I had been a big fan of the old Iberia restaurant in Portola Valley. Decided to try new location. Ambiance was nice and food good. Service was poor. Bus girl took our order, didn't meet the... More

I had been a big fan of the old Iberia restaurant in Portola Valley. Decided to try new location. Ambiance was nice and food good. Service was poor. Bus girl took our order, didn't meet the waiter till 30 minutes into our service, had to beg for water and appetizers took 30 minutes to get to table after waiting some 20 minutes to give our order. At the end of the meal we got the bill $409 for 4 people and it included a 19% service charge. We left $400. Waiter came back and said we were short. I spoke to the waiter to tell him that I did not feel the service warranted 19%. He said I had to pay the 19% and showed me the menu (which in fine print) said "prices do not include a 19% service charge" (who reads the fine print in a restaurant anyway?). Amazingly the waiter named Fidel, refused to even hear my reason for wanting to pay less than the 19%. I told him his service deserved no more than a 12% tip and that I had been generous leaving what I had. I said that he should speak to the owner because I had been a customer for many years. Instead he called the police who showed up and said we had to pay and we could take them to small claims court. Policeman warned that this was a frequent problem and that the Menlo Park police dealt with this issue several times a month. Amazing that our tax dollars have two squad cars show up for $9 shortfall (but thats a different issue). Even more amazing that this restaurant can continue to exist with poor service and a 19% mandatory service charge and the attitude that says service or tip is not left to the customers discretion.
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What really got us this time was when my wife asked for hot water w/ lemon. Subsequently she asked for honey... When our bill came, we were being charged $4.50 for "tea". We disputed this claim w/... More

What really got us this time was when my wife asked for hot water w/ lemon. Subsequently she asked for honey... When our bill came, we were being charged $4.50 for "tea". We disputed this claim w/ our waiter, and he was sympathetic, but after conferring w/ the manager - he said it's his (the manager's) policy to charge for hot water. Our service staff never mentioned this to us! Don?t get me wrong, the service was typical Iberia service (but not bad). We asked to speak to the manager, our waiter went to see if he can talk, then he informs us that the manager is busy and can?t see us. Wow! We rarely ever have issues w/ restaurants, this by far is the worst experience ever! $4.50 for hot water ? give me a break.
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My wife and I have been going to this place for a few years now. It's really a nice cozy place to spend the evening eating tapas and drinking nice wine. However, on our most recent visit, we... More

My wife and I have been going to this place for a few years now. It's really a nice cozy place to spend the evening eating tapas and drinking nice wine. However, on our most recent visit, we experienced what is definitely a management shift in customer service. They now charge a 19% service charge - which apparently is written on the menu, but we overlooked that. No big deal here - but as others mention it's a tough sell to pay 19% on top of an expensive bottle of wine. The service really doesn't scale depending on price of the bottle - so we personally feel its unreasonable to ask customers to pay 19% of service. What really got us this time was when my wife asked for hot water w/ lemon. Subsequently she asked for honey... When our bill came, we were being charged $4.50 for tea. We disputed this claim w/ our waiter, and he was sympathetic, but after conferring w/ the manager - he said it's his (the manager's) policy to charge for hot water. Our service staff never mentioned this to us! Don??????t get me wrong, the service was typical Iberia service (but not bad). We asked to speak to the manager, our waiter went to see if he can talk, then he informs us that the manager is busy and can??????t see us. Wow! We rarely ever have issues w/ restaurants, this by far is the worst experience ever! $4.50 for hot water ?????? give me a break. I think the tipping point was the fact the manager couldn??????t make time for his customer, and additionally when we got up to go find the manager, he had just left! This really puts Iberia off our recommended restaurant list (which is an extremely small list). The only way we would not go back to Iberia is if the management team is changed. Manager Jose Luis Relinque must be changed. They??????ve lost our confidence ?????? extremely poor customer service, lack of common decency, and just purely profit driven has put this cozy hole in the wall ?????? out
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The authentic taste of Spain in S.F., I was born in Spain and this restaurant made me to remember my country, my home. Beatifull decoration and great customer service. Wops!!, the best is Habas con... More

The authentic taste of Spain in S.F., I was born in Spain and this restaurant made me to remember my country, my home. Beatifull decoration and great customer service. Wops!!, the best is Habas con Alcahuciles.- Pros: Ambience
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I was in Spain last summer, Madrid and Valencia,so when I come back to SFO I was looking for a spanish restaurant near of SFO. Finally I'll find it, IBERIA. Good food and taps, the same taste like... More

I was in Spain last summer, Madrid and Valencia,so when I come back to SFO I was looking for a spanish restaurant near of SFO. Finally I'll find it, IBERIA. Good food and taps, the same taste like in Spain's restaurants or better.- Paella, cordero, jamon ummmmmmm. sinceraly goos food.- But for me, the best is 'Fabada', delicious, of course if you like spanish food I'm lucky because I love spnaish food and really IBERIA traslate you to Spain for a few moments. I recomend you, at least, go once and tell what about it Pros: Food and Ambience
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The menu and descriptions boast a unique menu that sounds appetizing; however, this is not the case. Our party was served extremely greasy and almost inedible food that was a mix of store-bought... More

The menu and descriptions boast a unique menu that sounds appetizing; however, this is not the case. Our party was served extremely greasy and almost inedible food that was a mix of store-bought material and no flavor concoctions. In addition to the terrible service where we were never asked for drinks or other items you would think to be important when dining out, the bill came. To my party?s dismay, we paid over $55 per person for what turned out to be 3 appetizers and greasy paella. If you can believe it, this did not include any drinks whatsoever. In closing, please listen to the comments made here as they are in fact true ? the service is terrible, the food is terrible, and nothing about this place should be considered a plus. Pros: The night was soon to be over Cons: Service, Food, Ambiemce, Prices, you name it!
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I had been hearing rave reviews about the food for quite some time, and recently had an opportunity to have lunch there one Saturday afternoon. To my surprise, the restaurant was relatively... More

I had been hearing rave reviews about the food for quite some time, and recently had an opportunity to have lunch there one Saturday afternoon. To my surprise, the restaurant was relatively deserted, and yet we had to wait several minutes before we were finally seated. There appeared to only be one server covering the entire restaurant and patio dining area. Once we were seated, the server was prompt in bringing us water. After a brief wait, we were provided with a basket of warm bread. When we had finished the bread I asked for more and the waitress smiled and took the basket away, but oddly never returned with it. We ordered several tapa dishes, and I was impressed with almost all of them. Two of my favorites were the pastelitos de queso and the torrada de sobrasado y queso. Unfortunately, the one dish I didn?t care for was the meatballs. They were not very flavorful, and were actually served lukewarm rather than hot. The biggest complaint I have about Iberia is the automatic 19% service charge that was added to our bill. I understand when restaurants add an automatic gratuity for a large group, but we were a party of two. If everything had been great about the experience, I would not have had a problem with this. Although the food was excellent, I think the service needs improvement. Especially if there is a 19% automatic service charge. Pros: The food was great. Cons: The 19% automatic service charge!
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