Niajo gets what is so difficult to achieve for 99 per cent of the restaurants in Beijing: Authenticity. Having dinner at this place is like traveling to Valencia. Paella is the star, but i would strongly recommend to try the croquetas, the best I've ever had.

I grew up in Spain and this is not paella. Paella is supposed to be made with arborio rice which when cooks is creamy yet al dente. Niajo uses lower quality regular rice for paella. Paella is not supposed to be dry like the bottom of a rice cooker after all the rice has been scooped out. The paella served at niajo is more like 锅 巴 , guōbā or rice crust.

Our party of four ordered two paella's, one seafood and one meat. Both were equally disappointing. My review of niajo is as follows:

1. Paella is supposed to be moist (not dependent on the lemon or aioli to add moisture), smooth, creamy, and al dente at the sametime . Also the rice and other ingredients are supposed to come up to the sides of the pan, think cooking rice in a deep dish versus a crispy rice pancake.

2. Paella is supposed to have saffron as a flavaoring and colorant, niajo uses lesser annato oil for coloring and not a hint of saffron flavor.

3. Paella is supposed to be cooked with arborio rice not lesser medium grain rice. Medium grain rice is 1000 times cheaper than arborio.

4. Paella is supposed to use chorizo for flavor not cheap sh*t locally made sausages that have no flavor and fall apart.

5. Seafood paella is supposed to have very fresh scallops, mussels, clams, etc not prepackaged frozen seafood from god knows where.

6. No Balsamic Vinegar just cheapo red wine viengar! What kinda of b.s. restaurant is this?

7. The olive oil was of low quality based on the taste and color. The bottle said light olive oil, more than likely a olive oil blend, to make matters worse it was rancid.

8. The salads were warm and served on room temperature plates. Salads should be served cold and on chilled plates.

9. The lamb chops they claimed were imported from Australia, based on the taste/texture/size they are locally produced lamb chops not the better imported ones.

10. Nothing good at niajo, we left greatly disappointed since I can do much better at home without the over inflated prices.

In the future, I know to only go out to eat if I want cheaply made, gouge and f**k the customer type food that is definitely made and designed for stupid local chinese. If you eat here you are "250".

I went to Niajo on a whim with my parents and had a great experience. Delicious, richly flavored food (we had paella and chorizo), reasonable prices, great decor and atmosphere (picturesque soft lighting in the evening). The restaurant is very nicely decorated. It will surely impress a date, but is also simply a safe bet if you're looking for a good meal. The chef Alex was very nice. I'll definitely go back.

I went to this place soon after it opened recently and have already been back a number of times. The winner for me here is the paella, genuinely cooked to order and totally delicious. With a bottle of spanish red this dish makes for a great meal for two. The dining room is nice and cosy also, and the staff friendly

I stopped in while waiting for an appointment at Kacoon next door. I wasn't sure to expect but it was very nice. The atmosphere is relaxed with about 20 tables and an open kitchen (which was very clean). The menu is split between tapas and a regular entrees. I chose 2 tapas dishes a chorizo and potato dish and the shrimp with garlic in olive oil. Both were quite good though I probably should have paired a different dish with the garlic as it was hard to taste the chorizo dish after. That said however the chorizo still came through with a very nice flavor so I would assume it was even better than I thought. They serve quite a few wines by the glass ( I had one of the reds from Catalonia at 35 rmb, very decent for the price) with a good selection of reds and whites.

The bill for 2 dishes (medium portions) and 2 iced teas and a glass of wine was 150rmb. While not super cheap it was more than offset by the quality. The food was very rich (good quality ingredients and nice olive oil) and flavorful so you felt full without having huge portions.

Alex the chef/owner was most helpful and friendly with the selection of everything paid attention to the details. For those of you who have been in Beijing long enough you will understand this but it was nice to see everyone in the kitchen washing their hands before they handled anything....

Overall a very nice experience and I will be back soon to try the other dishes.