I was so looking forward to eating here. Getting high reviews from chefs back home. And since Barcelona have such great fish restaurants I really wanted to try this place. We got there a little early but that was no problem they had several tables available but they put us in a corner away from where everything happens and after that we felt forgotten. No one asked to take our jackets, they asked the couple getting there after us. We asked what they recommend, and after some reconsiderations we went for that, but then they where out, the table next to us had gotten the last dish, and that is 45 minutes after the place opened. So we then asked for what else they recommend and for fish they only have one that fits two people all other are to big. So basically they have one dish to order if you ain’t more than 2 people. That is weird. That fish was really good but nothing close to the price for it. Go for La Paradeta if you want good fish in Barcelona. PS! My wife went to the toilet don’t, better wait and find a Starbucks they do clean their toilets. And check your bill so you don’t pay for your neighbors, they tried that on us

Writing reviews about any of Chef Zafra's restaurants is, in a way, pointless, for he is one of the outstanding contemporary chefs, and not only in Spain. First time we heard the name was years ago, in the wonderful restaurant Benazuza, in Cancun, Mexico. His long-standing association with brothers Adrià is well known as well as his various culinary achievements. Estimar is located a few steps away from the famous Santa Maria del Mar church, at the end of a small street, in El Born neighborhood. It is situated in a kind of cellar, of a smallish size (seating 35 people). The dining area is divided into several distinctive areas, partially separated. Even though you can hypothetically order a few veggie side dishes and two or three meat/poultry courses, Estimar is fair and square a strictly fish and seafood restaurant. The choices and varieties are endless, including very rare and hard-to-find ones (think gooseneck barnacles aka percebes). The service is friendly, even though a better command of English won't hurt in a restaurant of a world class reputation. The menu is very extensive. Best ingredients and expert preparation come with a hefty price tag though. We paid for Estimar dinner (with a few glasses of wine, no bottles, one person wasn't drinking at all) almost $500, more than at any other Barcelona restaurant including the Michelin-star studded ones. Highly recommended. Great fine dining experience at its best.

Made a reservation on August 11 for October 28 for 6 of us. Walked up to the restaurant on time and we were told that they have us in a special private dining room and took us back out to next door. What we entered was their daytime office with a makeshift table - no music, no atmosphere - photos show everything below. Then when I asked why we are sitting here and why nobody warned us ahead, they apologized and said they were very busy and told us that if we wanted to we could cancel. 6 people on a Saturday night at 9pm and they tell us we can cancel. Food was good, luckily our company was good, but everything else about it was absolutely unacceptable. They did comp us about 300 euros worth in a bill of 1000 - next day we found out we were bumped because of Mick Jagger - regardless horrible dining experience - didn't even get to meet Mick.

A fantastic experience! We enjoyed every second of the wonderful experience at the restaurant! The food was delicious and fresh, the wine was perfect and the service was professional and accurate. All the things that make up a perfect restaurant...if you are a seafood lover I highly recommend this restaurant even though it's a bit expensive…it's worth it!!

It’s my favorite seafood restaurant in the world! Everything is incredible here and the kitchen is fully exposed so you can watch the chefs work their magic.

(Translated by Google) Good quality of products, good presentation and better treatment. It is highly recommended but not for all budgets, (which could be understood by the site-barcelona, ​​great quality and very fresh product). (Original) Buenisima calidad de productos, buena presentación y mejor trato. Es muy recomendable aunque no para todos los bolsillos, (que se podria llegar a entender por el sitio-barcelona, grandisima calidad y producto muy fresco).

A broken razor clam shell which nearly killed me is how I'm going to remember Estimar. Although the food is good, the service is severely lacking. Hence I find it extremely challenging to recommend Estimar when there are comparable places in Barcelona which offer much better service. I returned to Estimar based on a previous visit when I thoroughly enjoyed the food. Never did I expect to be so disappointed. In the razor clam dish that I ordered, I nearly swallowed a 1-inch long shard of shell which would have been potentially dangerous. I pointed out the shell to a member of the waiting staff and all he did was to take the "evidence" away and disappeared. He didn't return to apologise and we didn't even hear anything from the executive chef or kitchen which I assumed he would have shown the shell fragment. No acknowledgement of the kitchen's mistake and failure to spot a potentially dangerous item in their dish demonstrates the sheer arrogance of the restaurant that their business will flourish with this continued approach to customer service and food quality. Hopefully this review will remind our patrons to be cautious when dining at Estimar in the future.

