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Àbac Barcelona Tripadvisor Reviews
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15 Reviews
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RUN! You don’t need this place - rip off
Not worth it. Bad peoples. Horrible service. Just run to the other three other Michelin star in the city! I have eaten in Michelin star, 3 Michelin stars from different continents, this place treats colored people differently. Sometimes you let those fly by, but now, in splice of the European culture you believe is more evolved than perceived, this restaurant bears no importance to the movement of culinary arts than subjugate our taste buds into nothingness and the service into the reduction of baseless inhumanity than to promote a gastronomical experience. Bad.
Be the first to ReplyA real 3 stars with unique experiences and surprises all along the meal
The experience starts in the kitchen. And because a kitchen is timed, it is important to arrive a little bit in advance in order not to disturb the mechanic of precision that a kitchen is, especially when guests are asked to get their pre-starters in the kitchen. The experience surely is a one of its kind. Never seen before, it has its effect! You are being accompanied in the room by professional servers who are mastering several languages and are perfectly at ease to greet you and, across the meal, to explain it all. The tabes are interesting in their design: they are asymmetrical. They also each have an individual lighting which is very sculptural. Many of the dishes are around the smoke and are smoky based. You get all aspects of the cuisine, from traditional (ham and tapas) to the most sophisticated nitrogen and molecular. Many dishes are extremely complex and the list of ingredients is extensive, thus making it hard to embrace your plate fully. The most surprising thing is in the wine pairing. Our sommelier went as experimental and daring as serving a beer; and the result was remarkable. But the best was yet to come with a wine being served that will change its taste again and again at each mouthful, to come back to what it was at the beginning of the dish. Never heard of, never seen before. Overall very demonstrative as a young chef can be, you feel the passion and strong will that is driving the chef and his team. One thing to note: you might want to double check your bill...
Be the first to ReplyA disillusionment for which Michelin may scratch themselves behind the ears .. How is this possible?
From front to back a disillusionment unparalleled. It already started wrong when we waited in the (not heated) garden for 20 minutes without even looking back to see if we wanted a drink. It continued in the kitchen where we got the first amuses prepared live. These were good but whether a 3-star label can be attached to them remains in the middle. Once at the table, the qualitative disaster began in the form of poor etiquette, disinterested staff with poor explanations of all dishes. Something can't be your taste just the construction of the menu doesn't hit the mark. From front to end, everything was mediocre and flat and unspoken in terms of taste. This is an eternal shame because of the fact that it does use nice fresh produce. For instance, the beef wellington-inspired course was cold and poorly flavoured, making the meat totally disappear from the other flavours. The soup that preceded the last 'hot' dish was downright disgusting and other guests seemingly left it all out. There was also only one really hot dish, which made us think the chef wanted to play it safe. Normally, I would describe the above as a cynical pissing piece, but at a 3-star Michelin restaurant everything has to be right for 1200 euros, which you pay for the three of you. In all honesty, I would advise Michelin to reconsider what a ballpark this is. Good luck with your business.
Be the first to ReplyA disgrace & A promise-breaker
*Short-Version* The experience was an enormous disappointment and deceiving because of: 1. the failure to balance flavors of saltiness & acidity 2. the failure to perform a gradually richer sauce consistency as the menu proceeded 3. the failure to accommodate my dietary restrictions of reduced salt content and of low sucrose diet 4. assigning physically unwell employees to serve the customers, yet no hygienic procedure was taken after every cough/sneeze covered by the employee's hand and before continuing to serve the customers Moreover, the manager on duty broke his promise to offer me a complimentary revisit to ABaC again as compensation by simply ignoring my email. Multiple phone calls were made to me, and although the front desk has made