Barcelona Wine Bar — Restaurant in Houston

Invested a lot of my time. I waited a month and a half to start training to start working for this company. Meanwhile I am getting interviews, and job offers, left and right. They were all shut down by me so that I can have availability for this company. Spent $70 on uniform. I will never apologize for being myself and being a free spirit and being an honest, loving person. This generation of people are filled with sensitive people. I made comments but I never said them in a harmful way. I grew up under the care of narcissists so that stuff will not fly with me. I think it’s hilarious that they are already getting bad reviews and the owners are having to put 5 stars before they even open. This place is disorganized. The head manager, Corey, says we are inclined to arrive on time. There are many deaths of people speeding in Houston. If someone is 10, 20, 30 minutes late, there should be more leniency in this day and age for arriving late. We live in an era where speeding is considered common when it’s actually the reason why there is so much traffic in Houston. Managers promoting having to be on time should be frowned upon. Arriving ALIVE should be promoted instead of must arrive on time. Because it’s going to happen. Being a team and a “family” as they were claiming to be is filling in for someone just as you wish they’d have your back if an emergency happened. You can tell when someone doesn’t care about their job. That clearly wasn’t the case with me. I cared a lot about my job but obviously wasn’t reciprocated when I told them I wasn’t going to be on time because of the traffic. It was really backed up. And another thing, Corey forcing people to act a certain way is also faulty management. Everyone should be allowed to perform in their own unique way, we were all made different. Not the same. For a reason. Actions speak louder than words and I’m glad I had reservations. Seems like a lot of people do too. And firing someone who’s been in the business for around 15 years isn’t the smartest move. But probably smart if you’d like to see this “family” fall apart. Also, the training was disorganized. Trainees were not allowed to give feedback. Seemed like we were always reprimanded instead of comforted and supported. We always were the problem and not them. It’s clear to see not everyone training the new employees were experienced in opening a store. It was a mess. A lot of trial, a lot of error. Dodged a bullet. Thanks for firing me Corey! I just hope one day you wish you were appreciated the way I deserved to be. I don’t know about where everyone was from and what happens back in their hometowns but baby in Houston, we create connections based around real, honest and relatable interactions. We do not need to be...

Meh-- 2/3 stars across the board. Not great, not terrible, but not worth it. Wait staff appeared to have been trained on creating a certain environment that did not lend itself to justifying the prices, if that's vague enough. It was very loud, which is not a problem IF the food, wine, and service makes up for it. It doesn't. The tapas were fast and only "OK", the wine is over-priced and the selection is not "quality" Spanish wine but rather trendy labels, and the service was not awful but we unfortunately had a waiter that was very... belittling... rude?... to us. We did order the seafood paella, that we had to return twice (sad, because it honestly looked delicious) for being painfully salty both times. Fortunately, a manager going by "B" salvaged the night by being very apologetic and kind-- attempting to make things better. So a serious thank you for that, B! Unsure whether we will return, but I will say for the unsuspecting and potential patron to not plan on a quiet, or relaxing dinner and instead be prepared for a night-club-feel with less than satisfying gastronomy. At least the management is focused on customer experience! I hope things improve because this could be a really nice place! -Leaving 2 stars for the food for these reasons: Why are you serving Focaccia as the only bread available in a Spanish restaurant? The gambas tasted like they were just frozen/pre-cooked, regular shrimp. The small portions are absurd compared to actual Spanish tapas. The Basque cheesecake was mass-produced and cheap tasting- not authentic at all. AND if the establishment is meant to be a "wine bar" then TRAIN YOUR STAFF to know something.. anything.. about wine. Encourage your waiters to not be condescending/fake about their lack of wine knowledge. No Sommeliers required, but be professional when your wine is marked-up 70%. At least the food came out in a timely manner and was not awful! (except for the mentioned paella) -Leaving 2 stars or service due to out personal experience with our terrible waiter. He was rude, condescending, and inappropriate. He couldn't tell us ANYTHING about any of the dishes or wines when we asked, using unprofessional language to describe things on the menu inaccurately. Felt like pulling teeth interacting with this guy. Terrible, fire-able. He was also extremely infantile while "IDing" 2 mid-30s. Awful experience. Like stated above, the manager B saved this from being a 1 star experience. -Again 3 stars for the environment because while it was cute and trendy looking, absolutely too loud for the quality of return. And the bachelorette/night club vibe was...

Nut allergy friendly: The event I went to was very considerate when I let them know ahead of time about allergies. Desserts were prepared without nuts too.

I parked on Elmen street nearby because I didn't want to pay for valet.

I went to Barcelona Wine Bar for a wine tasting event called Summer Flight School. We had about 15 people trying a flight of three wines (+1 sparkling opener) along with tapas, entrees, and desserts. I'll rate the food since the wine was effectively a separate event:

Tapas:

Gambas al Ajillo (4/5): Shrimp served with an olive oil and garlic sauce. The sauce actually paired perfectly with the complimentary focaccia bread. I only got one piece of shrimp, which was rich with the olive oil but altogether missing something. Maybe a hint of salt or pepper?

jamon and Manchego croquetas (4.5/5): Not gonna lie, I could dangerously eat these all day. They are rich with the Manchego cheese and well balanced. It's like a fried charcuterie board bite and probably very unhealthy.

Patatas Bravas (3.5/5): These were served with two kinds of sauces, a tomato sauce salsa and a garlic aioli. Some pieces were perfectly crispy while others were a bit soggier. The crispy ones were excellent.

Albondigas (3.5/5): Just meatballs with a tomato sauce. Nice, nothing unique.

Chef's Seasonal Vegetable (4.5/5): Whew! Great portion, served very hot (like burn your tongue hot) but overall excellently spiced and still crispy.

Mariscos Paella (3/5): Honestly not enough seafood and a little light on the saffron compared to flavors I've had in Spain. I think I counted six mussels and even less shrimp. There was a good serving of octopus (calamari) though.

Parillada Mixed Grill (4/5): Stellar portions, enough for six to have a bite of each. Pork was 2/5, too tough. Chicken was perfectly tender on some pieces but a touch too salty and not seared enough on others (3.5/5). Steak had a nice sear and was perfectly cooked (4/5). Sausage was unique and flavorful (4/5).

Desserts: We had the cheesecake, olive oil cake, crepes with strawberry, and flan. I'd say all were average with the flan being noticably better than the rest.

Overall, nice tapas restaurant with music that is a little too loud to be intimate. Some folks were having a blast and we could hear them from in a sectioned off space! I'd give it a 3.5/5 overall and I doubt I'd come back for the food, but maybe to pair with some wines...