Restaurante Ocampo — Restaurant in Benalmádena

maybe they just had an off day? we had very high hopes for this place, but I find it difficult to justify the high ratings others have posted. service started with the server forgetting to give us menus, then almost getting our drink order wrong. we were then, almost arbitrarily, given a small portion of bread (1 roll each), waited a while, then a random plate of chorizo. then we waited. and waited some more. after yet more waiting, I asked the server when we might be getting our food. it finally came about 40 mins after our order was taken. by then, we had finished our drinks and were afraid to ask for anything else. we did end up ordering (and needlessly waiting again) for another bottle of water. a glass of red wine we requested never came.

another family 2 tables down endured the same long wait. keep in mind, this was the beginning of the evening (7 pm) and before the really high traffic time.

in the sense of indefinitely waiting and hoping for something good to arrive, they do provide an authentic Argentine experience. I can say this with confidence, as I have close relatives in Argentina.

the food itself was mostly ok. the mixed empanadas were fried, which was fine. It would have been nice to have some baked as well, since this is the traditional way empanadas are prepared.

as for the asado, maybe the grill was not hot enough? the meat was generally chewy, without the char so typical of the parrillas of Buenos Aires, Tucuman, or even Jujuy.

It would take a lot for me to return to...

° Excellent 300 gr. "Wide steak" perfectly cooked to the desired condition. Somewhat oversalted, however the large crystals can be easily scraped off it, as they are sprinkled AFTER grilling. Comes with a grilled green pepper. 8/10. ° The "Russian salad" was magnificently presented on a china cutting board. 8/10. ° Complimentary pesto and chives-California cheese spread did not strike gold (3/10), however the warm ciabatta was both a nice touch and pkeasently refreshing alternative to sliced bread (7/10). ° Initially off-putting, the enormous 4K screen playing ultra-high resolution of a playlist made up of exclusively acoustic renditions of medleys & crooner concerts video clips on the wall turned out to be a most mellow, at times eye-watering, addition to the consumption of the celestial "Celeste / Roble / Ribera del Duero" bottle (15€, most expensive house wind of 3 choices, 9/10). ° The boss would, at times, serve the dishes himself and make a mini-tango in ftont of the served tables. ° The lady waitress from Buenos Aires was really good in answering numerous questions about the menu in good English: quite helpful. ° Free Wi-Fi. ° Beautiful location on a hilly and immaculately clean street. ° The boss claims that smaller dogs would be authorised under the table, whereas the lady waitress from Buenos Aires swore that they would be 100% accepted with...

Wow… just WOW! This restaurant is amazing!! On a warm, calm, and sunny day in Benalmadena, we wanted an early lunch but most restaurants in the area were closed for siesta. We randomly stumbled upon this place, and after learning it was open, we happily walked in. We were seated outside by our kind and charismatic waiter, who helped us attentively and was patient with us while ordering. He explained each item on the menu to us, and gave us his own recommendations. The atmosphere of the patio was also lovely, clean, and bright. A very characteristic Spanish style! Lastly, though the service and atmosphere were both amazing, the FOOD was totally out of this world! We ordered the mixed salad with tuna, garlic prawns with pil-pil sauce, and the Milanesa “bluecheese” (mozzarella, bluecheese, nuts and chive). Everything was an explosion of flavour in the best way, and was a great introduction to Argentinian cuisine in Spain. The prawns were cooked perfectly and were tender and juicy, and the portion size for the milanesa was large, generous, and delicious. We were very happy with the high quality of food! Overall, we 100% recommend this restaurant, and will definitely be revisiting as soon as we can 😆. It was a great experience with even...