La Palmera Sur Restaurant — Restaurant in San Bartolomé de Tirajana

The atmosphere was not bad. Cosy and well ventilated. The seats were comfortable and that probably was the best part of the dinner.

The server was friendly but was unable to explain the menu clearly - while this was clearly hindered by language barrier, we had to say that the barrier had made it difficult for us to understand the food items. The server had not asked us how the food was throughout the meal - I had a chat with the manager on the service and although she acknowledged that her server may not speak fluent English, she would always ask her guests how the experience was when she collected the plates. Neither myself nor partner recalled that, though. However she remained professional and said she would have done her best to make it right for us.

In terms of food, the ceviche was average. The flavours of the dressing has overtaken the freshness of the seafood. The prawns weren’t succulent and were very soggy - it lacked the texture of prawns. The biggest disappointment was the ‘Hong Kong Canarian noodles’ - the server said it would be ‘crispy pork on noodles with canarian sauce’. We were shocked to see what was served - it was basically sweet curry on soggy noodles with a pork cutlet - neither seemed to have to do with Hong Kong and Canary Islands (I am from Hong Kong myself). The curry was bland and the pork was not well flavoured either. I took this up to the manager after the meal - she said she would have explained that the dish contained curry and Canarian honey but she said her server may not have been able to explain clearly due to language barrier, and she again would be happy to take back any dishes we didn’t like. While she was professional, again we were not really asked of our experience throughout and the menu was misleading.

As a whole the food was disappointing and service was not up to speed as a hotel restaurant in a very touristy part...

Fast, friendly service, not too friendly to ruin the casual fine dining experience, although. The staff that treated us had decent English skills.

Excellent wine suggestions — we got the perfect bottle of white, that was also one of the most affordable ones on their extensive, yet very reasonably priced list.

The food was an absolute delight. We shared 3 courses between the two of us + a reasonably priced portion of tasty fresh breads. Everything was immaculately prepared, and we'll presented. The creamy crab rise (aka risotto) deserves an honourable mention.

In a town where 11 out of 10 places are tourist traps that couldn't care less about the customer once they have pulled them in from the street, and where most places serve the same exact dishes with no originality or authenticity, La Palmera is a rare exception that doesn't shy in comparison to similar segment restaurants elsewhere.

P.S. The tables are basically all on a terrace, but there were powerful space heaters to make sure it's comfortably warm even on winter nights.

P.P.S The courses arrived at the table one at a time. We had just picked what sounded good and we thought should fit together well enough, and didn't order our dishes in any particular order. Either by skilled staff or mad luck, they were served in Just the Right order to create a complete and we'll working menu. I'm compelled to think it...

Updated review details based upon a follow up visit.

5 months between visits, service and atmosphere had improved. Service on a summer evening two weeks ago was very good. Good staffing levels and the team were attentive and friendly. The summer weather allowed for a more expansive feel to the dining area incorporating the terrace of the Gold Hotel.

We tried the specials menu thinking that we would see what chef had to offer as an alternative to the long standing and well tested menu.

It was disappointing. Scallop was tasteless but well presented. The second item we tried was a glorified sandwich. I am surprised that the specials were so poor and overpriced.

Certainly worth a visit, we have visited 4 times over two years. Main menu does not change but it does work.

Food is really good although we would have liked to see more variety in the menu given the duration between our previous visits. Really odd to see a couple eating a pizza in the restaurant before the main service, I wouldn’t have minded but was not on the menu it looked really good. Service started well but was let down by a young lady who lacked any customer empathy. Atmosphere is only marked as poor due to the obnoxious behaviour of a group of 4 who were not controlled by the team. Disappointing overall but worthy of a visit just to try the wonderful creations. Aubergine crisps...