El Faro Restaurante Vila-real — Restaurant in Villarreal

El Faro – A Local Gem Worth the Wait

We’d had El Faro on our list for a while, thanks to glowing recommendations from friends and let’s just say, it fully lived up to the hype.

We first tried booking through The Fork, but it only offered one (too early) time slot. Next time quick call for sure will save the day and honestly, it set the tone: the staff were warm, funny, and just the kind of charming you only get from locals who love what they do.

From the start, the portions were generous, and the food? A seafood lover’s dream. Standouts included the tellinas, galeras, and the caldereta, especially its unforgettable part of what I’ve now dubbed “torrijas de mar” (not the official name, but it should be). Truly mind-blowing.

Not every dish was a personal hit: the sea urchin leaned a little too “green” for my taste, the jamón croquettes were just okay, and the desserts didn’t quite rise to the same level (though maybe we were just too focused on that elusive pineapple with carajillo we didn’t get to try).

But really, that’s nitpicking because overall, the experience was fantastic. The setting is beautifully styled and super comfortable, and the hospitality makes you feel like you’re dining at a friend’s seaside home (if that friend happened to be a fantastic cook).

Final take? We’re already planning a return visit and telling anyone who’ll listen to go. Thank you to the whole team at El Faro for an...

Sadly disappointed after visiting their sister location many times. The waiter was far too forceful on us choosing the most expensive full menu option (even late on a Friday night) - like nothing else existed on the menu (we just wanted some fresh fish). Having bowed to his choice, we were then very disappointed to receive doughy, undercooked bread, on the point of undercooked scallops, mini clams covered in so much sauce they had no original flavour - and then finally, two tiny fish served as main course. This was served with a selection of vegetables either over or undercooked. Just shocking.

The desserts were extremely average

50€ each....

El restaurante en cuanto a la estética es de 10, cada comensal tiene su zona tranquila. Hoy hemos ido a comer tres personas, al sacarnos la carta el jefe nos ha explicado los menús que tenían y nos ha dejado un tiempo para elegir lo que deseábamos comer. Hemos pedido unas gambas al ajillo, unas puntillitas de Burriana, una paella al senyoret y pan con tomate y alioli, el jefe que es el que nos ha tomado nota nos ha repetido una y mil veces que la gente cuando va ahí esas cosas no las piden que piden el menú. Le hemos dicho que nosotros queríamos eso y él seguía diciendo que bueno que él lo que quiere es quedar bien pero que eso no se lo pide la gente, nos ha sentado bastante mal su actitud. Los entrantes que hemos probado estaban bien en especial las gambas al ajillo pero el arroz no ha estado a la altura, primero porque nos han traído paella de marisco cuando habíamos pedido al senyoret, se lo hemos comentado a la camarera diciéndole que no pasaba nada pero que no era lo que habíamos pedido, el jefe no se ha vuelto a acercar en ningún momento, a parte de equivocarse, el arroz estaba muy duro y muy muy salado. Ha habido un camarero que nos ha atendido muy agradable, el único que vale la pena del...