At TotallySpain, we have been using The Fork to get discounted meals (up to 50% off) at top restaurants and always recommend it to our clients that wish to pre-book their own restaurants.
How does it work?
Find a restaurant based on location, top scores (las mejores notas), its popularity (los mas reservados), the type of cuisine (por tipo de cocina), its decor/atmosphere (por ambiente), and the price (precio). Over 6,000 restaurants are listed along with thousands of reviews from real diners that have booked through the system.
Once you select a restaurant, you pick a date and time and indicate the number of people eating and this information is relayed to the restaurant – which confirms availability there and then. You send a few personal details to book the table and that’s it. Your table is reserved.
What’s so good about it?
We love it because it’s easy to use, there are great discounts available, there’s no need to pay upfront, it’s handy for researching restaurants by cuisine, and it’s the fastest way to book a table for a particular day and time without having to pick up the phone. We look forward to the day when it’s available in English (there is an English flag on to the top of the site but no more than that) but until then – let us help you manoeuvre the basics. It’s really very easy!
A few useful translations
You’ll be able to work out most of the navigation categories – here are a few that might be a bit trickier …
Type of cuisine (tipo de cocina):
- Arroceria (Paella & rice specialists)
- Asador (roast-meats)
- Casera (simple homemade recipes)
- De autor (top-chef)
- De Fusion (fushion)
- De mercado (seasonal)
- Marisqueria (Seafood)
- Tradicional renovada (traditional with a twist)
- Vegetariana (vegetarian).
Decor/atmosphere (por ambiente):
- De lujo (luxurious/posh)
- Espectaculo (with a show)
- Lounge (will usually have a chill-out area or sofas to lounge on before or after the meal)
- Con amigos (for meals with friends)
- Familiar (family meals)
- Romantico (romantic).
Just a few clicks away from a great meal!
When you’ve found a restaurant you like, click ‘reservar’ (for deals usually with some menu restrictions) or ‘reservar sin promocion’ (to have full menu flexibility) and a calendar will pop up. Pick the day and time and the number of people dining. The Fork will quickly confirm availability with the restaurant and you will receive confirmation on screen ‘Una mesa está libre’ (a table is available). Then you register your details (name, mobile number, email, and any special requirements). Click ‘Finalizar la reserva’ (finalise the reservation) and you’re done!
Over 10 million reservations have come through this organisation’s European-based website. So make sure you bookmark it and reserve your meals before you travel or download the app and use it when you’re on the road. ‘Bon appetit’ or ‘Que aproveche’ – as we say in Spain!