[Edit] Is now a Thai restaurant but the one in Chichester is still open and worth a visit.
A tapa is an appetizer or snack in Spanish cuisine and translates to a small portion of any kind of Spanish food. They will normally include cold dishes such as mixed olives and cheese or they can be served hot. For example chopitos, battered fried baby squid.
But in bars, cafes and restaurants like Viento De Levante, the tradition has evolved into an exciting Mediterranean eating experience combining tapas dishes into a full extravagant shared meal.
Meze is essentially the same thing originating in Persian and Turkish regions and the term Mediterranean tapas will include small portions of Turkish and Middle Eastern snack foods as well as other Mediterranean countries such as Portugal, Greece and not forgetting generous slices of Italian pizza.
Throw in some Spanish guitar and a Flamenco dance and you end up with a Viento De Levante experience.
