BYOKO Estepona — Restaurant in Estepona

The Kitchen Saved the Day (Despite the Staff's Best Efforts)

First visit since Wild Café sadly closed its doors (RIP echo chamber acoustics). We were welcomed by a super-friendly Portuguese lady with an impressive American accent—so far, so good! She made it very clear: BYOKO has no connection to Wild Café. New owners, new concept, new everything. Sadly, it was too gloomy outside to sit in, so no clue if they fixed the terrible acoustics inside.

We were seated with smiles and good vibes… and then came our waiter—let’s call him Mr. Thundercloud. His attitude did a complete 180. From the moment he arrived, the mood dropped faster than my expectations. He had a strange, cold attitude toward both me and my daughter—for reasons still unknown to mankind.

We ordered brunch option #2 (the one without Cava), and my daughter politely asked if she could get an iced latte instead of the regular coffee. Mr. Thundercloud's answer? A flat “No”—with all the warmth of a parking ticket. I stepped in and asked if we could upgrade to an iced latte, and suddenly, miraculously: “Yes”. The customer service magic trick. Ta-da.

Drinks arrived. My cortado was good, but I had to order another coffee since I hadn’t clearly communicated that I wanted a double-double. Fine, I’ll take that one. Still, worth noting: I paid for two coffees, my daughter got zero of her included coffee, and the iced latte (no syrup, just cold) cost us a heroic 5.80€.

Food? Excellent. Coffee? Also good. Staff experience? A rollercoaster of sunshine and stormclouds. I did kindly ask our friendly front-of-house host if the iced latte could be considered an upgrade rather than a full-price drink, since my daughter didn't get her included one—but she just...ignored it. Cool.

Final verdict: The kitchen absolutely saved the day. We’ll come back—mostly to give Mr. Thundercloud a second chance and see if he’s had a nap and a hug. Dog friendly has to be mentioned and a very kind your man brought water to dogs at the outdoor...

I wrote the below review after Byoko took away all wines from the menu and replaced them by drinks with a very strange taste, not matching the subtile flavours of the delicious dishes. Now 2 months later I went back and saw that the wine-list contains again normal organic wines. Both the food and the service are still excellent all in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

As a regular client of Wild I went to Byoko the first day of the opening. Then I went back home because of the bad weather. I came back end of April and have been since some 15 times for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food is just marvelous and the wines matched the food. This evening we went back for dinner and were told we could not have the usual wines. They have a wine lust mow of which we tasted 2 different wines. Both were difficult to be called wines. It tasted like over aged wines that were both oxidized. More some kind similar to dry Jerez which are impossible to paire with the delicate flavors of the dishes. So we can only go back for breakfast. What a pity. We hope management will make the previous wines available again. After more than 100 wine tastings in my life, many with sommeliers from Michelin star restaurants, I don’t think many sommeliers would qualify these drinks as wine in a blind tasting. I hope Byoko will serve wine again...

We had a wonderful experience at this restaurant in Estepona — truly a hidden gem! They recently introduced alcachofas (artichokes) on the menu, and I must say, they’re absolutely delicious — a true delicacy with a rich, satisfying flavor.

A must-try here is definitely the Chai Latte — it’s a symphony of taste, pleasure, and harmony. As you sip it, you can actually sense the top notes, the middle notes, and the base notes unfolding one by one in their own rhythm. Absolutely impressive — it left us speechless!

We also tried their tostada with hummus and tostada with avocado, as well as the vegan Thai soup, which was an explosion of flavor — beautifully balanced and aromatic. Even if you’re not usually into Thai cuisine, this one will surprise you in the best way. I personally tried it out of curiosity and ended up loving it. The shiitake mushrooms in it were a standout!

They offer plenty of vegan and vegetarian options, which is always a plus. Also highly recommended: their bio cacao and ginger shots.

We wholeheartedly recommend this place.

Special thanks to Barbara, who served us with so much warmth and kindness — we really...