Bistro Mató — Restaurant in Barcelona

I was at Bristo Mato on my birthday (23 May 2023) having lunch on my own. Had a very pleasant experience and the menu lunch was very tasty and reasonably priced. Service was good enough.

Because of this, I suggested to my husband that we visit Bristo Mato the same evening for dinner. What a disappointment. No one was keen to serve us. Food was really slow and the waiter got the order wrong. Ultimately when the food arrived, it was no where tasty as lunch. We were both upset that we we wasted my birthday dinner at Bristo Mato. We asked for bread but didn't receive at all. Then had to ask again and it was like they heard it the 1st time. I am aware that staff don't speak English. But making an effort to communicate would have been nice.

After the above unhappy incident, we went again because I really wanted to give it a try. The service was superb by Seargrnt and Maria. They helped us choose the best items from the menu and we were so happy that we actually ate 6 times within a week. Seargrnt was an absolute star on every occasion we were there. We will definitely come back when we return to Barcelona. Thank you so much for helping to make our...

A quaint little bistro, the food looks (and smells) great, but despite there being multitudes of empty tables (inside and out), the angry, bitter, little man who runs the front of house refused to seat us because we didnt have a "reservation." I actually checked online to see if I could make one then and there, and there were plenty of time slots available. But the fact that this tiny little fella was so dismissive and outright rude, I bid him good day and left. Perhaps he was getting ready for his siesta, or perhaps he's just angry and bitter 24/7. Whichever the case, he was willing to turn away people depsite having ample tables available, and he just has no business running a restaurant (or being the one people come in contact with). If you're willing to put up with such egregious behavior in a city filled with far superior options, served up by far nicer people, this might be your spot. But if you want some degree of a pleasant experience, you're not likely to find it...

The restaurant has a charming and cozy atmosphere, and while some dishes were excellent, others fell short. Unfortunately, the experience was overshadowed by very poor service. The staff came across as arrogant, repeatedly mixed up the number of dishes, and forgot basic requests. For example, we had to ask five times for glasses to accompany a bottle of cava. They also seemed inattentive and unwilling to listen to customers, which made the overall experience frustrating.

Food highlights:

• The eggplant and artichokes were delicious, and the Rodaballo (turbot) was very flavorful. • The Albondigas (meatballs), however, were far too salty, and the promised truffle flavor was undetectable. • The meat was served cold, and the Ensalada Rusa was very average. • On a positive note, all the desserts were enjoyable, especially the mato, cheesecake, and truffles.

While some of the dishes stood out, the poor service left a lasting negative impression. For this reason, I...