Restaurante La Isleta de la Viña — Restaurant in Cádiz

We came to this restaurant based on a recommendation and also from all the great Google Reviews. Unfortunately we were greatly dissapointed. We walked in for dinner at around 9pm which is a busy time in most restaurants and were sat down in a brightly lit room with only a quarter of tables occupied. This was the first red flag. My companion asked me if this was the right restaurant as we were expecting it to be busy and popular. The bright heavy stoplight made us feel as they we were in an operating theatre. We ordered the Sardines, chicharonnes, octopus and tuna Tataki. The Sardines came out and were edible but one of the dishes served them with goats cheese which was a little odd. Then came the octopus with goats cheese (they love their goats cheese!) which was completely inedible. It was so rubbery it felt like chewing on a car tyre. I asked the waiter if we could have it sent back as it was clearly overcooked. We couldn't even cut into it because it was so tough. The replacement was slightly less chewy but still not great. I was surprised that the waiter did not ask us if this version was better after we tasted it but instead only asked when it came to paying. Not great customer service. The tuna Tataki was the most bizzare dish I have ever had - a mix of curry sause, peppers, dressing and soy sauce. Way too many flavours on a plate which are just overpowering the tuna. I think the chef is just trying too much and needs to scale it back a bit. The waiters dressed in caps, trainers and tracksuit bottoms look like they are more dressed for a fast food restaurant than a well respected restaurant. I was surprised to see that the octopus had not been removed from the bill or at least discounted considering we complained about it. That evening both me and my companion felt unwell and think it must have been the poorly...

Cucarachas! Cockroaches! This was the worst gastronomic experience of my life. We came to Cádiz for one day, carefully chose a restaurant based on reviews, and, to our great regret, ended up picking this one. We were incredibly tired from the road and absolutely starving, and it was pouring rain outside. Probably that’s why, when we found a table here without a reservation, we were just happy to sit down. But we should have left immediately after being seated, our table was only two meters from the kitchen, and there was the smell of rotten fish! Absolutely disgusting. Still, our unwillingness to look for another place was stronger than our sense of disgust, so we stayed. And doomed ourselves to a terrible experience. The menu was terribly boring, so out of hunger and desperation we just pointed at some pasta. But the waitress refused to take our order without drinks. My husband ordered a beer at once, and I wanted to take a moment to decide, but she wouldn’t let me - so I also took beer, even though I could’ve chosen something more expensive. Our order: two pastas, a salad, two beers, and later we ordered croquettes. The croquettes were served with cockroaches. I don’t know if they were already on the plate when it came from the kitchen or if they crawled over from somewhere in the restaurant, but the fact remains: this place is completely unsanitary. I managed to take a couple of photos, though they came out blurry - panic and disgust are not the best conditions for photography. The restaurant did not apologize, only the waitress did. They removed only the croquettes from the bill, as if the problem were limited to that dish. I find this absolutely unacceptable and outrageous. I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone, unless, of course, you enjoy cockroaches...

Quite possibly the worst restaurant experience I've ever had in all my years of travelling. I had researched restaurants in Cadiz that cater to vegans/vegetarians and discovered La Isleta de la Vina offered a few options. When my friends and I arrived, we were not greeted by any waiter so we decided to pick up the menus ourselves, which were on display at the entrance. We waited at least 15 minutes and no one came to take our order. We then approached the bar and said hello to the waiter before placing our order. Just as I started speaking, he aggressively snatched the menu out of my hand and launched into a bizarre, angry rant. He declared that customers 'were not to touch the menus' and that 'the kitchen is CLOSED - food is not served at this time.' Alarmed by his hostility, I explained that that wasn't made very clear and he proceeded to try to take my arm and direct me towards the entrance to 'show me the sign'. I said that this was not necessary, as I was already sure I was not going to stay any longer.

It was probably the strangest experience I've ever had in a restaurant. The man's behaviour was completed unprovoked and left us feeling very uncomfortable. I sincerely hope he works on his anger issues, but I would never, ever recommend this place - it is completely unacceptable to speak to anyone, let alone the customers of your business, in such a disrespectful manner. On the bright side, the next day I ended up visiting La Veganesa, a nearby vegan restaurant, and had a really positive experience, which...