Ali Ocakbaşı — Restaurant in Barcelona

Yesterday, we unexpectedly had dinner at Ali to celebrate my husband's birthday. We hadn’t made a reservation, so we were grateful to still be given a table. Unfortunately, the experience didn’t meet my expectations.

I personally didn’t enjoy the tarator mezze, though of course, taste is subjective. For the main course, I chose the Kuzleme, but that too was disappointing. For €30, I received just one skewer with five small pieces of meat. The bulgur pilav had an overly strong tomato flavor, which I didn’t find pleasant, so I left it on the plate—along with the quarter tomato and the three mini biber peppers. Perhaps I made the wrong choice, but I also noticed that the waiter never asked if everything was okay, even though most of my plate was untouched.

Another thing I found disappointing: my children had finished eating, so I gave one of their plates to my husband, since his had already been cleared. That way, he could continue eating while the rest of us were still eating. However, that plate was also taken away without asking—while he was still chewing. That really disrupted the meal and took away the relaxed atmosphere. On top of that, it became quite warm and stuffy inside, which didn’t help the overall experience.

In the end, we paid the bill and left rather quickly. Before coming to Ali, we had already had a small tapas dish at La Alcoba Azul. Looking back, we wish we had just stayed there.

We had heard a lot of positive things through word of mouth and were genuinely looking forward to dining at Ali, but unfortunately, it didn’t live up to our expectations. It was ro bad this was our...

The first time I visited Ali Ocakbaşı, I absolutely loved it so much that I had to go again before leaving Barcelona. My original review, which I’ll include below, reflected that positive experience. However, I now feel the need to revise it after my second visit, as both the service and food quality were noticeably lower this time.

I specifically informed the waiter about an allergy, yet the dish was served with the allergen. When I ordered a bottle of water, it was brought to the table without glasses, and we had to ask for them separately. We had placed a large order, and since the restaurant was nearly empty, we requested to push the next table over for more space. The first waiter either didn’t understand the request or ignored it, but another staff member was happy to assist when we asked again.

One of the dishes also came with burned bread. It’s strange that during a less busy time, both the service and food quality were worse. You’d expect them to be more attentive when the restaurant isn’t crowded.

I’m writing this updated review to be transparent and not mislead anyone with my initial impressions. While the food still tastes decent, the inconsistency in quality is disappointing. I’d still encourage you to try it yourself—you likely won’t have a bad meal, but it probably won’t be a standout experience either.

First review- Very friendly and accommodating staff. The food is excellent. Portions are a bit small and prices are...

EDIT: After my first visit and initial 4 star review, we went a second time to Ali Ocakbasi a few weeks later; as all my Turkish friends in town told me it’s a new restaurant and they need a bit more time for things to run smoothly; which is super understandable.

So we went and it was really nice to see how much they improved in such short time.

We also had a nicer table than last time and definitely a way better dining experience.

We tried different foods as well. Lots of meats and also lots of vegan/vegetarian options. Kunefe still is a fav and next time we want to try the ayva tatlisi which i never had outside of Turkey so i’m pretty excited.

Some suggestions from the menu:

Atom Cigkofte Kaburga Cop sis Kunefe

Afiyet olsun

Previous review:

the food was ok, unfortunately not as good as in Turkey or it’s supposed to be, but good enough, let’s say acceptable. i was a bit disappointed that no waiters spoke turkish but i was impressed by their pronunciation of the names of the mezes. Good job! Amongst all the things we tried, i think Kunefe was the best. the prices were really high compared to the quality of the meal and compared to eating in Barcelona. I also felt like; because we were dressed rather casual, even tho we had reservation and the place was half empty, we were seated by the toilet. I’d have wished for a bit better service than this as a Turk living in Barcelona. Would I go...