Yikes! Please don't waste a single euro at this restaurant by being subjected to the worst service in the city, maybe the world!
I'm an experienced foodie who has eaten all over the world in restaurants of every caliber. I've been in Spain for two weeks now and have become accustomed to the laissez-faire dining attitude here, and I find it fine, even pleasant overall, but I have NEVER IN MY LIFE been subjected to such horrible service, especially in conjunction with the outrageous prices charged at this establishment (e.g., 18 euros for a cheese plate with four small wedges of unremarkable cheese).
The problem wasn't the food - the dishes we had (foie gras salad, cheese assortment, salmon carpaccio and lamb sweetbreads) were all quite tasty, albeit substantially overpriced. But the enjoyment I was able to derive from the food was totally negated by a wait staff that was not only inept but rude and punitively inattentive to boot. I realize you might be tempted to write off my disdain by thinking I'm probably a high maintenance customer, but I am seldom fussy about service and the tables both to the left and the right of ours had enough problems and felt disappointed enough in their meals that they started conversations with us on that very topic. And let me also say that it wasn't just our waitress. There were at least three other waiters, including the maitre'd, who actively ignored the agitation and distress of their customers. It was definitely a team effort in denial of service.
Just a few examples to help illustrate the situation (otherwise this would turn into a novel!):
*Advertisements for Josephine's emphasize their extensive cocktail selection, but when I requested a cocktail menu, the waitress informed me they didn't make cocktails. This as I sat and stared at a massive wall of back-lit liquor bottles and directly after my husband had ordered a gin and tonic (which I guess in her mind wasn't a cocktail), which she then proceeded to pour from two bottles into a wine glass she set on the table.
*All four dishes (starters and entree) we ordered were brought out simultaneously, so we felt compelled to hurriedly eat our starters before the lamb sweetbread entree was cold. Experienced waiters at a fine dining establishment would never dream of botching a meal in this fashion.
*Bread was not included with the meal (one euro for two slices of plain bread, 2 euros for bread with tomato) and when we consumed the two paltry slices of bread we were presented with our cheese plate, we had to request another basket of bread. The waitress disappeared, and 15 minutes later, we were still sitting there staring at each other, waiting for our second two slices of bread so we could continue with our meal.
There were a litany of other problems with the service, but hopefully you're starting to get the picture so I'll just leave it at what I've mentioned thus far. Suffice it to say that I was so agitated half way through the meal that I could hardly eat.
Shame on you, Josephine - you are a pretender to the throne of fine dining. read more