Trocadero Casa de Botes — Restaurant in Málaga

We have just finished a Sunday lunch that was so disappointing I feel compelled to share my experience to save other unsuspecting diners from an extraordinarily bad service. We had to queue to get in to the restaurant which was unexpected having booked ahead and not ideal for my Mum who is 86. We took a taxi from the hotel to avoid the heat, so standing outside was an unpleasant welcome. The food is good and the menu has plenty of appealing options which are reasonably priced. Our lovely lunch experience however ended as soon as our wine arrived. We ordered an Albariño and as there were six to chose from, we asked for advice. Our friendly lady server recommended one of the more expensive options which we happily accepted. The wine arrived and we were invited to taste it by a pleasant male host. He asked if it we liked it. Unfortunately it was not cold enough and we didn’t like it at all. The delightful male server offered us a taste of an Albariño which was served by the glass which was better, but still not what we wanted for a special meal. At this point our lovely female host returned and said the wine we had chosen was served by the bottle and we had to pay for it. Frankly, an enterprise the size of the Trocadero could and should have absorbed the price of a disappointing bottle of wine and had we have been given the opportunity to order something else, we would have done. Instead the our friendly female host launched into a tirade in Spanish which I couldn’t understand but every so often she switched to English and told us we had to pay. No apology that we didn’t like what she had recommended, just a steely determination that we would pay for our choice. We left the wine and tried to enjoy our starter. We ordered sushi rolls. They were very good but when we were half way through, our rice dish arrived and our plates were whipped away from us by a different male server who kept telling us that he needed our plates as our rice was ready. We were so shocked that we let him carry on until my common sense returned and I had to explain that it was not acceptable to take our food away when it suited them. Our enthusiasm and appetite had waned at this point. My Mum finished her sushi rolls but barely touched her rice dish. At some point our lovely young male server refined and asked if we would like to try the wine now that it was colder. Ironically it was perfectly acceptable once served at the correct temperature and we enjoyed it. Lunch was awkward and uncomfortable and we could t wait to leave. It was made bearable by this charming young man who tried his best to recover our experience. We were offered dessert and a drink on the house and my Mum did accept a brandy. We were also comped the two glasses or cava we ordered when perusing the menu. Both are kind gestures, but we would rather have paid full price for better service. It doesn’t matter how good your view or food is, the poor attitude of one server can ruin a dining experience. The serving staff did not wear name badges so we can’t thank our kind male server or name shame the female server who was so rude. She is far taller than the other female staff and had an ego to match her stature. A smiling she devil who should learn to lead...

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This is my personal opinion, everyone may experience it differently.

Location: near the lighthouse. Views over the harbor and/or Malaga beach. Valet parking available, continue past the entrance to the restaurant. It is a bit hidden and the entrance could be a bit neater. Interior: a lot of attention and love has been put into it. There is no arguing about taste but everything fits together and exudes a warm cozy and luxurious atmosphere. A mix of North Africa and Spain. Lots of space both inside and outside. It is a large restaurant but because of the layout and design it has an intimate feel. Staff: Service average and does not live up to appearance and prices. Looking up our reservation took over 5 minutes, makes you feel like you are not really important but just one of many. Reservation was for 4 people and you are taken to a table set for three . Then you are waiting in the middle of the restaurant, seating is not offered, until the service comes with an extra cover. Why is my reservation not taken into account? It makes you wonder how much they appreciate your visit. Wrong bottle of wine brought, hardly any consideration. There was, by one of us, quite some Soy sauce spilled on the table, the waiter saw it at least two times but no further action. Had to enjoy the rest of the dinner with a puddle of soy sauce on the table. Food: Average, too expensive for the quality Uramakis: Trocadero a €22. Taste good, presentation simple. Makis: Atún rojo a €16. Taste barely, presentation simple. Same, or better, I get at a €25 all you can eat restaurant. Entrecote: a €32. Medium ordered, served rare. Presentation too simple, the same in historic downtown for 30% cheaper. Quality of meat not exceptional. Part of fat that should have been removed was still present. Pluma ibérica: a € 28. Presentation simple, quality of meat not special. Cooked too long so it was actually too dry. Salad: € 5,00 for a small bowl. Fries: included with main course. Made of fresh potatoes, cooked, not greasy but tasteless and as white as a sheet of A4 paper. Did not look appetizing. Bread: € 3.50 for one slice of brown bread, that's all we got, is really excessive. The bottle of olive oil on the table was almost empty and dirty/greasy on the outside. By the way €5 for a very small bottle of water is also a hefty price. General: Personally, I find the mix of Japan & Spain a little strange. It does not fit together and certainly not with the look and decor of the restaurant. If I want to eat sushi etc. I will go to a specialized restaurant and not one that does it on the side. One wonders if they have a sushi chef or if everything comes in ready-made...from the standard Sushi supplier.... I am sorry to say that the prices are way too high compared to the quality. I understand that the restaurant needed a huge investment but the prices should be commensurate with the quality offered. I have eaten at restaurants with Michelin stars that were cheaper...

TL;DR: the food is amazing. The service is garbage. Way too expensive for that bad of service.

We booked this restaurant for a nice dinner with my fiancé after being recommended by our hotel. Initially we sat down and were given some menus but the waiter took like 15 minutes to finally take orders (fine). We ordered a couple cocktails, waters, and 3 starters which the waiter proceeded to take all the menus afterwards for some reason. After receiving a couple cocktails and our appetizers we still had not received any water so I had to get up and ask somebody for some water. At this point it started to become really annoying because our waiter seemed to be ignoring our table and we wanted to order more food and drinks, so we had to flag them down and ask for the menus again to order main dishes. Finally a manager came over which I thought was going to save the day, but no, after ordering a couple drinks through them, one of our cocktails never arrived and I had to flag that same person down again like 20 minutes later to order it once more. By this point at least the food was excellent and after a lot of hassle and being ignored by the waiter we were able to get everything we needed but we were so annoyed by the service. The meal finally ended and the waiter didn’t ask if we wanted dessert or any drinks to finish, so we just got the bill. The kicker was that we put down we were celebrating our engagement in the reservation, so a dessert or glass of wine would’ve been fun to end on but that was clearly ignored. Oh and then they tried to charge us for 4 waters in the end lol, and had to remind them that 2 of them never came.

Great food, terrible service. Overpriced for what...