Joshua K.
Yelp
Given we came here during a cruise stop (don't judge us), we were really grateful to get some actual good food. And everything we had here was good - even great in most cases. I had heard about the restaurant when researching for our trip and made a reservation months in advance. But it seemed that if you go there right when they open, you may still get a table without a reservation.
Everyone was very friendly. We had basically two servers - a young woman who spoke good English and an older woman who didn't (which was fine - we're not the sort of Americans that expect every person in other countries to speak fluent English). And I speak passable Spanish. The clientele seemed to be mostly locals, which is always a good sign. The couple next to us seemed surprised to see American tourists there and asked us how we heard about the place.
And the food...we're not experts on Spanish food by any means but having eaten at a number of restaurants in Malaga, Valencia, Seville, and especially Barcelona, El Meson de Cervantes was our favorite. The style is not showy but highly skilled - always the perfect amount of salt, oil, seasoning, etc. We started with the wine they recommended - Pago El Espino by Cortijo Los Aguilares - which was great (and, as I later sadly found out, hard to get in the U.S.).
They first brought out a plate of olives, which somehow tasted of ham (in a good way). Then we had the best croquetas we've had in Spain - light, perfectly prepared. Then we had a really good Chicken Cordon Bleu with great potatoes followed by amazing lamb chops with decadent shishito peppers.
We ordered way too much food, by the way. They warned us and we should have listened. We weren't able to finish it all and asked the older server for a doggy bag, but she misunderstood, thinking we didn't like the food, and was a bit offended. The younger server clarified things and told us to next time just say "arriba." Sadly, our doggy bag was confiscated at the cruise ship entryway - they said outside food was not allowed but I think they just knew where we ate and wanted the food for themselves. We may never know the truth.