La Carboná

It took 4 attempts for them to recognise our booking, even though we pointed to it on their list and the waiter repeated the name 3 times and we said 'si' and 'yes' each time. We were shown to our table (with a dirty tablecloth), ordered two Cavas and two taster menus, which came with a drink for each course. Our Cava arrived, together with a tiny plate of pate and some toast to share. We were totally confused as the first course on the taster menu was pate but we had only been served one between us, with no accompanying drink. On querying this, we were brought 2 more pates, which looked and tasted exactly like the first, and told the original was complimentary. We never got the wine pairing that was on the menu but, being confused, and not speaking Spanish, we just continued with the rest of our meal, which was very good. Communication needs to be improved, and a menu in a variety of languages would have helped.

Excellent food and service. Beautiful ambience. Loved their foie appetiser, carabinieros, pork shoulder and suckling pig. Ice cream was great too. A word of caution with prawns as they are priced per 100 g. Eventually 4 steamed prawns came double the price of the main course. Overall great experience

Beautiful space with great energy knowledgable and friendly staff and nice food with sherry leanings. Great by the glass list of sherry.

Lovely meal. Had 9 course tasting with sherry pairing. Good info about food and the different sherries. Decent value at 90e as included a sherry with each course. English speaking waiter v good. Friendly and relaxed, good service.

An expert in the area who is also a local said we MUST go. He was right. The space is breathtaking, the staff fantastic, the prices unbeatable, and the food and drink wonderful. We paid 90€ for a 7-course mean with sherry pairings. It would be $300 easy in NYC or min €200 in Sevilla. Such a special experience with expertly paired and prepared meals. If you are in Jerez, you must go.

We chose the nine-course tasting menu with matched Amontillado sherries. The food, and the sherries were stunning, and the pairings very thoughtfully chosen. With excellent, friendly service and explanations of the dishes this was an experience to savour and remember for a long time.

The best meal & wine pairing I have ever had. Service is 5 stars too. Decoration perfectly compliments the atmosphere. We went for a Menu named Albariza and enjoyed every plate and pairing. It was a delicious tour through local alcoholic beverages with tasting-like service. It was an absolute pleasure to visit that place. If you really want to make your visit to Jerez more than memorable, go to this place.

This is an experience of its own. Don’t hesitate to make a reservation. The food is insanely good. Every course of our menu was a flavour journey in itself. So well designed, prepared, presented and above all incredibly well paired with what Jerez has to offer in forms of liquid… One thing stood out though and deserves mentioning. The service was probably the most professional I have seen in ages. Super alert and attentive without even feeling their presence. Every member of staff seemed to know exactly where any table was in the course of their menu/orders. Absolutely no hick-ups, and also no unnecessary frills. So friendly without being intrusive at all. Outstanding, truly.

La Carbona is an unforgettable dining experience that masterfully blends modern techniques with traditional Spanish cuisine. Housed in an area that is rich in history the interior of the restaurant has been beautifully restored and feels very inviting as soon as you walk in. This establishment is known for its tasting menu however, me and my family opted to try individual dishes that interested us the most. For myself, I enjoyed the pate appetizer which was smooth and not overly powerful. I appreciated It's mild and delicate flavor. My second appetizer was the sweet breads that had a beautiful gloss from the sherry wine glaze that it was finished in. Delicious My table shared an appetizer of croquetas that had one of the best béchamel sauces I had in Spain. Of the main courses of my table the best dish by far was "Chuletón de vaca selección especial" which was offered at €80 per kilo. The steak was cooked perfectly medium rare with a wonderful char crust on the outside and large pieces of salt sprinkle finished on top. Most of all I really enjoyed the deep aged flavor of the beef. I was also able to sample a fish entrée on the table which was snapper with black rice. This dish was good but nowhere near as good as the steak. To finish it all off my dessert was "Tosta de arroz con leche" I found this dessert outstanding, reminding me of a traditional Arroz con leche but with a nice crust on the outside, and a touch of sweet corn in the middle. Highly recommended. Overall, a very memorable dining experience that is a bit on the pricier side, but fun and interesting, pushing the boundaries of modern and traditional Spanish cuisine.

We went here without reservations for lunch time after a Sherry tasting experience at a nearby Bodega. They were kind enough to seat us right away. We told them- no more wine as we were tipsy after the tasting earlier, and there was no pressure from any of the servers to get more alcohol. As we were in a timecrunch due to a train journey, we ordered ala carte and asked if they could get it fast. And they obliged. This was fantastic as this is a very upscale sit down gourmet restaurant. They sped up the usual slow eating in Spain for us but still made sure we had gourmet well executed food. The desserts were exquisite. Overall price for two with shared appetizer, individual entrees, and individual coffee with dessert was approx €100, which was reasonable for the type of restaurant, quality of service and food. I just wish I had planned the visit with more time for a leisurely lunch.

We came to this restaurant for lunch mainly intrigued by the fact that they cook their food and desserts with sherry (jerez), and also because we wanted to drink some sherry with our meal. The ambiance is upscale and a bit uptight. Our server seemed mostly unhappy and was not very friendly. They offer tasting menus however the whole table has to order a tasting menu otherwise it's just a la carte. The food was decent but it wasn't worth the price or the fuss. We did pair our dishes with sherries recommended by the server, which was a tough thing to do since sherry is so much more alcoholic than other wines. I'm not a fan of sipping most sherries or having them with food, but even worse towards the end of our meal I was definitely feeling the alcohol getting to my head.

Definitely a lovely restaurant but didn't quite meet all of our expectations. My fiancé and I came here for a sherry-paired dinner, and while we had excellent service, the food was just slightly better than ok. I will say however, that considering other offerings in town, this is one of the best restaurants to visit. Especially for the price! We had a multi-coursed, sherry-paired meal and I believe the total check for both of us was under $100. Crazy! Not sure if we were there on a holiday but the restaurant (built to seat 100 guests easily) only had 2 other tables in use during our stay. Which made me feel guilty like they were closing and we were wasting their time. But I knew that wasn't the case because we had made a reservation. It was just super, super dead. I don't even recall any music so there was a real dead air to the place. The decor is rustic and the furniture is well made and sturdy. All solid wood pieces with gorgeous iron chandeliers hanging above. In the center of the restaurant is the "carbona" or the big sort of roaster/spit/oven thingy. Can't quite think of what it would be called in English but it was pretty! Each dish was served with a different sherry, carefully handpicked to match the flavors of the food. Service was impeccable, almost too lavish for such a casual looking space. We had seafood, steak, salad, soup, dessert, and really just an unending meal. It was pretty fun and made for a memorable first dinner in Jerez. The downtown/old town area of Jerez is rather small and quaint so again, this is one of few options open around 9-11pm.

Special occasion type location for the area or high end dining if not. The concerted bodega to restaurant atmosphere is a compelling reason in itself to go but actually the good, sherry wine selection, and social scene is equally as a pull. I was tired from the drive from Seville and bodega touring I did so didn't get an enthusiastic response from dining but walked away wondering where else in the world would I ever get such a selection of sherry again. Days later I now know: nowhere! This is a must, out of tourist fray, stop for those traveling in the area for tours but who need quality food and environs while they dine.

Great venue, chance to sample range of sherry varieties As did most of the patrons during our visit, we chose the sherry pairings menu at 40 Euros and it is a nice way to sample the range of sherry varieties. It's an interesting venue, within a former sherry warehouse and it is very atmospheric. Food was good, but not outstanding as compared to some other meals we had in Andalucia, particularly in Seville. Still for those visiting Jerez for the first time it's an experience not to be missed.