Vale Tapas Bar & Restaurant, Union City

In Spain, "tapas" isn't a cuisine, but a custom. Instead of ordering individual entrees, groups of friends and family order plates to share, passing them around the table until everyone can get a bite. This is exactly what inspires the generous portions at Vale Tapas Bar & Restaurant. On their "family-style" menu, guests order up plates of paella or pan-seared wild salmon, which arrive as a feast overflowing with more than enough to share.

Small plates are also available for smaller groups, but the same mentality encourages mixes and matching with the table. The style of eating isn't the only thing that the Spanish inspired at Vale, however; on certain nights, Spanish influence seems to flow all around as flamenco music fills the air both inside and outside—either on Vale's spacious outdoor patio or on its soon-to-open rooftop.