Rick Steve's Granada video--which carmen restaurant with the view of Alhambra was it?

Las Tomasas is great!
http://www.lastomasas.com/v_ing/index.htm
I haven't watched this episode in a while, so I'm not certain if this is the one in the episode. But, we ate here a number of years ago and the food and view were spectacular. Interestingly, there was a RS tour eating there that evening, so I know this is a restaurant he recommends.
We took a taxi from our hotel and I was glad we did. The entrance is just a small door. You ring the bell and tell them your reservation name - then they let you in. I highly recommend it.

See at https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show/granada-cordoba-and-spains-costa-del-sol where Rick mentions El Huerto de Juan Ranas for live music. That's probably it.

By the chair backs in the video it looks like Carmen Mirador de Aixa.
http://www.miradordeaixa.com/galeria/entorno
I can highly recommend this restaurant - well hopefully it remains as good as when we dined there in 2007.
Unfortunately there were light showers on the night we were there and the terrace was closed for dining.
The view is mesmerising.

Anna,

I've not watched the video but we enjoyed a delicious meal at El Huerto de Juan Ranas. This restaurant is just across the street from San Nicolas mirador & it's very popular, not only for its good food, but for the spectacular views of the Alhambra!

We arrived to the viewpoint about an hour before sunset & I spotted some empty tables at the restaurant which filled up rather quickly. If you choose to eat there, try their cheesecake topped with raspberry syrup, it was heavenly!

Enjoy your trip!

Thank you all for your answers! Seems any of these choices might be almost as good as the next one. Wish we had more evenings (and cash :) to try them all!

djp_syd, you are a true Sherlock :) Once I compared the chairs in one of the photos with the video, yes, indeed Rick's video seems to have been filmed at Carmen Mirador de Aixa.

The view from the restaurants on the list seems to be similar as they are all located pretty close to each other. I wonder which of these would be most appropriate to dress up and have beautifully plated dishes. Since it's our "Welcome to Spain" dinner, I would like something that looks a little more posh (some might say pretentious ;). It's nice for the ladies to have a reason to dress up and feel special. Which of these on the list would be most suitable?

In my research I found Carmen de Aben Humeya website which has a good presentation of their restaurant. I like when the restaurants (hotels, etc) take the time and invest some money in nicely done photos/videos. No offence to anyone, but amateur photographers like myself quite often do more of a disservice to restaurants for posting photos of the food. Candid snaps usually do not look mouthwatering ;)

At any rate has anyone tried Carmen de Aben Humeya restaurant?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7egdx3Pdg4

TripAdvisor ranking:
Restaurante Las Tomasas #82
El Huerto de Juan Ranas #78
Carmen Mirador de Aixa #24
Restaurante Estrellas de San Nicolas #27
Mirador de Morayma #96
Carmen de Aben Humeya #159

Hello again,
According to my RS Spain book (2015), where he discusses all the 'Carmen' Restaurants, this is what he says:

"Carmen de Aben Humaya is the least expensive, least stuffy, and least
romantic"

In contrast:

"Carmen Mirador de Aixa, small and elegant, has the dreamiest
Alhambra views among the carmens."

" El Huerto de Juan Ranas Restautante is a high-priced venue, but at
their simple terrace bar you can order off their casual menu at half
the price. It's immediately below the San Nicolas viewpoint and has
amazing views of the Alhambra."

Your final decision will be determined by how much you want to spend.

Now that I think about it, we did order from the bar menu when we ate at the latter restaurant... and the views of the Alhambra at sunset were magnificent, as well as the cheesecake!

Enjoy your trip!

Did I mention how imperative it is to order your Alhambra tickets in advance?

Thank you Priscilla! Not having choices is terrible. And having too many choices can be just as terrible ;) Surprised that in the book Carmen de Aben Humeya is described as the least romantic. The video did a really nice job showing how tranquil, all covered in flowers it is. And the food plating looked really nice too. After seeing your message, checked Carmen Mirador de Aixa webisite again. Professional food photos look nicer than snapshots on TripAdvisor. I guess my next step should be to email some of these restaurants and see what their proposed menus might be and at what price.

Alhambra tickets... that's another headache altogether! Since we are traveling in Sept/Oct, I still have a little more time to try and figure out what the best day/time would be to get the tickets for. Thank you for reminding me!

Hi Anna,

Not having choices is terrible. And having too many choices can be just as terrible ;)

This is so true!

Here are the links to each of the restaurants you're are considering:

• http://www.abenhumeya.com/en

• http://elhuertodejuanranas.com/en/

• http://www.miradordeaixa.com/carta

In my opinion, I think it's more importantly to enjoy the company you're sharing the experience with, your family &/or friends, than the price of the meal. A beautiful atmosphere & good food are an added plus, of course!

To be honest with you, my mom & I hadn't even plan to eat at any of these restaurants, even though we did & enjoyed it very much.

