Chiringuito Arte Vida — Restaurant in Tarifa

.

This restaurant is not as good as it used to be . . .

Not at all as good as it used to be. Oh dear!

Mind you the position - on the Los Lances beach - is still great, and the views from the dining room are gorgeous. Those haven't changed.

But.

But it is no longer a good Andalusian beachside restaurant, serving all the typical local fresh-caught fish.

When I say that it has salmon - SALMON - on the menu, this says it all.

Since when has salmon been bought off the fishing boats in Tarifa?

It has moved its menu up into the International category. Smoked sardines with guacamole? Check. Spiralised white radish on the tomato salad? Check. Thai-spiced prawns? Check. Grilled fish served with a sauce of garlic, minced prawn and Serrano ham? Check.

Where are the local specialities? The crispy fried boquerones, the squid rings, all the things that they serve in every single restaurant in Tarifa town? Not here. We asked for them and were told that they no longer served them. :-(

Now this menu may in fact be exactly what you want and hope for, in which case this might be the place for you. But for locals, or Spaniards from Madrid on holiday, it's a big let down. We were a (Spanish) family party of 9, and it was not what we had expected. :-(

Andalusian food was what we came for. And we didn't get it.

And the service is pretty dire too. We asked for bottles of water as well as wine, and had to ask three times.

Three!

When we could finally get a waiter to take any notice of us, I will add. The young waiters seemed to be playing a game to see who could ignore the most waving arms and calls from customers desperate to attract their attention. They would be at the table right next to you, and still take care to look right over your head so that they couldn't be seen to be catching your eye.

TERRIBLE service! They really need to be taught better.

And to cap it all, there was neither icecream nor fruit for pudding.

No fruit!

In Andalucia in summer, when the melons and watermelons are ripe, the peaches and apricots are bursting with sweetness and the cherries just dropping off the trees!

Over priced too.

Sorry we went. Although the loos...

We booked a table with a Russian-speaking manager. When we arrived at the appointed time, he said that we had to wait some more time. At the same time the couple who came along with us (without a reservation) - he gave them a table. We waited another 20 minutes, as a result he again turned us down, while there were about six free tables. Apparently he acted on some personal motives. We waited for an hour, no one seated us, we were forced to leave. We have been to this restaurant more than once, but we don't want...

Very cool place to stay if you are a Kiteboarder or want to get in to water sports. Surf Center Tarifa is on-site, they have a massage person (30 Euros Cash only), and right out side your room (we stated in room 11), is the beach! We had the inclusive breakfast for $100 Euro's a night. Mid-season price. They are very accommodating, I had to use the office printer to print tickets to Tangier, no problem. On-site food is good, the beach bar is right there too. The fresh Squeezed OJ is the best...