We went to Bojangles Bistro on El Raso for an evening out. We’d seen their advertising on social media and so we added this to our list and finally it was time for a visit.
Be aware, this is not that easy to find, if you don’t know the El Raso urbanisation. We were in the area the other week, so took time to do a recce, and it’s a good kilometer from the top end of the urb bars, going through at least 6 roundabouts on the route. I had no idea how huge this place now is.
As they were closed on the recce, we didn’t realise that the door into the restaurant on the car park is not actually the one they use. When we arrived at Bojangles Bistro, we got parked up, walk to the door where there was the big A frame notice board, to find the door locked, customers sat looking at us and staff waving for us to walk around the building to the other side.
Maybe some signage to highlight where the entrance is, would be helpful.
What We Had
Drinks.
I kept things simple, going for a pint of San Miguel. Soph saw they did cocktails and mocktails on the menu, and she decided to try a mocktail the Cranberry Spritz.
Food.
We had three courses, as we wanted to try the desserts too.
Starters.
I had Moules Marinières, which was advertised as being served with crusty bread, which was actually a warm bread roll ( the same as we were then served as the bread we didn’t get offered). These (Sailor-Style) mussels were nice, the serving a decent size and I enjoyed them.
Soph had the Short Rib Croquettes, which were nicely presented, a subtle flavour hit, but could have been a little warmer.
Mains.
I had the Bojangles Burger, a 150g steak blend burger topped with bacon, caramelised onions and Pepper Jack cheese.
As burgers go it was fine, the cheese did lack taste, didn’t have the slight kick I’d expect from Pepper Jack.
Courgette and mixed mushroom risotto was Soph’s choice, and it was tasty and she enjoyed the generous portion. I’m not a fan of risotto and can’t think back to the last time I had some, so I tasted hers, it was good but it’s not something that appeals to me, now a meat version I might be interested in!
Dessert.
I had the seasonal cheesecake, which was a chocolate orange flavour, but it just needed a little more flavour to it. The base was nice and I did enjoy it. The presentation was excellent!
Soph went for the Chocolate Brownie, which she said was okay too.
What We Liked
Quick and easy online booking, via their Bojangles Bistro website.
The food was decent and the beer price ( 4€ a pint ) is not a rip off, which is always nice. The male server who asked if we’d like to see the dessert menu, brought them to the table, presented them to us both, open on the correct page, which was how service should be.
What we think was bone marrow butter served with the bread roll was very tasty and made a nice change from the norm.
What Could Be Improved
The service was a let down to be honest. First of all when we were seated, we were handed closed menus, not a problem. We browsed these and ordered our drinks, leaving these menus on the table. Our drinks were brought out and we were asked if we were ready to order.
This is where we had to explain, we haven’t had any food menus brought to us. Yes, we did get an apology and told it happens quite often, as the food and drink menus both have the same covers.
So the simple solution would be to have a different menu colour for the drinks menu OR present the menu open for the diner to be sure of offering the right one.
As I say, our drinks order arrived, I had a pint of beer and Soph had a mocktail. We were not offered water, with our meal, although we heard the other tables being offered this. Also, our wine glasses were not removed from the table, again all the other tables we observed either had wine or the wine glasses were taken away.
We were not offered fresh bread, even though the tables are all set up with a side plate on the table. People were arriving after us were offered bread as were others who had arrived before us. So, after our starters had been brought, Soph asked for bread, as one of the servers had just asked the table next to us and brought them some out. Again, we got an apology along with the comment ‘ we sometimes forget to ask’, which was a strange statement to add, we both thought. Sadly too, we were not advised of the type of butter, which I am presuming was bone marrow butter.
This is not the type of place for a quiet intimate type of dining, the music was quite loud, the lights bright and the tables very close to each other. But, it was busy and seems popular so the demand is obviously there.
What It Cost
The bill at Bojangles Bistro came to 78€ in total.
Would We Return To Bojangles Bistro
This is a place we would not rule out returning to, maybe just for a drink or a cocktail, but there were too many little niggles on this visit, for the price point.
It reads as a nice menu, and they offer some interesting side dishes, such as Gin & Tonic Onion Rings and also Asparagus with Parmesan Shavings.
How To Find Bojangles Bistro
Bojangles Bistro have a easy to navigate website.The booking process is easy.
Commercial 15,block 3, Oasis centre, Calle El Cantaueso, El Raso, Guardamar del Segura, Alicante, 01349
+34711053396 should you wish to call them.
You can use Google Maps to see where they are. Their opening hours are listed as: Indulge in our dinner service from 5pm-10pm. Join us for drinks from 2PM weekends.
Luckily George is just as good singing as he is in the kitchen 🙂 Visit and you’ll find out!
