El Tapeo de Cervantes

Food was really good, although the waiter recommended to get way too much food! The dishes were flavorful, the wine was fantastic and the atmosphere was absolutely amazing. The staff were super welcoming and nice. Would absolutely visit again!

We visit Gabriel and Romina's restaurants several times a year, and we absolutely love the food and hospitality at their establishments (Meson, Tapeo, Pampa Grill). Fortunately, Urs had made a reservation a few days in advance—otherwise, we wouldn't have gotten a table. After a warm welcome from Gabriel, Raffaele guided us through the recommended number of tapas, the house specialties, and helped us pick the perfect wine to accompany our meal (the Tamaral is truly top-notch!). Shortly after placing our order, the first dish arrived, and the Tuna Tataki practically melted in our mouths. Next came two more hits: the Pulpo and Baby Squids—absolutely delicious! With the following courses, we weren't as impressed as usual. The mushrooms with asparagus and artichoke lacked a bit of zest, and the asparagus was a bit sparse. The risotto was also a bit thinner and milder than we remembered. But this is truly nitpicking at a high level. The subsequent Pork Loin was a real visual delight, making up for everything. Raffaele enthusiastically supported our choices throughout the evening, praising the dishes we ordered. It's invaluable to have staff who are so passionate about their concept and menu! For dessert, we were treated to an exceptional pistachio cream slice, which isn’t yet on the menu but absolutely should be. The dessert was simply heavenly and incomparable to pistachio desserts in Switzerland. The flavor is much more natural, without that unpleasant artificial bitterness. A huge thank you for the excellent meal and a wonderful evening at your place!

S U P E R - most amazing / authentic experience of our holiday in Andalusia. The food was unbelievably good, 12 out of 10, every one of them. We dined in places 3 times more expensive but this was better. A bit busy, a bit loud - but very cozy; every waiter was family to us and treated with upmost love. Just come here!

Very happy to have visited. Several tapas were truly exceptional, my favorite was pan seared baby squid which were excellent

It was not a good experience. First, we had to wait 15–20 minutes for a supposedly reserved table and they were absolutely unpleasant. Once seated, we were placed at a tiny table in the middle of the aisle, where waiters kept bumping into my chair and even pulling my hair as they passed. The tables are extremely close together. The first dish arrived immediately after ordering, but after that, we had to wait 20 minutes between courses. We even had to ask about the last dish because it was taking so long. On top of that, all the food was served cold. The food itself was good, but given the poor service, the prices were too high. The owner/manager was quite unpleasant and aggressive, and the staff seemed clearly frustrated and overwhelmed. We only ordered three half portions with drinks, and the bill came to almost €60. I don’t recommend it.

I was travelling alone and I always feel slightly self conscious in restaurants - it is an intimate setting and they all made we feel comfortable, welcome and part of the evening. Cervantes is much on display in the place with nice art and ornaments. I choose a mixture of recommendations and my own choices. The food was excellent, everything well presented and tasty / delicious or ‘magnifico’ - I had the 1/2 racions and they were like super tapas. The dishes were innovative although they had the usual tapas dishes if you wanted them. I would strongly recommend the very well appointed El Tapeo de Cervantes.

Without question one of the best places for tapas in Málaga. We arrived way too early for our reservation, but were offered a table immediately. The friendly waiters are quick, speak multiple languages and are a good laugh. We ordered 5 half portions from the menu to share between the two of us, followed by desserts. The waiters recommend (5-7 half portions per couple.) No matter what you choose, you’ll leave very satisfied. The wine list is extensive and has some really good options. Overall a must visit.

A little hidden gem, had diner here twice on my trip and on the advise of other diners asked the head waiter to choose my food, I wasn't disappointed. Great atmosphere, great service and great food, I will be back. The staff are all excellent and the head waiter a real character, you won't be disappointed.

Everything about this place rocks: food quality and selection, price, staff service and friendliness...name it. Go here.

This was the perfect ending to our vacation in Málaga! We had 5 people in our group and had the chef's tasting menu. We were treated like royalty! They even prepared a few special dishes for one person in our party who doesn't care for seafood. She definitely missed out but their attention to each person's tastes was remarkable! The food was unbelievably delicious, beautiful and unique. The staff was so friendly that by the end of the night, we felt like old friends!

