All they would sell us was a cup of coffee.
So when we discovered that our top three choices for lunch were closed for the season, we were out of ideas. There were a lot of Spanish people at this restaurant, so it seemed like a good choice. Nope!
a) This is a Spanish tapas chain restaurant. Cheesy. They seem to buy up hot locations in each town, like here on the Paseo Maritimo in Rota, in the square facing the cathedral in Cadiz, on a main thoroughfare in Marbella, etc. They make themselves obvious and convenient, like the cafes with pictures of their dishes on the menu (YUK)!
b) Wednesdays they offer 1€ for almost every dish on the menu, but the unexplained subtext is, it's CASH ONLY. Here's the scam, they claim their "c-card machine is broken" (like every other restaurant in Spain, when they don't want to take a foreign c-card), but then they tell you to go to their sister restaurant nextdoor (another chain) where they accept c-cards, however those prices are 3x as high, and all they sell are crappy burgers, that no self-respecting American would want.
c) The burger place did magically find a way to take our c-card for my husband to get coffee, from Cerveceria 100 Montaditos. If this was the case, why not food? Completely arbitrary and totally obnoxious.
I can't say I was heartbroken. I don't think I missed much, based on reviews. I had been walking for 4 hours, and was just done at that point, but really, why not be honest about your cash rule? Just post it. If you're discriminating against non-EU c-cards, just own it. You're a corporate chain, have some decent business practices. One of the negatives of how Spain works.
The positive? Good coffee. My husband said it was the best cup of coffee he had in all of Spain and Portugal, our whole trip. Hard to believe, but hey, pick up a cup of coffee and go on your way. read more