Restaurante Japonés - IKIGAI IZAKAYA — Restaurant in Marbella

This was potentially one of the most disappointing restaurants I have ever been to.

The food was either tasteless or too salty, the interior was too echoey due to lack of decorations, the chairs were typical Spanish outdoor patio style, the music was bad (“Tradtional” classical renditions of Western pop songs)… The list goes on. I’m unsure who their target audience is as they claim to be a Japanese restaurant and yet the food was a strange mixture between Korean, Japanese, and European-Asian foods all in the same dish. Charging 28 euro for what is essentially the “creamy gochujang udon noodle recipe” that has been going viral on TikTok is outrageous.

Drinks menu is very limited and there are no Japanese style soft drinks besides Ramune which doesn’t really fit the overall theme of the restaurant (you would usually see Ramune on the menu of anime-themed or ramen-centred restaurants which again brings about the question of who their target audience is). Having only Japanese beer on the menu is not ideal for locals and the restaurant would benefit with having at least 1 local beer option on their menu.

The restaurant tries to be “exclusive” by opening for only a few hours a day with limited tables and reservations only (for which you have to add your card to your reservation and will allegedly be charged if you don’t show up or don’t cancel in time) but ultimately it falls flat. We were originally drawn to the restaurant due to the pictures and presentation online, but it was nothing like what you see on here. Since there are so many other Japanese restaurants in the area that are much better in every way (style, presentation, authenticity, value for money etc.) we will not be coming back here.

The waitress was absolutely lovely and service...

After reading numerous positive reviews, we decided to try this Japanese grill restaurant on a weekend night. Booking online is absolutely essential, make sure that it's confirmed properly and leave yourself enough time to find it - located in a small passageway between the Dali statues square and Carlos Mackintosh. There are only 8 tables. The Yum: The menu is quite small and limited if you are a pescatarian, but there are some delicious veg/vegan options if you don't eat meat. We ordered the cucumber salad which came in a rich spicy sauce, aubergines, beef meatball skewer, shitake skewer and chicken skewer. Each came with their own delicious, rich and spicy sauces which we mopped up with delicious sticky rice. Big shout out for the absolutely delicious warm Oyster dish. The food must be good when YumFizz forgets to take photos lol! The Fizz: We absolutely had to begin with a warm sake and continued with a glass of decent red. Prices were mid range. The Rest: The service and warm welcome was outstanding. Run by just one couple, they have been there for 5 years and it's clear that they work very hard. The flavours of the food are rich and spicy and may not be to everyone's taste but we loved it. Many of the customers were locals, younger generation, sharing noodle bowls. To sum up, the word would be quirky. Big note: they do not serve any sushi or sashimi! Yumfizz...

I have been living in Marbella for over 2 months and honestly I can say that it is the best restaurant here 😍😍 I have almost tried everything from the menu and the food is really delicious 😋 The chef knows how to make very good food, which is always fresh. They have wide wine list and wonderful desserts ( cheesecake is incredible🤩). The food is not expensive comparing with the other restaurants here. The owners are really nice and proffesional people. They have made us feel welcomed and have as amazing experience. I would highly recommend 👌 this place is must in Marbella 👍👍 just remember to book a...