Restaurant ñ — Restaurant in The Hague

I want to write a fair review of this place. I will give this place another try and will amend my review at that time.

Ñ was recommended by a friend who always has great suggestions, so I had high hopes before even arriving.

Ambiance: We reserved for 3 and were seated in the upstairs area (you have to take a small, narrow spiral stairway up). The restaurant is cute and quaint. At first, the ambiance was nice and appealing – it had nice white tablecloths and place settings, dim lighting with candles and the music was appropriate. As our stay progressed, we started to notice things that started to affect our experience – each of these things were not deal-breakers on their own, but altogether, did make the experience a little less desirable (and thus this review).

We noticed the upstairs appeared to be some sort of ‘storage’ area – there were boxes stacked one on top of the other right next to the tables, and there were random items on the shelves that just looked like it was being stored there because they had no room elsewhere. All of our plates had large chips in them, some of our cloth napkins were torn with holes, and my menu was greasy and dirty with greasy prints all over it (again, on it’s own isn’t a big deal). By the end of the night, the nice relaxing music turned into fast-paced electronic music, which seemed completely out-of-place.

Food: We ordered 6 different plates and we all enjoyed them. There was a very nice variety of items and flavours. All were delicious and were perfect share portions. The waiter and staff were good and attentive and checked up on us regularly. The food did take an exceptionally long time to arrive, and the staff did apologize on behalf of the chef, which we appreciated because we did not complain about this. We had wine by the glass – the waiter poured the bottom of the bottle, which had very little in it, and filled the rest of the glass with a new bottle – that on it’s own isn’t bad, but after finishing the glass, there was a significant amount of large sediment in the glass.

In all, this restaurant seems to have such great potential, but the food (which was exceptional) did not match the experience and the attention to detail was...

Let me start by saying I’m not usually the type to walk out of a restaurant. I’m patient and can overlook a few inconveniences if the food and atmosphere are worth it. But this place managed to change that in just a few minutes.

We had made a reservation for two to celebrate my girlfriend’s birthday, hoping for a pleasant evening. When we arrived, the restaurant was chaotic, but after some waiting, we were seated—at what can only be described as the worst table in the house. It was right in the middle of a busy walkway, where staff and guests constantly passed by. The space between our table and the counter was so tight that every time someone walked past, our table or chairs were bumped. On top of that, the table next to us was so close, we might as well have been dining together.

I politely asked the waitress if there was any chance we could move to a different table, but the answer was a firm no. We got the menus, but at some point, my chair was hit again by someone walking by. That’s when we decided we had enough and left. The staff didn’t seem too concerned, as no one had even checked on us to take our order by that point. It probably took them a while to even notice that we were gone.

It’s unfortunate because I’m sure the food and wine are good, but the experience was completely ruined by the overcrowded space. They really should consider reducing the number of tables to make it more comfortable for everyone. Until then, I don’t see...

pros: none

cons: horrifying experience at restaurant bar n. we were seated outside in the cold. to be fair to them, we were told that the tables indoors were fully booked. however, the waitstaff took a painfully long time just to even get our order. our server looked really uninspired and disinterested. she was also very unattentive even though it was not busy at all.

the outdoor tables were unimpressive. leaves were everywhere on the plates and in our drinks and the cutlery was not clean. midway while shivering in the cold with just water on the table, i requested for the outdoor heaters to be turned on (something that they should have done automatically when they have customers in the cold) just to be told that we could now sit inside but might have to vacate when their guests arrive.

45 minutes later the food finally arrived and they're the most underwhelming plates i have ever tasted. perhaps my taste buds were numb from the cold but it was definitely not worth waiting that long for just 2 bites.

after our tiny dinner and settling the bill, there were still no guests in the establishment. the first 20mins in the cold felt supremely unjust. left the place angry and unsatisfied, i take issue with the michelin inspector who awarded them with a bib gourmand. it was not friendly, did not serve good food and was not worth the price.

would give -3...