Barsa Taberna - Menu

The website advertised a flamenco show, in fact they had a live guitarist for about an hour, but no dancers. The food was bad, cold, badly seasoned, the meat wa... read more The website advertised a flamenco show, in fact they had a live guitarist for about an hour, but no dancers. The food was bad, cold, badly seasoned, the meat was dry and stringy, and for the cheese “platter” one needs to bring tweezers from home...to handle the delicate foils of cheese. They give a really bad name to the Spanish cuisine.

I've visited Barca a few times and each time the service has blown hot and cold. So it was again yesterday. After waiting minutes to be seated and another to ha... read more I've visited Barca a few times and each time the service has blown hot and cold. So it was again yesterday. After waiting minutes to be seated and another to have our glasses filled, the wait staff could not have been more attentive....Every few minutes someone came by to ask if we were OK. I lost my thread of conversation several times with my wife, after being asked if, We needed anything' over and over again. We're sat here with full glasses of wine and full plates of food what could we possibly want? At one point I was looking across the road at something and a waiter appeared out of nowhere to enquire, how can I help . And then, just like that, the service vanished. Our glasses sat empty for five minutes, six, seven, until I got up and retrieved the bottle myself. If I'm paying for a bottle that sits on another table out of my reach, then you're going to need to keep me topped up. When we asked our waiter to please come back in minutes to take our dessert order he never returned. Same with the bill. I had to go inside to find someone twice to complete our order and get the bill. The patio was chilly but no heat lamps were out. It would be a nice touch if the restaurant could check the weather and make sure their outdoor space is comfortable. Also, we were never informed about the specials. After we placed our order we heard them being read out to the table next to us. They sounded delicious! The server told me that the chef had not informed them of the specials until late that afternoon. Amateur. I want Barca to do well. It's a lovely little spot in my neighbourhood and the servers are all friendly. But it's not cheap. And the service is uneven. I end up asking myself every time I go: why would I sit on a freezing patio and pay when I can have the same meal on my own patio for and not have to be interrupted or wait around When the bill came the POS machine had tip options starting at (with and Custom' the other options). Barca is a fairly high end restaurant with uneven service it's not worth an tip or above, even in this guilt ridden COVID era. We used to tip on the pre-tax amount for excellent service, and less for anything sub-par. And we had no guilt. But now, if I'm not peeling off notes like a Mafia Don I'm a cheap skate. When did it come to this? My wife and I don't go out as much now because of COVID. We would like to but when we do, we're reminded of how pricey and dicey it can be to eat out. Restaurants, instead of begging us for bigger tips, should focus on giving us good value for money. There is less dosh to go around now and businesses need to try harder to get us to part with it.