Parilla, La Reviews

Four of us went to celebrate a friend's birthday today. We got there at 12 and each chose the £8.95 lunchtime two course special. We had an excellent table overlooking the water, the service was prompt and the food excellent, the moules mariniéres were especially good. We all enjoyed our meal, my steak was actually rare, as requested, which was a lovely surprise. Our only small quibbles would be why only coffee available to drink and the lack of vegetables with the main course. We would have liked to substitute a salad for our compulsory but unwanted potatoes. So overall a good experience and it's worth getting there early.

We booked a party of twelve for a Saturday lunch time a week ago. The drinks were £3.50 per bottle of beer. This equates to £7.00 a pint. A glass of orange juice and lemonade was £1.85, not cheap and hardly the place you'd be able to get even tipsy! Next complaint was the price of the bread in the baskets that they brought and plonked on the table without even asking? When we checked the bill they charged £15.50 for this. We were shell shocked to say the least. You can buy a lot of bread for £15.50. The main courses were adequate but the starter of garlic mushrooms was very watery. A bottle of house wine was £21.00 so I was told. Suffice to say we won't be returning there any time soon.

This is an update to an earlier review on 21 January 08. I returned to this restaurant on lunchtime a few months ago, and have to say that it was a much better experience. Still the ‘queuing for food’ lark is a pain, but overall the experience was much better, as were the staff. It’s not highly recommended, but if you are going to go, then try a lunch time.

My partner and I stumbled upon La Parilla last Saturday following a walk across the Sail Bridge. We liked the look of it so returned in the evening for a meal. We arrived just after 8pm and were told there will be a half hour wait. We ordered drinks, which were expensive but were served quickly. We sat on one of the sofas and waited for our table. We were informed our table was ready after about 40 minutes. We were told how the restaurant worked, queue up to order food, and proceed to the food counter. There was a good choice of meat and fish and we placed our order. We returned to our table and ordered a glass of wine and a bottle of beer which translated in to a bottle of wine when it arrived! This mistake was soon rectified though. The food arrived in a timely manner, being well presented and hot. My only criticism was that we had to pay an additional £3.45 for a bowl of vegetables. It would be nice if this was included with the meal. When the bill arrived the aforementioned bottle of wine was on it but this mistake was acknowledged and the bill revised. The restaurant was full all night, which shows it's popularity. The service was good, the food excellent and the restaurant is tastefully decorated. I can imagine it would be nice to sit outside to eat in the summer by the water also. If we go back to Swansea we will definitely consider going back to La Parilla.

In a word - pretentious. We arrived La Parilla at precisely the same time as two other couples. One of the couples immediately took off her coat, paraded in, shopping bags taken care of, kissed by the waiter and was seen to immediately. This went on for a number of minutes. Couple number two again had lots of air kisses and the waiters were frantic that there wasn't a table ready. I overheard the head waiter ranting 'Those people are on their coffee and have been here long enough. Get rid of them! I need the table. Push them out.' Whilst all this nonsense was going on I was still at the doorway and not one waiter had even looked at me! I felt invisible and I must have been there for a good ten minutes. When eventually someone spoke to me I was told in an instant - yes you guessed it - sorry we're full. Unbelievable. I'm obviously not 'in the know'! I will not return to La Parilla in a hurry. I was greeted with so much more warmth and hospitality after a short walk over the sail bridge to Morgans.

Seven of us from our family aged from 17 to 75 went to La Parilla on Friday. The first impression we got was of a warm airy atmosphere. We were offered a drink and it was brought over to us as we relaxed on comfortable sofas. We were told that we could go to our table when it was ready. All the staff who attended on us were friendly and courteous, just right. We selected wine, starters and the main meal. The selection of food was excellent as was the presentation. My parents who both love mussels commented on the size and texture, saying they had never had better. The other dishes we enjoyed immensely were crab, fish cakes, and mushrooms. The main course was equally nice with lamb, duck, sirloin, fillet and mussels. We had fresh vegetables and a selection of boiled, jacket and chips served all at the same time. I can only praise the chef, the floor manager, who introduced himself, and all the staff for looking after us, making it a memorable evening. I will be enjoying another evening at La Parilla very soon.

Four of us went to La Parilla on Saturday night, and I was surprised to see how full it was on a really wet wintry night. We were unable to book in advance as their protocol didn't allow for it, and had to wait about an hour for a table. The drinks were really expensive, but the surroundings are quite different and pleasant. The service was extremely poor and impersonal with one of the waiters suffering from extremely bad personal hygiene. The food was average and not of particularly good value. My lemon sole was rather undercooked, as was the salmon. There were no vegetables with the meal, and five small potatoes with the salmon didn't leave any of us particularly satisfied. With mixed reviews of the place and our personal experience we will not be rushing back in the near future. There are far better places within the Swansea area than this. It was a shame as we were all looking forward to the evening.

We booked to go to La Parilla on a Saturday night, a table for ten as a birthday surprise for my partner. We had booked the table for 9pm, but weren’t seated until 9.30pm. We didn’t let this bother us until a full glass of lemonade was spilt over my partner, the birthday boy. I was extremely disappointed that no offer was made to make it up to him, at least with a bottle of wine. He just had to sit through eating his starter and main course saturated. I must say the food was delicious, you don’t get much for your money but it is well presented, tastes delicious and you don’t have to wait long for it to come. My real disappointment with La Parilla was the service and lack of attention to my partners discomfort and embarrassment.

We found La Parilla by chance on a weekend visit to Swansea and were tempted by the lunch menu so booked a table straight away. We only waited 25 minutes for our table and there was no queue at that time to order food. The quality of food for the price was impressive and the service was fine. We enjoyed the busy atmosphere as much as everything else.

I'm afraid I must agree with the other reviews. This place is extremely overrated and pricey at that. Fair enough, it's decorated nicely, apart from the big pipes hanging from the ceiling, but that's about it. Why pay top end prices when you can't even book a table, and have to queue to choose your food?