La Mera Mera Donosti — Restaurant in San Sebastián

Unassuming but very Friendly Mexican bar/restaurant in San Sebastián that we stumbled upon one night and revisited the next.

Firstly - the owners are lovely. I couldn’t decide which wine I wanted so they let me try loads of different wines to get the one I liked. When we ordered food the chap let us know that it would probably be too many nachos - he could have just taken our money.

Secondly, the ambience is chilled. Nice decor and cool vibe- even though it’s bare cement walls. Very clean everywhere.

Thirdly, the drinks are very reasonably priced. Spain is generally cheaper than the UK, but parts of San Sebastián were pricey. This was circa 2 euros a drink (wine and beer).

Finally, the food was scrumptious. The guacamole came in a pestle and mortar and you finish the pounding/mixing yourself. It was absolutely, mouth watering my delicious. We also had a quesadilla and a pao bun. The menu is small, and they could do with adding some sides, but it’s a definite 5 stars...

My wife and I attempted to eat at this establishment. When we walked in we were told there were no tables available by the man behind the counter/bar with attitude (which was fine). There was a couple sitting at the bar eating and drinking and eating- there was space for 2 more so we asked the waiter and he said it was fine. Once we sat, we noticed the bartenders attitude - he turned around and said “you need to wait two minutes for his attention” again would have been fine but his body language and attitude made us feel unwelcome, so we left. This was our first time visiting this beautiful city and this was the only establishment that made us feel unwelcome. To our fellow Americans - beware! Not an “American friendly...

With deep regret and anger I write this review. Last Friday I rang La Mera Mera to ask for a table for two for the following night. The staff member told me that it wasnt a problem and told us we had a table from 20:00 but we had to leave before 22:00 as there were other reservations and they needed to be respected. However, when we arrived on Saturday for our romantic meal, we were told that the table had been canceled and we had been informed. The staff member/boss told us that we could have the romantic meal standing, while seemingly willing to remove the 3 people already standing in the place she was indicating to which I think is terrible. The never got into contact with me or sent me a message. I am angry because of the night they ruined and become of the trust factor, if you ask for a table there and they accept the booking then it is not a guarantee they keep their word. You have lost us as costumers for life.

Con profundo pesar y rabia escribo esta crítica. El viernes pasado llamé a La Mera Mera para pedir una mesa para dos personas para la noche siguiente. El personal me dijo que no había problema y nos dijo que teníamos mesa a partir de las 20:00 pero que teníamos que irnos antes de las 22:00 ya que había otras reservas y había que respetarlas. Sin embargo, cuando llegamos el sábado para nuestra cena romántica, nos dijeron que la mesa había sido cancelada y que nos habían informado. El miembro del personal/jefe nos dijo que podíamos tener la comida romántica de pie, mientras que aparentemente estaba dispuesto a eliminar a las 3 personas que ya estaban de pie en el lugar que ella indicaba, lo cual me parece terrible. Nunca se pusieron en contacto conmigo ni me enviaron un mensaje. Estoy enfadada por la noche que arruinaron y por el factor confianza, si pides una mesa allí y aceptan la reserva no es garantía de que cumplan su palabra. Nos han perdido como clientes...