San Tommaso — Restaurant in Valencia

We had an excellent dining experience for lunch. It was our first trip to Valencia and our first meal. We have travelled to Spain several times before. BUT hand on heart this food has soul and flavour and it comes from a kitchen that is dedicated to delivering a true sense of satisfaction. The flavors speak of a deep sense of authenticity a freshness of ingredients and a desire to welcome a customer as a guest. We had a language barrier but the waiter who attended to us was both humble and accommodating. There was a mistake in the order which could have been my fault or his- but the humility with which he took responsibility said a lot about this young man. We decided to equal and exceed the error with a commensurate tip. Our order comprised of a starter of meatballs, a pizza which brought together mozerella, sausages and bacon and finally a pasta of tortelenini and sea food. There is only one thing that can change - a manager and a lady who sits to the left of the door- should perhaps mend their attitude. They left us standing at the door, no hello, no inquiry as to whether we had a reservation or even to ask us to wait. Nothing. I called the restaurant on my phone, the lady answered with discourtesy that matched her look and manner. Its only when I told her that I was at the door- that she jumped to her feet and into action. If these two could learn from the rest of the staff - they will complement the conduct and dignity that makes this place, amazing and special and I will return with great anticipation. This is a gem- keep it up. I have travelled the world over and few could rival this experience. Thank you for...

Wonderful spot. They are always very busy, we were lucky to arrive just after the standard lunch hour and just before the Spanish lunch hour. We sat inside on a very tiny table across from the bar, it was a very loud spot to sit, with a lot of (understandable) traffic and volume.

Service was good, they were patient with my lack of Spanish language. They have an in-house rule of one dish per person, so despite simply wanting to share one pizza for lunch we were asked to order a second dish. We shared the Zucchini Carpaccio plate to start; very fresh and appealing. For our pizza we had the San Tommaso with Tomato sauce, fresh burrata, basil and Iberian ham. It was very good; crust was well risen and perfectly cooked, sauce was flavourful. The presentation of this one pizza is what sets it apart and accounts for the slightly higher price point (19.50euros), they assemble the pizza at your table.

A lovely meal, I would love to go again. I would ask to sit elsewhere though! The bar staff were, understandably, very busy, and every time an empty glass bottle (wine, soda, water etc) was onhand, they would throw it into a crate at the end of the bar, about 1-2 metres away from my table. The whole meal was punctuated by the sound of smashing glass, and at one point a server dropped and broke a glass bottle of olive oil right next to and under my table. I know accidents happen, and bottles need to be put aside for recycling and whatnot, however it was an unfortunate distraction and made it difficult to hear my date or speak to him over all the...

This review is solely about the service—we never made it to try the food. Despite the glowing reviews, our group of four had such a troubling experience at the door that it felt necessary to share.

We waited patiently to put our name down, but the host brushed us off repeatedly—five times—without explanation. Meanwhile, other walk-in parties were greeted, given wait times, and added to the queue. The contrast in how we were treated became increasingly difficult to ignore.

Eventually, we were told to wait 45 minutes, which we were happy to do. But after that time passed, we were strung along again—told “five more minutes” several times, as other groups continued to be seated ahead of us. When we expressed frustration, the host finally said, “Don’t be like that, relax, your table is ready,” in a tone that felt unnecessarily patronizing.

I don’t make assumptions lightly, and I hesitate to bring race into this—but it’s hard to overlook the fact that our group, all people of color, was treated so differently from the many white parties around us. The experience left us feeling singled out in a way that was deeply unsettling.

We ended up walking away and had a fantastic meal at Bon Gust down the street, where we were welcomed with warmth and respect. I genuinely wish we had been able to try the food here—but no dish is worth enduring that kind of treatment. It was one of the most disheartening experiences I’ve had at...