A hidden gem, indeed. Tucked between the small streets of Barcelona, is a restaurant of superb quality in both food and wines. The menu changes frequently, but it generally has a couple of really creative dishes, some raw sea food and fish, a local dairy cow steak( which tastes much better than what it sounds like). And, naturally, while fish cooked over the fire. But what struck me as even more important was an exceptional service that the front of the house presented to us. Every waiter was attentive, but not too much that I’d would make you uncomfortable. The glasses between champagne and wine have been changed constantly. They never hesitated to recommend something off the menu, like a splendid butter toast with caviar and salmon, which cost a pretty penny but was totally worth it. All in all, this was one hell of an experience that will stay with me for a long time.

We loved the whole experience...! came all the way from Frankfurt to Barcelona to have dinner at Estimar and it did not disappoint! The dishes were like little pieces of art (and delicious of course). The staff was very attentive and made us feel like we were friends, even though it was our first time there. Thanks, Estimar Team! Julian&Madlen

(Translated by Google) The truth is that we went with high expectations, which generates a restaurant with a star, and the experience is not worth it, neither for price nor for quality, I have eaten much better for much less. Without a doubt, I will not return or recommend it. Apart from the experience in the restaurant, just over 24 hours later, my wife and I found ourselves fatal, being undoubtedly a food poisoning caught in the restaurant. Too bad, I would give it a lot less, it's a shame. (Original) La verdad es que fuimos con las espectativas altas, las que genera un restaurante con estrella, y la experiencia no lo vale, ni por precio ni por calidad, he comido mucho mejor por mucho menos. Sin duda ninguna, no volvere ni lo recomendare. A parte de la experiencia en el restaurante, poco mas de 24h despues mi mujer y yo, nos encontramos fatal, siendo sin duda una intoxicacion alimentaria cogida en el restsurante. Muy mal, le daria un menos mucho, es una verguenza.

Biggest disappointment especially spending about €200, it was my first Michelin star restaurant and we wanted to celebrate our honeymoon. Out of all restaurants we had in Barcelona and Seville Estimar is in the bottom for its taste. Everything except the strawberry cheesecake had little to no taste. Two oysters for €13 I was hoping for exceptional taste but nothing incredible. Two prawns for €47 is absurd and had minimal taste. The whole fish was cool but tasted like a quick fry with butter, again minimal taste. Service wasn't great either. The ONLY reason why this wasn't a one star review is because the strawberry cheesecake was one of the best tasting.

Estimar is absolutely worth a visit. It is located in the area surrounding the Basilica de Santa Maria Del Mar. My favourite dish of the meal was the fried cuttlefish with ink. I’m sure this dish is meant to be shared but I instead devoured it solo. Every dish was expertly cooked and it was obvious from the look and taste as to how fresh the ingredients were. Definitely is a restaurant I would return to.

Delicious - Very fresh goods, appealing presentation, truly attentive service. The few tables in this small restaurant are framed by three kitchen units. One can observe the cooks preparing the dishes, which we found entertaining and charming. A few previous reviews mention the prices. We paid: Fresh oysters 4,5€ per piece, clams 9,0€ per piece, we paid 76€ for a scorpion fish without side dishes (90€ per kilo). High quality comes with a price, I guess. All in all we were happy.

Great place overall. Excellent service and mind-blowing caviar toast. I deducted one star off for the mediocre prawn experience. I'm a seafood lover and a huge fan of Spanish prawns. To put into perspective, I was in Spain for a week and had a 72 gambas & carabineros! Here, the John Dory fish was enjoyable but their Roses Red Prawns were rather disappointing. €38 per piece but they tasted like the tiger prawns sold in huge buckets commonly found everywhere back at my home, Thailand. We ordered two each but after having the first, didn't even want the second; it was just meh. Having said that, I'd go back for their caviar toast and cheesecake!

