Saona Casino — Restaurant in Valencia

WORST restaurant experience in our 3 years in Valencia! As retirees, my wife and I eat out 2 or 3 times a week in the Ciutat Vella part of Valencia, which is filled with excellent (5-star reviews) restaurants of all types. This Saona is definitely NOT one of them! Explains why the majority of reviewers on TripAdvisor give it 1-star, in particular, for COUPLES. STAY AWAY!!! We had attempted to lunch there the previous Friday, as walk-ins without reservations. We were informed reservations were essential and were turned away, so later that same Friday we reserved for the next Friday. Upon arrival today for our 14h30 reservation, we were assigned the worst table in the house, in a small hole under the stairway, beside the busy bar, and immediately in front of the equally busy main entrance. Beside us, an exterior jacket and a package of cigarettes were strewn on an adjacent table, which appeared to be for staff use. Our assigned table might be suitable for a take-out delivery guy waiting for his next order, but certainly not for a very experienced couple intending to evaluate the restaurant. The very young waitress who assigned us the table basically told us to take it or lump it, very disrespectfully. We walked out, and had a great lunch at an excellent Piazza nearby, where the first word from the maitre d' was "Welcome!" The difference between a 1-star and a 5-star is Respect for the Customer. Saona Casino deserves a minus-1 star. Had we read the many negative reviews on the TripAdvisor site beforehand, we would have avoided this place like the plague! ...

We made an advance reservation for our last evening in Valencia, hoping for a delightful dining experience, but what we encountered was a profound disappointment. The atmosphere in the restaurant was marked by chaos and urgency, with waitstaff rushing between tables, which made it impossible to truly relax.

While the food was visually appealing, it unfortunately fell short in flavor. We ordered several tapas, a main course, and dessert, all served in a reasonably timely manner. However, the moment we finished our dessert was jarring. The waiter suddenly placed the bill on our table and abruptly insisted that we vacate our table within five minutes.

We were taken aback by such treatment—especially since we hadn’t even finished our wine! While I understand that reservations come with time constraints, the manner in which we were treated was utterly unacceptable. Such behavior from the staff is not only discourteous but also quite offensive. This was the first time we’ve ever experienced such a situation in a restaurant.

Even a week later, I am still filled with indignation and disappointment. I cannot recommend this restaurant—it leaves a bitter aftertaste that will linger for...

Our visit to this restaurant was very disappointing. The staff were in a hurry, which caused chaos at the tables and made us feel uncomfortable. The food came out on time and looked good, but tasted mediocre - nothing really special.

But the worst part was what happened at the end of the meal. Literally as we were swallowing our last bite of food and before we had time to finish our wine, the waiter brought the bill and without a word of explanation asked how we would be paying, 'card or cash'. He then informed us that we had '5 minutes more or less’ to free up a table. I understand that there are time constraints, but this way of communicating was very rude and spoilt the whole evening.

Interestingly, no one disturbed the people sitting at the other tables who arrived at the same time as us. In addition, the restaurant automatically adds a 10% service charge, which in our case was less than expected.

On the plus side, the décor is warm and pleasant, but unfortunately this was not enough to make up for the poor service. Not...