Restaurant S'Amarador - Port de Ciutadella — Restaurant in Ciutadella

just so you know, i rarely give 2 stars. so ... i wanted a good seafood place with ambiance in mid-August. i was willing to pay a little extra for it too so i could have an exceptional family meal. i chose this location and ... i honestly don't think you get what you pay for on most counts. the location is superb, yes, that much is true, but there are simply too many people stuffed in here for it to be but only so good. for starters, the waitstaff are tired and stressed to even seem like they care any more than minimally required. in fact, they often avoided eye contact and leered at the customers (including catalan speakers, which says a lot). our food was not prepared the way we ordered it (so i sent it back) and we were discoraged from ordering the fish dish of choice as the kitchen was "too busy" (really?!). we ate outside as it was "unlikely" any spots would be available inside (not sure how the hostess knew that) but thank god, as it was pretty humid and sweaty in there (even poshly dressed people sweat). the bathrooms were dirty in every way which, according to chef anthony bourdain, is a good indicator of how things are in the kitchen ... yikes! our bill for a family of 4 came to just shy of 100€ ... and that was without dessert. we went to the nextdoor yogurt place for 2€ a pop and the kids were charmed. i don't doubt this locale has earned its name, but it is tarnished significantly during high season, in my opinion, where quality is replaced by mad quantity. my advice, the port is back to back full of good eating spots, so go somewhere else. or if you insist on going, reserve well in advance or get there early (8pm) to waitlist your party or you will suffer and wait while watching others sat there just in front of you chowing down in their posh summer attire. and there you have it. take it...

Very poor experience. Food average. Menu unclear/worded in a way to trick you into paying more. Waiters seem to aimlessly wander about talking to each other but don’t seem to do much. Difficult to get anyone’s attention for anything. We got a table by the port but view blocked by endless queues of people waiting for a table. If you do go, go at 7pm to get a good table outside quickly. It was recommended as a great restaurant for coeliac choices but there really is very little and the waiter made it clear my brother was a great nuisance. Sighing heavily by our table. We asked for recommendations and he just said Have what you like. Told me the fish was a fillet - it wasn’t, it was on the bone and full of small bones. Supposed to come with ‘tender garlic’. It didn’t, it came with onion, when I was explicit in which option I wanted. In summary, very average food, terrible customer service and way over priced. Will never go back (and I go to Menorca/Ciutadella often) and would not recommend for anyone let alone someone who wants gluten free. Far better choices and customer service elsewhere. Don’t...

The place and decoration are themselves a good resson to check-in: they sit right in the middle of Ciutadella port, exactly in the of the most busy spots yet with nice views as well. The menu and the quality of the food are another good reason to check in as well as they have plenty of seafood, including local lobster specialities. Despite good points above it is clearly overpriced. They take advantage of their location, their well-known legacy and the quality of their food to set high prices, but quantity and execution for some dishes are not always up to the bar. Service was the other big disappointment and the reason for tve low score: perhaps we were not lucky with the waiter this time but, dispite being polite, he was totally dumb: despite explaining clearly the order of the dishes, they brought them in a total ilogical order that ruined the experience.. This is NOT acceptable for a place with such category and such bill.

Illustration: ortigues de mar for 21€

Labels: 2eat, $$$$, #seafood, #groups, #romantic, #terrace,...