This restaurant has been on my radar for a while but unfortunately it missed the mark on a couple of points. First the positives. Most dishes were delicious, especially the langoustine carpaccio, and you can tell they source top quality ingredients, biggest goose barnacles I have ever seen. Now to the negatives. It was grossly overpriced in terms of what you get. I’m happy to pay for good food but there was some mismatch here. There was also something odd about the service, the waitress was rather pushy and didn’t explain the dishes well. Worth visiting once but doubt I would return.

The food is great, the fried small squid was fantastic, loved the clams and also the shrimp. But 22 euros per shrimp is just criminal. Maybe the festive season drove the prices up but I'd think twice before ordering those again.

(Translated by Google) Excellent service, super rich dishes and an incredible experience was seeing the cuisine and the freshness of each product that they prepare for you at the moment. All great, I recommend the oysters ? and for dessert I tried the cheesecake and it is incredible! (Original) Excelente atención, platos súper ricos y una experiencia increíble fue ver la cocina y lo fresco de cada producto que te preparan al momento. Todo buenísimo, recomiendo las ostras ? y como postre probé el cheesecake y está increíble!

(Translated by Google) I put 4 stars since the price I find a bit excessive. 3 people 500 euros but the truth is that the product is amazing. A small and very cozy restaurant and the service is very very good. You can choose the fish they have exposed. (Original) Pongo 4 estrellas ya que el precio lo encuentro un poco excesivo. 3 personas 500 euros pero la verdad que el producto es increíble. Un restaurante pequeño y muy acogedor y el servicio es muy muy bueno. Puedes escoger el pescado que tienen expuesto.

Perfect spot for some seafood. The cooking is focused on respecting the ingredients, i.e. quite simple but in a good way. Everything very well executed.

Excellent......

Greate place in the heart of Born old town. Open Kitchen to be able to experience and look the cooking process and fresh seafood.

(Translated by Google) Perfect (Original) Perfecto

(Translated by Google) The experience was incredible, a product of the best and of exceptional quality, the restaurant is small but very cozy. We loved the detail of being able to see the chefs working. Very elaborate dishes. I found it cheap even after everything we ate, very good value for money. Very personalized service, so with a good explanation of each dish. A ten, highly recommended. (Original) La experiencia fue increíble, un producto de lo mejor y de una calidad excepcional, el restaurante es pequeño pero muy acojedor. Nos encanto el detalle de poder ver a los cocineros trabajando. Platos muy elaborados. Me pareció barato aun después de todo lo que comimos, muy buena relación calidad precio. Servicio muy personalizado, asi con una buena explicación de cada plato. Un diez, muy recomendable.

Best seafood I've had since visiting Europe

(Translated by Google) Surpassing expectations Car, but acceptable bearing in mind that the product is excellent (Original) Superant expectatives. Car, però aceptable tenint present que el producte és excelent

This was one of my favorite meals while I was in Barcelona. I wanted to have a great seafood meal and this delivered. They had a very good menu and I was able to try a few different, new things. The vibe is quaint and cozy and you feel like you’re in a seafood restaurant. Staff and service were also good. The neighborhood is really cool as well. I would absolutely go back here.

Nice and cosy seafood restaurant in a tacked away dead end like street. All seafood dishes and food were excellent. The Catalan wine that was recommended was outstanding. As a pleasant surprise the cheesecake (that vaguely resembled the US versions but a lot better in my opinion) was super delicious as well.

Every single bite was delicious. I really enjoyed the oysters and anchovies. The cheesecake was out of this world too. People are also super friendly. Will visit again next time!

Quality of the produce here is like no other, and the place is heaving with locals and a few tourists. The food is top notch albeit a bit pricey. Food is well presented, but unlike other chi chi places, serving sizes are good and food is whilesome. The entire neighborhood though is eclectic and pretty as a picture and you wouldn't mind getting lost in the alleys and lanes.

