Barcelona's Independent Review Website

Rojo (Negro/Rojo)
Click here to view map Click here to launch website I whinge endlessly about the lack of good Chinese food in Barcelona but perhaps it’s time for me to find a new Far Eastern cuisine to replace my take away of choice. Never having eaten that much Sushi, I went into the experience as most people must (eh? Raw fish? What are you on about??) with some trepidation. So laugh it up now, yes it was my first full Japanese meal. And unsurprisingly, I loved it. Rojo, part of the tasty, affordable and beautifully housed Tragaluz group of restaurants, forms one half of Negro/Rojo. The restaurant above, decked out unsurprisingly in black, serves simple Mediterranean dishes to contrast with Rojo’s Japanese. Rojo is a large, high ceilinged room with long, benched tables for groups and smaller tables around the edges of the room for couples. We were a group of four so we were essentially sharing a table with another bunch of people though this really wasn’t much of an issue as there was lots of space for both of us. Aside from the inevitable red wall on one side of the room, which also houses an open kitchen where u can see your food being prepared as you wait, the opposite wall has a silvery metal look which is very glossy and impressive. The elegant space also makes good use of lighting to create a great dining atmosphere. On paper the sushi is pretty cheap. The majority of dishes range in price between €3-€6 for a good sized portion - baring in mind that this is still sushi we’re talking about. The basic sushi we had was excellent, like Unigo to Mango and Sake-Maki - eel and salmon rolls €4.50 for four. We tried some appetisers and pinchos which were also very tasty and well priced, my favourite being the meatballs. Tempted as I was to experience the Japanese pizza, I resisted and we opted for a couple of the more expensive fish dishes. By far my favourite dish was the crab rolls with caviar- Kami no Futomaki - whilst the Nigiri selection was also very popular. All the dishes we tried were beautifully prepared and the service was fast and very attentive. For the location, up in the Barcelona’s swish business district, the quality of ingredients, the standard of service and the aesthetics of the restaurant itself, Rojo cannot be faulted. Of course all those little dishes add up in price and drinks could be a tiny bit cheaper but overall I would have to deem Rojo good value for money. My only real criticism was that the desserts were fairly uninspiring, a little on the small side and not that cheap - but if you can live with this and love Japanese food, you should give Rojo a go.

Address:

Avinguda Diagonal, 640
08017

Area:

Eixample Left

Nearest Metro:

Maria Christina

Opening times:

Mon-Fri: 1.30-4pm
Sun-Weds: 8.30pm-12am
Thurs-Sat: 8.30pm-1am

Price range:

€20-25

Food types:

Asian