Kaiku

Hemos sido intoxicados con unos mejillones en muy mal estado. Fuimos a comer este sábado 9 de enero. Éramos 6 comensales, todos comimos mejillones menos una, que con el embarazo no come moluscos y comida suceptibles de intoxicación. El resto de la mesa hemos sido intoxicados con una gastroenteritis virica aguda que se ha reflejado a las 24 horas de la ingesta de estos alimentos, acabamos en el hospital de urgencias las 5 personas. No recomendaría jamás este sitio, fue bastante caro y encima te llevas una intoxicación.

I went there after a verbal recommendation of someone.
The chef´s Paella is diferent, and surprises, it is a totally different taste than what you expect from a Paella, and it is not bad at all.
But due to the high scores, i expected more of it.
Also portions seemed rather small…
They also forgot to serve us a glass of wine we asked for.
Their excellent location maybe makes them «lazy»

tourist trap. don’t do it.

Sin duda alguna el MEJOR arroz de toda la barceloneta. A este lugar he estado unas 3 veces solo para asegurarme que el control de calidad sea el mismo y les cuento sinceramente que LO ES. Los entrantes están buenos y los platos también. Pero el arroz sin duda es el plato estrella, el arroz negro en particular. Haced reserva antes de ir porque siempre está completo.

El millor lloc de la Barceloneta. Davant el mar, menú a 11,50 immillorable. Llàstima que ens quedi lluny.

Quite pricey but the food is of phenomenal quality, especially the seafood offerings. Sit outside if you can to enjoy the sea view.

Kaiku changed my life. After dinner here, I started to imagine what it would be like to retire in Spain. What an incredible experience.
When we came on a Sunday afternoon, all of the seafood being served had been caught the day before. Barcelona is full of great seafood places being on the Mediterranean coast but it was questionable how fresh some of the seafood is. I really love how Kaiku tells you exactly when their fish was caught. :)
We ordered a salad to start and 3 main courses for the two of us. Salad was incredible and beautifully presented. I love the how every bite was an explosion of sweet, salty, and sour. I also had the best tuna of my life and the best paella as well. I would go back to Spain just for the tuna and the paella again. Oh, and we also had a bottle of a great white wine from the Montsant region. All for 80 euros.
Like all the reviewers have said, this place is kind of tricky to get a table at. They’re only open from 100−330h. Definitely stop by and make a reservation. I don’t think you can do it online.
On top of everything, service was really friendly and helpful. We were the only non-​locals here and they treated us really well!

Delicious. Beach side. You absolutely need a reservation. I somehow got lucky without one and got a table outside. Best for more than one person because everything is shareable. Definitely check it out. Here on a Sunday and there’s live music close by. They seem to have a limited selection of songs but it’s far enough away to be enjoyable and not too loud

Kaiku es un negocio familiar en una ubicación única. En el barrio de la Barceloneta justo delante de la playa, un entorno maravilloso :)
Su especialidad son los arroces, el del Chef está delicioso! las raciones son más que buenas… con una paella para dos salen cuatro buenos platos. El arroz es ahumado y le da un sabor delicioso.
Para acompañar tienen unas ensaladas deliciosas con productos muy buenos, tomates que saben a tomates (no es tan fácil como parece). Los precios de las bebidas son muy correctos. El servicio muy agradable y el local sencillo pero cómodo y acogedor. Tiene una de las mejores terrazas (por el entorno) de Barcelona.
Os lo recomiendo!

Sympa on a bien mange
Dommage qu’ils n’ont aucun dessert espagnol mais allez y c le seul resto du coin qui est correct

Unilocal steered us wrong on this one. Indifferent service, dull menu, mediocre food. Seemed to be coasting on its beachside location.

Hey Unilocalers! The food is excellent here, and you really can’t top the view. (I’ll ask my hub to download some pics.) We went September last year, so the weather was sunny and great, and it’s off the coast («beach») which gave it a laid-​back beachy feel, and our servers were really quick, and helpful. Patrick H. of Santa Cruz, Cali is correct in saying this is a local place, and I could taste why. This is not a tourist trap, like half of the places we tried. The pork-​stuffed squash flower appetizer was delicious! (my hub didn’t like, but more for me!) The seafood is soooo fresh, and not overcooked; the prawns were perfect. Since we had arroz negro at another location (Xaica, delicious! review to come), we chose the fideu (sp?), noodles… which is just as good, but the flavor we chose tasted like file used in gumbo. It was still really good, (My hubby’s fam is from Louisiana, so you understand why I mention this?) but If we had more time, I would of liked to go back and try the arroz dishes. If you go, let me know what YOU think! I got lucky picking this place based on the few reviews on Unilocal. (Thanks for your cue, Patrick H.)

