Palomar Reviews Summary

Decor and Atmosphere

Pros:

• "The decor is very welcoming and tasteful, and the tables were all laid out well to give space in what is quite a small restaurant."
• "I brought my boyfriend here for his birthday and we had a fabulous time. The decor is very chic and sets a lovely intimate atmosphere."
• "The restaurant has had a recent facelift which looks great and is a really nice space to be in."
• "The place feels special but without being pretentious at all. They've got it just right!"
• "The restaurant itself is a very calm, beach vibe."
• "Simple un-fussy surroundings and subdued lighting creates a really nice atmosphere."
• "The restaurant was lovely, my waiter was extremely attentive and gave us a whole new portion of chips after a few were dropped on the floor by accident which was a lovely gesture!"
• "A charming bistro styled restaurant with very good food and drinks were equally commendable."

Cons:

• "Amazing and delicious food! So far the best fish restaurant I have been to in Bristol! I just have one constructive feedback that you should upgrade on furniture."
• "Front of house looks great lady behind the bar was helpful but the food was a let down."
• "Pretty mediocre food and wouldn’t return in the future. We had a large party and the waitstaff was nice and friendly."

Service

Pros:

• "Service was great and atmosphere was lovely, thoroughly enjoyed our evening."
• "Not only was the food excellent, the price was very reasonable as well. Service was amazing and really completed the whole experience."
• "Excellent dinner, great service and location."
• "Our first visit to Palomar, very intrigued by the menu. Service was very good, not rushed at all."
• "Servers were incredibly polite and attentive! The food was delishhhhh."
• "The service at this restaurant was great! The staff courteously explained the specials on the menu and they also catered to special requests."
• "The best restaurants are not just about great food but are about the overall experience. The experience was just as amazing as the food!"
• "We had a really nice meal. The starter and main were both lovely. Dessert was nothing special. Waiting staff were all good and the owner was really nice."

Cons:

• "Service upon arrival was so welcoming! Waiting service was top tier! Food is 10/10!!! But calamari chewy and worse so over salted I had to send it back."
• "This place needs some serious work in customer service. We spent the evening having to flag someone down for drinks."
• "The restaurant was lovely, my waiter was extremely attentive but the calamari and steak in the set menu which was great value for money was really delicious."
• "Good food, excellent non alcoholic cocktail (wine and beer also available) and surprisingly good background music. Service not fast."

Food Quality and Taste

Pros:

• "The portion sizes were pleasing, as our starter plates were loaded to the brim with fresh fish that was well seasoned and appropriately garnished."
• "The seafood platter 🦞 was absolutely delicious and cooked to perfection."
• "Food was absolutely delicious, especially the cornish mussels and sea bass."
• "The cleanliness standard stroke me. The cleanest and most sparkling glasses I have seen in a long while."
• "Proper selection of fresh fish, nicely prepared and presented."
• "The oysters were good - with the frozen watermelon which was not as sweet as it was in summer- perhaps not best combination for winter."
• "The food here is very delicious! We had scallops, whitebait, calamari, mussels and the catch of the day."
• "Food and drink 7/10. The best: Probably the food if I had to choose one thing."

Cons:

• "The calamari tempura was good as was the fish mains-Pan fried Cornish sole. The accompanying tomato and olive sauce was rather simple."
• "The prawn starters was rather disappointing as it wasn’t the best quality prawns and lacks the umph from it."
• "Calamari chewy and worse so over salted I had to send it back. (This is the first time I have ever done this, I really am not particularly picky but it was inedible)"
• "The food was very basic and uninspiring. The clam and mussel stew came out and was over reduced, thick, very salty and unrefined."
• "Friendly service and nice venue but really poor seafood cookery. Had the seafood boil and the prawns were mushy and not deveined."
• "Slightly disappointed, definitely not as good as we'd hoped. The starter, Salt and Pepper squid, was missing the salt and pepper."