This place is an absolute 5 star. The owner/chef is very talented. We were here 10 years ago and when we found ourselves back in Malaga, the first thing we did was book a table here. The owner/chef is very talented and the food is absolutely incredible. Til next time...

We came here around 10pm and the place was still packed. We got a bottle of wine and a variety of tapas. We ordered: -porra with quail egg: this was very similar to gazpacho (which I love) so I automatically loved this -anchovies with guacamole: I'm not a big fan of anchovies but my boyfriend is and he really liked this dish -octopus: delicious! -squid with crispy black rice: this was my favorite dish, the squid was so flavorful and went perfectly with the crispy rice -sea bream: also delicious, loved the eggplant and goat cheese sauce that came with it -boar stew: I'm not a big fan of stews, but I can tell that it was cooked well You honestly can't go wrong with any of the tapas. Highly recommend!

Love love love this place. Samuel is the best!! Everything he recommended from the wine to house specials to its on the menu were all very good. I have been here twice and will come back again before I leave next week. Will definitely miss this place. If you ever come here,this place is a must!!! Trust!!

Amazing food and service! The croquettas were the best anywhere! The wine was also divine

What a lovely experience all-around. An absolute MUST in Malaga. This was my first meal in the city. Reservation was easy - they emailed me back minutes later to confirm. My server was very helpful when I told him I'm allergic to gluten. He paired my meal with a delicious white wine and my glass was never empty. Tuna: my absolute favorite and the best tuna I have ever had. Crisp on the outside, soft and juicy on the inside. Anchovie: totally unexpected and delicious. Very flavorful. Red peppers, sauce, carmelized fig... Mushroom: was admittedly "meh" but it went well with the meal. As flavorful as a mushroom can be. Octopus: also "okay" but did the trick. What did it for me was the wonderful service, the tasty wine, and that tuna - which was to die for. Not to mention the whole feast with wine was just 50 euro. Would likely cost me so much more in NY.

A must if you are visiting anywhere near Malaga! We travel a lot, my partner is a foodie, and everything here is awesome! I think he has tried everything on the menu over the years, and can't pick a favorite. (Well, the pulpa and anchovie dishes are a repeat order, so..). Me, I have the same each time; croquettas, meatballs, salad and cod in red peppers are sublime! And can't forget the fig flan, which is to die for... The food, plus the friendly vibe and professionalism of Gabriel and his staff, makes this an all around winner! We always say we are going to try other restaurants in Malaga, but nope.. we are here each night.

oh my the food here is incredible. Had the sea bass (special) prawns, peppers stuff with cod, sardines with figs. My husband had the duck. Everything was great. The service was very attentive, friendly and helpful. The sea bass was FANTASTIC this was my favorite food of our trip. Would definitely come back

Visited again and just as wonderful as we remembered. Favorite dishes this time were specials including a pork dish with carrots and potatoes. Also had tuna, sea bream, croquettes, chicken, Spanish tortilla, meatballs and Argentinian beef. Awesome!

Very good tapas! We loved the croquetas, jamón serrano, manchego cheese, olives and their Estrella Galicia beer. Excellent if you want to take a break and enjoy some good tapas.

This was our first dinner in Malaga and it did not disappoint! I mean wow! Service was a bit slow to start but once we ordered, it was much smoother. Food was amazing. Have been in Malaga several days and this is still the best place we've eaten. Going to make it our last night dinner so that we know we have a good final meal here. Only took a few photos cause we kept diving right in as the meals arrived. Also had some good Spanish wine from the region.

Fantastic tapas ranging from traditional Spanish to fusions between cultures. Everything we tried was outstanding. Service was also wonderful!

We enjoyed our meal at Tapeo de Cervantes. Prices are a bit higher than other tapas restaurants in the area but we were satisfied with our meal. We reserved our table online ahead of time. We really enjoyed the chicken croquettes and the risotto. The Argentinian steak was outstanding.

This restaurante is a must for us! Samuel was amazing! We let him pick out all of our food for the evening and chose from the wines he recommended to go will our food. 7 tapas and dessert later, we left full and happy.

