Restaurante Isla De Lobos — Restaurant in Yaiza

Fawlty Towers, only there's no owner there to get mad.

Our saga began an hour before our reservation when we received a call to confirm our arrival and to ensure we would indeed be wearing pants, not shorts, as specified on their website. This, along with the numerous "Best of Canarias 2020", "Best Chef of Lanzarote 2019" accolades listed on their menu, and a boastfully acclaimed sommelier, set some level of expectations.

Upon our arrival at the restaurant, we placed our food order and then moved on to the wine selection. After ordering a wine from the menu, we were informed a few minutes later that it was unavailable. This process repeated itself two more times, with 3-4 staff members frantically entering and exiting the wine cellar each time. After four attempts, we finally found a white wine on the menu that was available. Selecting a red wine only took two attempts.

When inquired about suggestions from the red wine menu, a member of staff simply said, "all the wines are good", hardly consistent with their boast of an award-winning sommelier on their website.

Our bottle of cava was initially distributed among our three glasses. After a while, our son was asked if he wanted a refill. The staff proceeded to empty the majority of it into his glass (which we didn't mind), then a little into another glass, before declaring, "it's empty," all while spilling a considerable amount on the tablecloth.

Next, a member of the staff practically drowned one of our party's salmon dish in sauce, bizarrely needing directions from a colleague on where to pour it.

At one point, I was almost hesitant to ask for directions to the restroom, fearing I might be directed to the swimming pool instead.

After the starter, we requested a slower pace of service as the dishes were being served in rapid succession. The staff member asked if "10 minutes" between the starter and the main course was okay for us.

The main dish was salted so much that was mostly the only discernible taste.

To top everything off, the card reader battery was drained.

Given the price and the level of pretentiousness, some degree of staff training is expected, which the management has clearly chosen not to provide. The level of staff competence was more suited to a place that didn't even require shorts, let alone pants at all. While the food was quite palatable, it was only worth a third of the 300€ we spent among the 3 of...

Disappointing Experience Despite High Expectations

We made a reservation weeks in advance for a family breakfast for six people, as part of our holiday at Lanzarote where we’ve been frequent guests for years. We also visit the island regularly, so we were genuinely looking forward to a pleasant start to the day — especially since it was a birthday morning.

Unfortunately, the experience was anything but enjoyable. We had a small dog with us, and were told by hotel staff that pets could not be left in the room, nor were they allowed in the restaurant — despite this being a pet-friendly hotel. When we raised the question, reception suggested we bring our dog in a small transport box, which we agreed to and prepared accordingly.

However, when we arrived at the restaurant, we were immediately told we could not enter — not only because of the dog (even in the box), but also because we had our 10-year-old child with us. This was never mentioned before, and on previous occasions we had dinner at the same restaurant with no issue. When we questioned the inconsistency, the staff simply said that children are not allowed at breakfast — without any prior warning or explanation. Even worse, they outright refused to allow the pet in the transport box even on the terrase, despite earlier confirmation that this would be acceptable.

No alternatives were offered, no flexibility shown. We were left out in the morning, on a birthday, scrambling to find another place for breakfast.

For a hotel that promotes itself as family- and pet-friendly, this was a deeply frustrating and disappointing experience. We expected better communication, consistency, and basic...

Isla De Lobos is one of the more high-end restaurants on Lanzarote. They have 2 menus with set courses, out of which you can choose, and it is possible to order a la carte. Because I have quite some dietary restrictions, they made a special menu for me. This way, I could eat here gluten-free, lactose-free, and without garlic and onion family amongst other things. They did this very well, I even got a message with the menu they proposed, on which I could then again make changes if I wanted. The chef thought with me very nicely. After dinner, he even came checking if everything went OK, which it did. And the food was very tasty. The servers were good and the atmosphere was nice. The restaurant is located at the perfect spot, with a beautiful view on the beach. If you want to have a special experience when you are on Lanzarote, I would recommend this restaurant. Do make sure to make a reservation in advance, especially if you have any dietary requirements. Thanks for...