MR PORTER Barcelona — Restaurant in Barcelona

I recently visited Mr Porter in Barcelona as a group of six, eager to sample their Sunday roast. Given the restaurant’s reputation, I was excited to learn they offered a roast dinner, which is rather difficult to find in the city. At 42 EUR for the main dish, I expected something special.

On arrival, we were a little early, and there was no one immediately available to greet us. We had coats and bags from the day’s adventures, so we settled at the hotel bar. Once a staff member became available, I informed them we were ready, and we were then shown to our table. It was only after we were seated and struggling to find space for our belongings that we were asked if we would like to store our coats in the cloakroom. This really should have been arranged right at the start.

Our anticipation for the meal was high. I chose the beef roast, though there were also pork and vegetarian options available. Upon arrival, the portions looked reasonable, but the details left much to be desired. The horseradish served with the beef was closer to a mayonnaise in both taste and texture, entirely lacking the sharp flavour of a proper horseradish.

The plate itself comprised a substantial-looking Yorkshire pudding, a portion of meat, and a handful of roast potatoes. Regrettably, the Yorkshire pudding was terrible. Despite its appealing appearance, it tasted as though it had been left out to dry for days—cold, stale, and utterly disappointing. Of the handful roast potatoes I received, only one was actually good, earning perhaps a 7/10. The remainder were mediocre, edging towards bland and forgettable and non had the delightful crisp.

We were given two small plates of vegetables and two small plates of braised red cabbage to share among six people. While these sides were reasonably tasty, each plate felt suited to a single person rather than three. The biggest let-down, however, was the gravy. We received just two small jugs—each roughly 50 millilitres—to be shared among three guests. As someone from the North of England, I find such meagre gravy portions almost comical. A proper Sunday roast simply requires abundant, flavourful gravy, not a rationed trickle.

By the end of the meal, after one bottle of water for the table and a round of drinks, the total cost had climbed to 64 EUR per person. I am unsure how we moved from the 42 EUR main dish to this final figure—possibly a service charge or a series of unseen extras—but the overall value fell woefully short. If ignoring the cost, I might have rated the meal around 5/10. Without the excellent meat, the rest would struggle to reach 3/10. Considering the steep price, I cannot muster more than a 2/10 for the entire experience.

Ultimately, I left feeling frustrated and baffled by the restaurant’s positive reputation. Between the inadequate service at the start, the poor-quality Yorkshire pudding, the stingy gravy portions, and the lacklustre sides, there is no reason for me to return. I cannot recommend Mr Porter’s Sunday roast and will certainly not be repeating...

This is a mixed review. There were some real highlights but serious criticisms. We were “greeted” by an unfriendly hostess, barely even an acknowledgment, zero expression and immediately told us there was a time limit on our table. Very unwelcoming. Time limit is fine, but make me feel welcome first. Then we were led to our table, this is by far the biggest faux pas, our table was right at the entrance, more like a bar table vs a dining table. The seat was a couch, HORRIBLY uncomfortable for eating. If you sat far enough for back support, you couldn’t reach the table. I’ve literally never been so uncomfortable during a dining experience. Another couple came in while we were eating an were sat at a similar table and complained and were moved, we should have done the same. It’s like they seat you there to make sure you don’t stay long. It was ridiculous. Our waiter was courteous and no complaints about his service. I had red wine and my partner a cocktail, both were nice. For starters, we ordered the MR PORTER'S FOCACCIA, ROASTED POTATO CARPACCIO, WITH BELUGA CAVIAR, JUMBO PRAWN WITH GRILLED CORN, AVOCADO AND DRIED CHILLI SAUCE. They were all delicious. Especially the jumbo prawn and corn dish, so bright and flavorful, with a nice spice. Very little prawn in the dish though, it was cut up and maybe the equivalent of 1-2 prawns. For our mains we ordered, Ribeye and HAND CUT PASTA WITH SHORT RIB. The ribeye was well seasoned and cooked properly but had a large amount of gristle we had to cut around, it was a good but average steak. The pasta with short rib was rich and flavorful but a little one note, the short rib was very tender. For sides we had the cauliflower Mac and cheese and the GRILLED ASPARAGUS WITH PIMIENTOS PADRÓN. The Mac and cheese was sharp and so cheesy and delicious! The asparagus was wonderful, and perfectly cooked. We ordered far too much because we were excited about the menu, and had more than half our main courses and sides left, we asked if we could take the rest with us which they wouldn’t allow. I thought that was totally ridiculous. We spend $230 for our meal and only got to eat half of it! I don’t care how “cool” you think your restaurant is, I paid for my food, I should be able to stay as long as I like or take it with me. Such a disappointment. We had cheesecake for dessert, which was lovely. All in all, the food was great and one of the best meals we’ve had in Barcelona, but it was a very uncomfortable dining experience and I would never return. When I travel, I collect dining experiences, I really had much higher hopes for Mr. Porter. Lose the “ too cool for take away” and velvet couches, let the food shine and don’t sully the experience for...

Short version: poor service, food mediocre, overpriced and this place is not what it used to be.

Long version: the place so clearly understaffed, nobody to meet guests at the entrance (yet several bouncers showing you in), we have a reservation for a party of 6, and the first ones to arrive are told that we will only have the table for 2 hours. So you’d think someone would be there to take orders quickly, but the reality is that we sit and wait for at least 30 minutes before we are even offered the menu and water to drink (not even taking drink orders). And that happens only because one of us gets up — twice — to ask someone to come.

Lady who seems to be our main waitress off the bat tells us how we should order our food in a way that seems as though we’re not really there to spend money on a proper dinner. Which is kind of sad, especially when we are trying to order a magnum bottle of champagne to kick the dinner off. When that message finally comes across, a guy shows up with a bottle and 2 champagne glasses. When he sees my expression of disbelief (we are 6 people) he suggests that we drink the champagne from our wine glasses.

Waiters keep mixing up orders, and have no sense of timing (one of us basically has to sit and wait for the main course until everyone else has finished eating theirs). Main courses are being served while empty starter plates are still on the table, cutlery isn’t changed and after making a remark about it, some knives are slapped on the table when we are already eating with previous cutlery because the meat is getting cold.

Through all of this, nobody is trying to ask us how the food is. Shouldn’t be too much to expect when you are spending 150€ per person.

Another thing worth mentioning is cleanliness — clients are offered to use only one WC situated on the same floor (one!) and when you ask for alternatives, they show you off to the ground floor WC where you notice that only one stall has been conveniently left open.

We were there to have a good time and thank god our attitude was settled on keeping it that way, but we are never coming back nor are we ever...