Cafe Flore — Restaurant in Marbella

From the moment we walked in, our evening was shaped by two very different experiences. Ryan, who looked after us, absolutely shone – warm, kind, friendly, and above all, genuine. He made us feel like valued guests rather than just another booking. He chatted with us, checked we were enjoying ourselves, and created a sense of occasion that elevated the night. On the other hand, the gentleman in the white T-shirt, who we were initially told to ask about a table, couldn’t have been more different. Monotone, detached, and frankly miserable, he made the simple process of sorting a table for six feel transactional and unwelcoming.

Thankfully, Ryan turned everything around. His service was attentive without being intrusive, and he created exactly the kind of atmosphere you want when dining out with family.

The food itself was a real treat. We began with prawns pil pil – sizzling, garlicky, and full of flavour – alongside creamy burrata, which was fun and delicious, and mussels that were cooked to perfection. For mains, three of us had the carbonara, which was rich and indulgent, while the Neapolitan milanese with spaghetti arrabbiata was a standout special – bold and fiery, beautifully balanced. The pork chop was the one dish that didn’t quite land for us and wouldn’t be a repeat choice. However, the meatballs were hearty, flavourful, and exactly what you’d hope for.

All in all, the evening was a success. The food was very good, but what made the experience truly memorable was Ryan’s service. He transformed what could have been an average night into a thoroughly enjoyable one. Every restaurant needs a Ryan – he’s the kind of person who makes you...

There's some places one should not visit, places with bad servers, terrible food and bad location. This is not one of those places. When we first arrived here the waiter politely informed us that we were one hour to early for dinner, but that was okay for us seeing we only wanted some drinks and no food. He politely recommended some drinks for us and they were some of the best drinks we ever had, served by the best waiter we ever had. After spending some time there we decided, because of the waiter, that we would stay until dinnertime and order some food. The same waiter recommended a lot of different things and both the main courses and desserts were amazing. We started to trust this waiter and asked him to recommend wines for us also, which he recommended with an amazing spot on accuracy to match our pallets. They don't have a lot to choose from on the menu, but what the have they deliver with perfection. If one gets the opportunity, visit this establishment and hope you get the waiter from Portugal as he is not only good at what he does, he is also one funny guy. We ended up spending two and a half hours here, when we only wanted a drink or to so we could keep exploring...

Restaurant is situated at a good spot which is vibrant with lots going on (live music and more restaurants and shops). The terrace itself is nice, however the service was plain rude: when we requested bruschetta for the table whilst ordering drinks, we were told the terrace was full so we should order everything together. After the antipasti and bruschetta arrived, they were trying to rush us through the entire dinner. Whilst the starter was still at the table, they started taking our plates away and putting the cutlery for the main course on the table. Where the starters were tasty, the main dishes were not as good: the food lacked salt, and the carbonara was more like scrambled egg and the guanciale was not crispy or salty at all, although it does make for fun entertainment when made at the table. In short, we had a fun night because of the location and friends but cut it short for ice cream somewhere else. If the vibe was more laid back, it would’ve been a pleasant...