Nine Barcelona — Restaurant in Barcelona

This wasn’t just a bad dinner. This was, without exaggeration, the worst restaurant experience I’ve ever had – and I still can’t believe how far this place has fallen.

When we first visited Nine Barcelona in 2022, we were blown away. It was refined, generous, flavorful – a hidden gem. We’ve talked about that meal for years. That’s why we brought our whole family back this time – excited, nostalgic, proud to share a place we once loved.

But what we got was a complete disaster. Dish after dish was disappointing, poorly made, and in some cases borderline insulting.

We ordered a dish we remembered vividly from 2022 – the mussel pot. Back then, it was overflowing and packed with flavor. This time? Barely filled, with most mussels and clams either empty or so small they were barely edible. It felt like they were scraping the bottom of the barrel – literally.

Then came the mains. And that’s where it went from bad to shocking: • The salmon was overcooked, dry, unseasoned, sitting on a few sad veggie strips. The fries – ordered separately – were soggy, thin, half-burnt. Nothing like the golden, thick fries we had last time. • The filet steak (€38) came with barely a spoon of mashed potatoes. It was undercooked, completely bland, and thrown on the plate like they didn’t care. At that price? A disgrace. • The risotto (€23) was just okay – and compared to the rest, that made it the best. • The entrana (€27) was shockingly tough, flavorless, and microscopic. I’ve never had such a bad cut of beef in any restaurant. • The gnocchi in truffle sauce (€26) were mushy, shapeless, and tasteless. It felt like leftover dough with no effort or balance at all.

We finished only three dishes – and even then, only because we were hungry. The fries, gnocchi, and entrana went almost untouched. Every person at the table took one bite, looked around in disbelief, and put their fork down.

I politely called the waiter – he was not to blame, and I made that clear. I showed him photos from our visit three years ago. He was shocked, took photos of my photos to pass along to management. He offered us a free dessert – but we were so disappointed, we just wanted to leave.

When the bill came, everything was still charged in full. Only after I firmly pushed back did they offer 10% off the food, and then (after more discussion) also 10% off drinks. It honestly felt like they didn’t understand how bad this was.

And we weren’t the only ones. A nearby group from the UK also sent their ribs back – too tough to eat. We were told it was “an isolated case.” Clearly, it’s not.

This restaurant has completely lost its soul. It used to be something special – now it’s overpriced, careless, and disrespectful to its customers. Charging €25–€40 per dish and delivering food this poor is outrageous.

I’m uploading the receipt to prove this is a real experience. If you loved this place in the past – I’m so sorry. It’s gone. And if you’ve never been – don’t. Save yourself the money and the disappointment.

Absolutely...

Had a lovely dinner at 9 Nine. This was the first dinner seating after their summer break. Service and food were both excellent!

They had a set menu (40 eur without drinks, 45 eur with drinks). We chose the drinks option which came with 3 glasses of wine each. Both menu also came with a welcome drink of choice, my partner had the cava while I had the beer.

For the selection of the appetizers, we chose the foie with eggs, mussels and the prawns.

Foie with eggs, potato and truffle: The blend of the ingredients were superb! (portions were a little large for 2 pax, did manage to finish it as it was our first course). Would have preferred a smaller portion for 2 pax.

Mussels: Only complaint was that there were too many mussels as we were served an entire pot of them! Could not finish and I felt bad wasting the food :(

Prawns were perfectly cooked, deshelled, and in perfect portion, two pieces each.

For the mains we chose the suckling pig and the ribeye (additional charge)

No complaints about the beef, it was well cooked. They also provided a hot plate if you would like to make the meat more cooked if necessary. It also came with a side of potato or fries (which we unfortunately did not eat as we were too full)

Suckling pig was really well done, meat fell off the bone and the skin was really crispy. The innermost part did feel a little mushy though but I think that can’t be helped with the way the dish is prepared in the event the meat is over cooked.

Chose the Mille feuilles which came with vanilla ice cream and combined really well with the pastry. Also had the creme Brûlée which was excellent! Would love another chance to visit during my next trip...

I’ve walked by this restaurant for over a year and have always been curious. Booked a table for my parents’ visit based on reviews on here.

What an amazingly delightful experience. Firstly, the atmosphere is beautiful. Lovely high end restaurant feel but unpretentious. All of the staff is friendly.

We ordered the set menu with wine… usually the food on a set menu with fixed price is super small and just ‘okay’, but wow wow wow. Cannot get over this meal and how much I’ve been missing out. One of the best I’ve had in Barcelona and very reasonably priced compared to some of the neighbours.

The food was superb. I had an amazing steak and cannot get over the mussels which were incredible (the broth!!!). The steak tartare is also worth a grab (frankly, everything looked unreal but I’d be wheeled out if I ate more because the set menu is perfectly sized!).

For gluten free people, the restaurant is super flexible and the staff is 100% knowledgeable on what you can eat, and you will eat WELL. So gluten free people, we have one more place to go!!

Even the set menu wine was great.

What a night! Thank you for an amazing experience. I’m so happy to have booked this restaurant and will be coming back again in the future!!!

If you’re considering a nice dining experience in Barcelona for an extremely reasonable price, come here and experience a wonderful night. You will not regret this!

Book ahead so you don’t miss out!

Special thanks again to the chef and staff. You really made my family feel extra special by doing all the right things!!! You truly provided a 5++ experience and I’m grateful for your hospitality and your dedication to...