I'm in Barcelona, my friend is not feeling well and I'd like to get some food and bring it back to the hotel. Will local tapas or pintxos restaurants allow me to order food to go? Or must I eat it at the restaurant?
Assuming it's a random restaurant with "Tapes" on the door, not something you read about in Time Out or the Michelin guide...
I would be surprised. (but expect to be proven otherwise).
If it were me, I would just go to a corner store and get some olives, ham, cheese, bread and a couple of seafood cans and drinks (cava, wine ... )
and make a hotel piknic out of it.
Unlikely but your odds will increase if you have your own container.
Restaurants that don’t provide take out or let you carry leftover foods are worried about at least three things:
That take-out cheapens their image as it’s associated with cheap fast food.
That there is an expense for containers.
That they no longer have control over the environment in which the food is stored. If you took back raw mussels and let them stand at room temperature for several hours before eating, might you then try to sue them for food poisoning?
By bringing your own container, you can at least address #2.
Note: If you sneak the food away without asking permission then you won’t have a claim for #3, so many places will turn a blind eye to this behavior as long as it’s not at a buffet style restaurant.
It should be perfectly fine.
A number of restaurants like these are already offering their food online through apps or websites (including tapas). However depending on the kind of food, the delivery may alter the final quality.
