Restaurant Pata Negra — Restaurant in Bucharest

Unfortunately one bad experience ruined all the good experiences I've had eating here.

My partner and I ate here regularly, the seafood paella is the best in town and the foie gras bruschetta have no business being that good, however, don't expect any help from the staff if you have issues with your food.

We went here for valentine's day this year and ordered the foie gras and duck paella in advance.

On the menu on their website the title and ingredients of the dish are only specified as "duck and foie gras paella". The dish also contained A LOT of mushrooms which I am allergic to.

This wasn't specified anywhere on the menu and still isn't to this day, so no change was made.

Meanwhile other paella dishes do include "seafood and mushrooms paella" in the title and thus list mushrooms as an ingredient.

I think the fair logical assumption is that if the dish titles mention mushrooms sometimes, the ones that don't mention mushrooms, shouldn't include mushrooms. I obviously pay attention to this when I order something as I can't touch mushrooms.

We brought this up to the waiter very nicely after I took one spoon of the dish and felt the mushroom taste. We told them I won't be able to eat this as it's rice filled with mushrooms, checked the menu again and showed them it wasn't mentioned anywhere on the ingredient list.

The waiter just kind of stared at us sympathetically, apologised but offered no resolution for what is obviously an oversight of behalf of the restaurant to not include ingredients in their menu. He asked if we want to order something else instead. I only had some other bruschetta, my partner I think had already ordered something else on the side as he is not as enthusiastic about paella as I am.

In the end we had to pay for everything, not even the bruschetta I had to order to be able to eat something on our Valentine's Day date was discounted.

I believe the entire paella shouldn't have been paid for as not including allergens on the menu and then expecting clients to pay for a dish they can't eat without it being their fault is not the behaviour I expected from this place that I used to love. Obviously it's not the money itself that was the issues, but the principle and the ruined evening because a lackluster menu with 0 effort on the end of the staff to make it up.

Unfortunately 5 months later, they still haven't changed the menu and we haven't been since. There is a picture of the duck and foie gras paella on the menu where someone could argue that mushrooms are visible in the photo, but that might as well be bits of foie gras or duck. If other titles include "mushrooms" when the dish contains them, why doesn't this one, is the client expected to guess from a picture?

We now know their staff will just look at you helplessly in case you're left with nothing to eat because they don't include allergens on their menu.

I had higher expectations for a higher end...

The atmosphere is great, they always decorate the restaurant according to the season. The food is pretty good, pretty much what you would expect from an expensive restaurant, but the serving is where it gets tricky. First time I dined here, the serving was top notch and the waitress was very professional and warm, but the second time around we ordered the octopus with green peppers for entree, waited for the main course (iberic pig + veal steak) for about ~50 mins (not paella for which you have to wait extra), the food arrived cold at our table, the tart along the soufflé for dessert and when we got the check, the waiter informed us that the service is complimentary. All fine and dandy until he started swarming around our table, checking to see if we left a tip (we didn't have cash so I paid by card). He kept whispering to other waiters and pointing at our table and after 3 times he came to check if there was any tip, he bluntly asked if the meal was alright and why are we not tipping. That was the first time we were asked if everything was good and I told him that we didn't tip because he said the service was complimentary and I didn't have any cash, so if we wanted the tip, then he should bring the POS and he could charge the card. He didn't do it and started whispering and pointing to our table again with the other waiters. TL;DR - Food is great (4/5), the atmosphere is amazing (5+/5), the service is a gamble, you either get great service or terrible service, I'll leave it for you to decide. Will come again to see if it was a one time slip up or...

Delicious Food, Frustratingly Slow Service

My wife and I were initially drawn to this restaurant by its reputation for excellent food—and in that regard, it didn’t disappoint. The dishes were thoughtfully prepared and genuinely delicious. Unfortunately, the dining experience was let down by the service.

On our first visit, we waited an astonishing 90 minutes for our appetizers, only to learn they’d been mistakenly delivered to another table. Once we were finally served, we didn’t see our waitress again for another hour—just to place our dessert order. To be fair, the staff was friendly when they did appear, but their long absences and slow pace made the experience frustrating.

We gave the place a second try later that week, hoping the delays were just a fluke. This time, things started off better: the main courses came out quickly, and once again, the food impressed. But when we ordered dessert—a simple crème brûlée—we were left waiting another full hour. It felt like our order had been forgotten all over again.

In short, this is a restaurant where the kitchen clearly shines, and the staff means well—but the front-of-house execution is seriously lacking. If they can match the quality of the food with more attentive, efficient service, this could easily become a go-to spot. Until then, go for the food, but bring...