La Paradeta Meridiana — Restaurant in Barcelona

Well, well, well…

This place was highly recommended by a friend who specifically said the shrimp was exceptional and an absolute must-try. It’s a hidden gem tucked between the suburbs — not crowded, and all the customers looked like long-time regulars. The place was very clean, and the staff were friendly and welcoming.

We ordered the grilled shrimp, fried baby squid, and one oyster to try (it was my first oyster!).

Now, here’s my honest review based on what we were served that night — which may not reflect the restaurant’s overall quality. Maybe the chef had an off day, or perhaps the seafood delivery that day wasn’t as fresh as expected.

The squid was alright — but a bit underseasoned for my taste. The batter tasted like plain flour, not salted or spiced enough. I kept dipping it in lemon and sriracha to give it flavor. I wish it had been fried a little longer; I prefer a drier, crispier, chewier texture. I’d recommend adding cornstarch to the batter instead of using just flour and water.

The shrimp… I’m sorry to say this, but I have to be honest — I was a bit disappointed. The shrimp looked phenomenal, but it didn’t taste fresh. It wasn’t spoiled, but it had an unusually strong fishy flavor. Some people might enjoy that, but I’ve never tasted shrimp that fishy before. Peeling them was also unexpectedly difficult. The biggest letdown, though, was that they weren’t deveined — which honestly put me off.

As for the oyster, I won’t say much because it’s definitely an acquired taste and I’m not the best judge. In short, I’m not a fan of oysters.

In conclusion, comparing my experience with my friend’s, something must have gone wrong that night. The staff were genuinely kind and the atmosphere was great, but the food didn’t meet expectations. With all due respect to the hardworking team, I left feeling more disappointed...

Good place to eat seafood. It is a buffet type restaurant where you need to stand in the queue to make an order and only then you get a table.

Advantages: Seafood was fresh and food was tasty which is the most important thing. Despite the crowd it was quite clean, stuff was also friendly.

Disadvantages: I went for lunch on Sunday and it took an hour and 20 minutes from the moment we entered until we had our food ready. It is considered as family restaurant and was quite noisy because of kids shouting. So not recommended for couples 😏 Besides it’s not a cheap restaurant in comparison to other places in Barcelona. But I would say still reasonable for quality and quantity.

So to sum up go with family with plenty of time ahead before you start being very hungry and enjoy...

Un lugar bastante bueno para comer pescado y marisco sin arruinarte. La calidad es bastante aceptable, las mesas limpias y sin estar pegadas unas a otras. Hay muchas tronas para los que vayan con niños menores. El sistema de elegir primero el pescado crudo y pagarlo al peso está muy bien. No obstante tiene algunos puntos que me gustaría que mejoraran y que comento a continuación: La variedad es algo limitada. Personalmente echo muy en falta que no haya rosada para fritura ni cazón en adobo. Es algo que hay en cualquier lugar especializado en pescado. También añadiría algún pescado para plancha. Podría variar según mercado pero algo más que los calamares, la sepia o el rape. Por ejemplo aguja, salmón, jureles grandes, dorada ... Podrían ofrecerlos solo durante los findes, pero ofrecerlos. Tampoco he estado en las otras Paradetas y no sé si en esas la variedad es más grande. La salsa marinera que echan a las gambas no tiene nada que ver con la salsa marinera que yo conozco y creo que es la que conoce todo el mundo (ajos fritos, vino y perejil) y no la que ponen que se parece más a la vizcaina. El aceite de la fritura deberían cambiarlo más a menudo. Yo pagaría encantado un euro más por unos chipirones que están fritos con aceite más limpio. No es que esté terriblemente sucio pero en la mayoría de freidurias de pescado lo cambian con más frecuencia y eso se nota. Permitir elegir el orden de salida de los platos. Igual esto ya lo permiten, pero me cansa que el orden siempre sea fritos, plancha/vapor, plancha. Deberían ser los clientes directamente los que elijan como comer lo que han pedido. Los precios de las bebidas están...