Boca Bistro — Restaurant in City of Saratoga Springs

I first entered the hallowed halls of Boca way back in 2013 and I instantly fell in love with it's menu and the service. I previously lived in Spain (although I am originally from the UK) and the flavors offered were a reminder of time spent standing at a counter enjoying Tapas in warm climate and views of the Ocean. I have lost count of the number of times myself, my wife and friends and family have gone there and the food and service was always impeccable and indeed when asked for a recommendation of where to eat in Saratoga, Boca Bistro was always my first response. In December of 2020 while celebrating a family special occasion we went by for dinner. Service was good but the atmosphere seemed to have changed a little, it didn't seem so relaxed. A few of our favorite items were missing from the menu BUT the birthday boy loves calamari and so he was a very happy celebrant. What he discovered while eating his favorite dish was the longest black hair fried in with the calamari holding it all together like some strange welding experiment. We alerted our waiter who apologised and comp'd most of our meal. We left a little disappointed and took it as the first bad experience in 8 years - so not too disheartening. Yesterday my wife and I decided it was time to revisit, to give it a second chance. We were in the restaurant for 2 minutes and left. The greeting we received was lukewarm and it seemed as though the hostess was "put out" by our arrival, her greeting was impolite and unfriendly, certainly not warm and welcoming. She sat us at the far end of the restaurant away from everyone and away from all the atmosphere and proceeded to drop our menu on the floor. I sat down and my wife said "I'm already regretting coming here" - we took the welcome as a sign, left and went to the also forever excellent Druthers where our teenage greeters were overjoyed at our arrival.

Since posting this, DZ restaurants have been in touch and offered their sincerest apologies and an invitation to return. I am extremely satisfied with how this review...

Maybe I have made a mistake. I put up for two nights in the decrepit mansion in Schenectady. And I slept in too long. And I didn't make the train that cost fourteen dollars to go the thirty miles up to Saratoga Springs. But, determined to go, I called a ride share. The price didn't give me shell shock. It cost me twenty dollars extra to go by private car, a clean Ford Explorer with leather seats.

I really liked the driver, a woman who had gotten fired in May from her post managing a nursing home after twenty four years. She has three rescue dogs, gives drunken passengers a purple recovery bracelet if they'll take one and loves a restaurant named Hattie' s in Saratoga Spring that serves Southern food. As I got out near the park, she said, "I'm going to be good and not go to Hattie's". I answered, "If you don't go, I'll be so hurt. Although I doubt I'll ever know".

And I stepped onto the sidewalk of downtown Saratoga Springs. I'm not sure I'll try the street photography game here until I feel out the rules. In Syracuse, one just asks. Here, I think I'll get the Heimlich or the paparazzi salute, the middle finger. I walked into a restaurant because a sign read, "Burger and a Beer, Fourteen Dollars". That's a bit pricey but all the restaurants looked crowded and I wanted to avoid menu shock. I sat at the bar because I like the simplicity. The bartender walked over and I asked, "Could I have the beer and a burger with change back from a twenty special"? He seemed perplexed. Which I wondered about. I mean, how could that joke require that much decoding? "I'll have the beer and burger for fourteen dollars, please. You pick the beer. Medium, please". "Oh, got it", and he poured me a fussy, hoppy beer in a Tulip glass. Which is about half the beer in a pint, but I said little about it. I need a drink and a bite before I explore the art gallery...

Ordered a turkey club sandwich, it was greasy and did not taste good at all. It was served on some kind of a bun and not in a traditional club sandwich style. After placing the order it was quickly on our table in 5 minutes, I guess they threw it together quickly. The place was not busy now I can understand why when all the other restaurants nearby were full......UPDATE........You were right on one thing, there was no Turkey in the sandwich. It had been a few days since I ate there and posted this review so I also confused it with a Turkey Club sandwich. Either way it tasted like the Manyonaise or what ever the dressing on it was bad and had a horrible taste, and this was not only my opinion but the opinion of the local politcian who also dined with me and ordered the same item. She could not finish it. If that was mayonaise on then it was bad. I dont like to give bad reviews but the taste buds never lie. I suggest you take this item off of your menu so no one else gives you a bad review. Maybe your other items are fine, at least that is what I derive from the posts on your site. I did not know this was a Spanish restaurnt. I come from a family of restauranters in Saratoga, and between uncles and aunts we had 6 Italian restaurnts. I also was in the fast food business. I would recomend for your business sake to improve your decor to align with your high prices. Wishing you the best, and remember "taste buds dont lie". P.S. my name is Patrick and not Patricia, see how easy it is to...