text: Upon arriving at Jaleo, I was sure we were in for a HUGE treat. The place was jam-packed, I LOVE Tapas (having lived in Spain for a short time) and the hostess was absolutely AWESOME and managed to get us a private room for my sister's 21st birthday. I have to be honest: the meal turned out to be a pretty big disappointment. I probably wouldn't recommend this to anyone with limited time in Vegas, although I have to say, I'd probably go back and try different menu items. Most restaurants deserve a second chance.\n\nSERVICE: This was one of the main reasons I didn't end up loving Jaleo. The hostess was GREAT - she worked some magic and got us a private room (that doesn't take reservations) and she checked in while we were waiting to provide us updates on timing. When we sat down, we had two servers assigned to our room. The main waitress was nice, but steamrolled our decision-making process. Having lived in Spain, I had some definite opinions on what we should order and I could hardly get a word in edgewise. She also failed to get drink orders from everyone and when I tried to speak up to order, she talked right over me. Finally, another member of my group tapped her on the arm to let her know she hadn't gotten a drink order from me. While I knew what the dishes were like, the rest of my group wasn't acquainted with many of the menu items. When asked for what she'd recommend, the waitress blew through several items so quickly that my friends couldn't even keep up to locate them on the menu. It didn't help that she used the Spanish names instead of describing what they were in English. Her initial service left a bad taste in my mouth for the rest of the meal.\n\nFOOD: One thing about Jaleo - this is one authentic tapas menu. I was REALLY impressed. It's a huge menu and there are so many things on it that most Americanized tapas joints wouldn't include. The gazpacho was a HUGE hit at our table, although difficult to share because it was served in one dish. The garlic shrimp was pretty good, although a member of our table got one of those awkward bad shrimp - something I don't think can be avoided. The peppers stuffed with goat cheese (my selection) turned out to be a hit despite no one else seeming interested in it from the beginning. Definitely order that if you go. I'd pass on either of the croquettes (but I never liked them in Spain either, so that may just be a \"me\" thing). They were served in a Camper tennis shoe, which was SUPER cute. We loved that - although the waitress had zero explanation for it. Lame. One thing I would definitely NOT order again was the beef paella. It was some of the worst meat in the paella that I've ever had - another member of our group couldn't eat meat for the next two days because she was so grossed out. Plus, it was SO expensive! Be sure to check the price on paella before you order...and I'd go with more tapas instead. Or, maybe try the seafood paella.\n\nDRINKS: One regret from our group - we wish we had ordered a carafe of sangria. Instead, some of us had wine and some had cocktails. My Whiskey de Verano was AWESOME and I'd recommend it to others. Good drink options. No problems here.\n\nATMOSPHERE: The restaurant, which is totally open on one side is pretty upbeat and busy. It was PACKED on a Thursday at 9:30. But, like I said - we had the  private room. It was AWESOME. It had glass doors, so the noise was kept out (and ours was kept in). My friends who were facing the doors, though, said waiters and waitresses kept staring at us through the doors, which was a little awkward. Oh well. Deal with it - the room was great. It even had a lazy susan on the table to help share tapas.\n\nOVERALL: Like I said, I'd go back here again to give the authentic Spanish menu another try. But, I wouldn't go for a special occasion or with a HUGE group. I'd order the sangria and I'd go with lower expectations. This was just an okay meal for me in Vegas - I've had better meals.