Today we stopped off for lunch at Bar Sonia, as we were in Benijofar and had an hour and a half to kill. This is probably our favourite place for tapas in town and after numerous visits where we have just had tapas, I was determined to try their menu del dia.
As this is a more traditional Spanish establishment, you don’t get a lovely, fresh printed menu, instead you’ll see the menu del dia options handwritten on a post it note, attached to some of the serviette holders.
What We Had For Lunch At Bar Sonia
We both went for the menu del dia. There were 5 choices for the starter and also for the mains. No desserts are listed.
Drinks.
So for the drinks Soph had a Coke Zero, this was a bottle. I had a tanque of beer. Soph had a second Coke during the meal. I had a really nice Café Bombón to finish my lunch.
Food.
We went for different starters, Soph going for the rice with rabbit, while I chose entremeses, which I really enjoy during the hotter summer months.
Soph said her paella was tasty, I stole a little bit and have to agree. My dish was fine, just as expected.
I had to ask if there was bread, the guy acknowledged me and brought over a bread basket. To be honest, I’m not sure we’d have been given this, if we hadn’t requested it.
For our main course we both chose the fish dish, this was Merluza and these were both good sized portions, which came with skin on chips and a sauce. There were 3 cockles on each and a couple of small prawns. The mains were hot, freshly prepared.
The chips were not seasoned, so you might consider asking for salt.
When our mains were cleared, we were asked if we wanted desserts. I went for the rice pudding, while Soph had chocolate ice cream.
I enjoyed my rice pudding, it was tasty and light, so not too filling.
I did ask for a coffee, specifically a Café Bombón. I wasn’t sure if this was included in the lunch, but a couple on a nearby table both had a coffee, the guy having a Café Bombón which looked nice, so I decided to have one.
What We Liked
We have always liked the atmosphere in here, and it’s popular with the Spanish, which is always a good sign.
Value for money today, can’t fault that at all.
What Could Be Improved
Service was hit and miss a little today. I’m not sure if we hadn’t asked for bread, would it have been brought to us? The same with the coffee after the meal, it wasn’t offered, I had to ask for it. It seems, based on the visit today ( possibly ), if you are known / friends with the staff, you get better service, but I may be wrong about this.
What Did It Cost
The bill was 26.20€ for both our lunches and Sophs second drink.
This is 12€ each for the special lunch menu and Sophs second drink was 2.20€, but this is a large 350cl bottle of Coke Zero.
You don’t get any salad with this menu and the bread is just that, a bread basket, so no alioli or tomato or anything. But the price it seems, includes a large beer, which is a plus point for me, as I usually have a tanque if I’m not driving.
Would We Return
Yes, we would, although to be honest, Soph said she’d rather have tapas as opposed to the lunch. She said her lunch was fine, but she prefers the tapas there. For me, I’d do either tapas or lunch, next time we go.
It’s summer, the place was totally full as we were leaving, the lovely, cool air conditioned interior had no free seats. People were using the outdoor seating areas, that is how popular this place is. You’re best to book a table, during busy times, we didn’t but we did get there before the rush.
So it’ll be later this year, end of September, early October, before we’re probably back there.
How To Find Bar Sonia
From the new roundabout at the church, come up the hill, which is Av Federíco García Lorca. The bar is on your right, you’ll see the outdoor seating area. It is just after the turning on the left which is sign posted to the town hall. You may get lucky with on street parking on the main road, but there are enough side streets to find parking.
