Nou Manolín — Restaurant in Alicante

To get to this bar you're going to have to walk down a popular street filled with tables for restaurants with loud reps who come up you and try to talk you into going to their restaurant. Nou Mandolin is not one of these restaurants and it is not on that street, but a side street. There is no big sign hanging out front and the reserved door plus the intricate metal exteriors to the window really hide the restaurant. They are not trying to catch random walk in guests who happened to stumble upon the place. You might walk by, turn your head, and see that there is a restaurant there, but you will only catch a glimpse of a small piece of it as you continue walking by. That is unless you walk by there in the 15 minutes before they open. They open at 8:15pm, but at 8p you will find a line of people cued up hoping to get a seat there before it even opens, and that was on a Monday night. Most of the seating is around a big bar that surrounds the entire cooking area. The kitchen and tapas-bartending work is split up. There is a guy in the middle behind the bar who meticulously cuts cheeses and expertly cured meats by hand to perfectly uniform thicknesses. Another is responsible for cooking all the hot dishes. Three others handle the cold dishes, drinks, and majority of the customer service. Each one seems to genuinely enjoy what he is doing and have fun, friendly conversations with the guests. But friendliness and job satisfaction is not the limit of this excellent level of service. They are incredibly attentive. The tapas-tenders (new word?) will make sure to be there right when you are ready to order your plate of food or drink (whether it is the first or sixth), and will expertly time the delivery so that as soon as you rest your fork from the previous serving, they will remove your cutlery and plate and replace them with a fresh set and the next food item. They will consult you on the food and ask you questions you wouldn't even think to have asked. When I decided to try something new and outside my comfort zone, the fried lamb brain (yes you read that right), we talked about how this was my first time but that I liked trying new foods. So the waiter offered me a half order since it was my first time. After I felt full and didn't have room for desert, he gave Melissa and I each a slice of homemade fudge, because all good meals need desert. He followed that up with a house made digestive liquor. The guests all came there with the intention of being there, and are a jovial group. Each their own combination of happy, excited, and hungry, looking forward to having an amazing meal, whether it include a dish that was recommended to them or a favorite they had there on their last vacation. While drinking that digestive liquor, Melissa and I were talking to a Dutch couple that just bought a house in Alicante 3 days before and had come there because they had several awesome meals there before on vacation; unfortunately the dish they really wanted, they didn't have that night. However, they helped me convince Melissa to get the blue fin tuna tartar in pistachio cream sauce, which I had wanted earlier but I didn't have room for on my own. Even though it was after the digestive and fudge, the waiter didn't bat an eye. When he reset my plate and cutlery on the bar, he even gave me a glass of white wine to go with the tuna. That tuna was so savory, it filled your mouth and forced your cheeks to rise in a smile, giving Melissa a glow she doesn't usually get in a restaurant. When we finished, the waiter asked: "How did you like the desert?" To which I replied: "That was the best desert I ever had." So if you're in Alicante, go there and experience it. More restaurants should have awesome food and service like this. Make sure you have the blue fin tuna tartar with pistacio cream sauce and the fried lamb brain. All together we paid 90€, which included an 18€ tip. The tip wasn't automatically included and you don't have to tip that much,...

Came here for my birthday and had a HORRIBLE experience. We first asked if they had an English menu, which we knew they did by looking at reviews before getting there. They however said they didn’t. As it was a busy evening and we could tell the waiter was overwhelmed we didn’t press for one and attempted to navigate the Spanish one. Of course, as we both have basic levels of Spanish, it was taking a while to translate. Clearly the staff found this hilarious because they couldn’t stop staring and laughing at us (very explicitly btw) across the room.

About 10 mins in, another waiter brings us the English menu they apparently didn’t have(??) and we order a seafood paella, mussels and some other tapas. The paella was overwhelming and wayyy too salty; the mussels basically tasted like water with a light hint of curry. Definitely not what you’d expected from a “highly rated” restaurant. I’d also like to add that the teasing and laughter continued throughout this.

We were going to order dessert but we felt extremely uncomfortable, so we decided to leave. A third waiter brings the bill. We attempt to pay, but the card declines (not because of lack of funds, but because the bill exceeded the tap-on limit and we needed to insert with the pin instead). She runs off after making a smirky remark to tell her waiter friend and both laugh out loud. She then comes back to the table to find the bill payed (because, once again, it just needed to be inserted with the pin). We finally left.

Had it not been for the poor service, the atmosphere would have been great. However, it just felt like we couldn’t move without getting laughed at. Again, at bare minimum, you’d expect to be able to go to a restaurant and order without feeling mocked throughout.

The mocking may have been due to racism, as my partner is black and I’m mixed. I’m saying this because the ladies on the table across ours were also English speakers but seemed to receive better service. (This is simply a personal opinion based on...

A delightful, must-not-miss experience!

We were recommended to Nou Manolin by friends who rated it very highly, and we weren’t disappointed. Tucked down a side street opposite a busy bar we arrived for the earliest table time at 8pm to find the doors locked. A local guy said to stand by the door and that the restaurant would open by 8:15. Pretty soon a line had formed, made up of patient locals and not-so-patient visitors! Bang on 8:15 the doors unlocked and we were shown past the near bar, where people were keenly filling the bar seating that was available, upstairs to a wonderful large dining room. This is a classy, wonderfully decorated area, with vaulted styling to the ceiling, earthy tones with natural materials and lighting that brings intimacy to each table. At first we were conscious of the tacky generic music but that faded and disappeared as tables started to fill and chatter took its place. It is just a charming restful place to eat.

The food was exquisite. We started with a selection of cheeses to share, which was an ample portion served with a remarkable celery compote. We followed with sirloin steaks, mine with a foie sauce, and both were exceptional melt in the mouth portions. The fries and vegetable selections, just one portion of each with the courgette, carrot and mushroom vegetables a real highlight, filled us so that we couldn’t manage a desert. Wine covers a large range. Our budget cava at 24€ was just perfect.

The staff are engaging, smart and impeccably trained - you can see the heirs by of staff working so well as you eat and watch them go smoothly about their business.

One of the best meals we’ve had. If you’re visiting Alicante, make a bee-line to Nou Manolin for your...