Food: super delicious that we went there twice! Had pulpo, lamb chops, bacalao, and squid. Tapas as medium size perfect for sharing for two ppl. Service: very attentive and nice ppl. Price: decently priced for the amount of food. Drinks: got a bottle of Spanish wine which was delicious! I recommend the restaurant and it starts getting busy around 9:30-11:30pm.

This place is amazing. Two of us shared 5 half-sized entrees plus dessert. We started out with Malaga wine (red, not sweet), which was nice and light. First plate was sardines and figs with some sort of avocado sauce. Perfect balance of sweet and salty. Second plate was baby squid over crunchy black rice. I really liked the squid, but didn't care for the dry rice. My wife liked both. Third plate was Sea Bream (some fish I had never heard of) over carrot puree, covered in goat cheese. This was our favorite dish, with delicious goat cheese jiving perfectly with a perfectly cooked white fish. Fourth dish was Iberian Pork over pumpkin slices with a pineapple relish. It was excellent but we overshadowed by the previous dish. Last dish was duck breast with cinnamon apples on top. A little fatty but very very good. For dessert, we had fig flan (flan de higos). I expected figs on top of regular flan, but was very impressed when it came out with little fig pieces in the flan, providing a dessert unlike anything I had ever had. It had whipped cream on the side to make it a little sweeter, but it was not necessary (we ate it all). The restaurant is tiny, with room for about 24 people, so make a reservation (through the restaurant website). It took about 15 minutes before the restaurant accepted our reservation, so don't panic. You have to visit this restaurant of you travel to Malaga!

They put way too much salt on food that is very unpleasant to eat , one of the worst dining experiences, totally disappointed!

My favorite restaurant in all Malaga! Really exceptional service. Delicious food. Beautiful plating. Nothing not to love! Went with the waiter's recommendation and ordered the following: - salmon with Russian salad - tuna kebab - grilled octopus I hadn't tried Moscatel yet and had a chance to try the local sweet wine here too. Great pairing to sip on!!

My best meal in Malaga! Book a table, cause you need to! This place is so popular, simply because the food is amazing. On my last night in Malaga, I went here, and realised, that I had been eating crappy food 3 nights in a row. I had given up on the food scene of Malaga - but these guys proved me wrong. The quality of the ingredients, and the way it is cooked, is perfect. Just choose the days specials. They are really delicious. See my pics for my choices - supreme! I felt really special here. The manager sat down at my table and asked: "So Kate, what do you wish?" " I can make smaller dishes for you". No need to say, the service was great. I paid €28,50 for 3 mid size dishes + 1 tapas size of Iberico ham and 2 glasses of delicious red wine. Put this place at the top of your list!

Just AMAZING!!! A tiny restaurant with great culinary excellence. One of the best experiences in our one month trip to Spain. Be sure to make reservations.

Fantastic! Each dish was unique, fresh, delicious- a culinary delight! Charming little place, not too many seats. Loved it!

I only just arrived in Malaga and after a quick yelp check, I decided to have dinner here. What a great experience! They have a huge selection of fish, meat and vegetable tapas, 1/2 portions and full portions so you can pick and choose and try as much as you like for a good price. I had the ceviche 1/2 portion which was delicious and refreshing! I also had the prawns tapas and the stuffed pepper tapas. Everything was amazing. My friend's a vegetarian and had no trouble finding options on the menu. She had a salad and the pumpkin risotto. Both amazing. For dessert, we shared the apple torte which came with ice cream. It was to die for. Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. A perfect end to a memorable meal. Definitely recommend this for anyone looking for great Spanish tapas in Malaga.

