National Burger — Restaurant in Barcelona

I believe I have a different concept of what a Steak House should be. Unfortunately, several small details left me quite disappointed with my experience.

For example, they didn’t provide a beer mat, and my table ended up getting all wet. I had to improvise with a napkin, and when I asked for more, they only gave me two. The salad was drenched in an extremely sweet sauce, which completely overpowered the fresh ingredients.

As for the meat, the concept is that you cook it yourself at the table. In my opinion, this defeats the purpose of going to a Steak House. The meat arrives barely seared, and you’re left to finish it on a small grill, which leaves you smelling like smoke by the end of the meal. While the meat display is impressive, the self-cooking concept just doesn’t work for me. If I go out, it’s because I expect the restaurant to prepare my meal properly.

On top of that, the fries were far too salty, which made them difficult to enjoy.

Overall, while the presentation and display were appealing, the execution and service left a lot...

I live just around the corner, so I was hoping this was solid. But it was not just not very good. Some context - I'm Canadian by birth but grew up in Texas. We know beef. My standard in Barcelona is Mr. Porter, though admittedly it's a completely different level of restaurant.

The salad was not bad (can't remember the name but it was just vegetables, including overcooked asparagus).

The glass of Tempranillo was oddly watery - I'm not suggesting the restaurant did anything unusual, I saw them open the bottle. It just wasn't very good.

I ordered the aged entrecote from Spain, medium rare, and it was undercooked when presented - but they then provided a mini-stove on which to cook the meat further, all good.

But wow, that was a lot of work cutting away the inedible bits - there was a lot of gristle, tendon, etc. Not appetizing.

The service wasn't bad at all, though the music was an odd fit - melancholic female vocals over a 4-on-the-floor beat.

For me, this is a neighborhood restaurant so I was hoping it...

I w as exhausted after a long day. This restaurant was a few doors down from my hotel and I was hungry. The beef display in the window caught my eye, and the menu was posted next to it on the wall. Completely intended to grab a quick burger- I just wasn’t up for anything more - yes, I’m a bad tourist at times. After being warmly welcomed, I took a more detailed look at the menu - there was a group of two older tourist couples and me in the place. I’ll cut to the chase- a great steak experience, if you are craving red meat, well prepared, with a “special something” added to the dining experience, this is the place. Well prepared steak, crisp whole potato fries, and a solid red wine to accompany. Barcelonians eat beef, it’s ok to enjoy a well prepared steak when traveling even though it may not be what is expected as a dining experience. Family friendly, the place was full when I left...