Restaurant Barra Alta Barcelona — Restaurant in Barcelona

Frankly disappointed. My friend booked a table for 9.50pm. We headed there for 9.40pm (it was a surprise for his girlfriend celebrating birthday) and once entered the restaurant we are greeted by a waiter to whom I explained that we had a table booked and that we would like to sit. He said the book was ok but the table was not ready yet. We had to wait. The thing is he didn’t invite us to sit at the counter to enjoy a glass of wine whilst waiting for the table - main reason we went there a little before, I had to tell him. And he agreed but with an annoyed attitude (am I missing something? I am the client). Anyway the counter where we were supposed to sit it was close to the entrance sliding door, when the girls were taking their clothes off the sensor was detecting them and the door was opening and closing, the waiter immediately and hysterically told us that such thing cannot be because he had people eating at the counter opposite to ours. He probably wanted us to leave. I had to calm him down asking for him to wait and see if the problem still persisted when they were seated and of course I was right, no problem at all. Me and the girls had a glass of wine chit chatting but unfortunately - because I used to work as a waiter while studying at the university - I still wanted to give the waiter a chance and tried to get along asking to be notified when the table was ready. The answer was “no sir, when you see 5 people leaving you tell me”. Poor me, even rude. The food shall be astonishingly delicious I thought, otherwise I see no reason why I have to bear such a bad mannered attitude. 10 minutes later we were seated and thank God at the table we are attended by another waiter. The dinner went smooth and I was about to forget when after desserts the bill come straight without being asked if we pleased something else before. We paid and still remain reseated enjoying the last drops of wine we ordered, a waiter pass by and shook the bottle to see if there were something left, I said “keep it please, we already paid but wanted to finish the wine enjoying every drop” tho which the waiter answer “whatever you say sir but you have to leave we are closing in 10 minutes”. I beg your pardon?? Just to be clear, they are not going to see me again not in this life nor even in my future lives if I reincarnate. I am not saying they cannot shut the restaurant at midnight, I am saying they have to deliver the messages in a polite and positive way. Communication is everything. And they do not master the art,...

IMPRESSIVE date night at the Michelin restaurant Barra Alta @barraalta.bcn @michelinguide in Barcelona, Madrid 🇪🇸🍷🎊💃🏼

This fine dining opened in 2018 and chefs @cesitarguillen @thereal_danielroca @marcoarriagavargas prepare the most delicious dishes made with high quality ingredients and sustainable seafood. Server Alex was incredibly attentive and friendly 👏

❤️ Ceviche de Sepia!! - Peruvian flavors with Japanese techniques- Cuttlefish from Porto Santo Spirito, lightly cooked in marine water, served ceviche nikkei style with purple onions, fried chulpe corn, lime, and kimchi! OMG!!!

❤️ Cod fritter with black garlic, honey, lime zest. ❤️ Croquette of roasted beef and foie gras Rougié! ❤️ Bomba de Bogavante! - European lobster croquette with salsa Brava and allioli of black garlic. Like Bomba de la Barceloneta (the most famous tapa of Barcelona) 🤤

🍷 Bottle of wine Maeti Fabra @cellermartifabra . Selection “Vinyes Velles” 2021, Girona, Spain. 15% alc. This wine is made of 70% Grenache, 30% Carignan (a grape similar to Mazuelo). Aged 12 months on oak barrels. D.O. Empordà (northeastern corner of Catalonia). 👌🤤❤️

💕 Serving of Rustic Sourdough bread 🥖 and natural water.

💕 Pluma de Bellota - the most exclusive acorn-fed, elegant, and fine pork feather cut of 100% Iberico. Seared on the outside and left juicy inside. Served with flakes of sea salt and chimichurri sauce!!

💕 Calamarcitos de playa! - Grilled squid, very soft. Served with sea salt, extra virgin olive oil, and squid ink reduction 👌👏

Well, I love seafood and great cooking technique. I love good wine 🍷 and good company. It was a spectacular night 🥰

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Alta was among my local finds in the class of 2019, along with Bicnic, which was sadly killed by COVID. Inspired by Carles Abellan’s La Barra in Barceloneta, which I started going to in 2018 (and its subsequent Michelin star), I wanted to find every permutation of that style - casual, simple, delicious, priced well - and Alta was one of my favorites. I regularly visit Barça 2-3 times a year, and Alta was a permanent fixture in my rotation of restos to visit when in town since 2019. Sadly, few restos stay on top. It’s the natural cycle of restaurants. They do well. They get recognition. They start raising prices. The attention to detail and quality gets a little loose. Service gets less friendly. It’s hard to stay in that sweet spot of perfection. Alta was in that sweet spot for me for a long time. Eating there brought joy, and was something I looked forward to every trip. Sadly, Alta has dropped from that lofty perch this trip. The menu has shrunk somewhat drastically. Gone is the bogavente with trumpet mushrooms that was a star. The other dishes have lost a little of their perfection. Prices have gone up. Portions feel smaller. Service a little colder. I can’t put my finger on exactly what’s off. But something was definitely off. Mind you, still a good resto. The egg with shellfish reduction is still great. I wouldn’t discourage friends from going. But just no longer 5 stars for me. Oh well, natural cycle. Time to find new...