Magna Café Marbella — Restaurant in Marbella

Update 22.09.2024 I'm afraid this is no longer the Magna I want to visit, unless I have an errand (the car wash). Yes, Everything LOOKS the same, but where is the love? 🤷🏻‍♂️

Update 29.12.2023 It's winter and the doors to the restaurant are wide open. So if you don't want to freeze I suggest you Bring a coat. I don't like eating with my coat on so I find another place to eat. Lately unfortunately that happens 1 in 3 times I go here 🥶

Update 4.10.2022 Now also with Pasta 'al dente'. Hands down it's some of the best pasta served in Marbella. I think top 3. (Number 1 is Davero).

€2.30 per person for 'Cubierto' whatever that is. Maybe you pay rent for the chair you sit in? Or it is a tax on washing the napkin, cutlery and plates? 🤷🏻‍♂️ Better charge €1 extra for each dish and €0.50 for each drink

Update 10.7.2022 Sunday lunch. Playlist is back to suiting a broader audience and the 'blackboard specials' today are out of this world. I went for Angus Entrecôte from Ireland. Food Menu is now VAT inclusive, but the Wine List is still 'plus VAT' 🙄. However - the wine list has improved tremendeously since my last visit and not only do you find local gems but also options from High End Producers such as Vega Sicilia, Peter Sisseck and Bernado Estevez 💪🏻

The restaurant now has an enormous outside balcony with some of the best views Marbella has to offer. If it's not 32 degrees which was the case today, the outdoors is where you want to sit yourself ⛰

Being a long term client it is nice that Adrian is still here, like a rock in high sea, overseeing the action in his own down to earth low key style.

While dining today I noticed a family group of 15 long term clients spending the lion part of this Sunday Afternoon enjoying the site. Few restaurants in Marbella get to enjoy this privilege.

Update 8.8.2021. In the past the playlist was international to suit the northern europeans who usually dine here.

The staff now plays Latin /Spanish music. If you are not into this 'treat' the lunch becomes unbearable. Given that the clients here are more to the 'older' side the Spanish club music is misplaced.

Update 20.9.2020. Food has gone up a notch or maybe even 2. Dishes are more original and better tasting under the management of the new chef. Five stars for the kitchen.

You can have your car washed, while you are dining. Tables have tablecloths and napkins, which is great. There is outside dining on the terrace with incredible views over the golf course, San Pedro and the sea. The staff is professional and friendly. Water is over prized (charging the price for 1L but you get 1/2).

On the contrary a lunch special is on offer Monday to Friday. There is an extensive list of competitively prized wine which makes up for the overpriced food, but hey - this is Marbella. I can’t wait for my next visit. Be aware that prices are plus IVA, which is a concept of the past, that they should get rid of...

Very dissapointed with my visit at Magna Cafe. They failed to recieve our booking for a table. They did fix a table, but not at a preferred spot, but that was fine. We ordered 2 appetizers, and 2 headcourses, and also some drinks. Took them about 1 hour to fix our Burrata and Prawn & Lobster salad. The buratta was really sour, which they get when they're old. And the salad was OK. For the maincourse we had to wait another hour, total 2 hours now, and i ordered the wagyu steak for 50 euro, just to try something luxurios while we thought we was at a "luxurious" restaurang. The meat was really tough and chewy, almost not able to swallow it down. Both me and my girlfriend felt sick after eating it. Informed the waiter about this, he gave me a clap on the back and said "it's supposed to taste like this." After telling them that it was really not good, they changed it to another steak (not wagyu) and this one was better. My girlfriend that ordered the salmon thought it was OK, but not very good. For the meat, since we waited so long, we ordered a coke. Took 20 minutes until we had to tell them that we werent interested in the coke anymore, since now we've finished our food. As compensation, they offered a free coke and that we'll get it right away. We said no thanks. When we recieved the bill, we still needed to pay full price included the wagyu that we had to send back. We told them that we didnt think this was OK, and they fixed the note for us. Gave them a 10 euro tip because the waiter that at last came with the check, was a nice guy, and we didnt want to make him get in trouble for our bad experience. The other waiter, a older man, we did not appreciate his treatment to us overall. Total bill ended up at 125 Euro. Probably wouldnt want to pay half of this for the experience in atmosphere / price that we recieved. If the restaurant would excuse themselves for their faults and also for the long waiting time and trouble with basically every part of our visit, including the booking and our seats, with some kind of compensation on our check, i wouldnt leave this review. Ruined our datenight, last night...

We have been going to Magna for the past 10 years. We can walk there so it has been a favorite for special days or the random whim to have a night out. We booked a table of 4 adults and a pram on Monday for a Saturday special occasion. I requested a terrace corner table with a view. When we arrived we were waiting to be attended to and finally taken to a table which was in the back of the restaurant. There was no view and we were under an awning, not really even on the terrace. When I asked about my reservation requests to the manager who seated us, she said, "I'm sorry, we are overbooked and very busy and the tables on the terrace are for parties of 5, 6, and 7." Well, as we were waiting, a table of 4 came in and took a beautiful table on the terrace with a view. They arrived after we arrived.

We waited 25 to 30 minutes to receive our drinks...and we had to ask to order, and ask to see a menu. The food arrived and a dish that I typically order and recommended to my guest was missing a major element, which was very disappointing.

The overall experience was almost embarrassing as we were treating family who were visiting and had talked up the food and location.

The food was up to standard, barring the missing elements, but the clear lack of managerial organization will make us think twice before returning. We felt neglected from the moment we walked in. This has never happened here before.

6 months ago I would have given Magna cafe 5 stars...today I give them 2. We will return when management changes...and it most surely will of this is the standard that continues. Until then we will take an Uber and visit some other local favorites where our presence is at least appreciated and we feel, at the very...