We visited the Restaurant Budapest Quesada today for their well-advertised lunch offering. This should have been a straightforward dining experience, as you had to pre-book your selections for the starter, the mains, and the desserts.
Before we dig any deeper, I want to reaffirm the following. We have zero connections to any bar or restaurant; we are not investors or owners of the same, and so we’re not in competition in any way, shape, or form. When we leave reviews, we are paying diners.
So, we were seated at our table, and the first thing that struck us was the cutlery wasn’t set up correctly, with the starter and main forks out of place. Then we saw that the wine glasses were covered in watermarks, which should have been cleaned off before being placed on tables. These aren’t big issues, but they’re those first impressions of attention to detail, and then you begin to look at your surroundings a little closer. The net curtains at the window were dirty, and there were marks on the window frames from a splashed liquid.
What We Had At Restaurant Budapest Quesada
We were served warm bread rolls with lemon and dill butter. This was very tasty, even though the butter was frozen and could have done with reaching room temperature prior to serving.
Starters
Soph had pre-ordered the salmon and sole wonton while I had opted for the duck pate. The pate was a decent portion size but was very subtle in flavour. The wonton was probably the better option as it had more taste, and the fresh chilli added to the taste experience.
Mains
As I really do like beef cheek here in Spain, this was an obvious selection for me. Soph went with the Sea Bass.
The beef cheek was okay, but it was the first time I had ever needed to trim fat off this cut of meat. It also needed a knife to cut it, unlike some places we have visited where it’s so tender it falls apart. The sea bream was cooked nicely and had hints of flavour but was swamped by the beurre blanc.
Dessert
We bottled this as we both went for the same choice, a sticky toffee pudding with a butterscotch sauce. Out of the 3 courses served today, this was the best. However, considering it was 16.15 before this was served and we had arrived just before 13.00, it really did need to be worth the wait.
What We Liked at Restaurant Budapest Quesada
Lady Jazz the entertainer, saved the day. I honestly think without her, there would have been more people walking out early. There was a wide repertoire of songs, each one providing a perfect backdrop to the event. It was also a lovely touch for her to go and speak to every table.
What Could Be Improved
In a couple of words, staffing and food. Both of which can be rectified.
They were badly understaffed, there simply wasn’t enough waiting staff to serve, and we have to assume not enough kitchen staff either. A pre-ordered three-course set menu shouldn’t take over 3 1/2 hours to serve.
When we lived in the UK, we organised conferences, that often included a Saturday night gala dinner. So a pre-ordered three-course meal, with wine and coffee to finish would take two hours at the most and that would be for 300 delegates.
The sad thing today was that there were two members of the team running the service, clearing plates, and also taking drink orders. Yes, they worked hard, but when you have several tables waiting for desserts after it has taken three hours for the starters and mains, yet you are taking an order for a cocktail, it’s all about priorities.
We actually saw one person leave and drive off before finishing their meal. There were several tables unhappy with the speed of service and also the food that was eventually being presented.
One of the tables near us asked for a new bottle of cava, but when it wasn’t forthcoming one of the guests went to the bar. She was given a bottle and advised that someone on her table would know how to open it.
The second major issue is that there is no soft drink option for a nominated driver instead of the cava. We did ask but were told that this is not an option. So, this means that anyone driving needs to buy soft drinks or water but is still paying for the cava-free flow experience!
Having to prebook your selections and pay in advance is not such an issue, though it would have been nice to know this before booking. However, we tried three times to pay over the phone and, in the end, drove 30 minutes to pay in person the week before. Just how difficult should it be to spend money with an establishment?
How Much Did It Cost At The Restaurant Budapest Quesada
The fixed price menu was €20 per person for the three courses. The bottle of still water was €4.
Would We Return To Restaurant Budapest Ciudad Quesada
Based on the visit today, not a chance.
This was neither fine dining nor a relaxing lunch. When you have plenty of places to eat out at for €10-20 per person on a menu del dia, that is cooked to order on arrival and you are usually on your way after 90 minutes, there is no reason why a lunch that is supposed to run from 13.00 to 16.00 was still bringing out desserts at 16.20.
The sad thing is we spoke to diners from 3 other tables who all had issues, ranging from slow service to poor food. This confirms that we were not the only ones disappointed with the experience.
For a girls’ afternoon when you can swig as much cava as possible and where you’re not concerned about slow service or the quality of the food, then this is an ideal way to spend an afternoon. However, if you were expecting quality food and excellent service, then you may be disappointed.
How To Find Restaurant Budapest Quesada
If you’re on the CV895 towards Guadamar, you need to go past the roundabout that leads to Ginos, then take the next left turn off. It is literally across from New Chiefs on Broadway (which we have not visited yet) and on the right-hand side of the road, just before Sams Bar And Kitchen – Quesada.
Their address is Avenida del Mar 2 Ciudad Quesada, 03170 Rojales.