Racó de L ' Arnau | Restaurante con terraza en Valencia — Restaurant in Valencia

We decided to try this restaurant for my birthday dinner with the family after reading great reviews online. Unfortunately, the experience fell far short of expectations. While I appreciate the staff bringing out a candle with a slice of cheesecake (which was decent), that’s sadly where the positives ended.

The scallops we ordered were overcooked and underseasoned, and the fish I chose as my main dish was shockingly small and completely unremarkable. To make matters worse, the kids' menu portion was larger than my main dish but felt like a lazy attempt at padding the plate. Instead of justifying the 21€ price for a child’s meal, they threw in a handful of chicken strips next to a burger—completely lacking balance, with not a single vegetable in sight. None of the food was particularly flavorful, and for the prices they charge, the quality was incredibly disappointing.

The restaurant itself has a lovely ambiance, and the menu descriptions sound enticing, but it all turned out to be an empty promise. For four mains, two starters, two glasses of wine, and one cheesecake, we paid around 150€, which feels like an enormous overcharge for what we received.

For what was supposed to be a special birthday dinner, this ended up being one of the most disappointing meals we’ve had in a very long time. I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant unless they make significant improvements to their kitchen and rethink...

The excellent ratings do not at all reflect the reality we, a group of three couples with in total 4 kids between three and six, had to face.

In order to avoid the toddlers taking the place apart in hangryness, we asked for the kids menus to be served first, which would of course happen.

An hour later the kids burgers (with 20 euros the most expensive dish on the menu) were server bloody. Not too ideal in a warm country, we asked to have the beef cooked again, which was of course not a problem. Twenty minutes later one burger was served, the second another 20 minutes later.

That was the kids food. Literally 90 minutes after ordering the food for the adults was “slowly”served… another half hour that every meal was served.

Now, as German I might have a differing weight understanding but a 500g entrecôte for 2pax looks different. The meat was warmed up several Times for sure, it was medium rare but dry as a show sole and despite eating one portion alone I was far from full..

Avoid this place at all costs and hit McDonald’s and save your self a buck and lots of...

Racó de L’Arnau presents itself as a slightly more upscale restaurant, which naturally raises expectations.

The interior is tastefully designed, creating a pleasant dining atmosphere. The staff is friendly and attentive, and the menu offers a good selection of both tapas and main courses.

For starters, we opted for the croquettes, the brioche, and the tartare (which recently won first prize 🥇for the best tartare in Valencia)

While everything was decent, nothing truly stood out. Personally, I preferred the tartare from Nuria, which took second place 🥈in the same competition.

Unfortunately, there were some “issues”.

The plates were cold, which is NoNo when ordering red meat 🥩 and the steak arrived cold as well..something that shouldn’t happen in a restaurant of this level.

We sent it back, and after spending ten minutes under the salamander, it returned slightly warmer but drier.

Overall, while the experience wasn’t bad, it didn’t leave a lasting impression either. There’s potential, but details like properly heated plates and hot dishes need to be on point...