Met the owner randomly upon walking into a restaurant that was packed to the max. I travel a lot, eat a lot of food at a lot of random places (maybe not that random as I find a lot of them here on Yelp), and see a lot of restaurants that struggle to keep an authentic feel when placed in a busy tourist area, and often feel like they are simply struggling to keep up with demand and eventually put out bland overpriced replicas of what was once "mama's famous recipe"...but thankfully this was not just another place, they were anything but unauthentic, and the experience was one I will forever remember. If you have only one night in Malaga and are staying in Old Town, please don't make the mistake of missing out on the opportunity to eat tapas, drink win, and feel like you are sitting in a little piece of heaven that makes you appreciate your experience when traveling. I didn't just find a restaurant, I found an experience. What this place represents and provided me was a quick picture of what outstanding ownership and genuine care can provide a customer. It's what we all want when we travel to unknown cities and countries. When I left my meal that night, I felt like I had just eaten in someone's home. I was welcomed by the owner who opened his first restaurant here over ten years ago and felt like I was his first customer. The food: amazing...authentic...ask for suggestions if shy. Keep an open mind. Enjoy! Ambiance: tight seating with lots of talking that makes you feel like you are packed into grandma's kitchen with the entire extended family. Service: impeccable Price: I can't believe what I was charged. A meal of this level would have cost me 4 times this price in Madrid or even at home in Dallas Experience: this is the place you bookmark Yelpers. This is the place you are scanning the map and area for when searching for local dives and diners. Please go. If you hate it, please write me. I want to know why (and it better not be because you don't like tapas restaurants in the first place).

Food was good. It was served at the right time, dish after dish. But serving service wasn't that pleasant-- maybe it's because I don't speak Spanish and look so foreign. LOL. If you speak Spanish, I think you'll be fine.

Extraordinary food and service! A must go! Fun atmosphere, great wine, great food - and I am considering myself to be a foodie. I have been here twice in one week and may be back a third time before leaving Malaga this week. It is outstanding - what else can I say... !!!

This restaurant is so good on so many levels! We ordered the secreto iberico ( fried pork with pineapple) ,(chipirones) the squid with black rice , "bacalao confitado con crema de puerros" and some fried shrimp tapa . It was hands down the best meal in Spain so far ! Now we know why all yelpers are raving about this business . I'll be thinking about this meal for many years to come ...

For the first time in Spain this time I was completely satisfied with the food. Fast service and great taste for a good price. Me gusta :)

Loved this place. The reviews were right. Servers were very friendly but the one kept trying to sell us more food and and a 360 euro bottle of wine but just wanted to bring it to us without us knowing the price...so minus one star for that BS. The tapas were wonderful. We sat outside..inside is super tight. Tiniest place I've eve seen. My fave was baby squid and black rice but I also loved the wild mushroom asparagus and ham one...wine...fantastic!

This review is either a real-life incident or a Spanish soap opera. You decide. A girl meets a Spanish boy. Every day, they drink a caña after class, go for a walk, and share an orange. Life is good. But one day, after a not-so-good series of events, there was an incident that involved a Spanish boy screaming profanities not safe for anyone's ears[1]. The girl's plan: hop on a plane to Málaga for a bit of an escape. Although my appetite was shot, at my friend's behest, I mustered up the little energy I had to eat. At Tapeo de Cervantes, the kind bartender healed me through the liberal use of single malts and local red wine. We chatted for quite a while and it was a great way to practice my "woe is me" Spanish vocabulary. This wasn't just an exercise in drowning my sorrows at the bar, mind you. I ate some of the best Andalusian style tapas that I have ever tasted. I came back every day that I was in Málaga, that is how much I love this little bar. Over the course of a few days, I tried: Wild boar loin in a red wine sauce (Lomo de Jabalí en Salsa de Vino Dulce de Málaga) - By far my favorite, it was so good I ordered it on two separate nights. It tasted as though the boar was marinated in the sauce as it was so juicy and tender. The sauce had a slightly sweet, distinct flavor that complimented the mild gaminess of the meat. With a red wine from Málaga, I was in heaven! Risotto with Vegetables and Squash - I didn't have very high hopes, but this cazuela of creamy, smooth rice really impressed me. Very mild flavors - I would have hoped for a stronger-tasting vegetable to provide contrast. Filete de Dorada - This dorada with grilled eggplant just TASTED of the Mediterranean. Because it is a more substantial, heavy fish, it paired well with the red wine. Tortilla de Algas, Bacalao y Cristales Sal - I liked this, but was not particularly crazy about it. The seaweed (yes, seaweed), bacalao, and salt worked together brilliantly but this tortilla was more like an American omelette than a whipped up, fluffy Spanish one. And for dessert: Flan de higos - Now that I am a flan-making pro [2], I like to critique everyone else's! Figs must have been pureed and disbursed through the entire flan mold because there were lots of itty bitty seeds within the flan. I'm also curious to see what ingredients were used to caramelize the top of the flan because the taste, texture, and color were all completely new to me. Tarta de Manzana - The waiter's (Gabriel's) favorite! And I know why. The apple tart was more like a delicious, warm apple crumble, topped with vanilla ice cream. Best of all? The apples were tangy! Although my next stop in my Andalusian adventures was in Cordoba, the bartender strongly encouraged me to take the AVE and return for another few nights of tapas. Please disregard the fact that the restaurant's website is in Comic Sans [3]. I bet their strategy is to scare away the typography snobs and leave the great tapas for those of us who can forgive such questionable behavior. [1] Domestic violence is a huge problem in Spain. Although this is only the tip of the iceberg, I am much more aware of the trauma that many women face. [2] Courtesy of the dad in my host family. [3] http://bancomicsans.com/