This is my first time in Barcelona, but I did my research carefully with the help of my fellow Unilocalers. Every restaurant has been a hit, setting the bar very high in advance of my Sunday lunch at Kaiku. Sadly, it was a disappointment. Service was far from great. But that was not an issue for me. I speak Spanish and struggled to understand the menu offered in both Spanish and English. The English menu was a very poor translation and the waitresses were too rushed to adequately help. In addition, the menu was not as special as others had described. The fried anemones were not on the menu. The croquettes with foie mouse were well done but nothing new as we have great croquettes elsewhere. The mussels were described as steamed without any description as to what type of liquid they were steamed in. They sounded so boring we did not order them. Someone at a neighboring table ordered the mussels and I never saw anyone dip bread into the sauce. That told me there was not much there in terms of flavor.
We started with an order of razor clams. They appeared to be a a smaller variety than what we have been eating prior. Unlike the others they had their parts, feet and siphon muscles protruding from the ends and a dark sack perhaps the stomach was visible in the middle. I wondered if this was a function of their being cooked or a sign they were not fresh. Visually they were not like those we had been eating for three days prior. Those were creamy white with rounded ends. Being recently introduced to razor clams I found this order of clams visually disturbing. In any event, I attempted to eat several but was disappointed. They tasted slightly fishy unlike those I’d previously eaten at Ciudad Condal, and Tickets. Neither I or my husband cared for their flavor and could not finish the order. Bottom line, they tasted as bad as they looked. Also, they were the most expensive order of razor clams we’ve eaten in Barcelona. While waiting for our main course to arrive We noticed olives being delivered to a nearby table. Had we seen them on the menu we would have ordered them first. They were actually delicious, seasoned with paprika.
On to the main course.
The rice dishes as described on the menu were not particularly exciting. That was disappointing as that was my reason for reserving at Kaiku two months in advance. We ordered the chef ‘s special rice dish. It is a dish with vegetables, mussels, two pieces of squid, and four small shrimp. The first problem was the size of the shrimp. They were very small compared to those in chef specials delivered to other tables. My boys joked they were not big enough to use as bait. Although they were very sweet and delicious I felt as if we were being taken advantage of because we were obviously tourists. The rice itself had little to no flavor. It was described as being prepared with fish stock. Well, the chef failed to season the stock. The seasoning of a dish is just as important as the freshness of the ingredients. I felt as if the chef at Kaiku depended on flavor of the seafood to speak for itself without any help from him. The dish was very bland, bordering on flavorless. I was underwhelmed to say the least. I never pick up a salt shaker in a restaurant but was forced to do so in order continue eating. Bottom line, Kaiku, was a disappointment all around.

My favorite restaurant in Barcelona! The menu changes daily, and it is fresh, innovative, beautiful, and 100% Catalan! Reservations a must & so is the VERY affordable three course 11.50 lunch menu (includes wine & the most creative desserts in town!).

Went here. The person at my hotel told me I didn’t need a reservation to get into this place. He was definitely wrong. I got there and was told there were no openings all day. I said I had walk 30+ minutes just to get there and she said that there still were no open table for the day. I then went and sat on the side of the restaurant to think about what to do. The hostess must have felt sorry for me and came up and told me that if I agreed to be out within 1 hour she could give me a table. I agreed. That was very nice of her.
Had a salad and the Arros Negre paella. Food was very good and was it was nice to sit outside near the beach and watch the people.

The food here was incredible. The razor clams, red prawns, and their non-​paella yet paella esque rice platters are all highly recommendable. Their wine was a little too pricey and the service, initially, was a little brusque, but our waitress warmed up to us after the restaurant got a little less busy. Note: their Unilocal location is completely wrong. The restaurant is located at the very end of the Barcelonita peninsula where Calle del Mar meets Plaza del Mar. It’s NOT right off Calle Ginebra like Unilocal’s map suggests.

