Norico Brunch & Sushi — Restaurant in Barcelona

“Didn’t live up to the hype.”

Norico has been very popular on social media for its Japanese pancakes, so I was excited to try it. Unfortunately, the experience didn’t quite meet expectations, specially with the pancakes. We ordered several dishes, but it took over an hour for the first ones to arrive — quite a long wait just to have breakfast, especially since the restaurant wasn’t full.

When the food finally came, it was served in a very disorganized way — the dishes arrived one by one instead of all together, so we couldn’t really eat at the same time. The avocado toast, which was very simple, was served last when everyone at the table had almost finished their food.

Even though the dishes looked nice, they didn’t really live up to the hype. Everything lacked a bit of attention to detail — the bread served with the shakshuka wasn’t even toasted, it felt like it came straight from the bag, and the poached egg on my quinoa bowl was overcooked. Presentation was fine, but the execution fell short.

The famous pancakes were the biggest letdown — they looked nothing like the ones shown online. We ordered the apple crunch, and while the flavor was okay, it lacked texture and felt incomplete. The topping was mostly sweet cooked apples with a bit of poorly served ice cream, and overall it didn’t match what’s advertised.

The staff were polite, but the explanations we got (“that’s just how it is”) didn’t really help. It’s not a terrible place — some dishes were fine — but overall, it felt overhyped and slow. I’ve had much better brunch experiences in Barcelona, so for now, I’d say Norico looks better on social media...

The restaurant has very nice interiors and the 3/4 of the plates we ordered were very good but our experience here was horrible. Very horrible service. There was a waitress with a really nice personality and apologized for the time it took to serve our meal.

Strike 1: My husband and I had a reservation. Upon entering, we gestured to the waiter and waited to be seated. The waiter responds without a hello or welcome, and points to an empty table to our right.

Strike 2: We came here to try the fluffy pancakes. The menu says “from 25mins” so we decided to order one first while deciding on the rest of our order. Same waiter that “attended” to us earlier came to take our order. I order the pancakes and I was responded with “do you know how long the wait for that is?” and after the confusion, I say that the menu says at least 25 minutes. The waiter tells me “well no, it’s currently for 1.5 hours.” My husband and I were ready to leave but didn’t want the hassle of finding a new place to eat so we ordered it anyway.

Strike 3: We made the rest of our order. Pancakes arrived in 30mins. My plate took another 30, and my husband’s another 30.

I can’t recommend it to anyone for a pleasant meal, but the food is worth...

I was really looking forward to trying this place, but unfortunately, my experience was disappointing. When I arrived, I was told there would be a 40-minute wait for their famous pancakes, and out of all the menu options, only one was actually available.

The music was electronic, and had a club-like vibe, not really my style, and definitely not the atmosphere I was expecting for a meal.

The waitstaff were polite, but the service was lacking. I had to ask for my order three times, and it seemed like cleaning another table was prioritized over taking care of mine.

What really stood out — in a negative way — was an interaction I witnessed between what appeared to be a manager and a waitress. He physically moved her by the hips while she was in the middle of taking an order, placing her in a different spot at the table. It was uncomfortable to watch and felt completely unnecessary and unprofessional.

Unfortunately, based on this experience, I wouldn’t return. The toast I got was very good that’s why I have 4...