Tlaxcal has been recommended by the chef of Ninjo Viejo, Paco Mendez and by Jordi Gasó from Pakta in Food & Wine Magazine. It is possible that all this adoration may have gone to the management’s head. I say this because when I last visited for lunch with my sister (at 14:30), we were given the worst / smallest table, practically in the bathroom in the only dark corner in what is otherwise a lovely and bright space.
Glancing at the row of empty tables, I politely asked – “Oh – do you think we could maybe sit in the main dining room?”
“No.”
“No?”
“No, those are tables of four. You are only two.”
“Okaay – but the tables of four are made up of single tables. So we could pull one of them apart and then we could sit there and you would still have 2 tables of 4? I mean what are the chances that you will have 3 parties of 4 customers walking in for lunch in the next 45 minutes.”
“No.”
“What about if we sit there and then if the 3 parties of 4 arrive we move?”
“No.”
Alrighty then. We were hungry. We had somewhere to be and the lunch menu was well priced at €11. So we sat in the dark eating our lunch while the main dining room remained empty – like an architectural mock-up.
Foodwise – there was guacamole, pico de gallo, nice carnitas… But who cares! I was too busy playing this loop in my head: “Empty! Of course! I guess this guy hasn’t heard that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush!” And so on. I mean, it’s kind of like your boyfriend making you sleep on the floor in case something better comes along and he needs room in the bed.
The food is good and moderately priced but the service was lacking. Maybe if I had come in on the arm of Méndez in a triumphant “aren’t you sorry you didn’t serve me – big mistake – HUGE” I would have a totally different story to tell you.
See this and find more addresses on my Foodie in Barcelona Map
Tlaxcal
C/ Comerç, 27
08003 El Born
www.tlaxcal.com
HA! Love this review…..”The food was good, but who cares?!?” The analogy to the boyfriend was too good.
Thank you, thank you! : )
A shame you had such terrible service. I’d heard good things about this place. We tried to go to Niño Viejo last night but it was fully booked. Ended up in Rías de Galicia so not too shabby. Neither was the bill!
Oh – I haven’t been to that one but I went to Espai Kru upstairs which was pricy but good. Tlaxcal has nice food for a third of the price of Niño Viejo. The service at Niño Viejo is excellent, attentive (almost too much) and informed but yes – as you say, it’s hard to get a table and a lot more expensive.
Shame on them for making you sit in the “bathroom” in an otherwise empty restaurant. Little did they know you are a food blogger and would be writing a review for many to see.
Yes! A food blogger with clout. Not really though ; ) It was more funny than anything. Like he only had a “no” setting. I wanted to check under his t-shirt and see if there were any other setting options?
i always need to laugh so much when i read your stories because this is so typical here in barcelona and i experienced it about a hundred times already. empty restaurant but you cant sit at the table you want. they will never learn what good service means unfortunately
Believe it or not – this was a first for me (in Barcelona). When I review places, I tend to go for lunch rather than in the evening anyhow since I can take better pictures and there is often a better priced menu. So normally, if there is a nice table, they give it to me. Not this time though.