Ultramarinos Marín — Restaurant in Barcelona

We were recommended Ultramarinos Marin by a local and it turned out to be both the best quality meal that we had during our five days in Spain but also the most expensive - by a long way - at around 75 euros per head - without any wine/alcohol. There is no doubting the quality of the food here - it's certainly Michelin star. The place runs like clockwork, as you might expect, and every person has a very specific role. However, just before coming I had some apprehension because most of the reviews on TripAdvisor were negative while most on Google were positive. What a dichotomy! Once I got there I think I know why this is - a lot of the experience depends on who takes your order. In our case our order was taken by a lady (perhaps the only female server) who was extremely aggressive. She didn't push us into ordering alcohol but she did push us into ordering 8 tapas between the 2 of us. As it turned out 6 would have sufficed but I totally get that some people could have been totally happy with 8. We asked if we could order 6 first and she said that this was absolutely not possible and that we'd have to order everything ab initio. I can understand that this might get people's backs up. We were a little upset by that although I have to say that the two chefs who served us could not have been nicer. And it was great to be served each dish only when we'd finished one. We ordered both the gambeta panxuda and the gamba vermella. I have to say I loved the former while the latter was just alright. Strangely, the most expensive dish was the pot of mushrooms - it was lovely but that was a bit surprising and probably the least good value on the menu. What was a pleasant surprise was the patata - yes a simple Spanish staple - but I'd never had it like this - and it was superb. The squid was lovely and available in a couple of different permutations while the necora parilla was extremely disappointing: not that expensive - but a lot of hard work for little return. The anchovies were superb and a nice surprise. Would we come here again - absolutely - because this level of quality is hard to find - though at that price it would have to be a...

We actually heard about this restaurant after chatting to the owner of another restaurant we had had dinner at, who recommended this place to us. It is very popular and so proved quite tricky to get a reservation there, but we managed to and I'm SO glad we did. This restaurant is on the expensive side in relation to the food portions, so be forewarned; but I feel that the food is absolutely worth it. It offers fine-dining food, but the lively and bustling venue made it feel like a hip bar/diner, the dichotomy of which just added to the experience. That did make it, however, quite noisy, and were right at the back of the restaurant which felt a bit cramped, but at least we weren't right in the middle of the noise. The entire menu was in Catalan, but our server took the time to diligently explain everything to us (luckily it wasn't hugely extensive!), and patiently answer our many questions about several different dishes. Having read reviews, we knew the dishes were small, so we ordered a fair number of them, making sure we tried their famous seafood. I can honestly say that while I wish the dishes had been bigger, each one was exquisitely delicious, and there were some flavours I had never experienced before. There was something that was similar to roe served on bread, which melted in your mouth like butter and tasted like the ocean! Their chorizo, tuna, foie gras, ox burger and hake were all outstanding. The restaurant was incredibly busy and we had to wait to be seen initially, so our server offered us a free appetizer; and because he forgot one of our orders, he offered us free dessert by way of apology! And we hadn't even complained! Highly highly recommended if you want to treat yourself -- this will be definitely on the repeat visit list for when we go back...

I try. I try so hard to find a way to love, or even like, this place! Because so many people, especially restaurant people, LOVE this place. Revere this place! I don’t get it. I really really don’t. I’ve been here multiple times. That doesn’t even include the multiple times I’ve been turned away because the waitlist was full. Impossible to book here - and that’s an understatement. Grossly overpriced. So expensive!! And for what? Basically classic simple techniques - there is no creative flair, or combinations you’ve never tasted anywhere else. Just good basic ingredients. Are you really willing to pay this much of a premium for those ingredients, to eat here?? I’ve never gone below 100€ a head here. And it’s always a fish that blows up the bill. I can’t even tell you what fish - because it wasn’t memorable. You’re also sitting elbow to elbow with your neighbor diners. Either at a cramped table, or at the packed bar. Every time I’ve come here, we’ve been scrunched in like sardines. And the smoke!! OMG the smoke! Because it’s an open kitchen / open griddle (with apparently horrible ventilation), you will ALWAYS get smoked when dining here. Your cloths will reek. Just such an underwhelming experience. I always cringe when someone suggests or recommends this place. You know what I’d rather do? Walk 15 minutes over to La Paradeta for lunch (because Ultramarinos is NEVER open for dinner like a normal resto!!), stuff my face full of seafood for a fraction of the price, in a relaxed dining room that isn’t a madhouse. So much better. You can...