JAPON JAMON ARENES — Restaurant in Barcelona

DO NOT GO HERE!!!

Myself and my girlfriend went here for food and drinks before the magic fountain show and were left sorely disappointed.

We had tapas- prawns which were gritty and we only got 4 which these photos don't suggest, spring rolls with a filling that was disgusting and wiggly, chorizo sausage which was admittedly fine, chips which came on a plate which was made up mostly of ketchup which we had not asked for, and chicken wings which were served last and were served at the temperature of the sun when they arrived and then when you bit into them, they were raw.

Our meal was staggered out over 25 minutes. Obviously things have different cooking times which is fine and understandable but we were left sitting with no food for long periods of time. This is unacceptable when you're the only people actually ordering in the restaurant! At the end, we were sat for 20 minutes waiting on our plates to be cleared and to complain about the meal while one member of staff cleaned an empty bar and another served his friends for free.

We complained about the food, mainly the wings, and asked for the bill. The waiter said he'd deal with it. When we got the bill, we were actually overcharged, with them adding another serving of chips. We then asked the waiter back over to say we only had one order of chips and we were unhappy to pay for the inedible wings, and he walked away from us while we were speaking to him. We were civil and polite, so there was no reason for this.

I don't normally post reciews but I was so staggered at the awful quality of food, the fact they tried to overcharge us and then the rude customer service that I had to say something. This is one of the harder areas of Barcelona to get a bite to eat so if you're going to the magic fountain show or find yourself nearby, do yourself a favour and...

These guys saved my life!

A short story: It was my first night in Barcelona. I was playing beach volleyball until late and when I got back to my apartment and cleaned off, it was already 23:30. In my panic and desperate hunger, I cried to google maps to find somewhere local that is still open to eat and as I got to each of these locations, they all tell me their kitchen is closed.

I walk around further hoping to be saved from a kebab, and there it was. Japon Jamon Arenas reaching out to me and cradling my poor hungry head and as I approach to find that their kitchen is still open. It's past midnight at this point.

I'm from the UK where restaurants are all closed by 9/10pm at the latest. After that it's disappointingly dry or salty kebabs so my expectation when going somewhere past midnight is that the food will be dry, flavourless or lazily put together. But to my suprise, everything I ordered smashed it out of the park! It was all home runs.

I went for the tapas section. I ordered Iberico ham, tomato bread, potatas bravas and the octopus dishes and it was flavour town baby. I got some Sangria too because it's Spain. Let me have this one.

I slept like a baby that night. I slept like a baby that's been working 18 hour shifts back to back. Shout out to Japon Jamon...

The restaurant is located near Plaça d’Espanya, easy to find and with a nice, relaxed atmosphere — great for casual dinners with friends or grabbing a bite before heading up the hill.

We ordered a few tapas and were really happy with all of them. The nachos with beef and cheese were generous in portion, rich in flavor, and went perfectly with the guacamole. The fried squid tentacles were crispy on the outside and still tender inside. My personal favorite was the ham and cheese croquettes — super flavorful and comforting. The clams in garlic and white wine were fresh and aromatic, and the grilled green peppers were simple but surprisingly tasty with just a touch of sea salt. The salmon sushi roll was also a nice surprise — fresh and light.

Service was friendly, and the restroom was clean (which I really appreciate, especially as a woman). Overall, it was a great experience. Definitely recommend if you’re in the area, especially before a game or a walk...