Chiringuito El Cachalote — Restaurant in Málaga

Not sure how this place got so many good reviews or maybe I was just unlucky. Went there for dinner and the only good thing was the view and the sardines, the service was terrible. You sit, get a menu and 30 seconds later they wanna take your order. No cocktail menu either. Also the little paper napkin they give you is not enough to wipe your hands especially if you order seafood paella because you have to crack open all the shellfish with your hands. When the boys bring your food the guys just drop everything on the table and walk away, not a word. Order a bottle of white wine and they wrapped it in some plastic sleeve to keep it cold but it leaked and made a mess The only one I felt had some personality was a short girl with glass. I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone...

I came here on a Thursday around 3 p.m., and the place was absolutely packed. I managed to get a seat, but not by the window or anywhere with a real view, I guess you’d need to reserve ahead if you’re hoping for that.

I ordered the calamari, and kind of disappointing. It came with no dip, no salt, just a plain pile on a plate. I had to ask for salt, and then twenty minutes later some kind of sauce was brought over unannounced, the whole thing just felt a bit chaotic and disorganized. Once I finally had the salt and dip, it was edible, but nothing special. Not very crispy, no real flavor to the batter, but the squid itself was tender and the portion was generous.

Overall, it was fine. Not great. Definitely not the best food I’ve had. You’re mostly paying for the...

Unfriendly staff and poor service

We visited this restaurant and were immediately met with an unfriendly attitude. Since we don’t speak Spanish well, we politely asked the waiter to repeat himself more slowly or in another language, but he just continued speaking Spanish with visible annoyance.

At one point, the waiter knocked over the table next to us in his rush, spilling drinks—yet he didn’t apologize or clean it up. It took a long time before anyone even attempted to take our order, and we eventually left without ordering due to the poor treatment.

Other guests were also treated rudely, and even after giving feedback to the manager, no one seemed to care. We won’t be...