When in Malaga, you must try Tapeo de Cervantes. This Malaga institution serves some of the freshest and most well-seasoned tapas dishes that we tried during our week in Andalusia. Recommended to us by the manager of El Riad Andaluz, where we were staying, Tapeo de Cervantes is centrally located near the Teatro Cervantes and the charming Plaza de la Merced. Their assorted small plates include many tapas favorites such as patatas bravas, grilled and fried octopus, assorted cheeses, garlicky shrimp, and assorted cured meats, special attention to the famed Iberico ham. This place is very popular with both tourists and the locals, and it's small, so there may be a little wait for the table. Totally worth it, though. It's a quintessential Malaga experience. Service is decent--fast and efficient--especially in a city where customer service is not one of their strengths.

Small little tapas bar with inside dining. The waiter made some great tapas selections which included pork cheek sandwich, grilled duck, steak and several fish dishes. We topped off lunch with local beer and wine. Great price for the quality and quantity of food served as each plate was great for sharing.

Spectacular !!! 11th day in Spain and the best meal so far. Started w/ a bottle of 200 Monges reserve 2006 Rioja The food can be ordered tapa, 1/2 or full ration we went with the 1/2 ration size and started with the grilled red tuna It was cooked to perfection. The sea bream came wrapped in eggplant,delicious.grilled baby squid came with black rice, great combination.the Iberian pork special was pork belly deep fried !!! So good. We ended with 2 glass of moscatel it was so good we asked for the name of it so we could by a bottle to take home and they sold us a bottle for 14€. The staff were so kind and helpful it was a pleasure to dine at this establishment. Best olives ever !!!

Sooooooo good! Don't miss this place. The staff is friendly and will ask you what language you speak. That doesn't really matter when you could point to ANY dish and get something so delicious you will not want to leave. Our faves are the Secrecto Iberian ham with pineapple, Caesar salad, cod (special that day), wild boar in Malaga wine sauce... I really could go on and on. We came here twice to do carne and then pescado night. LOVE this place and the service. If I come back to Malaga it will be only to eat here!!

I really wanted to like this place better. The place is cute, it's in a great location, the server was super friendly. The food looked amazing, but it was sooo salty. Food in Spain tends to be a little salty, which I am generally fine with, I like salt, but the seared tuna dish I had was way too salty. If it were just toned down a bit I think it would have been a good dish. I also had the lamb with cous cous, the flavors were really good, and it was less salty than the tuna, but the lamb was a bit dry.

A very small restaurant near Teatro Cervantes. If you are trying to bring a group larger than 4, you'll need to reserve a table (7:30 or 9:30pm) via a call or go to their Website. In fact, just make reservations regardless of your group size...the place seats about 20 people. Very creative menu and the food here is really quite good. We had the following tapas: fresh marinated anchovies, grilled octopus, roasted duck, Spanish omelet, meatballs with rice , grilled chicken and rice and an apple torte with ice cream. Portions are not large...allowing you to sample a variety of things. The have larger portion items on the menu as well and a nice wine selection by the glass and bottle. The wait staff is attentive. I will come back to Tapeo Cervantes!

My wife and I were seriously considering this place as quite possibly the best food we've ever had at any restaurant, anywhere, and we're big travelers and typically eat our way through our travels. Everything was fantastic; service, food, drink, everything. The place is small but we never felt like it impacted the experience. Don't hesitate, just go now and take the waiter's recommendations. DO IT! Thank me later.