Small, hidden restaurant with outstanding food and service. Absolutely worth visiting!

(Translated by Google) A show. High quality product. Excellent treatment. Highly recommended. (Original) Un espectáculo. Producto de altísima calidad. Trato excelente. Muy recomendable.

Our first visit in Barcelona and we headed directly to Estimar! Our expectations were high regarding the promise and the claim of the restaurant. First things first…the food was great and delicious, good job to the kitchen team! Unfortunately the service was more than disappointing. The waitress cleared the plates up so quickly, even though we hadn't finished eating. At least she could have asked. When I ordered the bill and checked it, I noticed that one course was charged twice (instead of €21, I was charged €42). When I spoke to the waitress about it, she got snotty and said it was true! It was about the course “Estimar” Special Pickled Skewers. I only ordered one portion!!! 21€ for the portion is already a lot, but 42€ is just outrageous! Don't get me wrong, I've been working in hospitality of a 5 star hotel for over 10 years, but I haven't seen anything like this even in Michelin restaurants. What a pity!

Quiet little restaurant in a narrow street alongside Saint Mary of the Sea in El Born serves pristine seafood simply cooked. Menu is a la carte - and dependent on season and local availability - but friendly staff help you select a suitable collation. Lots of local wines (Catalunya, Empordà, etc.). Hard to find but worth looking for.

Hidden gem in Born! Great quality products, especially the cigala a la plancha! The carpaccio was delicious too. The toast with caviar is highly recommended although it is a bite, not a toast. Strange that they had USA Chardonnay, not the best one I had. The service was a bit disorganised and took long to bring things. The 4 stars come mostly down to the quality of the food we had.

One of the best places I’ve been. The food is amazing. Don’t be afraid to book a waiting list with card details, just write them additional e-mail or call. The staff helped us with the table the same day. Recommend by Michelin and HEDOLIST guides.

A truly wonderful seafood experience. I wanted to try a mix of small bites, so I ordered from the chef’s menu and the regular menu. The sea urchin was something magical. I had a memory flash back of my summer’s in Ustica, a Sicilian island, where we would sometimes take 1 or 2 fresh sea urchins and eat them with bread on the boat. I must say the mix with mango and caviar made it even more special. The prawn carpaccio was as fresh as it gets, hence had a smooth and buttery flavor to it. Plus combined with the crunchy toasted homemade bruschetta, it’s a perfect appetizer with a glass of white wine. The main dish, their famous fried calamari, disposed like an art work, with dots of squid ink and lime mixed together, were the perfect pairing. The desert was truly insane, an oven cooked cheesecake was just an incredible finish. To be fair I’ve never had it so it was my first time trying it and I will be definitely making sure I find it again. Strongly suggest this restaurant while you’re staying in Barcelona for an authentic and extra fresh seafood experience.

Great seafood option when in Barcelona and quite enjoyed every dish we got. Staff spoke great English and desserts was a hit on top of it all.

The food is amazing especially the starters and appetizers. The anchovies and the sardines are out of this wod

Amazing high quality fresh food. Everything is delicious and well cooked. Good atmosphere and great kind service. The place is hidden in a small street and the restaurant is quite small which gives a lovely atmosphere. The menu is super rich and based mostly in fresh fish that they cook in front of you(depending on the table). Only con: the price of wines is outrageous.

One of the best local dishes! Great selection of wines and digestives.

Fantastic place for fresh fish and seafood. Desserts are also excellent. Service was great. Book well in advance as space is limited

Outstanding service and food.

Fresh ingredients and friendly service! Love the fish!

Best seafood eatery in BCN hands down.

The food was incredible! Mussel tree and squid painting was mind blowing. The wine selection was great and the dessert (pineapple creme brulee with pineapple sorbet)was one of the best dishes we had. The only question is the service (our waitress was not listening to us at all) and all additional costs ( extra bread for 3,50 come on! and) were just not acceptable. Also, if you charge 32 EU for 8! braised in wine clams, you are crazy!