another promise that a reply will be made, but after more than 2 weeks of my experience, there was no direct reply from them. *Feedback on Non-Cuisine Aspects* Before I provide my thoughts on ABAC's cuisine course by course, I would like to readdress that during my dinner, one of the employees (name unasked) was consistently coughing and sneezing throughout the entire service. This imposes not only my concern about his health condition, but also, the health concerns of me, other customers, and other employees, as he did not perform any standardized hygienic procedures after every time his hands contacted his nose and before serving customers. Cleanliness and sanitization safety are always considered as a priority, regardless of the level of cuisine in every restaurant as supposed, particularly in a three-starred one, where executions are expected to be made beyond perfection. *Course: Bread w/ Hazelnut Butter & Caviar* The caviar was served independently, and hence, A mother-of-pearl spoon was requested by me. I understand that if the kitchen could not provide so, since only a few two-/three-starred restaurants would, it is even rarer to provide the spoon proactively. However, the issue is that the kitchen never answered my request, even till the end when I did not wish to continue my dinner because of the accumulation of disappointments. *Course: Sundried Tomato, Parmegiano R., and Green Tomato Drink* This course had a large piece of tomato served as a whole, embedding a layer of Parmegiano R. cheese and bread crumbs below. Because of the concentrated, sun-dried flavor, the acidity dominates the flavor. Consuming the lower half of the tomato can be combined with other complimenting ingredients. But, the entire upper half of the tomato can only be consumed on itself, leaving the palette overpowered by the sourness. Moreover, the green tomato drink pushed the acidity boundary even further (unenjoyable). I was told that the chef even added vinegar to the green tomato, leaving me unable to understand the purpose of why making the sourness eliminating all other subtle flavors. *Course: Scortched Roots Ice Cream* The ice cream included in this course demonstrates that the kitchen failed to adapt to my low-sucrose diet per their promise. *Course: Dorade Sea Bream Ceviche con la Salsa Leche de Tigre* The second course is killed by the overdosage of acidity. In multiple cuisines, citrus/tomato/vinegar acidity is commonly used to counter-balance the “fishiness” of seafood. The fish on its own has rich umami and zero fishiness, thanks to either its freshness or slight maturation. Its texture was well contrasted with the pumpkin seeds. However, the leche de tigre sauce was significantly much more sour than the most I had tasted before, and the sauce came in an abundant quantity. Why would the chef smolder the opportunity of letting excellent ingredients shine with their natural flavors? Lastly, as a menu proceeds, the flavor always shifts from appetizing to rich & sophisticated. But till now as well as the next dish I am about to discuss, were all paired with clear broth/sauces instead of creamy-consistency sauces. *Course: Smoked Egg & “Gnocchi” in Chicken Broth* The last nail on the coffin was again, the combined, overwhelming sodium content of the chicken broth and the “Gnocchis”, which were only made into a gnocchi-reminiscent shape and burst when bitten -- so did all the extreme saltiness exploded out into the mouth. On the other hand, the repeatedly used clear-broth-consistency sauce did not compliment the silk-like texture of the poached egg. Instead, it demoted the dish as if it was drinking a pond of salty soup. Interestingly, although I was informed that no additional salt was added in this course, I have chewed and tasted unrendered salt flakes on the egg white, contradicting to the kitchen's words. *Course: Hake, Clam, Fried Kale Chip, and Fried Rice Chip in Pil-Pil & Ajoverde* The sous-vide hake was seasoned prior to the cooking at the salt content level of “right at the point if consumed individually”, and so is the pil pil sauce. But when multiple ingredients already well-salted combine, the entirety becomes oversalted because of the flavor accumulation, and unfortunately, these two were the least salty items in this course. Regretfully, the ajoverde paired in this course was a salty-tasting decoration in the bowl. Furthermore, the fried kale was essentially a salty flake, completely eliminating the fried flavor that was always associated with the enjoyable browned, fried surface due to the Maillard Réaction. (Menu was halted and unfinished from this point.)
Be the first to ReplyThe Emperor Wears No Clothes—This is just BAD!!!!
