gastro bar EL BALCÓN — Restaurant in Tarragona

During our recent visit to Gastro Bar EL BALCÓN in Tarragona, we ordered four tapas dishes, two mains, a Sprite, a mojito, and water. While the tapas were served warm and enjoyable, we were quite disappointed to find that our main dishes arrived cold — a major downside for us.

One of the few positives was the staff. Despite being visibly overworked, they did their best to remain polite and accommodating. A special mention goes to the gentleman who took our order — his attitude was kind and professional throughout.

Unfortunately, the dining experience was heavily impacted by the overwhelming presence of flies. We understand that this issue is not entirely within the restaurant’s control and may be common in certain areas of Tarragona, but it was genuinely difficult to enjoy our meal when around 10 flies were constantly landing on the food.

It also seems apparent that there are budget constraints affecting the restaurant — there were too few staff members to adequately serve the number of guests, which contributed to delays and a sense of chaos.

As someone who has traveled the world for over 19 years and dined in many different places, I must honestly say that the food here was under-seasoned and lacked depth of flavor. Out of the many restaurants we visited during our stay in Tarragona, this was unfortunately the most disappointing — especially given the prices, which are comparable to places that offer much higher quality meals. (Please feel free to check my other reviews to see where it’s worth dining.)

While waiting for the restroom, I happened to glimpse a raw chicken stored on a shelf above the microwave, which raised concerns about food safety and hygiene. Of course, I didn't see the full kitchen operation, but that single moment left a lasting impression.

I rarely fall into what I’d call a "tourist trap," but sadly, this place felt exactly like that.

To be fair, the location is stunning — it’s a lovely spot to sit and take in the views. And once again, I want to emphasize that the staff did their best under difficult circumstances. But overall, I would not return...

It wasn’t super tasty, but it was edible. The service and the work of the waitstaff are unimpressive. This is a resort town, but the waiters don’t speak English. Additionally, the prices listed on the menu are one thing, but in the end, they bring a bill that’s four times higher. In this regard, the waitstaff is also incompetent. I understand that payment systems and price listings in menus differ from country to country, but that’s precisely why there are waiters who should explain things clearly to every guest. In our case, this was not done, and when we raised a complaint with the waitresses, they offered no solution, just shrugged their shoulders. This is not a place we want to return to. We feel cheated.

We wanted to have lunch as a family, ordered drinks for everyone, but we had to chase down the waiter to order the main course. With much difficulty and broken Spanish, we managed to order two paellas. They brought us one to share and forgot about the second one. The portions were also very small. After 40 minutes, they brought one more pan of paella, and when we pointed out that we still hadn’t received the second one, they shrugged and brought it 30 minutes later, but by that time we couldn’t wait any longer, so we had it packed to go. The menu price was listed as €16.90 for two people. However, when it came time to pay, it turned out that €16.90 was per person, and we ended up paying around €70 just for the paella. The waiters just shrugged, and when we asked to speak to their manager, they said he wasn’t at work and that it was our fault. Our fault for their incorrect menu?! I consider this...

Seated and drinks came quickly, we had finished our drinks before any food order was taken. Waited further 20mins and had to call the staff to order food, had been waiting over an hour before the first dish came out, stone cold, waited five minutes for the first dish to be reheated and another five minutes before the food for the other two diners was served. Pasta was unbelievably overcooked and sauce was bland, the seasoning we asked for was deposited on the table after we had finished eating. Gave us the wrong bill. Understaffed (one staff member and his entire family were dining at the same time and commanding all of the servers attention .. even socialising for extended periods of time whilst diners sat waiting) Apathetic and inattentive staff. I don't generally leave feedback good or bad but this was a memorable experience for all of the wrong reasons. There are plenty of eateries around this area, I would avoid this one, I...