El Maestro — Restaurant in Teguise

Went to El Maestro for the second time last week.

We had been there before but I was slightly 'under the weather' so I have no recollection whatsoever of what I ate. But I certainly remember it being very tasty.

The first thing that strikes you about El Maestro is the decor and the spacing between the tables. It looks like one of those fancy restaurants you'd see in American movies where there's a waiting list of a month for a table and you'd probably have to show a bank statement to prove you can afford the food. It's a very beautifully decorated restaurant. The placement of the tables ensures that you have plenty of room to chat and you're not too close to the next table.

The staff are so welcoming and extremely professional but not 'stuffy' in their attitude. While looking at the menus you are given a complementary tumbler of sparkling rosé, which is a really nice touch.

And then the real experience begins. Your drink order is taken, drinks are brought to the table and then your food order is taken. Promptly and extremely professionally. But in a very friendly manner.

We had a bread and pork and cheese starter to share between us and it was very delicate and really stirred up our appetites for the main courses.

For the mains, my wife had the slow cooked pork belly, which she is an expert on, and she said it was possibly the best she has ever had. She gave the crackling to me and it was so succulent and flavoursome you just knew it had been slow cooked to perfection.

I had the ribeye. And, dear God, it was absolutely divine. Cooked exactly how I ordered it and its colouring and taste were almost a work of art.

But it was the sides that were the real stars of the meal. Proper chunky potato wedges, roasted carrots, courgettes and freshly cooked beetroots.

Not a scrap of food was left behind.

We had two glasses of the house rosé with our meals and they were the perfect accompaniment.

When we asked for the bill we were given two more complementary tumblers of fresh, iced sorbet.

And the bill was surprisingly very reasonable for the dining experience we both had.

When we left we were waved off by a couple of the staff, which is extremely important in my opinion. It's an acknowledgement of the time you spent with them.

I really can't rate this restaurant highly enough. We've had some great meals since moving to Costa Teguise but El Maestro is, without a doubt, one of the best...

Food was good but service has put us off even trying their sister restaurants too. We ordered starters and mains along with drinks, at first service was fine- the waiter was abit rude and already seemed sick of us despite this being our first interaction but we just assumed he was having a bad day and left it there. We were asked if we wanted bread- we agreed and was brought plates and butter, our starters rocked up and we asked about the bread- said they’d go and get it- didn’t show up. Finished our starters, reminded about the bread- didn’t show up again. Mains came- asked about the bread- said they’d go get it and still didn’t come. One out of two of the mains weren’t right, took us 20 mins to get hold of a waiter despite there being 5 of them (3 of them had attended our table prior)and not busy.flagged we had the wrong food and agreed to eat it anyway just needed it changing on the bill- they agreed. Came to take our plates- asked them to check the bread wasn’t on the bill and the correct food was on the bill- they agreed with no apology or eye contact. Took our bread plates butter and cutlery away and put it straight back where it came from Waited another 30 mins for the bill, then had to go up and wait another 10 mins at the entrance- for them to bring over our bill in Spanish with all of the food that we had ordered and not recieved- we spoke to basics so were able to work out what we needed removing. They went and removed again then handed card machine over to my other half requesting a tip 😂

Baring in mind this is a seafood / tapas restaurant apparently known for its service, we had attended for our last night and anniversary. Such a shame the food was ruined by waiters that looked like they’d been bolted at the feet to be there (with the excuse of one guy collecting plates who dropped us a smile every now and again) and seemed to lack accountability at any point.

Long story short-...

EL Maestro = EL Shambles Table 90 - Saturday 25th June 2022

We approached the young lady who seated us at Table 90 after asking if we wanted to sit inside or outside. She presented us with a complimentary glass of something pink and sweet. We were presented with menus and I chose fillet steak 🥩 and my partner small plates sizzling prawns 🦐 and scallops. I had a pint 🍺 and she had a glass of sangria. The shambles began when the guy with glasses (looked to be in charge) took our order, then a second waiter approached and checked his tablet to discover that our order had already been taken.

The food arrived and we eat it: The steak 🥩 was ok the vegetables on the side were more a work of food placement than a nutritional addition to my overall dining experience: The sizzling prawns 🦐 were on the small side and presented in a iron pot, the scallop portion was 5 scallops and again well presented although not substantial. Two small plates do not equal large plate: We had finished our mains and sat patiently for a long time waiting on the plates to be cleared: I spoke to the young lady who at one point walked passed our table: The plates were eventually cleared and we placed and order for coffee ☕️ to come after out desserts. We ordered a tiramisu and profiteroles. The coffee arrived before the dessert, waiter no.2 from above took the bill away and went to check the on the location of the desserts, some time later the desserts arrived.

Waiter no.2 presented the bill with the desserts 🍮 on it and I paid the €77.70 and thankfully there wasn’t a service charge included so I didn’t have to ask for it to be removed. I turned back and noticed waiter no.2 speaking to waiter with glasses and the appeared to be having a chuckle at my remark to waiter no.2.

Be aware this group operates four restaurants in the area, I can only hope the others are better but I can’t...