cafe bar xouba — Restaurant in Carnota

I was so lucky to find this place as I was traveling by myself. It was a cold rainy night on a solo surf trip of mine and I googled restaurants nearby that had the highest reviews. This one was the highest for many reasons. For me the food is important when I go to a restaurant but I would say that the ambiance, the feel, the vibe, whatever you want to call it, and most importantly the people who run the establishment are also equally as important to me.

I come from a small surfing and fishing town on the east coast of New Jersey in the United States and when I stepped foot into this restaurant I honestly felt like I was back at home, despite the fact that I was on the other side of the pond in a remote town in Galicia.

Since it was raining and it was offseason I happened to be the only person in the restaurant when I first got there and I was met with Chus, Paola, and Maritina, the three women that were running the show. Not only was the squid delicious along with the wine and liquor, but I couldn't have felt more welcome while eating the entire time. Since I only speak English the vast majority of our conversations took place over Google translate but Chus couldn't have been more willing.

I felt like I was being taken care of by my own grandmother and it was so comforting especially due to the fact that I was traveling solo. The place is filled with old maritime mementos and memorabilia, specifically about the local area. I couldn't help but walk around in the middle of my meal.

It was only after 3 hours of having conversations with these wonderful women, meeting they're good friends who were sitting down to eat, and enjoying all of the food that I finally had to leave. I totally recommend this restaurant, not only due to the delicious food but to the way that the owners make you feel when you come in, as if you are one of the...

We had a reservation at 2:15, we waited 20 mins until someone come to attend us. Another 30 mins until the first order arrived. So in total we waited 50 mins to start eating. There's only 1 lady taking care of the tables and that has to be improved. Although she apologized, but she sometimes say down in the table chat with others.

The food was okay, the zamburiñas was really good, the pulpo was just ok but the desert is really good. You can really tell it's casera.

In general, I wouldn't recommend this place, it doesn't worth the time you need to wait.

(Side note, There was a family of 4 without reservation, she was busy and maybe a bit mad, so she told the family there's no empty space. But around 15 mins later, it was less busy and another group of 4 arrived without reservation, she told the group to sit down. We felt bad for the family just because they arrived at the wrong moment when she...

¡Necesito 6 estrellas para sitios así! Para poder entender mi reacción y mi sorpresa hay que saber los antecedentes. Estamos de viaje por la zona y la lluvia nos impide seguir con el plan previsto, así que decidimos improvisar y buscar algún buen sitio para comer camino de vuelta del hotel. Mi mujer conducía y me dice: “Sorpréndeme con una buena elección”. Y ahí estoy yo buscando desde el coche sitios que estuvieran en la ruta, hasta que doy con este restaurante, nada glamuroso, pero me bastó leer apenas 5 opiniones para comprender que era una de esas joyas gastronómicas escondidas con las que muy de vez en cuando te topas. A primera vista nada en su decoración externa ni interna hace pensar que se pueda disfrutar tanto comiendo aquí, pero cuando empiezan a desfilar los platos ves que has llegado al sitio correcto. Todo lo servido es auténtico, sin artificios, de calidad y abundante. Pero por encima de todo se aprecia el cariño de una familia entera en cada plato y en cada detalle: te recomiendan lo mejor del día, te orientan, pasan continuamente por las mesas, te dan calor humano y te hacen sentir como en casa. Voy a los platos, y recomiendo que se vean las fotos que acompañan esta crítica para hacerse una idea más exacta. Empezamos con una ración impresionante de mejillones impresionantes (y no es redundancia), algunos de un porte insuperable. Después atacamos un plato de camarones abundante y delicioso, fresquísimos. Continuamos con unas volandeiras (que en casi todos los sitios llaman erróneamente zamburiñas) de buen tamaño y exquisito sabor. Pero la gran sorpresa fue la tortilla de patatas, que pedimos tras leer opiniones previas, y realmente recomiendo pedirla: la hacen al punto y con los ingredientes que se le pidan; ¡y la clavan! ¡Qué cosa más rica! Se nota que se hace con ingredientes locales y de la máxima calidad. Probamos también media ración de zorza (carne adobada) con patatas fritas. Terminamos con dos postres: tarta americana y crema de limón, el primero mejor que el segundo. La casa nos invitó a unos chupitos. La cuenta final fue de unos 40€ por persona, pero pocas veces he pagado una comida tan a gusto. Una pena que este restaurante esté a más de 900 kilómetros de mi casa, porque es de los sitios a los que...