Moreno Restaurant — Restaurant in Nerja

We have had so many wonderful restaurant experiences in Nerja with surroundings that I was quite shocked by how utterly nonchalant the staff were towards us here.

Last year, I had the most stunning outdoor kitchen open fire grilled paella here, and wanted to have that experience again. Spoiler alert: epic fail.

First thing I did was to talk to the outdoor kitchen chef (in Spanish, yes, and I don’t suck at it) to verify that they did have paella cooking. They did.

Then it took us quite some time and effort to make contact with any of the numerous waiters out there. Eventually, we got some menus and could order. To me a simple order: 2 kids menus and 2 “menu of the day” that they were advertising for lunch; both with gazpacho for starter and one with fish main course and one with my paella.

Food comes. We start eating. My wife’s fish comes in when she is not even close to having finished the gazpacho (neither have I). As they provided no cutlery, we make contact with the waiter again (takes a while, he is really ignoring us). He then comes with cutlery.

The rest of the family finish their meal. My paella is still not to be seen. My wife suggests they must have forgotten about it. After some more time, we finally manage to make contact with the waiter and ask. He comes with a plate of paella, and leaves it without cutlery on our table and disappears. I am getting rather annoyed at this point. My wife says she saw where he got cutlery the last time and she goes there and fetches a knife and a fork.

I start eating the paella, which turns out to be hardly even lukewarm. Apparently it had been done way before I got it, so why all the wait? I thought that I’d eat it anyway, but then again, no: had it been somewhat more lukewarm rather than on the cold side, maybe, but I actually sent it back. I realize this is the very first time in my whole life I have sent a dish back on a restaurant. The waiter just takes it, tells his colleague that I would like an other one, and leaves.

Now there is more waiting. Lunch is over, for the rest of the family (especially my wife who got her main course before even finishing the starter). I decide I won’t wait anymore and ask for the check. We pay (not for the non-delivered paella) and leave. I was so angry at this point.

During this whole episode of failures, not one single word of excuse, in any language, is spoken from the staff. (If so, it must have been in sign language behind my back and probably a risen middle finger, but I think the were all to nonchalant to even bother to dislike me.)

One of the worst restaurant experiences ever, this was. The happy paella memory from last summer is now turned to a pile of dung.

Last thing I told the waiter (not that he’d care, but I wanted other customers to hear my opinion) summarizes it:

This is not a restaurant,...

This was one of my least favorite dining experiences since we moved to Nerja. The restaurant has a lovely location and view. But that was it for me. We planned to order menu of day. We ask what the soup of the day was (included in menu of the day). We were told it was leek soup and it was very good. We were brought a fish soup with garbanzo beans (and other unidentifiable ingredients). One of us sent it back, noting that it was not the leek soup that was ordered, and was brought a small green salad instead. Then moments later the table next to us got the leek soup with her menu of the day. Apparently it was very good. When ordering the menu of the day, we ask what the grilled filet of fish was, we were told it was hake. What came to the table were two grilled unknown small white fish (head, skin and bones), not a hake filet. It was not fully cooked and tasted very fishy. Sent that back, the waiter/owner/manager (not sure) was annoyed saying I already had sent back the soup (which was not what was ordered to begin with). They did bring me a piece of grilled swordfish which was ok. With so many other good restaurants in Nerja, I would not go back to this place, nor would I recommend it. My partner's burger and...

We have loved Moreno for many many years, and it still delivers for us.

My partner was most tickled as we had dinner with sparrows flying in and out above us. Though never actually on our table, they do look as if they fancy some of the food.

We started with Pan con alioli. I had decided to have Calamar. This meant I had the fun of selecting my Calamar and getting to hold it, as you’ll see in the photo, before he is taken away to be cooked.

I stayed on a similar theme for my starters with Rojos, tentacles, they were lightly battered and crisp making them easy to eat. My partner opted for Tomate aliñado con aceitunas y ajo, while he doesn’t eat the olives he enjoyed the parsley and garlic which the tomatoes had been soaked in.

I then had Calamar a la plancha con papes de la pobre I love the soft taste of poor person’s potatoes.

My partner was determined to have his second pizza of the holiday the pizzas here are cooked in the oven over wood, so it was crisp, and my partner tells me it was really lovely.

My partner then finished with tarta de Queso con nata which he enjoyed while I had the Piña Natural, a refreshing end to a...