We would have been just as happy munching on a sandwich, sitting on the wall of the San Nicolás Mirador, (or next to it, on the grounds of the mosque) while being mesmerized by the sunset & the Alhambra views.

Actually, I wouldn't dare let my mom sit on that wall, but you know what I mean...

So... regarding the purchase of the Alhambra tickets.

• It's a very simple process (no headache involved), all you have to do
  is decide when you want to visit the Nasrid Palaces.

• You have 3 choices, morning, afternoon or night visit. (Beware that
  not all the sites are open during the night visit)

• We chose to visit in the afternoon (3pm), mainly because I'd read
  that the mornings are more crowded due to all the tour groups.

• Do get there extra early (at least 30 minutes before your entrance
  time) because there is always a huge line for the Nasrid Palaces. ( you have to enter within 30 minutes of your ticket time)

• If you do decide to visit the Alhambra in the afternoon, take the
  mini bus way before 2pm to avoid getting stuck in the school traffic.

• We were not aware of this (traffic pattern) & the minibus which
  normally takes 7-10 minutes, took 30 minutes to get to the Alhambra &
  we had to rush to get in line.

• You can also avoid the crowds by not going through the main entrance
  (pick up your tickets at the bookstore near Plaza Nueva the day
  before)

• We got off at the 2nd minibus stop, 'Puerta de los Carros', or you
  can use the 3rd stop & go in through, 'Puerta de la Justicia', near
  the Alcazaba.

Send me a PM if you need more detailed information.

Happy planning!

Edit: After all this information, I forgot to give you the link for the Alhambra tickets:http://www.alhambra-patronato.es/

(Change to English- top right)

Hi Priscilla,
Totally agree with you that if you enjoy the company you're in, then the most simple meal might feel amazing. whereas, if you are can wait to get out of that company, an amazing (food wise) meal can be a torture ;)

Regarding Alhambra tickets, in my previous posts, I failed to mention that there will be 10-15 of us. So that's the challenge I referred to. Our (potential) Japanese speaking guide in Granada told me that his agency is not allowed to arrange tickets, so we need to do it on our own. She then replied with a confirmation that I (personally) should be able to make two separate purchases on TicketMaster site (10 + 5 tickets/each). I'm still a little worried whether that is acceptable / in line with the regulations. I've asked on TA forum and most people agreed that it should be ok. I have since messaged (twice) http://www.alhambra-patronato.es/ on their contact page, but received no reply. And I cannot find an email address for Alhambra's customer service or any other departments. And using Skype to call "Visitor’s telephone: 902 441 221 " didn't work. Not sure why but it just would not connect.

Forgot to mention, thank you Priscilla for the links to the restaurants!

Hi Anna,

And using Skype to call "Visitor’s telephone: 902 441 221 " didn't work. Not sure why but it just would not connect.

I've not used Skype as I have a prepaid phone card (AT&T Worldwide) that I always use to call overseas.

The number I have is different because it's the phone number to the Alhambra book store: 958 22 78 46

I called them before buying our tickets & they were very helpful.

I don't know what international access code you need to dial from Tokyo but from the US, I need to dial 011-34- 958 22 78 46

011 (international access code) 34 (country code)

Since your trip is not till Sept/October, you shouldn't have any trouble buying your tickets, except that the rule states that one cannot buy more than 10 tickets under the same name, therefore, you might need a friend to help you & you can order 10 & she/he can order the other 5.

Priscilla, I just realised that the phone number I tried yesterday must have been for calling from within Spain! Doing further digging found this mentioned online "You can buy tickets to the Alhambra by calling 902 888 001 (from Spain) or (34) 934 923 750 (outside Spain)." So maybe I'll try the number you gave and this last one to see if I can figure out if i can just prebook all 15 tickets at once.

And if not, then I'll probably gamble and indeed make two purchases with different credit cards. Maybe using the card and name of someone else from our group.

Update to my previous post regarding the tickets and phone number for the Alhambra:

Pricsilla, thank you for providing the telephone number for the bookstore. When the other one (34) 934 923 750 (outside Spain) didn't work, I tried calling the bookstore. Seniora Elena answered and she was extremely nice and very helpful.

She reconfirmed that I should be able to buy 10 + 5 tickets in two different transactions, but she stressed the point that the credit cards must be in deferent names. She also said that if the tickets are collected at the store in the city (Alhambra Bookstore, Calle Reyes Católicos, 40, 18009 Granada), then there will not be a need to show an ID. So I could technically bring my and my husband's credit card (which I am planning on using) and print out all the tickets myself.

We dined at Carmen Mirador several years ago and the view was spectacular but the food was very mediocre. Service was poor as well and we did not consider tipping. Check with Trip Advisor if possible--maybe there is an improvement with the food.

Hi Susan, will definitely be sorting through reviews on TA to get some ideas regarding all these places. Hopefully whatever place we choose will be good.