Racó de l'Abat — Restaurant in Tarragona

We were on honeymoon in Tarragona and decided to visit Racó de l’Abat one night as it was well reviewed, not really knowing what to expect but hoping for a more authentic dining experience than the more generally touristy places.

The restaurant appears to only seat about 20-30 people in total so we were incredibly lucky to get a table without booking in advance, by virtue of still being on English eating times and turning up almost bang on 8:30pm when it opened.

I must admit we were a bit perturbed at first as the owner’s son greeted us and couldn’t seat us on a table without checking with his dad (the owner), who was outside on the phone at the time, which tables were reserved. We were then seated in an otherwise empty restaurant which felt a bit awkward at first and we actually nearly thought about leaving…

But the owner came over and told us how the restaurant works - that they don’t have a menu, and his wife cooks whatever they get in that day with a focus on quality ingredients. In competent English he described the menu in great detail and that they could also offer a 5-course tasting menu if we wanted - which we went for. He was also very complimentary of my attempts at speaking Spanish despite it being over 17 years since I did it at GCSE, which was nice.

He then offered us some croquettes to go with the wine we’d chosen, even warning us that it was €15 a bottle (like that was expensive?!), before serving the rest of the food which was all delicious. We had cuttlefish, mussels and razor clams, turbot, cod with Cabrales (Spanish blue cheese - amazing), and lamb (absolutely delicious). The food was all exactly as described, extremely fresh, well cooked and really felt like an authentic Tarragona dining experience - reinforced by the fact the rest of the clientele appeared to be locals and regulars and the owner and his son had to turn away a number of other would-be diners.

The whole experience was excellent and we would definitely go back if we return to Tarragona in the future. The owner and his son seemed genuinely grateful that we’d come by and we feel very lucky to have had the opportunity...

Whilst visiting Barcelona with friends, I took a day trip out to Tarragona to see the Roman ruins and get off the beaten path a bit. With only one evening in which to experience the local cuisine, I rolled the dice on this establishment... and I could not have been more pleased with the result! As a mom and pop restaurant, it was a small and cozy atmosphere with a limited menu - they didnt even have menu cards, but the owner actually came to each table to describe the various options to everyone. The £30 menu came with a complimentary appertif, two appetizers (from a choice of two options), a main course (again, only two options) and a dessert (y'all can probably guess how many options were available for this too 🙂). All were wonderful, and apart from the appetizers, the dishes were entirely unique to me, which was a pleasant surprise given my love for Mediterranean cuisine in general and seafood in particular.

I could say more about the wonderful ambiance, convenient location or delightful staff, but the delicious food has left me far to full and sleepy to devote energy to any enterprise save the search for my pillow. Suffice to say that I will come again at the earliest...

Wow! I cannot say enough about this place. This fantastic restaurant is run by the most gracious Julio and his wonderful wife. We visited as a party of 11 for an after work event and even as a large group, each of us received nothing but the best, most personal friendly service with everything served with an infectious grin. The restaurant is small which made for an intimate space perfect for sharing time with each other in a subdued relaxing atmosphere. The ambience is spot on for an enjoyable dining experience with friends. Yet with all that, I still have not even begun to talk about the food. There was no menu everything was a simple but perfectly mixed variety of tapas all served up with the perfect selection of wines and aperitif. Everything served complemented each other. I simply cannot say enough about this wonderful dining experience and would give 6 stars of 5 if possible. When next in the area this will be my go to spot for the most enjoyable evening of dining you can...