Kraken Centro - Tapas Restaurant — Restaurant in Málaga

This year (Sep 2023), we had the pleasure of visiting Kraken for the first time, and it certainly lived up to our high expectations. The service was exceptionally attentive, and our food arrived promptly.

We embarked on a culinary journey, starting with the classic Bravas. We also indulged in the Hot Dog with mint, the Kraken Burger, and Gyozas with Rabo de Torro and a Foie Gras Sauce – all of which were absolutely delightful. The Hot Dog sparked a difference of opinion between us. I personally enjoyed the minty twist, but my girlfriend found it less to her liking. The standout of our initial order was undeniably the Kraken Burger with Pulpo/Octopus. While the octopus flavor wasn't immediately apparent, it was incredibly tasty.

After the first round, we still had some room for more, so we ordered the Croquetas and the Steak Tartare Sandwich. The Croquetas left us slightly disappointed as we had hoped for whole shrimp or substantial chunks within, but it turned out to be more of a mousse-like texture. On the other hand, the Steak Tartare Sandwich stole the spotlight. It offered a wonderful fusion of flavors, including various temperature elements.

All in all, we had a delightful evening with scrumptious dishes, impeccable service, and excellent value for money.

Delicious Return Visit with Some Hits and Misses (Oct 2024)

After enjoying the food so much last year, we couldn’t resist coming back to Kraken this year. We dove straight into our favorite tapas: the steak tartare sandwich and the octopus burger (a.k.a. Kraken Burger). While we remembered the Pulpo Burger being better, this time it was a bit too salty for our taste.

We also tried the gyozas and patatas bravas, which were good but didn’t quite reach the level of exceptional. However, the real star of the evening was the tuna tartare. The texture of the crispy rice combined with the fresh avocado cream melted in the mouth—definitely our favorite tapa this time around.

As a “dessert,” we treated ourselves to the beef burger with truffle mayo, which was also delicious.

Overall, it was a cozy evening with attentive service, and the food came out promptly. A great spot for a relaxed dinner with...

Kraken enjoys a fantastic location and offers tasty food, but unfortunately, the experience fell short in several key areas.

The menu featured some creative dishes, like a delicious creamed beetroot tapa. However, the execution lacked thoughtfulness - this dish came without anything substantial to dip into it, leaving us to rely on our table bread (just four pieces) and a small packet of mini breadsticks. Similarly, a generously portioned guacamole dish was paired with just 6-7 small tortilla chips, woefully insufficient for the amount of dip. These details detracted from what could have been an otherwise enjoyable meal.

Service was the real letdown and I'm surprised that it isn't mentioned more in reviews. Despite needing more bread to make the best of the tapas, we had to request it three times before it finally arrived. Hygiene was also a concern; two out of four spoons at our table were dirty, with one bearing visible residue from what looked like chocolate and even mouth marks. When these were handed to the waitress, there was no apology or replacement or even really an acknowledgement, which felt dismissive. Additionally, we were never asked how our food was, and getting the bill required two reminders.

While Kraken was busy, the service issues suggest a need for better staff training or an increase in personnel. There’s potential here, but improvements in both food execution and service...

We booked ahead online as we were going to a concert nearby. Having read lots of press and social media posts about Kraken, we were looking forward to our visit. Decor is stunning and we were seated comfortably inside. The Yum: Based on tapas, vegetarians are well catered for and there's a variety of unusual combinations. Food comes quickly so we ordered two dishes at a time. Anchovy roast with red pepper puree -totally overpowered by the peppers the anchovy was lost. Prawn and avocado - tiny prawns mixed with chopped onion and cocktail sauce. Didn't taste nice. Lamb mini rolls with beetroot dip - overcooked in old tasting oil making them quite bitter and unpleasant. Oxtail gyozas were served in a thin custard like sauce. Bravas were definitely not freshly cooked. The Fizz: We ordered a nice bottle of white Moscatel. Served to us in warm wine glasses and without the offer of tasting. The rest: Servers are young and unprofessional. At one stage, a waiter gathered cutlery from the table and nearly caught one of us in the face. They clearly lack training. We awoke the next day with upset stomachs and will definitely not be returning. Probably just suitable for a younger crowd who aren't bothered about quality of product. Yumfizz...