Bar La Concha — Restaurant in Rota

TLDR: Rota is a cute Spanish Town in the south of Andalusia. It has beautiful beaches and a plethora of fine dining establishments. If you want to pay $100 per plate, you can find spots for that and get what you pay for. There are also many other locales that are much less expensive, but that also give quality service and serve high-quality food. THIS LOCATION IS NOT ONE OF THEM. Do yourself a favor, find somewhere else to eat, and thank me later.

Detailed Review:

So, I'm going to start off with the positives. The restaurant - which is a generous term for the place (it is called "La Concha BAR" - is in a pretty nice location. It's a across the street from the Duque de Nájera Hotel, and is also in a square along with the Rota City Hall Castle and a local church, both of which are beautiful. Unfortunately, that is all the positives I can write regarding this establishment.

On to the service. Our waiter was not attentive in the least. As others have written here regarding the wait staff, he seemed like he was bored with life, and then we interrupted him, which I imagine made it worse. When he finally decided to deign us with his presence, he was less than helpful. I don't live here, but my wife and her whole family is from here, and complaints coming from her are rare, but she was also disappointed with the lack of customer service and attention. At the end of the experience, it took us about 15 minutes to get his attention to get the check so we could get out of there. I wanted to leave quickly as my mood began to sour more and more. When he finally came over to give us the check he asked if everything was okay, to which my wife replied that we were displeased with the quality of service as well as the portions and the pricing. His response demonstrated that neither he nor this establishment are accustomed to serving clients on a regular basis. Instead of apologizing or asking what was wrong or how could they make it better, he more or less said that that was the best they could do, and that we had gotten the "best." Speaking of portions and pricing, I will now move on to the food itself.

We both ordered tinto de verano, which thankfully neither the waiter nor the house messed up. They came in bottles, so I imagine it wasn't hard for them not to. After that, we ordered two dishes: "tortillas de camarón" and "presa ibérica."

Tortillas de camarón are basically fried flattened cakes of flour chock-full of shrimp, which the region is well-known for. We were served three greasy tortillas that were composed primarily of flour with approximately 3 shrimps per tortilla. For this delicacy we paid €8 - about US$9.

Presa ibérica is (supposed to be) fillets of pan-fried (or braised) pork shoulder served with potatoes and onions. On the positive side, the wine sauce that our presa ibérica was cooked in was delicious. But the fillets themselves were tiny and extremely fatty. I had to spit out 3 bites, after which I gave up out of disgust and filled myself with "picos" (small bite-sized pieces of hard bread). For the fatty presa ibérica, we paid €19 - aroundUS $20.

The total we paid: just under US$40. Aside from our error in choosing this spot to try to have lunch at, the other mistake we made was not taking pictures. But, other reviewers have posted pictures from this location and I can vouch for their accuracy, as they well represent and are similar to what we experienced at this fine establishment.

In conclusion, as I wrote in the TLDR at the beginning of this review, Rota is a cute Spanish town in the south of Andalusia. It has beautiful beaches and a plethora of fine dining establishments. If you want to pay $100 per plate, you can certainly find those spots. We've been to a couple, and they are outstanding. In fact, my personal experience is that high-quality food is the norm in Spain. There are many locales that are inexpensive, but that also provide quality service and a high-quality dining experience. THIS LOCATION IS NOT ONE OF THEM. Do yourself a favor, find somewhere else to eat, and...

If you are staying at Hotel Duque de Najera this place is steps from it. The courtyard views are to die for! The food was delicious and the service is both in English and Spanish. I had both breakfast (favorite the sano) and dinner (favorites ensalada de pulpo, jamón ibérico, & croquetas de espinaca). Try the local Spanish favorite sangria alternative: Tinto de verano (red wine with citrus soda).

For Americans visiting - know that service is slower than the US, but that is just cultural differences. You are not to be rushed during...

Another hidden gem in the narrow streets of Rota adjacent to the beach is Bar La Concha. The food and service here makes this an establishment worth visiting many times. This is a nice quiet setting in the shadow of the moon castle not far from the lighthouse at the point of Rota. You will not be disappointed because the menu covers just about everything that you will need for a meal by the beach. Whether relaxing with family or forging new business relationships, this is my go-to...