Bodegón Baix a Mar - Torredembarra

Being one of the oldest bars in the beach, it's the typical bar/restaurant seaside. Good products but, depending on the crowded of the moment, they do a bad ser... read more Being one of the oldest bars in the beach, it's the typical bar/restaurant seaside. Good products but, depending on the crowded of the moment, they do a bad service. Near it, there are other better places.

Menjar excel·lent, menú molt complet a 14,90 €, localització perfecta, decoració molt adequada al lloc i servii immillorable. molt recomanable per anar-hi amb n... read more Menjar excel·lent, menú molt complet a 14,90 €, localització perfecta, decoració molt adequada al lloc i servii immillorable. molt recomanable per anar-hi amb nens, saben tractar-los com es mereixen.

This is one of the many restaurants on the beach promenade with tables outside. So the views are as good as from any of the others. However, this place is like... read more This is one of the many restaurants on the beach promenade with tables outside. So the views are as good as from any of the others. However, this place is like no other. The first you will notice is that many times it 's overcrowded. Do not be fooled. It 's not because it 's awsome, it 's because it 's the cheapest around and many Spanish people especially care more for their pockets than for quality or good service (I 'm from here so I can say this . If you visit when it 's busy be ready to be standing around and being rudely ignored for a long time. Then, if you spot a table and walk to it, a waitress will shout that it 's booked and you cannot sit there. If you ask politely when there will be a table for you, they 'll either say it 's all full (no sorry or 'I don 't know I can 't tell you anything ' while rushing about, not even stopping to speak to you, smiling or apologising in any way, shape or form. English speaking visitors and most Europeans will have a really hard time being treated like this by the waitresses of these restaurant especially an Argentinian one if she 's still there and that 's if they even get the 'honour ' of getting a table. You may say I exaggerate but I 've been here 3 times (yeah I know... . The first time we got a terrible table right next to the building 's door so the waitresses were storming around us with trays and glass noises and shouting orders all the time. No nice view, no relax, no nothing. But that 's not the worst. There was broken glass on the floor under our table! I asked the waitress if she had noticed it before and she said 'NO ' all sharply and walked away. They didn 't clean it up or apologise, they just left the hazard there!!!! We should have reported this to the Catalan Department of Health. If I hadn 't been on holidays I would have. The second time it was with a friend. it was off season so we got to eat like human beings for once even if the service was still rude ish and the food average. But my friend and I had lots to talk about so we didn 't notice the flaws too much. The third time it was appalling. It was just before the high season started so again no crowds but all restaurants in the area had customers mostly nationals. They gave us the same rude, dismissive treatment as always but we were sitting down already and didn 't want to make a scene. After ignoring us for 10 min and then 10 more (20 ' they came with a menu that had about 70 per cent of the dishes crossed out with a black thick pen. And wihout even greeting us or smiling they told us they didnt have any of that (no fish or fish tapas whatsoever, what a great offer for a tapas bar by the sea!! and that we were being warned (yes, 'warned ' that the food would take long because there was only one person in the kitchen. We tried by all means to stay and adapt despite everything but when asking politely basic things like 'well, how long do you reckon the food can take in that case ' the same sharp rude answers as always came out of the waitress 's mouth (I don 't know! while walking away with a straight face . We decided there was no way we were going to put up with such rudeness any longer and thankfully we discovered another restaurant 1 or 2 terraces down. It was ostensibly more expensive but the food was excellent and the service was out of this world. It always is. We now go there often instead when we are by the beach. Conclusion: do not take any abuse from bad service even if you are in a touristy area, at peak season or the menu looks cheap and good. Even as a tourist you must expect and demand better. Go where the locals go or at least where the menus are priced more in line with the quality of food and service you expect and where you are welcomed appropriately. Take a look around a few places before you decide and then go back to the one you liked the most. Do never assume all restaurants by the beach have the same standard, if you think that you are very wrong, I 'm afraid. And bear in mind the best restaurants are not crowded so don 't think the busiest is the best. Most people are attracted by cheap prices and a busy environment but after a dreadful experience they would never go back. In a tourist town however these establishments can afford to be dreadful, however, because they get one time customers all the time but you don 't want to ruin your one time holiday!

I've been several times lunching and dining there. As they solved the problem of poor service they had the firsts years, now I can recommend it to those who wan... read more I've been several times lunching and dining there. As they solved the problem of poor service they had the firsts years, now I can recommend it to those who want to enjoy and informal lunch or dinner of good tapas (I recommend the non-traditional ones) and wine at reasonable prices, Bear in mind that dishes may not come in order nor all together for every one in the table, because the idea is to share all of them. Moreover, they try to improve the most demanded tapas so, you can get positive surprises when repeating. An example is in the foto selected (salmon cubes): now it is served with thin bread assortment and wasabi.

Traveling through Spain with no particular place to go, I stumbled upon El Bodegon for lunch after a lazy few hours on the beach. Their Sangria hit the spot on... read more Traveling through Spain with no particular place to go, I stumbled upon El Bodegon for lunch after a lazy few hours on the beach. Their Sangria hit the spot on a scorching August afternoon, as did the free cold beer the waiter brought me. The service was friendly and informative. I was advised in advance that my selections would take time to prepare, so I ordered extra tapas to tide me over. The salt cod tapas was out of this world, as was the deep fried green peppers, my third selection however was rather mediocre. My seafood main course was fresh, vibrant and tasty, I could feel myself smiling throughout the whole meal. Yes, the place was packed, it was August, so what else would you expect, but the staff remained professional and curious, even after been stiffed on their tip by a table of six Germans sat in front of us. I would be delighted to go back again should the opportunity come my way.