great food, just too much on the fixed menu we had. Probably out fault. Good wine menu

Food was amazing! Every dish was great tasting! Highly recommend the anchon, lamb tartare and squid ink paella!

Food is amazing and friendly staff

Great drinks and atmosphere, disappointing vegetarian and vegan options but the other meals looked great

To Movida Hosier Lane, as Cafe Vue is to Vue De Monde. Serviceable but not the real thing.

Food was absolutely delicious. Beef cheeks, figs on puff pastry and squid ink paella were the highlights. Desserts were average. Service was friendly and attentive. We had 2 bottles of Temperanillo. Reservations needed. Come early.

What can I say this place is just full of flavour, great food and drinks.

Movida Aqui came highly recommended. It's a nice place to visit but I was disappointed with the food. Small serves for the price and the main I had (in photo) was essentially rice in a runny sauce with 3 large prawns, 4 large mussels some very soft squid. Nice enough.. but $50! Really poor value for what was there. A limited menu selection, sangria was only ok but there is an extensive wine list.

Had a set course with the office crew. Braised beef cheeks were a standout.

Hubby and I really enjoyed our visit to Movida Aqui. It had a great vibe and service was fantastic. I absolutely loved the flor and bomba tapas dishes as well as the beef cheek dish. Will definitely visit again on our next trip to Melbourne!

Very nice food and service by Victoria

Nice food.

Always a great space for special occasions - and ask for your special ‘quieter’ space if it’s a group occasion.

Food was poorly prepared in comparison to other Movida restaurants. Lacks the ambiance too. Avoid and stick with the original for the true Movida experience.

What a buzzing, great vibe! Busy place yet still had an intimacy even seated at the bar. Try the vegetarian banquet/set menu for $70; plate after plate of absolutely divine tapas.... those fried zucchini flowers, oh my goodness!! Loved it!