Looking forward to eat at Estimar. The food was great, very fresh ingredients. Unfortunately, the waiter who 'served' me during the evening was way to aggressive in sales. He kept on suggesting me the prawn (23 euros) as a starter for three times. While summing up my order he again included the prawn, although I didn't order. After a fine and timely food service by the kitchen, the waiter said that the prawns were about 2 minutes to be ready. Uhm, I did not order them! He said it was a pitty of the misconversation, but ok. This really felt as if I were part of a Fawlty Towers episode and this guy was practicing as a stand-in for Manuel. Let's say he was pretty good at it :-| I would really recommend Estimar for its food, but sad the waiter ruined the party...

(Translated by Google) Excellent restaurant in fish and seafood recipes, the chef is the best and well known :) (Original) Restaurant excel·lent en receptes de peix i marisc, el cuiner és el millor i molt conegut :)

(Translated by Google) brutal (Original) brutal

Great quality of fish dishes and good drinks. Super friendly and welcoming staff. Highly recommend

(Translated by Google) Excellent seafood with Bullinian roots. High prices but worth a try. (Original) Excel.lent producte de mar amb arrels Bullinianes. Preus elevats però val una ocasió.

(Translated by Google) Amazing This is an amazing evening with the delicious feeling of having a cooking star who works just for you. You really get the impression that Rafa Zafra is having fun in his tiny restaurant far from the constraints of big star houses. He does what he wants to do, participates in the preparation of dishes and comes to chat with the guests. The result is amazing: we are not at the restaurant, we have dinner with a friend. About twenty covers, a charming service, an open kitchen behind a display of fish, the maestro with two assistants and off we go .... We took an assortment of 5 starters to share: The onion prawn carpaccio disappointed me a little. I expected mountains and wonders. It's good but nothing more The squids with ink mayonnaise are great. Very light and delicious ink Mayo Another sensational dish, steak knives served in a small pan: perfect balance between a quality product and a preparation of great originality A very original and very good fricassee of shrimps, mussels and chickpeas. A disappointing dish: a tomato salad, however famous but of which I did not understand the interest. Then comes a bar in the oven for 4 to cook, of course, perfect and accompanied by the sauce that goes well. Finally, the most astonishing of the evening, insofar as people come mainly for seafood, is the dessert. Grand surprise, the boy sells you the "best cheesecake in Barcelona" but it's more than that! Maybe the best in the world! For me in any case. Ditto for rice pudding served in a cow's head (porcelain). Here is a last greeting to the chef and you had a great evening. It’s quite expensive because you only eat poison but not that much. The hard part is obviously to find a table .... you have to make it a long time in advance. (Original) Epatant Voici une soirée étonnante avec la délicieuse sensation d’avoir une star de la cuisine qui œuvre juste pour vous. On a vraiment l’impression que Rafa Zafra se fait plaisir dans son minuscule restaurant loin des contraintes des grandes maisons étoilées. Il fait ce qu’il a envie de faire, participe à la confection des plats et vient discuter avec les convives. Le résultat est épatant: on n’est pas au restaurant, on dîne chez un copain. Une vingtaine de couverts, un service charmant, une cuisine ouverte derrière un étalage de poissons, le maestro avec deux assistants et c’est parti.... Nous avons pris un assortiment de 5 entrées à partager: Le carpaccio de gambas à l’oignon m’a un peu déçu. J’en attendais monts et merveilles. C’est bon mais sans plus Les chipirons à la mayonnaise d’encre sont top. Très léger et la Mayo à l’encre délicieuse Autre plat sensationnel, les couteaux en escabeche servis dans une petite poêle: équilibre parfait entre un produit de qualité et une préparation d’une grande originalité Une fricassée de crevettes, moules et pois chiche très originale et très bonne. Un plat décevant : une salade de tomates pourtant réputée mais dont je n’ai pas compris l’intérêt. Vient ensuite un bar au four pour 4 à la cuisson, bien sûr, parfaite et accompagné de la sauce qui va bien.... Enfin, le plus étonnant de la soirée, dans la mesure où l’on vient surtout pour les produits de la mer, est le dessert. Grandiose surprise, le garçon vous vend le « meilleur cheesecake de Barcelone » mais c’est plus que ça ! Peut être le meilleur au monde! Pour moi dans tous les cas. Idem pour un riz au lait servi dans une tête de vache ( en porcelaine). Voilà, un dernier salut au chef et vous avez passé une excellente soirée. C’est assez cher car on ne mange que du poison mais pas tant que ça. Le plus dur est évidemment de trouver une table.... il faut s’y prendre très longtemps à l’avance.

