Veranda, lokāls — Restaurant in Jūrmala

After being at the beach in Jurmala we thought we should give this place a try. The menu looked promising and the place seemed quite clean from the outside.

After being seated outside, right in a giant water puddle that had formed on the porch, from a previous rainstorm, we got handed the menus and asked what we would like to drink and eat. My wife ordered a coke and I ordered a Ginger Ale, which I most certainly said clearly and understandable. I was brought a Gin Tonic instead which was definitely not what I ordered. That mistake already made me question whether I was wrong and mixed up something, or if the staff just didn’t listen properly.

Once the food arrived I was dissatisfied a second time. I ordered a beef schaschlik with grilled vegetables and sauce. The price for the meal indicated that it should be an okayish size dish. I received the schaschlik without any grilled vegetables and sauce though. Instead I was giving a few pieces of salad underneath the meat. Really disappointing. The portion size was underwhelming as well, considering the price.

During the whole experience the service staff seemed to be hesitant to help us out. It really felt like, we as tourists, weren’t welcome and there was no intention of fixing the problems that occurred.

We won’t be returning and can only give any non-locals a heads up...

Although the food and the atmosphere was great, the lack of service quality from the waiters was very disappointing. We had to wait 20-30 minutes to order even after asked to take it (we were told in a second but the woman proceeded to take multiple other orders and clean off tables instead). I ordered and alcoholic tea for 8€ but it felt like they had added no alcohol at all and it was just plain sugar in there. Then we had to wait another 30 minutes to get a check. I ended up going to the bar/cash register myself and asked for it. The server that said he will bring me the check proceeded to: Go and check on other clients; Talk to his colleagues; Make a drink; Go in a corner and drink it;

There were 4 workers by the bar, I was the only client there. Nobody seemed to interested to give me my check so I can pay. Finally, when one of them did give it to me, it was done with poor attitude and made me feel like I was a delivery guy who was late.

I think that problem here was the fact that we were locals and didn't look like the upper class who would leave them a fat tip. I don't know if this is only one singular experience or if the owner is aware of his employee attitude, but it was very...

The staff's service attitude was good.

As soon as we sat down, we were asked for our aperitif orders. Unfortunately, delivering the aperitifs took long. The main course came with a surprise that I didn't understand.

When our orders finally arrived, the aperitif whiskey tasted different than usual. I didn't bother commenting on this to the waiter because I did not know about the surprise in the main course.

When the main course (chicken burger) was brought to me, its ”side course” was black rubber gloves. I found this a bit strange and tried to contact the waitress about it. The waitress didn't seem to find the latex gloves unusual, so I decided to eat my meal.

The other dishes: chicken skewer and Caesar salad, were as expected.

Once we had finished eating, the plates were cleared away very quickly. The bill was also brought very quickly. This part of the service was much faster than the delivery of the...