Boca Grande — Restaurant in Barcelona

I returned to Boca Grande after a year (we used to go a lot) and the whole place is still beautiful. Nice decor and great bar.

However this time we had the worst welcome from the front office person. NO IDEA why she was a bit grumpy. She said they were fully booked for the night. We arrived at 18:00 (we wanted to eat with 3 people) so we said ok no problem but we can go to the bar for drinks? And maybe food ? She said of course you don’t need to book but it s fully booked for food but you can have drinks! So ok we went to the bar upstairs (opens at 18:30) she forgot to mention it so we waited until they open. The staff at the bar was amazing! We ordered some drinks and we were allowed to order some food!!!!! Not sure why she said we couldn’t downstairs!!!

Then we decided to check the restaurant website to book a table and there was a free table for 5 people at 19:30! We went back to the girl at the entrance and showed her the website and she said no we are fully booked!!! She was no we are full! You can call for next week if you want!

Ok so Went back to the bar and made the reservation online! We called some friends to join us to make up the number and Our extra friend arrived at 19:30 and took the table reservation for us and we joined her. I still have no idea why the front office said they were FULL!!!

We got given the menu and only received the small menu and we said what about the big menu? They said that’s only from 8pm, that’s new I said. The waitress said yes! So we ordered some nibbles and waited till 8 to order the other food. A bit strange but anyways … The staff wasn’t very attentive and disorganised. But later on it was ok. Then our 2 friends didn’t show up!! So annoying so we told the staff .. they looked annoyed! And said ok wait we tell the manager! We thought why is it a problem ?? Anyways they came back and asked if they can move us to a smaller table - we said yes of course!

Then The food was nice I ordered buffala and foie. However my friends ordered mussels ( it arrived cold) and the rice dish ( which they said will take 25’) arrived as-well but cold !!! Not too sure what happened but we were a bit shocked !!! They were happy to warm it up but I didn’t understand how it was served cold!!! The whole experience was weird! Some of the staff was weird and didn’t make sense. Some staff super nice and others a bit rude. Such a shame when I used to love this place. I have read the reviews lately and I can see there are mixed reviews.

I will not say do not go but be prepared for an experience … sometimes the staff has a bad day or they decide the place is full when it isn’t ! I just didn’t like the way we were treated and with no like ‘sorry but really we can’t take you in’. The girl a reception didn’t want to hear us. she could have tried to find a solution specially when the website was letting us book a table !!!! There was no good customer experience!!!

I work in hospitality 5* and this experience this time at Boca Grande was not nice!! The bar was...

The Worst Dining Experience of My Life – Avoid Boca Grande at All Costs

If you’re into rude service, tasteless food, sky-high prices, and the overall vibe of not being welcome — congratulations, Boca Grande in Barcelona is the perfect nightmare for you.

Last night, my girlfriend and I had dinner here. Honestly, I regret it more than I’ve ever regretted any meal in my life. It started the moment we walked in. The hostess — a brunette with the kind of arrogance usually reserved for bad reality TV villains — completely ignored my girlfriend. Didn’t greet her, didn’t respond to her questions, didn’t even make eye contact. She would only speak to me. Maybe because my girlfriend is too beautiful and that was somehow threatening? Pathetic.

We were then shoved into a completely empty, lifeless corner at the back of the restaurant. It felt like we were being hidden. When we politely asked for a better table, the response was a cold “no” — with some vague excuse about it “getting busier later.” Spoiler: it didn’t. But even if it did, why are you treating guests like second-class citizens from the start?

And the food? Totally bland. No flavor, no soul, no creativity. It looked like someone tried copying a Pinterest photo and forgot the part where food is supposed to taste good. And for the ridiculous prices they charge? It’s an outright scam. This isn’t fine dining — it’s Instagram bait with no substance.

Then there’s the staff. Unbelievably rude, pushy, ungrateful, and just cold. Every interaction felt like a sales pitch, and the moment you didn’t order something extra, you were treated like a nuisance. They rushed us, interrupted us, and couldn’t care less about the idea of hospitality.

And yes, I was foolish enough to leave a tip. Hoping it might soften the mood. Nope. Not even a thank you. Just a dead-eyed stare and a walk-away. It honestly felt insulting.

Afterwards, I looked up more reviews, and — surprise — many people have had the same experience. Arrogant staff, overpriced food, snobby vibe, and a place more focused on its image than the actual experience. They treat locals better than tourists and act like you should feel lucky just to be there.

Summary: • Extremely rude and dismissive service • Hostile, cold, and arrogant staff • Tasteless, overpriced food with zero creativity • Pretentious atmosphere with no real quality • A clear case of hype over substance

Please, for the love of your evening — skip Boca Grande. There are countless amazing restaurants in Barcelona where the food is made with care, and the staff actually value your presence. Boca Grande is all smoke, mirrors, and bitterness. One of the most overrated, soulless places I’ve ever had the displeasure...

My evening was ruined tonight! My husband and I visited the place and were left feeling very disappointed! We ordered paella, fries and 2 drinks. By the way, we waited 20 minutes for the fries and when we got them they were not fresh and cold. Asked to have it changed, they did. Paella was not what we expected, it was cold, we couldn't taste the seafood... felt a lot of tomato. But that's not the worst thing... We were extremely disappointed with the restaurant service and the attitude! The waiter who served us Wasn't friendly and didn't want to spend any time explaining the food. It was getting heated. After my husband ordered fries he made fun of the chosen order, although it was not his business! His job to serve and help the person to choose a dish to his liking. The same waiter servedat the table next to us, the space between our table and the other people table was so small, it was crowded ... he had to pay attention to the distance.I was uncomfortable to sit and eat at 20 cm from the man standing to me from behind! The last drop of my patience was when he hit our table and a bottle of wine fell from me in 5mm. Salt scattered all over the table. My stuff fell off the table. The reaction of the waiter shocked me. He ran off and did nothing, did not pick up my things, the table was not wiped clean, not even an apology! Then I could not stay calm and asked to clean our table, as there was salt on my clothes!Anything can happen, we are all human! But I did not expect such a reaction from the waiter who tried to get out of my sight! And from his colleagues who tried to pretend that nothing happened. After I loudly asked him to clear our table he came over to me and apologized, but I didn't sense any sincerity in his words. This would not have happened if he had been attentive to each customer and polite! The distance from one table to another was extremely short, that's no way to serve customers! He did not clean the table, another waiter wiped the table. When it was time to pay, I thought they would give us a discount for the inconvenience. I asked... The waiter told me in bewilderment what for?! It's up to you to decide whether it's worth going or not. But I want to say one thing, a man who goes to a restaurant, he wants to enjoy communication, food, atmosphere, service ... and not to feel superfluous in the...