Almar — Restaurant in Parroquia Puerto Ayora

The setting is fabulous, the service is friendly and the food is very good.

Unfortunately, the overall experience was chaos. We had to order our mains three times over the course of 45 minutes, as different waiters kept coming back to double check what we’d ordered - there’d clearly been several issues, with staff running around and disappearing for extended periods of time.

The cocktails took over 40 minutes to arrive, and weren’t very good (the “caipirinha” was made with lemon instead of lime and the house “specialist cocktail” was watery and bland). It then took almost 40 minutes to receive a single beer.

The starter was very nice but also took a while to arrive. The mains took more than an hour, though were very nice when they did come. Other tables seemed to be having similar problems. One group seemed to receive their mains one or two at a time, spread over 30-40 minutes.

The staff took some things off the bill and were nice about it, but there didn’t seem to be anyone really in charge. No manager came to speak to us.

Very disappointing for the price. If they get their act together then it could be a great place. Maybe we got unlucky, based on other reviews. The food is nice, but not good enough to justify these prices without outstanding service to...

This is a wonderful place that was recommended to us by our hotel and reviews backed it up. As you walk to or arrive, the entry is beautifully lit with up lighting along the paver path. It shares an entry with a lovely boutique hotel. You are greeted by the staff as you enter and they quickly sat us at possibly the best view from a restaurant this side of Puerto Ayora. Angie was a phenomenal server. The staff was concerned with keeping the water free of debris as a patron pointed out plastic and they immediately grabbed a net to remove it. Views of the port area and harbor combined with ambient lighting in a small pool in behind the dining area add to the mood. We ordered the Pesto Chicken Fettucine and the Risotto Del Mar. Both beautifully played and quick service. My risotto was cooked perfectly, but had little flavor and seemed to be missing the advertised lemon. The fish on top and octopus was over cooked while the shrimp was borderline but still tasty. The dessert saved the food from being three stars this round. The Crema de chocolate was out of this world! Artistically plated and light yet dense...

Would not recommend in the slightest. We had a reservation to celebrate our grandmas birthday and were seated promptly. This was the only Positive part of our experience. Service was beyond slow, our orders were taken 25 mins in, starters took another 30 mins and 1 HOUR further for mains. It was near impossible to get any servers attention , we felt ignored. When food was finally served it was lukewarm and not exceptional in any way. We were starved at this point but really should have sent it back. Desserts ( a coffee and cheesecake ) took another 25 mins to arrive. Then asked for the bill , took another 10 mins before a waiter told us they’d run out of receipt paper and he hoped this was okay. After the travesty of events ( and being bitten my mosquitos throughout the evening) I couldn’t bite my tongue any longer and asked if this service was standard at this establishment? The lady did nothing but apologise and bring us a card machine.

There are so many restaurants that would genuinely appreciate your custom and treat you with much more...