Cozinha Roccia — Restaurant in Região Geográfica Imediata de João Pessoa

This was our first time eating in their new location, and as much as I loved the food, service and ambience of their old location, this reincarnation was a disappointment. When I was last here, I considered this to be possibly the best restaurant in Paraiba, but now, it is at best, average and overpriced. The food still looks and is presented nicely. I had raw oysters for a starter, and the waiter served them without any utensils. This would not necessarily be a problem, but the kitchen did not disconnect the oyster from the shell, which I have never had happen to me in any restaurant. The main course was a pork belly, and the entire dish was unseasoned—no salt whatsoever and no flavor. For dessert, I had a hot chocolate tart, but the crust was so thick that I could hardly cut through it with the spoon—it was as thick as I’ve ever seen. The service was at best mediocre. I was disappointed as soon as I walked in the door, because there was no host/hostess to greet customers. We had to wade through tables and wait for one of the waiters to be free to seat us. When we finished eating & asked for the check, our waiter was nowhere to be found, so another server presented us the bill and said “you cannot pay the tip on your credit card, you must pay it in cash”. The décor: I was also shocked that they had paper place mats on the tables like what you would find in a fast food restaurant. None of this is what I expect from a lunch that cost R$400. Not sure if I will be back, sad to say.

UPDATED REVIEW (7/27/2019) 4 STARS ** We came back for lunch after about a year. This time, we had a great experience. It was restaurant week here, and my mother-in-law chose to select from that menu, while my wife and I ordered from the regular menu. All of the dishes were beautifully plated and delicious. The atmosphere is still beautiful, and the restaurant is comfortably and tastefully decorated. The wine list is decent. The service is good too. I cannot give them five stars because they continue not to allow customers to pay the tip on a credit card, but only in cash, which is inconvenient and unprofessional. (...

No Cozinha Roccia tudo delicioso como sempre. Sou de MG, a comida e o atendimento dos garçons é sensacional. Só achei muito ruim pagar à parte os 10% do serviço (por sinal merecidíssimo) em dinheiro. Vocês estão deixando o cliente turista, ou o que não anda com quantias grandes em dinheiro, (quem anda?) totalmente sem graça ao fechar uma conta. Deviam ter uma máquina de cartão separada para passar os 10% dos garçons. Simples e prático. Mudem isso urgentemente. Sobre o Bar Roccia. No andar de baixo, Comi em um dia o Rubacão, um prato regional famoso. Faltou muuuuito sal, muuuuito tempero. Não acreditei na diferença. No ultimo dia resolvi experimentar a Feijoada, também no bar, e achei literalmente ruim. A falta de sal e tempero foi reincidente e acompanhada de uma farofa sem sabor, pouquíssima couve.. me senti comendo um arroz com feijão e um pedaço de linguiça. Voltei triste....

Ficamos 4 dias em Joao Pessoa. Como sempre, utlizamos as dicas do trip advisor e fomos a alguns restaurantes ok, apontados como os melhores da cidade. Guardamos este lugar para a última noite. Este é de longe o melhor restaurante da cidade. Está num nível incomparável aos outros estabelecimentos. Se soubéssemos do nível do lugar de antemão, teríamos vindo todos os dias para experimentar as várias opções do cardápio, que mistura elementos da cozinha regional com resultados de alta gastronomia. Se puder, pegue mesa próxima à parede envidraçada que dá para a cozinha: acompanhar o preparo dos pratos é um espetáculo à parte, que incrementa demais a experiência. A foto é de um arroz de ervas com paleta de cordeiro, que vem com um picles de maxixe que é absolutamente surpreendente. Parabéns ao Chef e à equipe, comida de nível internacional no coração da...