Simply Spanish — Restaurant in Melbourne

Went to try this place, but the service was terrible. My partner and I wanted to dine in but were a bit confused on where to line up and such. We accidentally sat at a table first without ordering, and the waitress pointed us to go to a line up and grab food before sitting. No problem. We go to where instructed and are told by a guy there that only Paella was sold at this line up, and other things like drinks where at a seperate line up, which he vaugely gestured towards. So I grab the Paella, and go to sit, while my partner goes to get the other stuff. Then suddenly I'm being yelled at by I think a manager, that I'm supposed to line up for dining/sitting in and what I had in my hands was take away. I said I was sorry (I didn't mean to skip the queue I was unsure of the process, because there's no host or anything) and that the line ups were confusing, and tried to tell him that none of staff told me these things, and he told me it's not their job to tell me and I had takeaway so have to leave. He was really nasty saying this stuff, and humiliated me on front of all the other customers. I had to hold in the tears. I just grabbed my partner and left, I was so upset. I was really excited to try the food but the organisation to sit was really scattered. The manager (wide guy, tanned, in his 40s, face like a bulldog) didn't have to be as mean as he was, especially since just two Paellas alone was nearly $40. It was tasty but the experience was really spoiled. The seating misunderstanding was just an accident on our part, because its a very loud and crowded environment. I'm not going back in a hurry, I shouldn't have been penalized so hard.

P.S Very very sorry to the guy sitting whose beer was knocked over and on his lap by my bag while I was leaving in haste. I was trying not to cry and wasn't looking properly. Thanks for not yelling at me.

UPDATE: in response to the owner replying to my original review.

The inaccuracies are on your end. I didn't sit down twice with take away food. I sat at first without ordering by mistake the first time, then a waitress specifically told me I had to order food in the take away cue, THEN sit down. As I understand, I was instructed incorrectly there. That's how I came to sit with take away the second time, before being told off extensively. I was never once directed to a waiting area to be sat to dine, I was directed to three different queues and told to leave.

Kindly don't try to gaslight my experience. I feel "making myself known to staff" would be questionable, considering the staff I encountered literally told me that it wasn't their job to tell me where to go. I apologise for inconvenience on your end, I've worked hospo for years and can sympathise. That being said, my critique remains: The manager yelled and told me I had to leave because I had takeaway, which is bad customer service. He was unnecessary nasty and didn't bother to understand or instruct properly. The multiple queues are not intuitive and make the experience of where to go confusing, as it's in a busy market. Perhaps you should hire a dedicated host to help guide and seat people properly, as that's what a number of better organised...

SIMPLY SPANISH is just that - Simple. The atmosphere of the market and the people walking past is a definite 5/5 but that’s nothing to do with the restaurant.

The only thing Spanish about this place was its theme and the handful of Spanish or Latino front of house staff, unfortunately then after it felt like we were in an Indian restaurant.

But let’s get down to the scoring of the place known for “The Best Paella” outside of Spain - said no one ever. Firstly the server asked us for what we wanted per person - my brother in law fancied the seafood Paella and my sister had the garlic bread and potatoes cooked in duck fat, I went for the crispy pork belly and the honey sweet potatoes. Sounds nice, but wasn’t.

We were told that the paella would be a wait of around 30-40 minutes but that confused us given there were 3 MASSIVE paella dishes for the takeaway section with no one queuing. The server said she would bring the tapas type orders out first which was what my sister and I were eating, my brother in law was eating the paella and didn’t mind waiting.

Our tapas came- my sister bit into her garlic bread, and it had been overcooked to an inch of its life! It was more like a baton! She was looking forward to a rustic loaf, you know like you’d expect in Spain and at the markets. Clearly this was microwaved and store brought from the local Aldi.

I eagerly waited for my crispy pork belly - which was not crispy and rather chewy but tender. The sweet potato tasted bland and had no seasoning which thank god for the table salt and pepper!

Our drinks finally arrived after a substantial wait (over 15-20 minutes) and one of the drinks was served in a chipped glass.

Finally came the paella and as my brother in law was the only one eating this - the server had in fact not listened and assumed that we were all eating the dish, and had ordered a serve for a group on a huge platter. What she should have done is confirmed who was having the dish and does my bother in law just want a bowl of it? Anyhow we never got the chance to speak to anyone about our issues as no one came back to our table, not even to ask for more drinks, if everything was ok, did we want any more food, did we want any more drinks?! In fact the waitress beckoned my sister over to pay the bill but by sister had my 3 year old niece in tow and it was awkward to get out of our seats so she came over to us. Oh and the duck potatoes were soft and soggy and lodged in a swamp of oil - not sure were this idea came from but they might need to look at what this item Should look like!!

Just like the food the staff and the establishment were Simply bland. I had a mouthful of the paella and it was over cooked and not like I have eaten when I lived in Spain.

SIMPLY...

A Less-Than-Simply Spanish Daytime Experience

We walked into Simply Spanish after a walk around the market, hoping for a delightful midday escape to Spain, only to find myself in the midst of a culinary misadventure. Let me take you through the whimsical journey that was my lunch.

First up, the garlic bread – or rather, a microwaved slice of something that might have been garlic bread, once upon a time. It was chewy, but not in a warm, toasty, golden-brown way. No, this was the "I forgot about it in the microwave" kind of chewy.

Next, the crispy potatoes. Oh, how I yearned for crispy potatoes on this bright, cheerful day. Instead, they arrived with soggy skin and were not quite cooked through—more "raw inside" than "crispy on the outside." A disappointing turn in the culinary tale.

Then there were the mussels, bravely presented but left un-bearded. They seemed somewhat… unfinished. A minor detail? Perhaps. But it left me wondering if they had been forgotten in the rush of the midday crowd. The prawns were similarly let down—overcooked to the point of being more rubbery than succulent. If they had been a little more tender, they could have redeemed the moment, but alas, they were not.

The rice, too, decided to join the chorus of disappointment. It was a little hard, as if it had been rushed and forgotten about halfway through its cooking journey. A texture I’m sure no one was intending to serve.

As for the pork belly, I had high hopes. It promised crispy skin, but instead, it delivered a sad, soggy version of itself, with none of the crackling I'd dreamed of. A pork belly more flaccid than crispy. Oh, the disappointment.

And the service? Well, it took a little vacation during this outing. My chipped margarita glass sat untouched, while no staff returned to see if I needed another drink or even to ask how the food was (maybe they know the answer they would get?!). It was as though the waitstaff were playing a game of "How long can we remain invisible?" and, to their credit, they succeeded.

But perhaps the most telling moment was my husband, whose Spanish and Latino roots had him looking ever more disappointed as each dish arrived. As a man who knows what good Spanish food should taste like, he was embarrassingly let down. To see him lost for words—an experience I never thought I'd witness—was, for me, the true icing on the poorly-baked cake.

By the time I left, it was clear that Simply Spanish had not quite mastered the art of a satisfying meal. Instead, it was more simply frustrating than a taste of Spain. Here’s hoping they can find their rhythm before...