Rincón Persa — Restaurant in Barcelona

Once was enough

Dining at this Iranian restaurant marked the final part of our 5-day journey. The decision to eat here came based on a friend’s recommendation, hoping to end the trip with a familiar and comforting meal. Unfortunately, our experience was far from what we had hoped for. From the moment we arrived, the atmosphere felt cold and impersonal. Despite being a group of Iranians walking into an Iranian restaurant, there was no sense of welcome, hospitality, or effort from the staff or the owner to make us feel at home—something that is traditionally at the heart of Persian dining culture. Appetizer: We ordered kashk-e bademjan (eggplant and whey dip) served with bread. The bread, however, was not Iranian at all—it was corn tortilla, with a strong flavor that clashed with the dip and had no connection to traditional Persian bread in taste or texture. Main Courses: Gheimeh Stew: The gheimeh looked and tasted nothing like the classic Iranian dish. The color and flavor were off, and the texture was disappointing. The meat pieces in this stew were unusually large, lacking any attention to proportion or tenderness. Ghormeh Sabzi: This was particularly underwhelming. It was immediately obvious that canned herbs and canned beans were used. The stew lacked depth, aroma, and authenticity—so much so that even my son, who normally enjoys this dish, couldn’t finish it. In stark contrast to the large meat chunks in the gheimeh, the ghormeh sabzi barely contained any visible meat at all. The lack of consistency in the portions between these two stews was very noticeable and disappointing. Barg Kebab: While the use of beef instead of lamb can be acceptable, the cut used was from a very tough part of the cow. The pieces were thick, large, and not at all in the style of a traditional barg kebab, which should be thinly sliced and tenderized. The koobideh kebab, which was served alongside, had a different flavor and was slightly dry. A good koobideh should be juicy and lightly fatty to maintain both moisture and taste, but this one lacked both of those essential qualities. Chenjeh Kebab: This dish was made with lamb, but the chunks were extremely large—each piece needed to be cut into smaller pieces just to be chewable. The meat also lacked the necessary fat content that makes a good chenjeh juicy and flavorful. Joojeh Kebab (Chicken): I chose this dish expecting it to be the safest option. It had a decent taste, but again, the chicken pieces were quite large. After cutting into them, it was clear that the marinade hadn't fully penetrated, and some parts were still pale and unseasoned in the center. Tea: The tea served at the end was one of the few positives. It came with rock candy (nabat), and the mint tea, in particular, was generously brewed with fresh mint leaves, which we appreciated. Final Verdict: As a one-time experience, it was interesting to try—especially at the end of a trip—but to be completely honest, I would not return. The food lacked authenticity, the preparation and presentation were poor, and the service lacked the warmth and hospitality one would expect from an Iranian establishment. It's not a place I could...

This restaurant was one of my favorite places in town about a year ago. Last time I went there, food was mediocre and service was pitiful. The owner was annoyed at our requests and the waitresses had no idea on how to serve a large table, passing dishes, drinks and cutlery above our heads all of the time, they confused the orders, mixed vegetarian orders with meat products and noted desserts twice and although we had already paid for them, they were charging twice, which of course we didn’t pay, then the owner accused us of trying to get away with eating desserts for free?! Are you kidding?…then, one of the guests at the table got food poisoning or some kind of intoxication (maybe because they had cooked the vegetarian orders in animal protein broth, beware if you cannot tolerate crossed contamination with animal products). In general the experience was very disappointing to say the less. It used to be a good place, if you like challenges and risks then give it a try, if you prefer safety then avoid it. Just make sure the waitresses understand your request and double check with them every time to avoid surprises at paying the bill. Do not ask vegetarian, they do not understand the concept. And beware you’d be scolded live and online, when you express your dissatisfaction with their quality and services. (As you will probably notice in the expected reply from the restaurant’s owner here below -just waiting for it to come-) …it used to be one of my favorite places in town, but...

Lovely food but they were clearly overbooked and understaffed. On top of that one member of staff (I assume the owner) was rude when we asked about whether we could have a glass of Shiraz instead of a bottle. He was explaining in Spanish but he had VERY little patience when my Spanish partner asked him to repeat (simply because he didn’t hear what the man said very clearly) and the man said ‘NO ME ENTIENDES! (‘You don’t understand me’) rolled his eyes and turned away, grabbed a menu angrily told us that there was only one wine we could order as a glass. Totally fine but ZERO need for the horrible attitude especially when we simply didn’t hear you. I honestly couldn’t believe it. He also didn’t hesitate to show frustration at his staff in front of us. It was uncomfortable. This isn’t a fake troll review as I am happy to report that the other waiters were LOVELY and handled the pressure they were under, apologizing at every moment they could for things that really weren’t there fault. They did the best they could and the food was DELICIOUS. I can’t give it higher than a 3 because we didn’t need the bad attitude from the manager/owner guy and it just left us with a bad feeling. It was our first time there too. Please look after your staff and your dinner guests with more tact, it doesn’t cost a penny to be kind and show patience. If you achieve that, I’d happily come and spend my money there...