I was looking for something more “authentic” between two starred restaurants during this stay in Barcelona. Relying on the recommendation of a few friends and after the usual online checks, I choose “Los Caracoles” (the snails in Spanish).

As a reminder, the articles related to this trip:

The concept of Los Caracoles

Los Caracoles is a kind of tavern, and perhaps the oldest in the city since the restaurant was founded in 1835 and still belongs to the heirs of the founders, so it is still the same family that holds the reins of the property.

In terms of cuisine, it is simple and authentic.

If I could make a comparison, it is in the line of the Parisian bistros.

It was this historical aspect that led to my decision.

The setting of Los Caracoles

The setting is totally consistent with the identity and history of the property: an old tavern whose decoration has been kept “in its juice” (they just had to install electricity in between).

It must be several buildings that have been made to communicate over time because there are several rooms, on several levels, and to reach your table you spend a long time to go up and down following a well-defined route: the traffic is only in one direction, so as not to create traffic jams.

The walls are covered with photos of celebrities who have frequented the property and the many awards it has won over the years.

Fun fact, to get from the entrance to the room you literally walk through a part of the kitchen.

The menu of Los Caracoles

As announced it is quite simple and traditional. However, the menu is quite rich.

Dinner and service

After a long wait at the reception desk, I was led through a maze of corridors and stairs to my seat. Place from where I can admire the floor below as well as a beautiful assortment of hams…

So much for the change of scenery: around me everyone speaks French!

Orders are taken fairly quickly. I will choose the oxtail croquettes and the Zarzuela, one of my favorite dishes. All accompanied by a glass of wine and preceded by a negroni as an aperitif.

The service lags a bit…so much so that the aperitif arrives barely a minute before the starter.

It is relatively correct but I will be surprised if they have respected the original dosage…

As for the glass of wine, it is served generously…which will prove to be a good thing as it will be difficult to get a second one.

The oxtail croquettes are good and, for a fried dish, not greasy.

Nothing exceptional but no reason to complain either.

The wait for the Zarzuelas will be a little long but finally it arrives at my table.

The fish is well cooked, it is tasty. It’s not the best I’ve had, far from it, but it’s very decent.

Throughout the meal I will try to get a second glass of wine. In vain. Absent staff.

Finally I will take advantage of the dessert order to ask for one more. And I’ll have the chocolate fondant. It will take even longer to arrive than the main course. Frankly at this point the waiting is really starting to annoy me.

The fondant must have been melty and warm in a previous life before it arrived at my table, but here it is pretty plain.

I ask for a coffee and the bill….the coffee will take a while to arrive, but the bill will arrive before the coffee.

I let my ears wander a bit…the tables around me don’t seem much excited, even the ones that took the speciality, the snails. Many jokes about the service and about the content of the plate some prefer to joke about it.

Well, after 30 minutes I end up paying and leave the restaurant.

The atmosphere

Perhaps the only thing that found favor in my eyes: it’s noisy, lively, like a good tavern.

The staff

The staff perfectly embodies the duality of the property.

First of all, he is very pleasant and friendly, which is always a good thing.

But the service is really “industrial” in the bad way: once the order is taken you are in the matrix and it is very difficult to intercept someone to ask for something. The dishes come out as fast as they come out, so you get one dish at the same time as the appetizer, another after a long wait and the coffee after the check.

This is the price of success: what should have been a pleasant tavern has become a factory. The staff is pleasant but they can’t do anything against the system: they are asked to send out dishes en masse and quickly and that’s all.

Bottom line

Los Caracoles must have been a nice and pleasant place in the past but it is a victim of its own success. The food is good without being fantastic and the service is closer to a Mc Do than a tavern.

Today the restaurant is part of the “must see” of many tourists and to target large quantity it lost a part of it soul. The only thing authentic about the restaurant is the setting, and even then it’s a beautiful setting for tourists: you go there as if you were visiting a museum, the food is secondary and the service industrial.

All this for 65 euros. Is it worth it? I don’t think so.

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