My friends said I was not allowed to write a review for they are scared that this hidden treasure would be discovered by too many people. So I’ll say this: Ck it out. And make a reservation. That’s it. Now a siesta…

Sábado día 8, comida con mi querida mujer y mi gran amigo Oscar. El sitio elegido, el Kaiku, establecimiento del que había leido buenas críticas y me habían hablado bien.
Dado que trabajaba hasta las 14:00 h, reservamos a las 14:30 h, en la sencilla pero muy bien situada terraza, con buenas vistas a la playa de la Barcelona. Nada más llegar y siguiendo la tradición pedimos una caña, a la que acompañaron unas excelentes chips crujientes. La caña nos ayudó a visualizar la carta con calma. Buena señal, carta pequeña, pocos platos, lo que en principio denota que cuidan el producto y que solo trabajan con lo que realmente saben cocinar.
Veamos. La intención era pedir arroz, así que solo pedimos dos primeros suaves. Que consistieron en unas correctas ostras con denominación de origen y un tartare de gamba montado en una hoja, buen sabor, bueno, pero la ridiculez de la cantidad hizo que costará mucho apreciarlo, quitandole muchos puntos, por lo que creo que si lo sirvieran de otra manera, más grande y con unas tostaditas, por ejemplo, podría haber sido un entrante de diez. Pero finalmente se quedó en un simple tartare, minúsculo, aburrido y sin personalidad.
De arroz dudamos entre el de rape o el del chef. Finalmete y dado que contia mucho producto, optamos por el del chef. Arroz Bomba del Delta ahumado, con pulpo, gambitas, esparragos trigueros, pimiento verde y calamar.
Nos dejaron la paella en la mesa. Bien, un arroz, normalito, correcto sin más, en general flojo, le faltó sabor y fuerza al sofrito y el arroz hubiese necesitado unos minutos más de reposo para una coccióm mejor. Las gambitas eran. como bien indica el diminutivo, ridículas, el resto del prodcuto estaba bueno y fresco.
Vino: 2 botellas de Vallventos 2.010, vino blanco, Chardoney, correcto.
Postre, el cual no probe, y tres cafes.
Restaurante sencillo, muy sencillo, En mi opinión muy sobrevalorado. Carta de vinos con denominaciones poco conocidos y quizá algo caras. El más barato tanto de blanco como de tinto sale por unos 16,50 euros. El servicio, correcto, bien, en apariencia muy seco, pero tengo que reconocer que tanto como con la camarera como con el camarero nos llevamos muy bien y nos atendieron estupendamente, pero no son la alegría de la huerta. Lo dicho carta pequeña, tres o cuatro tipos de arroces y fideuá. Con precios desde los 13 euros de la fiduá hasta los 20 euros del arroz del chef. El producto es bueno, correcto, pero a los arroces les falta un buen recorrido para llegar a ser tomados en serio y tenidos en cuenta. Esto no quiere decir que no esten bien, y realmente para lo que se cuece por la decadente Barceloneta, y dada su terraza, pués bueno, se pude ir. Hay que tener en cuenta, que es mi primera vez, por lo que siempre queda el beneficio de la duda, y le volveré a dar otra oportunidad. Pero de entrada, insisto, encuentro sobrevaloradas las críticas.
La comida nos salió 45 euros por cabeza. A mi modo de ver, exagerado, caro.
Después, recomiendo, si me permiten, ir a las terrazas del Hotel Vela, en la parte de abajo, a cinco minutos, justo la última, al borde de la playa, impresionantes vistas de la costa de Barcelona, y en la que degustamos una Juve-​Camps Rose.
Disfruten.

I love Kaiku. My in-​laws are Catalan, and because my mom-​in-​law is such a fantastic chef, we don’t venture out to eat too often. But when we do, we come here!
We have a good friend who lives in the building above Kaiku, and he knows the chefs personally. What does that mean for us? It means the best seats in the house and a personal greeting from the chefs. Everything I’ve had here has been phenomenal. I love keeping these things a secret amongst friends, but they really deserve all the success.
Try anything and everything from here. And if you’re a little nervous, ask the server. And yes, they have menus in English.

Clearly one of the best meals of our holiday… after enjoying a packed square of Castellers during a portion of Mercè Festival 2010, we appreciated the ocean breeze and vibe of the setting.
The only celebrities we observed in attendance, we shared a table with — our gracious hosts Jaume and Marta!
The food — fabulous. We opted for the chef to make our decisions and we were not disappointed. As delicious as was the food, the dessert plate exceeded our expectations.
As a total experience we were simply blown away. Catalan or at the very least, Spanish is recommended as this is pretty much a locals place.

