José Carlos García Restaurante — Restaurant in Málaga

So many bad things to say it's hard to choose one to start with...

1. Food: it ranged from completely mediocre to outright horrible and inedible and so not worthy of a Michelin star. Crass mistakes such as too salty dishes, one overpowering ingredient that prevented you from tasting anything else on the plate and/or laziness (e.g. the same ingredients used in more than one course).

2. The wine pairing: average and no sommelier to explain what on earth we were drinking. Also, they served a beer (San Miguel nonetheless - about the worst beer on earth) on the grounds that it "went really well with the dish". It didn't. Neither me nor my friend like beer and we certainly did not expect a wine pairing to include one.

3. The service: simply atrocious. The menu cannot be viewed online and we were not asked once about dietary requirements, preferences or allergies. Aloof and/or frosty staff who kept taking nearly untouched dishes back to the kitchen without asking once what was wrong with them. The table was full of breadcrumbs throughout the meal. Charged €330 for two people without asking whether we'd enjoyed the meal (it'd have been obvious from our faces that we didn't).

Overall, I can confidently say the only outstanding part of the dinner was the tableware. Having been to Michelin-starred restaurants plenty of times, I genuinely don't know how on earth this place got one. Do believe the negative reviews. It's truly awful.

Their restaurant manager's response to my TripAdvisor review says it all about their business ethics (or lack thereof): they claim I was full of compliments throughout the meal and that I "must have got the wrong restaurant". Trust me when I say an experience that bad is impossible to forget. A tip to the owners: review your menu, your service and, above all, your overall business practices. And maybe get a...

My disappointment with this restaurant would have been even greater if I came here after, not before, my spectacular lunch meal at Kaleja, the next day - because the latter is all things I love about dining out, that JSG sadly wasn't. My marks go solely for the spectacular gardens decor at night, and the Irish girl that served me. It could be that kitchen had a off night, but at this price point (total bill for one person €182) is not acceptable. It is like noone in the kitchen tastes anything that comes out to the table. Bland, dull flavours, uninspiring, even amuse bouche lacklustre, normally a good indication what's to come, probably the most awful petit fours I had in a while too. Straight out of the fridge, nigh frozen macaroon, and straight from freezer yuzu white chocolate square, thar never heard of yuzu. I would avoid this place at all cost. Save the 2 taxi rides from historic centre, take that money and go to any number of street tapas bars, it's bound to be better. Skip it, do yourself and your wallet a favour. Go to Kaleja instead if you are after a Michelin level experience (much cheaper too; and no €5.40 coffees either).

PS since restaurant felt compelled to reply - my being late - i called the restaurant ahead of time, to say I am running 15-20min late, even on overseas phone because that's basic courtesy, was told i have that table for the night - not that this has any relevance to taste of food!) Secondly I returned dishes uneaten, and bland pork almost untouched, same with super sweet pink colada dessert. I am entitled to my view, and your cost comment is uncalled for, you just have to look at 368 other places I ate in and reviewed, to see that whoever wrote that reply just missed the point. Keleja was €120 tasting menu and I adored it. My...

Just to start this of I want to highlight that my review is in context of the price, which is realistically starting at 200 euros per person.

Food The food was overall good, though none of the dishes felt quite perfect. The portions were definitely a bit too small, with the bread basket seemingly intended to fill you up since the rest of the food would otherwise not be sufficient in the 160 euro menu. I know michelin restaurants often struggle making money in the food but at 10 euros a dish it's hard to imagine how.

My wife also had the wine pairing, which while decent was not as good as we have had in several other places in malaga, at lower price points to boot.

Service The service was fine and well rehearsed but other than one or 2 waiters was lacking a personal/friendly touch

Atmosphere The location of the restaurant is great and the overall layout of the restaurant is nice and spacious. However, while one side has a nice mix of jungle and industrial wibes, the other is next to some old shelves that look like they were found on the street as well as some unmarked doors. Definitely doing a disservice to the otherwise nice design.

Additionally the bathrooms can only be described as a disaster. The layout and design is like an airplane toilet, though slightly larger and one of the sliding doors could only be closed by my wife after working with other guests waiting in line with her. Also the door lock is broken, or just not working because the door can't be closed properly. Definitely not something I would expect at this price range.

Overall we had a good time, but when put in the context of the costs there are many superior options in both service, food and atmosphere if you don't need to have a 12+...