Besos Restobar — Restaurant in Haarlem

SECOND REVIEW (scroll down for the first 'good' review): 2* Ok, now I get it, I take back my initial defense of this place. First experience here was amazing, but the second time was awful. No plates, guys. They didn't have any plates...in a place that serves food. We asked for plates, the waiter said "sure", then he just disappeared. He came back later to ask us what we wanted, but still no plates. Did the dishwasher quit or...?

For olives, sure, just use the stick provided. When you've got a bruschetta-style pot of roughly chopped tomato and toasted bread, things start getting messy real quickly when you don't have a plate! We had to share the small plank it was served on, which logistically made no sense and resulted in us taking turns to eat.

Later on, drinks orders went forgotten. It took an absolute age to get the attention of the waiters. 1.5 waiters to cover a packed terrace. Fire the manager, they aren't managing. At first I was annoyed at the guy who forgot the plates, drinks, and generally seemed to be avoiding making eye contact, but in the end we tipped him fairly, because he was clearly inexperienced and overwhelmed.

It really sucks that our second time here was such a disappointment. We were excited to come back, but we probably won't. If you do go here, don't go on a nice day, go when it is raining.

FIRST REVIEW : 5* We were supposed to go to see a movie, but stumbled across this place and didn't leave until we had to admit that we had work the next day. We will be back.

I always rate a place on the quality of its most simple dish... The bread. This place has phenomenal bread, gigantic olives, and corn ribs were new to me yet so delicious I didn't even need the tapenade served on the side.

I should have eaten more but I decided to try the entire gin and tonic menu instead. It was great 😅

I see a few people whining about the speed of service in other reviews. To be honest, I've toured Spain extensively and the service there was always very laid back, no matter where you were. Don't expect them to read your mind, give them a wave and they'll come over. It really is that simple.

I also noted a few tables of Spanish speakers seated at other tables. This is usually enough to convince me about the authenticity of a place.

I look forward to...

never again. i was in this restaurant couple of evenings ago, and for sure that was the first and last time. we sat inside at around 18.45 where the vibe and the atmosphere was great, and after 10 minutes of waiting we asked to the waitress to bring at least the menus. we ordered 3 tapas and a paella, they brought the tapas first and actually they were really nice and tasty. after fourty minutes, FOURTY MINUTES, we received our paella, which was plain and without taste; definitely not had the right to be called paella, was just spicy rice. we were really disappointed about it, so we ordered at least a cheesecake and a coffe that were just ok. reached the modest hour of 20.30 we asked for the check; it was just a surprise. the paella was in total 84€, even though in the menu was written 21€. the waitress told us that the clause “per person” was written in the menu but to be honest it was so small that even with a hand lens we could see it. we also noticed that the cheesecake was 15€ (in the menu card you don’t even have the dessert section, we had to ask to the waiter). not even if it was made out of gold i would pay 15€ for a cheesecake. Overall the service was ok (the times they were considering us), food was fine, but the prices were waaaay too high...

We happen to stop in Arroz in December for a late lunch. We loved it so much we went back for dinner yesterday. And will definitely be back! It’s so good, and I haven’t tried the paella yet. It’s a small place, about 8 comfortable seats that face the kitchen (I love these seats, I get to see what I want to try next time) and maybe 15 tables inside. There is a large terrace when the weather is nicer. The red sangria is refreshing, a little sweet and filled with fruit. Good wine list. The pan con tomato is so good. Light and garlicky with bread toasted in the Josper. The manchego was a nice aged version with delicious flavor crystals. The gambas al ajillo are so good. Six good sized shrimp (no heads thankfully) in oil with tasted garlic and some chilis. My husband tried the ribeye. Good portion, perfectly cooked medium rare, well seasoned 👏👏👏, and topped with chimichurri. Yum! The paellas look good and they have some interesting options. I want to try the fried egg and chorizo (seems to only be on the lunch menu). The table behind us had a tasting menu and their paella included ribeye and roasted bone marrow. Wow! Service was friendly and helpful. Overall a wonderful experience and some...