Restaurante Vaqueta Gastro Mercat — Restaurant in Valencia

A restaurant with so much potential but what a disappointing experience!! My husband and I went with our two children (we also went last year and loved the restaurant, but must be new management or a very bad day). We ordered starters (tapas to share) and main meals.

The service at the start was brilliant - our waitress was very helpful and attentive. When she brought the drinks out we were surprised by the tiny amount of cava in the glass (the glass was a quarter full). We didn’t say anything as I was looking forward to a nice cold cava!

The croquetas came out and were delicious…the best I’ve had in a long time. There was then a 20 minute wait until the next starter came out (eggs) but still no bread which we asked for again. The restaurant had a large group and was filling up. Only a few waitresses and a small kitchen. The kids were getting very hungry at this stage. When the mini hamburgers came out they weren’t as we had ordered (we asked for without cheese and sauces) and were sent back. They then took another 20 minutes to come out and were cremated! We didn’t say anything as the kids were starving and needed to eat something.

We ordered another glass of cava. This time it was served at the table….I would say less was poured this time (just under quarter of a glass). My husband went up to the bar (the service had gotten incredibly slow….our waitress was covering the whole restaurant….poor thing!!) My glass was filled up so it resembled a proper glass of cava now = happy customer!

Our main dishes were delivered after another substantially long wait. Roast chicken and beef with foie. I had the beef and when I tried it, it was lukewarm. Little worrying but as I was hungry and had been waiting a long time, thought I’ll keep going. I had a second mouthful and it was even colder. I couldn’t eat it and all of the waitresses were the other side of the restaurant.

When the waitress eventually came to take our plates, we explained the situation and asked for the bill. My dish was in front of me and I had taken two small mouthfuls from the whole plate.

When the bill came, the beef with foie was still on the bill. This is where the fun began….I felt so sorry for the waitress who was already worked off her feet and I really didn’t want to shoot the messenger…..she explained that one of the burgers had been taken off due to the mistake and long wait, but that we had to pay for the beef because I had eaten a part of it (two cold mouthfuls). When we explained that we were not paying for a dish, she had to go and speak to her boss. This took another 10 minutes….we walked to the bar to pay…the waitress came back and said that the beef came in two parts and as I had eaten one of the parts, I had to pay for it! This is not true as I took two small mouthfuls! She went back to speak to her boss…..10 minutes later… beef off but, the bill now had extra bread, extra cava and an extra dish on it! When we asked about why these were on the bill she went off to speak to her boss……another 10 minutes!!! So….bread taken off, chicken taken off and cava no because I asked for the glass to be topped up after being served a quarter glass!!!!

It was a very disappointing evening in a place which could offer so much more! The whole theatre around the bill was a complete joke. All I can say is whoever is the boss needs to rethink how they treat clients! We will not be going back nor will we recommend this place to anyone! A real shame leaving a bitter taste of our holiday...

We went to eat at La Vaqueta on March 16th. We had made a reservation for 11 people and were getting together to watch La mascletá in Plaza Ayuntamiento and then go eat at La Vaqueta. It was a get together to celebrate a birthday amongst friends and family. We were so excited to be together on this day. To make sure everything went smooth we had called the restaurant a week ahead to assure that it wouldn’t be any problem If we arrived a little late. The reservation was for 14:15 but it’s impossible to arrive on time due to the fireworks and the multitude of people in the Plaza at that hour during Fallas. The lady at the restaurant indicated that it wouldn’t be any problem and that they understood. We also asked if we needed to let them know what type of rice we wanted to eat from the menu and they said we could decide when we arrived at the restaurant. On March 16th when we arrived to the restaurant 15 minutes late, as we had advised, the owner of the restaurant approached us and started yelling at us. He told us that we had arrived late and that it was going yo be impossible to cook any rice or main entrees due to our tardiness. We tried to explain that we had called a week earlier to let them know we would be late. He seemed irate and indicated the only thing we could eat at that point were appetizers. He indicated that we needed to leave the table at the 16:00 hour because there was another reservation for the same table. We were so upset and disappointed. We couldn’t believe what was happening to us and the poor customer service we received. Two member of the party left the table disgusted with the treatment and refused to stay and eat. La Vaqueta and his owner showed us that it’s a restaurant that cares more about making a profit than taking care of its customers. We will NOT be returning to this place nor will any of our friends and family ever eat there again. It’s very sad that they treat good clients this way. We ended up not even lighting up a candle for the birthday girl. So, so sad. This place should...

Wow – what a start! Vaqueta truly impressed us when we walked in: an eye-catching location, stylish interior, no kitchen smell despite the open setup – a place that immediately made us excited for a special evening. The Papas Bravas as a starter were a real delight, and my wife’s sushi was excellent. My chicken dish was okay, nothing more – but that’s fine, because we were looking forward to the whole experience.

And then came the service. Or rather: the chaos. We had four or five different waiters throughout the evening – no continuity, no real sense of being looked after. No feeling of arriving, relaxing, or being welcome. As we sat back and enjoyed our wine after dinner, the bill was suddenly placed on the table without us even asking – glasses still full, the bottle still good for two more pours. No “Take your time.” Just the bill. And with it, the clear message: You’ve eaten – now please leave.

We deliberately left the bill untouched. But as soon as we glanced at it, the waitress came rushing back to charge us. It felt like we were only welcome as long as our plates had food on them.

And as if that wasn’t enough to create distance, there was also the wine cooler, placed right next to my chair – on a stand that literally boxed me in. The bottle was empty, I even placed it upside down in the cooler – yet no one thought to move it or help me out. I had to clear my own way out.

What’s left? A place with so much potential – visually and culinarily. But a service experience that wipes all of that off the table. I really wanted to give five stars. But unfortunately, this evening showed me: looking good isn’t enough – you also need to take care of your guests.

Conclusion: This was our first and last time here....