Casa Balbino

The food was delicious, had lunch on a Friday and needed to join a short line but it was worth the wait. Service was friendly and efficient, and the atmosphere in the square was hopping. Make sure to try the tortillas de camerones ❤️

The food have been amazing, the service have been fast, the taste of all the dishes have been incredible. The most delicious dish at least for my was Gambas al ajillo Maybe the service need to be more discreet when talk with between them but in general have been amazing.

Drove from Jerez to try the tortilla de Camarones and they did not disappoint. Arrived around 12:30pm for lunch to avoid the crowd and glad we did since a long line formed later on. Each order comes with 2 pieces of perfectly seasoned and fried tortillas that is light, airy and yes, greasy! Soooo good! We also ordered Squid eggs in olive oil. Not my favorite. It needed more salt or seasoning in my opinion but luckily we ordered clam in garlic, olive oil sauce which was delicious and plenty of sauce leftover to share with the squid eggs. 😉 Fish eggs were average. It was very pleasant to sit in the outdoor area with beautiful flowers and a flowing fountain nearby. Glass display case with all the dishes and ingredients clearly visible inside the restaurant.

Very nice Tortilla de Camarones! Worth for that. For sitting down we had to wait but it goes fast. Service was a bit slow but they were swamped.

Went for lunch. The restaurant wasn't busy when we arrived. Got seated right away. Waiter gave us a menu card, asked what we wanted to drink then disappeared. 10 mins later, another waiter brought us 2 riojas when we'd asked for verdejo. About 10 mins later we got our drinks. We noticed that several tables had been seated after us. Another 15 mins passed and I started asking wait staff to take our order. They each said they'd send our waiter. He passed by several times and kept saying he'd be right with us. All the while he was taking lunch orders from tables that had been seated after us and bringing them food. Finally I was able to get him to stop and talk to me. I admit I was angry at that point. I pointed out to him that 2 tables were already eating their lunch while we hadn't even been given a chance to order. He got verbally combative with me, said that those tables had flagged him down and said we should have done the same. Idiot. I wasn't going to argue with him anymore, I asked him for a complaint form. He pretended not to know what I was talking about. I asked for our wine bill which was 6€. Paid the bill and left. We were there for almost an hour. I will never go back to this awful place.

I've been visiting Casa Balbino every year when I visit from abroad. The quality of food is always first class, delicious tapas, both hot and cold. Everything fresh and totally traditional to the region. Tables in the main square are a hot commodity so often there's a wait. Try to get there early if you can! There are also tables on the side alley - less nice but if you visit mainly for good food, won't matter much where you sit. One time we had less than pleasant experience when we visited with my elderly suegra. She walked with a rollator, we were 5 people but got seated in a small table for 4 in the alley, despite bigger tables being available there. Granted, it was rush hours so possibly they were keeping larger table in case a bigger group comes. At the end there wasn't any bigger group so a couple got seated at a large table while we were squished at a 4 person table, being 5 people plus a walker. Aside from that little hiccup, love this place. Best tortillas de camarones around!

Join the queue and it will worth waiting! It’s located in a lovely corner of the Plaza. It’s definitely a true tapas experience. Everything was tasty and the value/quality is just top! I loveeeeeeed the clams in sherry sauce and the stuffed aubergine with shrimps! Would love to come back!

We went at the recommendation of Jose Andres like most Americans. I was skeptical because of what a scene it is, but we had a great experience. The tortillas de camarones were the draw, and they were good but the gambas y berenjena were next level, as were the adobo. Be bold and order past the usuals here! Staff was fast but lovely.

This place is like "required reading" for the course called Sanlúcar de Barrameda. You can't come to this town and fully appreciate it without sitting in the Plaza Cabildo with a tortillita de camarón in one hand and a copita de manzanilla in the other. There is nothing like sitting at a table here and enjoying the great food and great view. I always have to order tortillita de camarón from here, but there's tons of great food on the menu. Throw a dart and order whatever you hit. I love the pollo frito, jabuguitos, salpicón de mariscos, solomillo a la cerveza, brochetas de pescado, salmorejo, and I could go on. This place has great food that is indicative of this city and this region. Definitely check it out if you find yourself looking for a true "sanluqueño" experience.

This bar is even better in winter! Everything was top notch. I love that they have a line now to wait for tables and waiters that take your order at the table. Super efficient service. The food was incredibly fresh and well made. Seafood was divine. This place is always full of people and has a great atmosphere. They have some heaters as well for outside seating.

Have to agree with a previous reviewer that this isnt the place unless you really love pungent seafood. Unfortunately I don't and my husband tried to cater to me with varied tapas I might love. I asked him to stop after four tapas (the first round) so we could eat at another favorite spot of mine that has consistent great dishes no matter what you order. I can't see how this place is so crowded. We surely thought it would be excellent since there were many occasions we could not get a table. We had the tortilla de camarones (what they are known for and what my husband and child enjoyed), the meatballs with fries (really poor quality and felt very much like chef Boyardee sauce out of the can), a tuna stuffed pepper (again felt very much out of the can and not good), and the octopus (fine but not excellent). We heard such rave reviews that I was disappointed. Surely every dish should be great to merit the five stars and personal recommendations. It was chaos And so not worth it. I think unless you stick with prawns and fried fish or their main dish, you will not think it's a five star spot.

I heard this place was famous for the shrimp fry, and indeed there's a reason why they are famous for this! It is self service which is strange for Spain but you'll live. If you are in the area, this place is also a must eat! Food is affordable and fresh

Fantastic seafood in SanLucar. Ten stars from me. Brilliance. I try not to gush about places. Especially when you're on a nice vacation and have a few drinks and everything suddenly feels so.... right. I honestly like to keep that sort of thing out of reviews. But this place.... It's a self-service bar with the freshest seafood you'll ever see. We were there at lunch and it was a madhouse. I actually suggest you go at lunch because, even though you'll have to stand in line for food, the show is almost better than the food. You belly up to the counter and try to get your order heard over the din. The seven or eight guys behind the counter are an amazing sight as they fill orders. They're like floor brokers on the London Stock Exchange. Wait, that doesn't do them justice. They''re like sailors on a bombed and listing U-Boot trying to right the ship. Just an amazing sight. The food was brilliant. Fresh prawns, sea snails, calimari salads, a lot of stuff that maybe only the locals could identify. Most everyone around us ordered a sort of prawn fritter. We got one too but Mrs. S stopped chomping when she noticed the tiny little eyes. Didn't stop me though. Anyway..... if you're nearby I can't recommend this place more for a lunch stop,great food and people watching. Just fantastic.

Even though I do not eat fish or seafood, I wanted to try Casa Balbino because my landlord is the owner. I went with a group of friends on a Saturday night. We were able to grab a table outside only after waiting a few minutes. One of my friends is a local, so she went inside and ordered tapas for everyone to share. She ordered six dishes that were NOT seafood so I was able to eat and try a few things. Out of these six, I only really liked one. The fried chicken was dry and extremely salty. The meatballs were just ok. A few of the other dishes were also very salty. I did take a bite of the shrimp tortilla and have to say I liked it better than some of the non seafood dishes. The flavor reminded me of a hush puppy. If you do not like seafood, you will be limited on your options here. Just stick with the jamon!