This was my favorite dining experience in Barcelona. Arola is a fine restaurant located in the Hotel Arts Barcelona. This is one of the most beautifully designed restaurants in Barcelona--fresh, open and cool. The exterior patio overlooking the beach is also gorgeous. We enjoyed a leisurely 3hour lunch and look forward to coming back to Barcelona to eat here. Aside from the outstanding service, which you would expect from a restaurant of this caliber, I'm totally in awe of the food. Each dish is as delightful to your tastebuds as it is artfully displayed. The bomba barcelonet was the bomb--lots of flavor packed into a small ball. The fresh sardines were mild and delightful. The seafood stew and fish filets were also delicious. Each dish was thoughtfully prepared and each morsel of food made me gasp with delight. Our son was gracious enough to give me a small sample of the truffle caviar on delicate blinis. We finished our meal with several glasses of toro albalas and a beautiful platter of sweets. Each morsel of food was well worth the calories and price. If you are not looking to eat cheaply, I strongly recommend that you treat yourself to a great meal here. read more

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-New Year's Eve Party Review Only- We wanted a place that we knew we would have a good time on New Year's Eve and we certainly did! The hotel that Arola is in offered many different packages for New Year's Eve. We selected the one to have dinner at Arola and then be able to go to the Gala ballroom after midnight. The location was great, food was pretty good (maybe not great because of it being massed produced for the night), and the service was also fair except for the awesome sommelier. The Gala afterwards was also fun with music and open bar. Then why not a higher star rating? Mainly the value for the event, it was expensive for what you got. Also the Gala ended around 2am which usually is plenty late enough for me but in Barcelona on NYE seemed early. Regardless we had a great time! read more

Firstly, the service was immaculate and the atmosphere fantastic especially sitting outside for coffee. That said while the food was delicious it was perhaps a little too focused on presentation and novelty rather than taste, with a price tag that reflects that. Put another way, I felt my visual senses were well stimulated but not my taste buds. read more

Arola - View of Frank Gehry's fish sculpture - Mediterranean Near Me - Barcelona, B

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Delicious food and lovely atmosphere. There are so many places to chose from in Barcelona but this is Def in my top 10 read more

Good service, but the food is nothing to write home about. We expected amazing, delicious tapas just like every other restaurant/eatery/stall we've gotten food from in Barcelona. And with the prices they charge at Arola we expected them to go above and beyond, but we left disappointed and still so hungry. The patatas bravas (12€) were probably the best tasting dish we tried here. Very flavorful but the individual patatas were really really, ridiculously small. Next, for 21 freakin Euros, we got just 5 tiny anchovies with random flowers, tomatoes and lots of olive oil on top and 5 slices of pan con tomato. That really pissed me off. Those anchovies were so tiny I could barely even taste anything. It's like I was eating straight up olive oil with only hints of anchovie. Then we got 5 small pieces of fried octopus for a whopping 20€. Were they delicious little morsels of fried goodness? Only if you like fried paprika, cuz that's all I could taste. We were still so hungry but decided it was best for us not to venture out of the hotel as it was 11pm and it was still storming outside. So we gave them one last try and ordered the basil rice for 28€. It was okay. It looked cool and the cheese had an interesting texture. If you're familiar with popping boba (Bay Area stand up), then you know. Overall I would say everything is extremely overpriced and the portions are too small and lack in taste, especially considering all the delicious food you can get elsewhere in Barcelona for a fraction of the cost. Seems to me they put more effort into the presentation of their food instead of the taste. read more

Should be more crowded than it is! One of my top five meals ever! The decor is white with metallic and bright pops of color- very glam. Our waitress was fabulous- really took the time to explain each course and her excitement about the food was contagious. The tasting truly was a culinary adventure. Some highlights include: warm octopus ceviche, grilled lily buds, sweet and savory patatas bravas, and gold dusted macarons. Do yourself a favor and go! read more

This restaurant happened to be in my hotel and had great reviews on yelp so I decided to check it out. The restaurant was very trendy and had a great vibe. There was a dj playing a great mix of music and it really made it cool. The waiters and waitresses were very helpful navigating the menu and wine list. Which were both very extensive. To start they brought over some complimentary "chefs tastes" complimentary starters that were excellent. We had the sea bass that was to die for. Then the pork shoulder that was super flavorful and tender followed up with baby squid. The wine was a Spanish Albariño that was highly recommended by the waitress. Wow. What a great wine. This place is top notch. If you are looking for some innovative and high quality tapas at a trendy restaurant then this is a place to check out. It will not disappoint. read more

What a joke. My beef dumplings had a bone in it. Yes, a bovine one. The scallops were so salty they were inedible. I ordered an albariño, I got an overoaked chardonnay. My wife couldn't eat her razor clam entre, it was so undercooked and tough. I told the waitstaff, and they shrugged and that was it. Don't go here. read more

This place is pricey but the food is amazing and the service is outstanding. Best sangria I've had as well as the best food since I've been in Barcelona. I had the ravioli. It was outstanding. Husband had the duck rice. He loved and savored every bite. Lastly we had the carrot cake. Wonderful presentation and wonderful flavor. read more

This was a really nice upscale tapas experience. The service is exceptional and the food was top notch. We really enjoyed their beef tartar with fresh egg on top. The scallops and patatas bravadas were also good. I think the tapas here have more of an elevated gourmet feel with exceptional presentation. They had a good wine list including a by the glass list. You can also see the herb garden where the chef sources his fresh herbs from too! read more

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Very delicious! All the tapas are so pretty. We have 4 ppl and we ordered 8 tapas. We ordered: Siberian pork, fried calamari, foie gras soup, bravas, home made bread, and many more. They all made so well! And I think its worth the price. Would totally come back! :) read more

