How do tapas restaurants work?

Question

i know what tapas are, but i'm wondering how a dinner at a tapas place compares to a dinner at a regular restaurant. (normally you get drinks, order appetizers, order dinner, maybe order dessert, etc)

do you order one tapa at a time?

do people split tapas or order their own?

thanks for any tips/recommendations. i'm in chicago if you want to tell me your favorite places.

Answer 1

I work in a tapas restaurant in Florida. Most of my customers order a few tapas at one time and share. The idea of tapas is to be able to taste a little bit of a variety of things.

Answer 2

When a group of people goes out for tapas, you usually order a lot of dishes for the whole group and everyone shares.  When my friends and I go out, we like to each pick one dish and then share.  You can always order more if you run out!  Don't forget the sangria!

Answer 3

Tapas is wonderful.  You just order a lot of appetizers instead of one big meal.