Let me start by saying I think that Michelin should reimburse me for all the money I spent going to this restaurant. From start to finish, without hesitation i can say this is the worst Michelin rated restaurant i have ever been to. I sincerely hope that Michelin takes away its stars and this chef learns not to be so arrogant. When you are paying this much money for dinner, you should expect good service and good food neither of which we received. I will try to relate the experience as i remember it so anybody else who thinks this is a good idea can rethink their plan. I didnt mind that you cant use a front door to this restaurant and had to be buzzed in at a gate to the hotel but this should have been some sort of an omen to me. We were “greeted” and i use that term very lightly by the master d’ and another unknown woman who argued whether they should be the one who “told” us about the theme of the evening. We were told that Jordi Cruz, the chef, had a friend who was an artist and that the artist had drawn a picture of a woman with a huge bubble coming out of her rear end and that the meal would be focused around “the heavenly wind.” I said that was disgusting and i already didnt want to eat there but my husband who is more tolerant of potty humor said that it would be fine. So we proceeded to be seated in a dining room that at best looked like a hallway with a table on each side of the hallway. No decoration, no music, just a plain room with approximately 8 or 10 tables. There were three “waiters” working as a team for all of the tables. None of them were professional waiters. They looked like a bunch of kids who were trying to keep it all together. Upon sitting, we decided to start with a cocktail and were told there was no bar and no bartender but maybe they could find someone to make us a drink.another bad omen, but hey they have your money at the reservation, so we figured we were stuck we should probably stay. The ambiance and food were bad but the food probably rated the worst part of the experience. The bread was rock hard and when we complained that we would break our teeth if we tried to eat it we were told that this is the chefs specialty and that we just don’t know quality bread making. The meal from start to finish was really bad. Some plates were served to look like poop on a plate others had a dome with a gas we had to smell. One dish was served with a perfume to smell—in my world kind of a no no if you want to taste the actual food. We left,without finishing, when the dessert was served with a helium balloon to inhale. Good lord i have never felt so ripped off in my life. We live in New York and i guarantee if a restaurant tried to get away with this pass this off as elegant food they would be closed in a NY minute. Michelin, if you ever read these reviews take notice. This was truly bad!!I want my money back!!! Barcelona is so filled with great food do not waste your money!!!!!
Be the first to ReplySimply spectacular
We recently spent a week in Madrid and Barcelona and spent considerable time planning our meals. We dined at multiple Michelin starred restaurants and this was definitely our favorite. The space is stunning and in a charming neighborhood removed from the center of Barcelona. The first "course" takes place in the kitchen where you get to watch the dishes being prepared. The course itself is a beverage and a pre dinner appetizer. They were one of the best on the menu. The menu is extensive, I believe 17 dishes? However they are grouped in a way that 3 dishes are served at the same time. I believe our meal lasted roughly 3-4 hours. The service is wonderful, professional, but still entertaining. Marco was our main server and he was excellent. One of the highlights of this restaurant in my opinion was their beverage options. We had been to a highly rated restaurant in Madrid a few days previously and our wine pairings were either 300 or 600 euros per person. At ABaC, we had two bottles of wine, both recommended by the wonderful sommelier. They were so reasonable priced, I could not believe it. They were both delicious and I was so appreciative of the lack of mark up at this restaurant. Every single dish with the exception of one that was just okay was a WIN. The eel sandwich I believe was our favorite amongst our group of 4. It happened to be my birthday and not only did I get an extra dessert, but we had a rousing birthday song with many of the waitstaff joining in. It was particularly entertaining because we had sucked on the helium balloons prior so it sounded like a chorus from the Lollypop Gang. The refined surroundings combined with the humorous but professional weight staff and lastly the creative and absolutely amazing food amounted to one of the best experiences I have had. I have traveled all over the world, and dined at many World's 50 Best and this is without doubt one of the best. I would go back in a second. While this is not a cheap meal, in my opinion it was definitely a memorable experience. Thank you Thank you Thank you.
Be the first to ReplyDon’t think 3 star Michelin means the same for everybody
17-02-2023 when you hear a chef with 3 Michelin star you automatically expect something extraordinary. I am a person who loves gastronomy and use to go to all kind of good restaurants from Michelin star to street food. Tonight we were disappointed bcaz nothing except the beginning that started in the kitchen was surprising. The food was lame, everything went the same way “smoked” “carbonized” and almost no taste. Presentation maybe was the only thing you will remember. The stuff were “burned out” with a very false smile on their face and explaining the plates to every table seemed heavy and heavier every time. I almost felt sorry for them. We ordered the wine tasting with every plate. Another disaster and mistake I did for 280€ for 2 persons I could have ordered a nice bottle of wine but they recommend to try wine tasting. I have tried many and many 1 star Michelin chefs far far better in taste than Jordi Cruz who I think don’t even know what’s going on in his place since he now is a TV star. Money is the enemy of the passion for cocking and we all loose it as soon as we think more about money and not the passion for coocking. I don’t want to say it was bad or anything near bad, NO, but it was definitely NOT 3 star Michelin gastronomy
Be the first to ReplyFood poisoning
Went to Abac Sunday July 31 for our final meal in Barcelona. We've been to a number of great 1 Michelin stars and was excited to experience our first 3 star restaurant. Horrible mistake. Although the presentation was thoughtful and beautiful, the food was not good and it only got worse from there. That night we ended up taking turns throwing up in our hotel room and barely got any sleep for our last night in Barcelona. The early flight back home was not fun either. Save yourself the money, the stomach ache and get some tapas.
