Monster Sushi I Aribau — Restaurant in Barcelona

I thought my experience was odd, and this place had such a good rating - I was really hoping for better quality. I’d say overall it’s 2-3 stars. I ordered a mix of tuna, salmon and shrimp (nigiri, sashimi, and rolls). The shrimp and tuna were prepared well, but I had issues with both preparations of the salmon. The roll was chewy/tough, as if the fish wasn’t cut properly or maybe it was toward the tail end of the meat. The salmon sashimi wasn’t cut all the way through, and I had to pull it apart with my fingers, though it did seem to be cut in the correct direction, or it was a better part of the fish. When asked if I was enjoying my meal, I said it was okay, but that I thought the roll may have been prepared incorrectly (I spit it into my napkin, even tried two pieces but both were bad). I didn’t even bring up the fact that three pieces of salmon sashimi were served without being fully separated from each other. The waiter didn’t really let me finish speaking, but insisted on taking my plate. He came back a while later and said that I was incorrect - they tasted the roll and it was prepared as it should have been, so they would make me a tuna plate instead - I just said okay. About 15-20 minutes had passed since they took my half finished plate before they came back with four pieces of tuna roll - I still had a couple of pieces of sashimi remaining on my original plate they took away. It felt like they were offended that I gave an honest response when asked about the food - why ask if you’ll gaslight me anyway? I asked for the other remaining sashimi and they did bring it - it just felt like I had pissed off the kitchen. It was a bizarre experience - I would not recommend this restaurant overall. The atmosphere was nice and the people I spoke to were personable though. Maybe the other food is better, but I don’t imagine...

Monster Sushi was overall a bit of a disappointment, and for the price I’d expect much better. I give the food 4 stars because the edamame was overcooked and almost mushy, and the crispy duck came out as a bunch of tiny, dry pieces, almost as if a bunch of duck bits had been thrown into the fryer. But what really brings the overall rating down for me was the service. Not friendly, welcoming, or accommodating… we had to ask for just a glass about 6 or 7 times before someone brought it, about an hour later. A glass! Was actually shocking to get that level of disregard, and I tend to give servers the benefit of the doubt most of the time, having worked the job for years. Something was deeply wrong with the coordination of the service at Monster Sushi last night. That aside, the tuna tataki was excellent, sushi rolls weee good, and the vibes inside were great (except for some water dripping off the pipes above us, but oh well that was tolerable, only happened 3 times). I think this place can get a lot better if they try, but they missed the mark for...

The interior was surprisingly nice, the food was good, and the prices were reasonable.

The sushi tasted good, but they weren’t rolled well. Almost every piece fell apart when I picked it up with my chopsticks.

I tried the Negromix roll, the Redondo Beach tempura, and five types of nigiri.

Personally, I enjoyed the nigiri more. Here’s how I would rank them:

Pez Mantequilla with truffle Eel Tuna Salmon Dorada

For drinks, I had toasted rice tea, which I highly recommend as it pairs wonderfully with sushi.

Overall, I enjoyed my dinner and am glad I visited this restaurant, but it’s not a must-visit if you’re...