(Translated by Google) Magnificent place, small and cozy with excellent service and great food. There is a before and after when eating the cheesecake (Original) Magnific indret, petit i acollidor amb un servei excel.lent i un menjar bonissim. Hi hà un abans i un després al menjar el pastis de formatge

(Translated by Google) Very good product, simple elaborations where the flavor of the quality product is respected. Fresh fish and seafood. The site is small and pleasant, in a charming area of ​​Barcelona. Reservation is essential. (Original) Muy buen producto, elaboraciones sencillas dónde se respeta el sabor del producto de calidad. Pescado y marisco fresco. El sitio es pequeño y agradable, en una zona de Barcelona con mucho encanto. Es imprescindible reservar.

super expensive for ordinary fish dishes , I really dont see why people will give it such high rating , this place to me is 3.8 max. I do not like oyster served without it shell and I do not like when they charge you almost 80 for fish and it over cooked. Next!

Every dish was high quality. You better get the squids...

(Translated by Google) Bypassing the musical thread that was not right at all, the food is good. Although if you want to be surprised, it is not your place (Original) Obviando el hilo musical que no era para nada acertado, la comida es buena. Aunque si buscas que te sorprendan, no es tu sitio

Went there last weekend, and wow! Everything was amazing. I think there are few places where you can have this quality of fish, and this is definitely one of those. Service was also top notch!

(Translated by Google) A fish and seafood show and cheese cake (Original) Un espectacle de peix i marisc i tarta de formatge

hidden gem

(Translated by Google) Great product, very well worked and at its price .... (Original) Gran producte, molt ben treballat i al seu preu....

(Translated by Google) Mediterranean food spectacular! They gave us a table in a little room they had, and I recommend you ask for a table there. The main room has the tables close together in my opinion. (Original) Comida mediterránea espectacular! Nos dieron mesa en un saloncito que tenían, y recomiendo que pidáis mesa allí. La sala principal tiene las mesas muy juntas en mi opinión.

(Translated by Google) Friendly service from the staff that seemed to be constantly. Highly recommended! (Original) Servicio amable del personal que parecía estar constantemente. ¡Muy recomendable!

(Translated by Google) Fantastic food Tons of attention to detail in everything I tried. This is the type of restaurant I want to come back to frequently. (Original) Fantástica comida. Toneladas de atención al detalle en todo lo que probé. Este es el tipo de restaurante al que quiero volver con frecuencia.

(Translated by Google) Quality and treatment of 10. We will always repeat !! ?????????????? (Original) Calidad y trato de 10. Repetiremos siempre!! ??????????????

(Translated by Google) Good product (Original) Buen producto

(Translated by Google) A great place to dine with your partner. Delicious dishes and exquisite service. (Original) Un lloc ideal per sopar amb la parella. Plats deliciosos i servei exquisit.

(Translated by Google) Super Anna and Rafa ... love product and friends (Original) Super Anna i Rafa..estimar producte i amics

(Translated by Google) A special chef's restaurant only fish and seafood Price bombs charge very special מיוחד (Original) מסעדת שף מיוחדת רק דגים ופרות ים מחיר פצצות לגבות מיוחד מאוד ?

Impeccable. A unique selection but still very crowd pleasing. Fresh, fresh ingredients, delicate without being fussy, intimate and excellent service. Top of the list!

(Translated by Google) Fantastic (Original) Fantástico