Claraboya Scratch Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Lubbock

We went to Claraboya for a friend's birthday. There were14 in our party and we were initially told they were booked that day so they put us in a private banquet room. There was nobody else in the restaurant. Why say you are booked if that is not the case? I will say the atmosphere is very nice and I was prepared for a good meal as this was my first time at Claraboya. The waiter, God bless him, was nice but either overwhelmed or not paying attention. My friend ordered a Mango Cart beer...a beer. What came out was, according to the waiter, a "Mango Collins", an abomination which never should have been served. The issue was not immediately resolved. Every other person who ordered from the bar was underwhelmed to put it mildly. The drinks simply were not good. Another friend ordered a Paloma and when she asked what tequila was available, the waiter...God bless him...told her anejo and resposado were available. What is resposado? I know reposado tequila. Maybe resposado has a little something I am not aware of. For those of us not drinking alcohol our glasses were never refilled, not once, the entire time we were there. For the prices charged you would expect white-glove service, however, that was not on the menu. What was on the menu was decent. For an appetizer, I had the bone marrow and scallops, which were thoroughly ok. For my main I had shrimp pasta diablo, which was fantastic, and I could definitely tell some pride went into that one. I would absolutely order it again, but I would skip the bone marrow and scallops.

If I could sum up the experience, I would say Claraboya has a chef who is doing his best take on fine dining, but who, unfortunately, is hamstrung by a bar and a wait staff...God bless 'em...who are either inexperienced or don't care. The whole experience was poorly influenced by the public-facing elements of the restaurant. If the food is to be considered fine then the service should be as well. I find it offensive to be charged Bugatti prices for Mazda service. I wish Claraboya the best but won't be rushing back any time soon because there are better...

At first, finding the actual place seems daunting. No signs, nothing, just walk in the front entrance of the hotel and you cant miss it. Anyways we reserved a table for our anniversary. We were seated directly in front of the entertainment. I didn't mind this at all because the guy was great! The whole ambiance and vibe were moody, chill and calm. Despite being so close we were still able to enjoy a conversation. Now to the food. Sorry no pics this time. We ordered the fried green tomatoes and pork belly appetizer to share. The pork belly had a strong smoke flavor and a very sweet sauce all over it. By itself a win. The fried green tomatoes with the pimento cheese and spicy tomato sauce was also a win. But putting the 2 together didn't make as much sense as it should have. Then we ended with a shared entrée of ribeye with bone marrow, cheesy garlic new potatoes, and charred green onions. The steak was tough and unevenly cooked, we ordered medium and it was mostly rare in the middle, with the edges over done. The flavor was nice but it needed salt. The cheesy potatoes were overcooked and the cheesy garlic goodness congeled and became a thing of its own. The onions were overcooked and stringy. Inedible. The bone marrow was flavorless and oily. You couldnt spoon it out. Despite the food not being the highlight of our night, we still enjoyed eating here and having a full on chef experience (hard to find in the lbk). Sometimes I think I'm too critical or maybe my expectations have been set really high for a chef (thanks food network), but I wasn't impressed with the execution that night. However, I would love to explore the menu more as the fried green tomatoes had a sparkle of greatness in them. If I ever get back there, I'll update the review. BTW the food looked beautiful. Just like the...

Seeking something new and foodie in the Lubbock area, we decided to try Claraboya. We were surprised to realize that it was located at the Doubletree hotel. Upon arrival, the staff was friendly and helpful. We were seated at a table in the main dining area. Nothing fancy- picture your standard hotel restaurant with adjacent bar nearby… nonetheless we were looking forward to the fantastic food that we had read about in the reviews.

We tried the filets, the ribeye, the green goddess salad, and the calamari. Whatever standard expectation you have for salads or the calamari, be prepared to try those items in a new creative way. The green goddess salad was not a bountiful salad of fresh greens, but a small compacted pre-dressed item that was very tasty with great flavor. The calamari had a different presentation than the typical breaded rings we are used to seeing… It was calamari rings tossed along “with” the crunchies you typically expect to see “on” the rings… so that was different, but we welcomed the fresh presentation idea. The filets were good & tender, and the ribeye was tasty, albeit a little chewy. The ribeye was paired with truffled Parmesan fries and an aioli. We paired our dinner with their wine offerings at an average of $24 for a 9oz pour.

The service was absolutely wonderful, with enthusiastic and kind servers. We enjoyed this dinner and were glad to enjoy the experience. At this price point we will likely visit the locally renowned steak houses for steaks but return here to experience their...