Tikitano by Besaya — Restaurant in Estepona

If you don't speak English, you're invisible here (English and Italian below)

Pedí cita para visitarlo porque me interesaba celebrar la boda aquí. Me acompañaban mi novio, mi madre y su novio (en silla de ruedas). Cuando llegamos, el camarero (bastante antipático) nos dice que la manager está de parto pero que ya nos atenderá otra. Al principio estaba muy ilusionada porque el sitio es precioso pero al cabo de 10 minutos llega la manager, se presenta y se va con la excusa de que está ocupada y terminará en 5 minutos. 20 minutos más tarde aparece, no nos mira siquiera y al rato se gira y nos dice que se le ha complicado la tarde que otros 10 minutos. Durante todo este tiempo vemos que hay personas que entran dentro y se ponen a hablar con ella sin ningún problema. Después de 45 minutos esperando y sin esperanza de que vuelva, mi madre entra para decirle que nos vamos a ir porque tenemos que coger un vuelo para volver a casa a Milán. La manager responde como si le diera igual completamente y nos vamos. Una falta de respeto total, si ya nos tratan así al principio no quiero imaginarme cuando uno decide casarse aquí. No se trata así a los clientes, maleducados.

Now I'm gonna write it in English and then also in Italian because it seems that if you don't speak English you're not welcomed in this place. We came here to visit the restaurant because I wanted to celebrate my wedding here. The place is lovely but the staff and the manager are really unpolite. We had an appointment at 16 and she appeared 10 minutes later saying that it would be only 5 minutes. We waited for 20 minutes, then she reappeared without even looking at us and after a while said "oh I'm a bit busy, another 5 minutes". We waited 45 minutes and then it was enough! There was my father in law in a wheelchair and we had to go to Milan the next day. My mother told her we were leaving and she didn't care nor apologized. I cannot trust someone that treat us in this way, without respect. You cannot treat your clients in such a way!

Adesso lo scrivo pure in italiano perché sembra che qui se non sei straniero non conti niente. Avevo un appuntamento per visitare questo ristorante perché volevo festeggiare il mio matrimonio qui. Il posto è bellissimo, quello non si discute ma i camerieri e la manager sono abbastanza scortesi. Lei è arrivata 10 minuti tardi solo per dire che avremmo dovuto aspettare altri 5 minuti. Ok,aspettiamo 20 minuti e compare di nuovo senza neanche darci uno sguardo. Dopo un po' ci dice che è occupata e che ci vorranno altri 5 minuti. Abbiamo aspettato 45 minuti in totale e poi ci è finita la pazienza. Mia madre è entrata per avvisarla che ce ne saremmo andati e a lei è importato ben poco. Questo non è modo di trattare i clienti, siete dei maleducati. Come fa uno a fidarsi di qualcuno così per organizzare un...

As someone who has visited Tikitano sporadically over the past 22 years, I have witnessed its evolution through various ownerships and management teams. Despite its breathtaking setting and undeniable potential, the restaurant consistently fails to deliver on even the most basic expectations of service and quality. It’s disheartening to see that, after decades, these issues remain unresolved.

While this restaurant is one of the most expensive in the surrounding area, the primary appeal of Tikitano is its stunning location, but even that cannot compensate for the sub-par dining experience it offers. This is, at best, a wedding venue that primarily acts as a mediocre restaurant, and is far below the standards of other nearby establishments.

Our most recent experience on Christmas day has reflected some our previous experiences, where we paid €900 for six people, only to be served food that was often inedible and cold. To make matters worse, we were charged an exorbitant €65 for a bowl of macaroni for our 2-year-old—an unacceptable price of admittance for a child. All music stopped at 8pm with all tables suffering from appalling service, atmosphere and food quality.

Over the years, I have hoped that a capable owner or management team would step in and restore Tikitano to its potential. Yet, it remains stuck in a cycle of neglect and mediocrity. It’s not just the restaurant that has suffered; the venue as a whole, including the surrounding outdoor areas, has visibly deteriorated. Once-pristine facilities and well-maintained grounds have now fallen into disrepair, which only adds to the overall sense of decline.

The experience is not just disappointing; it’s a glaring sign of a business that isn’t functioning well. The current management is either unwilling or unable to address fundamental issues. It’s truly heartbreaking to see such an incredible venue wasted in this way. Tikitano has the setting, history, and charm to be a standout destination, but it desperately needs new leadership, investment, and vision to turn it around. Until then, it’s hard to recommend it to anyone seeking a quality dining or...

Maybe the worst service in the whole Costa del Sol – an absolute NO-GO.

Yes, the view is beautiful. But that’s the only positive thing I can say. Prices are high – which would be fine if the service matched – but what we got was sloppy, rude, and shockingly disorganized, both from waiters and management.

It started with them “losing” our reservation and pretending it didn’t exist, only admitting fault when I showed them a screenshot of my confirmed Google booking. Even then, they had already given our table away to someone else.

They then placed us – with elderly guests – at a table where two seats were already under the direct boiling August sun at 3 pm. The younger ones in our group took those spots to protect our elders. But as the afternoon went on, the sun kept creeping over the rest of the table until everyone was roasting. When we tried to move the table slightly to create shade, the waitress came over – not to check if we were okay, but to scold us: “You can’t move the table, you’ll break it.” I told her I wasn’t going to break anything, but it was boiling hot. Her answer? “Well, you could tell us then.” So I told her right then — could they move us or give us another table? Only at that point, and with the restaurant less than one-third full, did they grudgingly move us.

Service was painfully slow from start to finish. It took over 15 minutes just to have someone come take a drinks order (after waving 3–4 times). Drinks took ages to arrive — even water — and we had to ask two or three times for every basic thing: missing drinks, no ice, no spoons, no napkins. Starters came, but the main courses took a full hour after that. The waitress even argued with us for asking for basic service, claiming everyone was “busy” — despite the place being almost empty.

The bill? Over €500 for 5 people. Worst price-to-service ratio I’ve experienced in more than five years on the Costa del Sol. We left feeling disrespected, overheated, and certain we’d never return. This was not just bad service — it...