Restaurante Carmen El Agua — Restaurant in Granada

Have to say a bit of a disappointment. Wife was looking forward to our first night romantic dinner in Granada looking at Alhambra with evening sun. So went to El Mirador San Nicholas and took photos and walked down for our 8pm reservation when they opened. Small, tight place but quaint and sat in patio which had a 10% surcharge on all items. Ok. Fine. Nice view but that’s about it. 6-8 tables sat at once and there is one server (José) and his helper, Nacho. Super nice guys but too much for just 2 people. We wanted to take our time as the sun doesn’t set until after 9pm so decided to start with a bottle of wine and appetizers. We were told we only had the table until 10pm. Problem was that It would take 20-30 minutes after ordering before food to come out. We had ordered the 5th Beef rib and after 30 minutes of not receiving, decided we might want another entree as well. It was now 5-10 minutes after 9pm (50 minutes remaining of our reservation) and was told the kitchen was closed and could not accommodate our order. What??? They were doing a 10pm seating so kitchen staff still had to be there. But they refused to serve any more food after 9pm (except for desert which we were able to order). So basically, we had a bottle of wine (which was the best bargain for 30€ ), 2 appetizers which were good but not spectacular (octopus carpaccio and rabbit dumplings), and then 1 entree of the 5th Beef rib - which was fabulous, and the tiramisu. Satisfied but a bit hungry not having two full entrees as not much food overall. Nacho was super nice and really should have been the primary server. He was fantastic. If it wasn’t for him, the night would have been ruined.

Advice - don’t feel it’s up to the hype and better to eat before in town, and then come up to take night time photos, or take your photos from the plaza or side streets and then go get a meal back in town. Just my...

This was our second visit to El Agua. I doubt there’ll be a third, but first the positives:

As so many reviews make clear, the views of the Alhambra from the terrace of El Agua are stunning, the food is beautifully presented, and the dishes themselves are refined. On that basis, the place is well worth visiting. Last December, my partner, who’s from Granada, booked dinner for us there. Our table was inside owing to the colder weather, but we had a great time; it was a memorable experience.

This August, we decided to go back for dinner on the terrace. You pay an extra 10% to eat outside, but we both wanted that ambience, and the striking views. Our table was perfectly located. We ordered a jug of tap water, a bottle of white wine, a shared starter, 2 mains, and 2 desserts. All the dishes were excellent, and we thoroughly enjoyed the meal.

The bill came to around €150, which was expected, but we immediately saw that we’d been charged an extra €3 for the water. My partner questioned the waiter about this, as she’d specifically asked for “tap” (the water in Granada is excellent). The waiter explained that it was filtered water, for which there was a charge. She didn’t accept this explanation; she had not asked for filtered water. She went to speak to the manager, who immediately and without any question at all agreed to take this off the bill. He handed her €2.70 in coins. When she questioned the amount, he said “Oh, were you outside? OK” and then gave her the extra 30 cents.

It’s not about the €3 – it’s about the principle. Whether it was an oversight or deliberate sharp practice, it tainted our experience, and there are so many other great places to...

Absolutely amazing experience in Granada. There are many carmen restaurants to choose from but we are so glad we went to this one.

Firstly the view is breathtaking. Highly recommend a balcony seat upstairs, or downstairs. Downstairs had heaters and was a bit more busy, while upstairs was unheated but more intimate. The staff kindly gave us blankets so it wasn’t a problem.

The food is incredible. My partner ordered the sirloin steak in panipuri, and it was one of the most amazing and unique dishes we have had one our trip. We also ordered the pig shoulder which was also very very good and a cool experience to watch them steam it in front of you. Recommend the first dish over the latter.

I am vegan and unfortunately there weren’t any obvious vegan options other than a risotto, however the waiter gave us a shot of free gazpacho at the beginning and it was truly life changing. As a vegan, I’m usually turned off when there aren’t many options but don’t be turned away from this place for the lack of options because I ended up ordering a full glass of the gazpacho with bread and olive oil. The gazpacho was so fresh and the bread was the best bread I’ve had in Europe. For this mere dish alone I would recommend coming here, even my non-vegan partner was astounded by how amazing it was. Please get it!!

Lovely wine, good service (though could be faster as we had to ask a few times for certain things), and again an incredible view. Unique experience eating at a carmen. It was quite busy so recommend booking in advance,...