Loved this place. First, it is a really nice place and not at all overcrowded like many other taperias. Second, the waiters were great. Very pleasant and professional. The food was terrific. Started with an heirloom tomato salad with wild arugula and anchovies. Very delicious and refreshing. Then I had pickled anchovies with purées of avocado and mango. Again, delicious and refreshing. I finished with the tuna a la plancha. It was perfectly seasoned and cooked. Utterly delicious. Highly recommend this place.

So good! Many options from seafood to steak and croquettes! Wonderful staff. Very intimate space and tons of character yet noisy or overdone s. Highly reccomedn!!!!

Read the reviews of other restaurant patrons and chose to come here for our first meal in Málaga. We had three seafood dishes, the tuna tartar, grilled octopus, fried prawns, and chocolate brownie. By far on of the best meals we have ever had. The wait staff was great, the wine was great, and the food was better. Come here if you want an amazing meal!

Wonderful tapas! Mushroom, asparagus and Jamin, eggplant with honey (yum)and octopus. So wonderful!

This is hands down the BEST food in Malaga. Smallest restaurant I've ever seen, and I hadn't idea the food was so amazing. I tried pretty much everything in the menu and everything was awesome (except for the blood sausage). I think about this good a lot, and I will definitely wait in line to eat it all again. The waiters are quick but great! Don't pass on the desert either. A-mazing!!

Small quaint restaurant in Málaga with quality tapas! Prices are reasonable and staff is friendly. Has an authentic local feel - what more could you ask for?

A fantastic experience of a dinner. Five of us showed up at around 10:30pm and were seated immediately. We ordered full sizes of the Wild boar, the cod stuffed peppers, the chicken croquettes, the blood sausage, and two specials of the day: squid over black rice and grilled mushrooms with ham and asparagus. Everything was remarkably well done, my personal favorite being the stuffed peppers. In addition, the prices were fairly reasonable, slightly on the more expensive side, but this was compensated for by very friendly and fast service. One of the best meals I had in Spain.

We stumbled upon this place while in Malaga, and were so happy we did! I'm a vegan (which is pretty impossible for Spain, so I just told the waiter vegetarian for this meal), and they were incredibly accommodating. First, the waiter suggested an incredible bottle of wine, and then the food started coming. The other three people in my party raved over every single dish they had, and all the vegetarian dishes were excellent. We loved this place so much, that we went to their other restaurant the next night. We even had plans to go to yet another one of their restaurants the next night, but I ended up injuring my ankle, so we just stayed in. In short, make a reservation, and DEFINITELY don't miss Cervantes!

Excellent tapas. The best we have had thus far in all of Spain. This is a very small restaurant with only about 10 tables. Cute place for dates. We ordered: Baked potato, salmon, cream cheese and shrimp Blood sausage with sweet potato Spinach, walnut, cherry tomatoes and asparagus Mixed greens, tomato, artichoke, roasted red pepper, and asparagus Chicken kabob marinated in lemon with basmati rice Roasted pepper filled with cod and fresh tomato sauce Chicken and vegetable wok stir fry with sesame seeds and soy sauce Tiramisu Chocolate moose with berries All of the dishes were fresh and delicious, but a little oily. They were expensive, but worth it. And the dessert was phenomenal!

We went here on our first night in Malaga and it was so good that we had to go back for lunch on our last day. This food was as good as any we had during our two weeks in Spain. Every dish we had was very good and the prices are great for the quality. The restaurant is very cozy, only about 10 tables so it fills up fast. However, I believe Meson Cervantes and Vineria Cervantes are related and serve similar menus. Some of the highlights for us: - Tuna w/pumpkin and cauliflower purée. Tuna cooked perfectly with a great purée complement. - Wild boar stew with potato omelette. Probably our favorite. Delicious savory stew. - Iberian pork with sheep's cheese and sautéed potatoes. This was probably a close second. - Quail egg, blood sausage and sweet potatoes. A tasty combination. - Red peppers stuffed with cod and tomato sauce

Have been doing Tapas in Spain for the last week and this was the most delicious and unique experience yet!! So happy we found it!

Best tapas bar in Malaga. Lively old room and first class service. Food top drawer.lots of variety and great value. We will be back.