Manaw - Nikkei Bar — Restaurant in Valencia

We just got back from Valencia and I was happy to write a bunch of 5 star reviews for many of the places we visited. Unfortunately, this establishment is one I cannot recommend. We had an 8PM reservation and arrived at 8PM. The restaurant was empty as it just opened. We had our two 9 year old girls with us and one has severe food allergies. The waiter came to our table a few times to ask us if we were ready to order and each time he seemed to be more and more agitated that we were not ready. I would say 10 minutes went by at that point so he would have been waiting for only 10 minutes for us to order. During that time, one other table was seated. The "delay" was a function of the fact that we had to order for two adults and 2 kids (1 with allergies). We explained that my daughter had allergies so the waiter was aware of this. When we ordered, we were unsure about one platter and said that he could place the remainder of the order and we would decide on that platter. He then proceeded to lecture my spouse and I. He said that the next time we come we should have our order ready quickly because the restaurant is very busy and the tables turn over. He went on about this for some time and he seemed irritated. If it was just one of us that thought this was inappropriate, I may have ignored it but when he left, I had to ask my spouse if I understood him correctly. My spouse was quite angry at this point. The waiter's tone and commentary were offensive and we decided to leave the restaurant. We spoke to the owner/manager briefly before we left but he did not seem to recognize that his staff member had perhaps spoken in a way that a customer would find offensive. He said that the waiter was not rude even though he was not a party to the conversation. The waiter's behaviour was especially disheartening given the reason for the short delay was children. Finally, his commentary was completely uncalled for. We would have been long gone within one hour as kids have a very short holding time at restaurants. We had not even ordered wine so there was no reason to think that we were going to sit around. I understand restaurant tables have to turn over and support that. That being said, we had already agreed when we made the reservation to finish by 9:30, and we both found his tone and commentary unnecessary, off-putting, and offensives. Rather than stay, we decided to leave and we had a very nice dinner at another restaurant. When we left the restaurant, only one other table was seated. If your first point of contact with a customer is to talk down to them and to tell them that the "next time" they should hurry up, the business...

We have been traveling throughout Spain over the last few weeks and stumbled across this restaurant on our first night in Valencia. This is hands down the best meal we have had in Spain. The creativity was spectacular with perfect fusions of Peruvian and Asian flavors. Within each dish were layers of flavor. The staff were friendly, brought our dishes to us one at a time, and explained each dish in detail to us. This is a must try.

This is what we had and we wish we had room for more!

Traditional ceviche - Sour but oddly sweet with the melding of flavors. The white fish over a bed of red onions, giant corn, fried corn kernels and more. It was our first dish and unforgettable. Gyoza - shrimp and GOUDA cheese over a bed of yellow curry with some fried soft shell crabs (this is an absolute MUST have here) Usuzukuri Hamachi - Hamachi sashimi with ponzu sauce and truffles. It tastes exactly as described. Delicious as an in-between palate cleanser. Gindara no miso yaki - Light pieces of bok Choy with delicately cooked pieces of fish over a savory yet sweet miso sauce. A beautifully cooked dish that satisfied my taste buds without making me feel overly heavy. Pulpo anticuchero - sounded weird when reading the description but oh my gosh an astounding dish with a really nice smoked flavor that will blow your taste buds away Flamed scallops - Fresh, lightly torched scallops over a bed of avocado poblano sauce. I could honestly go without this dish because I was so satisfied with everything else. But if you still have room in your stomach…

For dessert: I don’t even know how to describe these. They are so very unique in their own ways. Gosh if you could, try both. If not, for more coconut flavors, go for the matcha cake and for sweeter more chocolate type flavors, try the nikkei. Te matcha cake Nikkei Mille-feuille

It is all pricey so we wouldn’t recommend if you’re trying to eat on a budget. But for what was spent here tonight, it was personally worth every penny. The food AND service were exceptional. 11/10 would...

We have been fans of Manaw since their original location, always enjoying their food and service. This year, however, our experience at their new location fell short of expectations. Situated on a narrow street, the once pleasant terrace is now replaced by tables next to a wall and a huge space, but the quality and service is not the same as the original place, a real shame.

We ordered cocktails and had to wait nearly 20 minutes for our drinks, despite the restaurant being almost empty. Although the cocktails were well-prepared and to our taste when they finally arrived, the food was disappointing. We ordered two fresh fish dishes, including some fine cuts of hamachi and marinated sea bass. While the sauce on the sea bass was nice, the new thin slices of fish tasted too fishy. The hamachi was overly salty and seemingly not fresh, as some slices were tough to chew. The portions were also very small.

The bill for these two small dishes and four drinks was over 85 Euros, which is unreasonable given the poor quality of the food. While the waitstaff were very friendly, the overall ambiance was lacking. Regrettably, we will not...