Olé Spanish Restaurant — Restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City

TLDR: You're paying A LOT for bad service and okay food.

I came here with some friends on a Saturday night and the place was about 75% full. Although we were seated immediately, the waitstaff literally ignored us for 15-20 minutes. I understand that you're understaffed, but a simple "I'll get to you shortly" or some sort of acknowledgement would be nice. When we made eye contact with the owner, she rudely told us "Relax!"... At that moment I understood why my wife doesn't like it when I tell her to relax during arguments.

When the owner finally came to our table, we asked for her recommendations, to which she suggested the prawns on garlic. She then got mad because we didn't listen to her recommendation and told us don't ask next time. Hmm, have you thought of the fact that maybe not everyone like prawns and may be allergic to prawns? Maybe other people could have different food preference? I swallowed and let it slide because, well, I didn't want them to spit in my food.

Now, the food was the gray lining in all of this. I said gray (not silver!) because it was only above average -- I've definitely had better food in D2 and D1. The portion was small, and the price was inversely proportionate.

In summary, this restaurant's got the worst of both worlds. It's got the high prices and small portions of a fine dining restaurant, combined with the bad service of a cheap diner. There are definitely better options in Thao Dien than this one. Please save yourself some time & money and...

So disappointing… let’s start with the basic of Spanish cuisine : good olive oil !! Here they use canola or some cheap oil .. we had potatoes bravas , a sauce with no flavor except for an excessive amount of garlic , then beautiful prawns cooked in cheap oil and garlic with deshydrated parsley… what a waste of good product. then Spanish omelette, blend , hardly any potatoes , no seasoning , cooked in cheap oil , don’t bother ! Croquetas were ok , Spanish ham was good except for the soggy bread with tomato. Sangria was good but not great Portions were generous I have to say but if it’s not good I don’t see the point ! Ambiance : no music , just a cold big room with no plants no atmosphere. 2000 000 viet for 2 people , honestly go...

Food tastes good, especially the tapas and the prawns with garlic and olive oil. The seafood paella is a little bit wet and salty but overall it is ok. However, I rate this restaurant 2 stars because of the bad attitude and unfriendly staff. They always smile at us and seem to be very thoughtful but we do not feel that we are welcomed here. They treat us as if they were afraid that we could not pay the bill. How can??? For a well-know restaurant like this, I expect the focus should be not only on the taste of the dishes but also on the customer service. They should learn the first basic rule of customer service: Don't judge the guests by their appearance. I will not come back...