El Faro

I am SO upset. The dinner was yummy and then we get the bill. The waiter had suggested ordering gambas as according to him they were very fresh. Lo and behold the bill for FIVE big shrimp was 190 euros which is $210 USD. $42 a shrimp. And I had to take the poop thing out of the top. I'm so pissed. My family has someone completely fluent in Spanish. For this to have happened is so bad and I'm still reeling from this horrible tourist experience!!

We have heard many people say this is their favorite restaurant in Cadiz and we now understand why. This place is a Michelin level tapas bar with extremely reasonable prices. The food and drinks were all amazing. Would specifically recommend the papas el faro and the carillera tapa. If you don't have reservations you can just use the door around the corner and go to the tapa bar portion of the bar without resys.

To dine at a traditional local restaurant set in the heart of classical Spanish shoreside town of Cadiz, where Columbus set sail in search of the new world which forever altered the course of history, was both symbolic and romantic.

The narrow cobble stone paved streets and a mixture of mid century buildings along with the iconic renaissance period cathedrals gently guide the patrons into this unseeingly venue; while the facade's hidden in plain sight, the interior is warm and charming with a long marble bar stretches across the entire storefront follow by the main dining section separated by a pair of wooden framed glass doors finished in old-time dark varnish. The similar theme is carried out through the entire dining area: hand painted blue Spanish plates and black-n-white photos hanging on the walls, dark accent wainscoting and lintels supported by corbels accentuate each dividing room while contrasting against the white table linens creating a typical Spanish coastal scenery.

The food is equally memorable with main focus on sea food dishes, although the Spaniards couldn't live without their beloved cured ham (Jamón serrano) for each meal, thinly sliced and aged to perfection severed with soft potato lightly seasoned and drizzled with olive oil delivering a well balanced flavor profile.

The baked shrimps with sea salt is another constant in the stable though if over cooked makes de-shelling a bit challenging.

The roots for Paella extend deep into the traditional Spanish cuisine with mixture of fresh seafoods, blend of spics all absorbed by the rich and creamy rice.

The sea salt covered fish was the highlight of the evening: fresh caught whole fish covered entirely by coarse sea salt then baked in oven while being seasoned throughout the process, then filleted and deboned on cart before severing.

The service is equally impressive with plate changing in between each course of the meal along with proper paring diner-ware making the dining experience ever more enjoyable in the back drop of the western Spanish coast.

Tourist trap. Mostly caters to cruise ship passengers who don't know better. There are much better restaurants with views of the ocean nearby. Very arrogant and unfriendly staff - avoid.

Was recommended here from many sources. Was very disappointed. Server was rude and we certainly felt unwelcome. Did not provide English menu, even though
They had one and it was obvious we are not fluent in Spanish. We happily did our best. Upon exiting the premises, to see there was an English
Menu was dispainting. Server Was clearly annoyed even though we arrived within business hours. The food was average. We had a sea bass dish that was great, the rest was mediocre at best. We were clearly not welcome, and it was very strongly felt. Would not recommend. Very disappointing from service to food.

Great meal and great service! Get the fried sea bass, you won't be disappointed. Would recommend.

Seafood Paella was the best I've ever had.
Everything there looked so good.
5 Star service too.
Don't know if I am going to Cadiz again, but I will take who's with me to this restaurant.

Amazing restaurant friends who previously visited highly recommend it to me, was not disappointed let me tell you food and service was outstanding !!

Had a great time here - servers were super nice! Thy even got us a dish that they had saved for tomorrow because we really wanted it . Try to speak Spanish and they'll be even nicer :) the tortilla de camarones were as great as everyone says. For wine I enjoyed the Cortijo de Jara. The fried fish are awesome. Weren't as big fans of the squid meatballs or the humus. The duck foie gras was excellent. Get the arroz de longostinos if you can! Don't feel bad about calling the servers at the bar - when they're busy sometimes you have to get their attention to get served.

Another disappointment in Spain! Sorry, but we just didn't connect with all the rave reviews. Yes, it was good, but nothing to write home about. The salad and anchovy toast appetizers were just fair. The paella and more traditional Cadiz rice/fish/broth was also just OK. What was too bad was that they brought both bread and an "appetizer" of potato salad, not requested, and then charge almost 8 Euros for it! Perhaps this is as good as it gets in Cadiz, but it's not on our "let's return in a hurry" spots.