Elche Restaurant — Restaurant in Barcelona

Walked past this on the way to our hotel. Looked good and menu was looking good also. Booked a table for 6 at 2000 over a phone call. Arrived and got shown to a table upstairs where we were the only guests. Menus were dropped on the table and the waitress walked off. The place looked stylish, tablecloths, cloth serviettes, place settings etc. Although some will say this is / should be standard. 10 minutes went by. Waitress came back and asked if we were ready to order. Questioned whether she was going to ask if we wished to drink something first. Met with a blank face as if we had asked for something out of the ordinary. 1 guest asked if there was a cocktail list. Ermmmm. No. We don't do cocktails but sangria is available. It doesn't need to be a flaming pornstar martini but no upselling of beer, wine, sparkling or even a gin tonic. Ordered 6 starters (croquetas, fried artichoke, 2 small goat cheese salad, fried artichoke and aubergine and a steak - no advisory of whether this was actually a starter or a small main course) Ordered a bottle of red and ½ bottle of white and 2 bottles of water. Before the waitress had brought these to the table the fried artichoke and croquetas had arrived. The artichokes were deep fried and clearly over fried. The croquetas were 4 pieces on a plate. No garnish or effort in display. Next up was the 2 goat cheese salads served. At this point the waitress decided to remove the 'show' plates from the table. Finally came the fried aubergine & artichoke as well as the steak portion. The mini steak came with 3 padrón peppers and some fries. One of which had a hair on it. not a huge long hair. But a short wiry black hair. This was pointed out to the waitress. She didn't understand. I gave her the chip with the hair. She actually thought I wanted to share my food with her. 5 minutes later someone else came to get the plate. It was returned with the same partially eaten meat and a scattering of new fries. Before the starters had been eaten my main dish of monkfish arrived and the shared fish paella. One guest eating the paella was still eating her starter. No cares were given. The remaining main meals were brought in a staggered time. In hindsight. Should have stuck to the paella which Spain is known for. My dish of monkfish consisted of 2 small slices. The larger slice was cooked. The smaller one was raw. Immediately sent back. Remaining main courses were on the table. A chicken and sausage paella smelt and looked good. The fried lubina of one guest was dry looking. 2 fried fillets with grilled aubergine, tomato and asparagus. No sauce or anything for the meal or potatoes etc. My monkfish came back. The same portion which was sent back only now the fish was cooked. Not a new portion. The very same. Only the fish was 'hot", the grilled vegetables were cold. We didn't see our first waitress after the starters. We were served by two others. All staff were wearing white 'bus boy' jackets. But. Top tip. Wash them. Dirty stained white jackets don't look good and one of the waiters serving us, his hands looked like he had been ploughing potatoes in the day or performing an oil change on a car. We poured our own wine and water. And no one really came to serve. Plates were cleared and dessert menus dropped of. A creme Catalan and 2 baileys ordered. The rest of us (3) had lost interest. The creme Catalan was as expected. Nothing bad but not anything flash. The baileys were a very generous free pour. Check was asked for. No edits to the check, discounts or anything. Almost 300€ for a table of 6. Astheticlly the place looks good. But the basics are far from on point. A real shame. For them and me. As my guests were suggesting a place in town and I sold them on Elche. You win some, you lose some. This place and us definitely lost on...

Our experience at Elche in Barcelona was a tale of two visits—one quite enjoyable, the other deeply disappointing.

First Visit: A Delightful Introduction

On our initial visit, we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. The paella was delicious, with a well-balanced depth of flavor and perfectly cooked rice, while the seafood was fresh and well-prepared. Despite a language barrier, our waiter was accommodating, and through a mix of English and Italian, we managed to communicate just fine. The ambiance was warm and inviting, creating an overall satisfying dining experience that left us looking forward to returning.

Second Visit: A Disastrous Turn

Unfortunately, our second visit was the exact opposite. The issue began when I found a hair in my paella—an unfortunate but, admittedly, not unheard-of occurrence in restaurants. However, what followed was completely unacceptable. Instead of handling the matter with professionalism and courtesy, the waiter returned with the plate, visibly angry, and accused my wife of being responsible for the hair. This was absurd, given that the strand was black at one end and blonde on the rest, whereas my wife has red hair.

Rather than offering an apology or rectifying the situation, they simply took my plate away without bringing any replacement. No effort was made to salvage the dining experience or show even the slightest hospitality. The most frustrating part, however, was the attitude of the waiter. His aggressive and defensive behavior turned an already unpleasant situation into a deeply disrespectful one.

Final Thoughts

When I went to pay, I expressed my frustration at how poorly the situation had been handled, but there was no attempt to make amends. A restaurant of Elche’s reputation should prioritize customer service just as much as the quality of its food. Hopefully, management will take this feedback seriously and train their staff to handle such incidents with more professionalism and grace.

While our first visit showcased the potential of Elche, the second one left such a bad impression that it overshadowed our initial enjoyment. Given this experience, I would be hesitant to recommend the restaurant unless significant improvements are made to customer service and...

After travelling through Spain and Portugal for five weeks we ended our Road Trip in Barcelona. Stayed here for four nights. It's been a while since our last time in the city. All we wanted to end our trip on a high note was some good Paella.

On quite some guides this place here came up. Just a turn away from the Paral-lel. Had a look....looked a bit upscale, but the prices - for Barcelona - are very fair. We are travelling with our Bulldog, so luckily they had some tables outside where our dog was very welcome.

The staff here was fantastic, really friendly with a smile. Good for a chat as well. Some only talked spanish, but we always got the orders right (we should prepare a bit of basic spanish for the next time in Spain I guess).

After the first night here we were so impressed that we returned for the following three. First time around of course we've had the Seafood Paella. And it was a very very good one. Rice cooked to perfection, with some bite left. A great seafood stock as a base. Mussels, clams, shrimp and Langostines. Some red peppers (added some spice) as well. Great ingredients of very good quality. Not overly spiced, so you can really enjoy the taste of the sea with the wonderful seafood stock.

Second night we went for some small plates: Salad (fresh and crunchy), Anchovies (the only average dish), Fried Artichokes (hot, crispy and tender inside, a great item), Mussels (a fresh, big load for little money), Tomato Bread (great side) and Lamb. And boy, that lamb was tender! And then the flavour. Hands down the best lamb and most tender lamb we've ever had. I wonder where they get them.

The other two nights we went back to our Seafood Paella. As great as the first time. They really keep the standard high and the same. But both times some lamb on the side. Since not all pieces were the same size, some were grilled a bit too long. But still great.

Every time we had some wine with (red Muga is always a safe and great choice). Again very fair prices. We really enjoyed dining here. Felt very welcome and we were'nt rushed. Really had time to fully enjoy our dinners and enjoy every last bite of the divine Paella. If you have space for some dessert, try the hot chocolate cake. Good stuff!

We will...