Restaurante La Casa — Restaurant in Altea

Very Disappointing Experience – Rushed Service and Poorly Cooked Food

We visited this restaurant recently and unfortunately had a very disappointing experience from start to finish. When we arrived, we were given a table and politely told there was a reservation after us, meaning we had just over an hour at the table. That was completely fine, we understood the situation and appreciated the honesty. However, from that point on, the entire experience felt rushed and uncomfortable.

As soon as we were seated, we were pressured into ordering quickly. There was no time given to browse the menu at our own pace, and we felt as though the staff were more focused on turning tables than offering a relaxed dining experience. We were also only given Spanish menus, which wouldn’t have been a problem if someone had taken the time to explain the dishes or offer an English version, but no explanation was provided.

To begin with, the starter arrived quickly and was genuinely delicious, which gave us hope for the rest of the meal. Sadly, things took a turn for the worse when our mains arrived. My partner ordered the rib eye steak and requested it medium rare. What came out was far from that, the steak was practically raw in the middle, more blue than rare, and completely inedible.

As for my dish, I made a point of asking a waitress to confirm that what I was ordering was a piece of steak, as it was called steak a cheval but also said 100%mince beef, and she assured me it was. However, when it arrived, it turned out to be a minced beef burger, not a steak at all. I had also asked for a well-done egg to go with it, but the yolk was still runny and I am pregnant. On top of that, the burger was raw in the centre, not rare, but cold and uncooked. I sent the dish back and asked for it to be cooked properly, and while it was returned to me, parts of it were still visibly raw, which was extremely off-putting.

Throughout the meal, we were approached by four different staff members who kept asking if everything was okay. Normally this might be seen as attentive, but in this case it felt chaotic and uncoordinated, as if nobody really knew what was going on. It added to the overall stress and discomfort of the experience.

Eventually, we explained that we weren’t happy with the food and pointed out the issues. One staff member did offer to replace the meals, but then quickly retracted the offer upon realising we were limited on time due to the upcoming reservation. So in the end, nothing was done. We barely touched our mains, yet we were still charged the full €64, no goodwill gesture, no discount.

All in all, the experience was rushed, unprofessional, and left us both disappointed and still hungry. The starter was the only positive, but sadly not enough to make up for the rest. We won’t be returning, and I would advise others to be cautious when...

After 6 days in Altea we had our last lunch here on a cloudy day, and we decided it was the best place we’d been to for lunch all week. If you are a bit of a foodie, seeking something more than just basic tapas, you must come here for their French inspired tapas menu. It was truly excellent - especially the clams/mussels which you must get with a big basket of bread to dip in the sauce. We arrived when it was already quite full, so they sat us in a table a bit further from the restaurant so has slightly slower service, but it was made up for with charm. Even as we tried to leave and pay out bill, they insisted we get a limoncello before leaving. Honestly just the best tapas for lunch - go! Also lots of veggie options if that’s...

Had diner with my wife on the last night of our stay in Altea and will remember this restaurant as being one of the best we experienced during our stay. Extremely friendly service with excellent food. Despite it was quiet ( Sunday evenings are rather quiet during winter months ) there was a great atmosphere with good vibes and nice music. The waiter or the man in charge ( French ) was extremely helpful and friendly, very charismatic. We are already looking forward to return to Altea next year en will definitely go back to La Casa. I absolutely recommend to all those visiting Altea to experience this restaurant. Unfortunately I forgot to leave a tip ( I sincerely apologise ) but will double this upon...