Be the first to ReplyNot a 3 michelin stars, overrated
Terrible from beginning to end. We arrived 15minutes late having to made our way down to their carpark and up to the restaurant without anyone to show us the way or welcome us at anytime. We were requested to wait at what seemed to be the hotel lobby and lost an other 5 minutes. Then the restaurant manager arrived looking at his watch before even greeting us and told us the kitchen will have to reduce the menu to a shorter version. The welcome was harsh, frustrating for anyone who booked for a 3 michelin stars experience long in advance and get as a welcome an instant punition from the chef for daring arriving few mintutes late. We finaly made our way to our table, got a written menu which let us believed the kitchen made up its mind and would let us enjoy the entire dinner experience. The service was surprisingly ungentle, trattoria style, harshly dropping bottles on our table, heavily pouring water with the botton bottle fully up and forgetting to give us the proper introduction to few plates or drinks. We moved on with our dinner, which was fine but at no point up to a 3 michelin stars restaurant, no way... We noticed we were moving faster on the menu than the other tables and that few dishes were indeed cuted from us like the prawn and an other main courses. We ended our meal still hungry and higly frustrated to see many others tables were still waiting or enjoying their main course while we were already good to go, what a stupid punition they gave us when we had plenty of time to complete the full set dinner. We complained to the restaurant manager who told us we could have extra deserts but what we wanted was to try the prawn, too late to make it up for that and very disapointing they chose what to cut on the menu without even checking our preferences up front. From the welcome, the service, the food experience there is no way Abac deserves 3 michelin stars. They barely deserve 1, for creativity and plating maybe. This is really bothering as it is giving a huge discredit on the whole michelin guide that they granted the highest recognition when this is obvious from other reviews and my personal experience that this is a total fraud. Waste of time and money, you can eat so much better and get a lovely experience at so many others locations in Barcelona.
Be the first to ReplyI like the experience
After reading many comment on this restaurant I decide to try the place and understand how is. The location is beautiful, and i like the set up of the table. The set menu is well execute and I didn’t see any crazy mistake how other people found. Overall is a nice meal and deserve to be a Michelin restaurant
Be the first to ReplyEvident loss of every star previously granted
Our friends are well known culinary critics. They would be easily recognized at ABaC restaurant. So they decided to ask us to visit ABaC and learn if this restaurant deserves 3 Michelin stars or perhaps there are cracks in ABaC’s culinary fame. The short version: the cracks are wide enough for all 3 stars to rapidly dissipate, leaving only fragmented memories - as unfortunate as it may sound. Jordi Cruz wasn’t in the kitchen on the date of our visit – that’s how the entire dining experience could be described. This review is focused on one goal: whether ABaC deserves 3 Michelin stars. Depending on your preferences and senses for culinary excellence and precision, you may be entirely satisfied while dining at ABaC. But it will not be a 3 Michelin star dinner: only a dinner with at least a few questions and answers unlikely to be provided. We arrived promptly at 1pm. The host asked us to sit outside on the patio while waiting for the table. The temperature approached 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The patio table hasn’t been cleaned, featuring a full ashtray with several partially smoked cigarettes. Multiple individuals sitting at the nearby tables were also smoking. Being subjected to secondhand smoke while enduring 100 degree heat can be termed a memorable experience but for the wrong reasons. Perhaps it was a sign of things to come? The host finally guided us to the table inside 30 minutes later without explaining the reason for the delay. There were already multiple couples dining inside speaking Spanish. It’s entirely possible that the staff decided my wife and I are garden variety tourists from the US (with the culinary palette at the earliest stage of evolution) and will be satisfied with anything ABaC may offer. Our server explained the menu in a rehearsed, synthetic manner without maintaining eye contact which could be only interpreted as questions would not be welcome. I nevertheless did ask a few questions. The answers arrived in a robotic, strained manner while lacking interest in our dining experience. Later, the server finally warmed up. The tasting menu has been attached. When my wife and I are asked to review a Michelin star restaurant, we use a very simple approach. There are 2 things a chef can do with selected ingredients: cook and construct. That’s where the magic happens, combining precise execution (cooking) with visual delight (construction). Perfectly cooked ingredients will be lost if not presented correctly. Perfectly presented ingredients – but not executed well – will be easily discovered. The first two stars: the magic