When our waitress came by to check up on us and asked how our meal went, I was completely in earnest when I told her in Spanish that it was possibly the best meal of my life. She looked startled but then pleased. I hoped she knew I meant every word.
Don’t bother with anything else other than the seafood. The seafood is extraordinary. Most of it I’ve never even seen before but everything was wonderful. Since the menu changes daily based on what’s available at the markets, it’s not guaranteed these dishes will be on the menu but at the time of our visit (April 2012), we had the Galeres (something akin to a Spot Prawn but with a meatier body yet more delicate flavor), Anemones (Tempura style with a bit of Honey and Lime), Escopinyes (Cockles with Tomato Water and Oilve Oil), Zamburinyes (a type of Baby Scallop), and the Arros Negre. The Arros Negre was really some kind of incredible. I typically do not enjoy Paella but this was unlike any Paella I had ever tasted. Inky black and topped with the most perfect shrimp in shell, squid, and mussels, my husband and I devoured the entire pan and kept looking back at it longingly even though we knew it was completely empty. To round out our meal, we requested a sampler of desserts to be made and those in turn were also very, very good.
Simply amazing. Amazing. If anyone knows me, I can be quite wordy at times but really, there are no words. Just go.
*A heads up– they are closed certain days of the week, only open for lunch, and reservations are highly recommended.

Selected from our beloved Le Cool: Barcelona book, Kaiku was a great find and the best restaurant we visited during our stay in Barcelona. Be sure to book in advance as this restaurant was already booked out by the time we arrived. Lucky for us, we were there before they were open for trading and the waiter was happy to squeeze us in. Right along the beach overlooking the W Hotel, the uninterrupted view of the ocean was another bonus to the incredible gastronomical creations on offer. Our friendly waiter suggested we try the crayfish in oyster leaf, which he insisted tasted just like an oyster. We were baffled yet extremely impressed. Any connoisseurs planning a trip to Barcelona must put Kaiku on their to-​do list. I can’t wait to go back again

Enfrente del mar, en primera línea de la playa La Barceloneta, su lema es: «Cuina del dia feta amb carinyo». Y así, en catalán lo entiendo porque si fuera en vasco no tendría ni idea –aunque ya me gustaría-.
Nada exhuberante en la decoración y sin pretensiones de ser «cool», las columnas son de cemento desnudo, parades encaladas, madera vista, sillas de las de antes y grandes ventanales.
En cuanto a la cocina; las anémonas del mar fritas me alucinaron: no las había probado nunca y en cuanto lo leí en la carta supe que quería probarlas ¡un acierto! La fideuá que pedimos tampoco estuvo nada mal; con las puntas algo quemaditas en su punto justo y cargada de sabor a mar.
Rodeado de sitios que se conocen por ser trampas para turistas y que se mantienen ofertando platos de paellas para guiris congeladas, este lugar es uno de los más apreciados por los residentes y los nacidos en Barcelona. Por algo será.
Claro que a este sitio no entré por casualidad. A Kaiku me llevó la mejor embajadora posible de la ciudad.

Si hay un restaurante en la Barceloneta que cada día tiene mejor fama por su cocina y sobre todo, por sus arroces, ese es el Kaiku, un local sencillo, familiar, más bien de aspecto modesto pero una carta elaborada y más que recomendable, y encima a los pies de la playa. No es raro encontrar a enamorados de la Barceloneta y personajes populares (una vez vi allí a Kira Miró para alegría de mi acompañante al que casi se le atraganta la cucharada) disfrutando de sus propuestas y de su arroz «diferente». El slogan de este restaurante no puede estar mejor elegido: «cocina del día hecha con cariño»

Situado en la barceloneta, al lado de la playa, está el restaurante Kaiku, un local a priori de cocina basca (tiene mucho marisco y pescados) pero que en realidad se ha convertido en un referente por sus arroces. ¡Qué mejor que tomarse un arroz cerca del mar, ahora que hace buen tiempo!
El secreto de su arroz es que está ahumado. Antes de hervir lo pasan por las brasas, para que coja el aroma. Luego, cuando ya está cocinado (sea en arroz negro, paella o caldoso) le da un toque especial que lo hace irresistible.
Es realmente un sitio muy recomendable, con personalidad, que no quiere ser un sitio de moda, se conforma con ser un sitio en el que comer bien, a gusto y en un ambiente inmejorable. Así es como se está convirtiendo en un lugar de referencia, en el que es fácil encontrarse con rostros conocidos.
Por las noches sólo abren si reserva un grupo.

Brilliant, ambitious, super-​trendy restaurant on the Barceloneta beach — you have to fight hard to get a table. Celebrity hangout. It’s just mostly seafood and fish really, but with daring, creative touches. Full of surprises — the menu looks ordinary, but the food has imaginative twists you wouldn’t expect. And the fish and seafood are all locally sourced on the day. It’s lively, busy, noisy and lots of fun. And the location is amazing, right in front of the sea.