Worst meal that we had in Spain. We had very high hopes due to the prestige of the chef but unfortunately it fell short. I should have run when they only had 2 menus for a table for 8. Slow, inattentive service, small portions, and expensive. Very disappointed. read more

Great ambience. Great modern Barcelona dećore. Pan con tomate and olives were great. All tapas dishes were great. Visiting from U.S., it was good preview of modern Catalunya cuisine. read more

Walking into this place, I was extremely impressed by its decor. The decor itself was very modern, and the place was very clean. The food was extremely flavorful and well-constructed. The cocktails were pricey but were also very good. For the most part, service was great. We had one waitress who did a very good job at explaining the menu and the foods served to us. However, we did have some bad experiences with one of our waitresses, and this completely altered my opinion and experience at this restaurant. We had ordered the surprise tapas where the chef/restaurant chooses 6 tapas for us. We had explicitly asked for dishes without mushroom and seafood, even specifically mentioning fish. One of the tapas they brought out had mushrooms on it. We let it go since there were only few pieces on it. We simply moved the mushroom aside. No big deal. The next tapa's primary food item was fish. When we mentioned this to one of our waitresses, she took the plate, reviewed the order, and came back stating that we did not mention our dislike of fish to her in a manner that was very accusatory. We had a brief, weird exchange that ended up with a nice gentleman coming over to our table to apologize and notifying us that we would have chicken instead. In the background, my party and I could hear that waitress very loudly explain to another lady (maybe the manager?) the situation. I thought she handled this situation very unprofessionally in multiple ways, and I expected much better customer service given this was a fine dining restaurant. We were also extremely disappointed by the lack of thoroughness and attentiveness to our preferences. Lastly, the reason we were drawn to this place was due to an article that advertised it as a "rooftop restaurant." They had a rooftop but it was on the second level of the building and had very limited seating. When they seated us, there were no open seats outdoors so I would not be able to attest to its rooftop but was very disappointed due to this fact. If you are in the same boat- be sure to ask for rooftop seating in your reservation. read more

On the cusp of modern Spanish food. Arola is able to balance traditional Spanish recipes while making them a unique master piece the patatas Bravas are actually some of the best I've had in Spain! The tuna tartar was to die for as well it balances the Spanish flavored traditionally used with their fish with fruity flavor a as well. My gang and I also ordered the steak tartar which can be a win or lose but it was for sure a win the steak was mixed with bread crumbles yummmmyyyyy!!!!! All in all great food great ambience but a little pricey! But hey you practically pay for the fantastic panoramic view of the coast of Barcelona read more

Very cool and creative restaurant with exciting and attractive plates and great service. The tapas are all 'non-standard' but based on regional cuisine. Though we did not have the tasting menu- this is the way to go- and I watched onslaughts of small plates attack our neighbors on either side of our table. We greatly enjoyed a fresh fish dish, their veal plate, their 'Barcelona Bombs', and an eggplant appetizer as well as their boned chicken wings. I would definitely make a point to return here if I stay in Barcelona again. The restaurant has a vibrant buzz to it and is physically very attractive. A reservation was definitely needed here as the place was packed. Prices were not cheap but acceptable, and the service was rapid and really attentive and excellent. read more

I really love the atmosphere here. The food was a little too overly produced for me. Too much science in the development of dishes took away from my experience. read more

Staying at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Arts and decided to eat in the hotel on Sunday night since so many restaurants are closed on Sundays. Arola surprised us in every way from the contemporary feel (it's a stunning restaurant) to the creative and delicious cuisine to the outstanding service. Don't miss the artichoke rice dish to share at the table! Mmmmmmmm. I had only one disappointment: the music. They played American classic rock all night - I recall hearing The Beatles, Neil Young, The Eagles, The Stones, etc. - all fantastic - BUT, when in Barcelona, come on, you want to experience the culture in its modernist cuisine as well as its contemporary music. Didn't kill the experience, but 5 stars if it was Catalan music added to the vibe. read more

Was difficult to find but I believe that is just google map's fault. The atmosphere was great 5 stories over looking the med and the nice artistic sculptures and local architecture. The service was great at first but one of our drink orders got lost in the shuffle, which we became grateful for due to its timing but later received after dessert. Although they were delicious it would have been nice to have been asked if we still wanted them before they were served. We started with a vegetable and quinoa croquette. Which set a fabulous palette for the evening. We then started the courses of tapas. The Patates bravas and Spanish omelette were unique and appetizing but nothing outstanding. Although the suspended egg yolk on the omelette was a conversation piece and very enjoyable. From there we got the Ox Tail and mushroom raviolis and the creamy lobster rice. The raviolis were outstanding paired with their local mushrooms. The lobster was quite God as well in a rich creamy sauce. We finished the night off with the cheesecake which was very much in line with the tapas portioning. All in all our food was just ok for the price we paid. We have eaten in many restaurants of this caliber and this one does not compare. read more

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Not impressed. Service was very mediocre as was the food. Disappointing...there are so many other great places to choose from in Barcelona. Take a pass on this one. read more

My wife and I have had some incredible meals in our life but none better than Arola. We ordered 6 courses to share and were not disappointed. Highlights included the mussels,scallops, and Red prawns (which was the bomb) to cannelloni. Just damn fantastic. Special call out to the staff who doted on us. Our Sommelier was especially helpful in calling out great local wines and desert wines. We will never forget this meal...except to return tomorrow night. read more

Great food, great decor great service. Had small mix up at end when resurant gave us the wrong bill, but no big deal. Oxtail ravioli was unique and delicious. Wagu beef was awesome, not a bad dish on entire meal. read more