of cooking and construction. The third star: experience, from start to finish. So let’s get started. The main focus of the first dish was predictable: heighten the senses by offering a ceviche with cocoa, scallop, and lucuma together with a plethora of other textures. Predictably good, yet hardly exceptional. Other dishes followed with construction clearly emphasized over cooking. The Chinese box with grilled eel fried brioche could not find the rightful place in the menu – felt entirely disconnected from the menu theme. The brioche lacked any distinctive flavor and could be in fact a lot thinner to bring grilled eel forward. Calcined roots, seeds, and bark (plus other ingredients) became the only truly memorable dish in the middle of the tasting process and faded away as other dishes arrived. Figueres Onion soup needs to be explored in detail. It was so rich and salty that after a few bites both my wife and I concluded that it wasn’t edible. So many thoughts crossed our minds: what if the chef could … But the chef did not combine the delicate flavor of caramelized onions with the broth. Instead, onions floated aimlessly as tasteless visitors in a molasses-like broth, entirely obstructed by salt. Neither one of us finished this dish. The red prawn with picada textures, braised hazelnut juice and grilled Romesco bread: a collision of poorly guided construction and equally poor execution of a delicate ingredient. We have been informed by the server that the red prawn has been kept in salt for several hours before dinner. Irrespective of this particular step, the red prawn – as the final product on the dish - was so dry and salty that sadly this dish also became inedible. Braised hazelnut juice featured so much salt that only small portion could be consumed. Marinated and grilled pigeon partially rescued the tasting menu on its own merits. But was it exceptional? It was simply predictably good. The desert with a scoop of ice cream (a lovely flavor) did not seem right. Upon examination, there was a strand of human hair on the white surface of ice cream. If I could casually notice it, so could the pastry chef or the server. I politely mentioned to the server that the desert needs to be changed. The apology seemed rather hollow because what could have happened did not. First – my desert had to be prepared again while my wife’s desert would melt if she waited for my desert to arrive. The right decision would be to remake both deserts and allow us to continue the tasting menu at the same pace. You guessed it. The proposal to remake both deserts wasn’t extended. My desert arrived (minus any unwanted additions). I did not eat it lacking confidence in the kitchen team. The server requested us to have the second part of the desert on the patio again. It was a rather surprising request because the outside temperature still hovered around 100 degrees. The dinner ABaC ended the way it started: on the patio, at a table where the ashtray hasn’t been cleaned 3 hours later, with several diners at nearby tables smoking next to us. I spoke the general manager who was very gracious and understanding. The patio was a very convenient forum to express our opinion in private. When my wife stood up, a piece of gum with cigarette butt was attached to her shoe. There you have it. Zero stars for ABaC. Partially memorable yet unremarkable dinner with only 2 dishes worthy repeating. Puzzling and disappointing pre- and post- dinner experience. Construction emphasized over cooking. Jordi Cruz nowhere to be found.
Be the first to Replydon't risk a stomach upset
don't risk an upset stomach. Gambas were bad. I threw up completely at night. Response from the restaurant to my e-mail: we only have fresh products, consult a doctor....
Be the first to ReplyA mediocre experience
Service was mediocre for a 3 Michellin Star rated restaurant. A lot of time in between food. Servers were very stiff and stern, and not very personable. My husband enjoyed the food more than me, many heavy dishes it was a bit hard for me. Wine paring was interesting that had varieties of alcohol. The worst was that my husband got very sick most likely food poison the same night. Having been to many Three Michelin rate’s restaurant around the world, sadly I would not recommend this one.
Be the first to ReplyAbac not worth 3 stars
Abac was listed as a 3 Michelin star restaurant. We decided to make a reservation to see if it was well worth the dining experience. We only had a choice of a tasting menu and once the amuse bouche started it was downhill from there. The food was very disappointing and every dish that came out didn’t even give us a good impression. Nothing stood out and they were trying to impress us with presentation which look nice but food was very basic. If people would ask me about Abac I would tell them to go elsewhere. The only thing that was good was the bottle of wine we ordered and desserts were not even good. We left the restaurant unhappy and we have tried all restaurants in barcelona from 1 star to 2 star even family restaurants whose dishes had more flavor and taste. They don’t deserve the 3 star not even a 1 star. Sad really.
Be the first to ReplyGreat experience
Food amazing, staff put great attention to detail, and Jordi Cruz was happy to greet all guests at the end of the meal.
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