Cafetería KE Sotogrande — Restaurant in San Roque

KE is easily the most iconic restaurant in Sotogrande. My family’s been coming here regularly for years, whether for a quick brunch or a more formal dinner, and while part of that is because there just aren’t that many great options in the area, it’s also because the food really is excellent.

I usually go for the grilled sole, which never disappoints, but this time we tried the Japanese section of the menu and were really impressed. The toro sashimi was outstanding. The only small miss was the shrimp. Delicious, but it came with just plain mayo. Still, overall, the food gets a solid 5/5. The bar is also great, with a wide and well-stocked selection of drinks.

The place itself has clearly been around for a while. Little details like KE-branded napkins, their own olive oil, and even magazines on the table show how established it is (it’s been open since the ’90s). That said, the service isn’t always up to the same standard. There are a lot of seasonal staff with very little experience. Normally that wouldn’t be a big deal if we were just having drinks or a light meal, but in this case we had reserved a table for four for an anniversary dinner, and it honestly felt like we were treated as a bit of an afterthought.

We were first seated at a cramped table in the back, right next to a huge fan that they said couldn’t be turned off (it was blowing directly at us). Only after we insisted did they move us reluctantly to another tiny two-person table, despite the restaurant still being mostly empty when we arrived. Meanwhile, we could see guests with fewer people and smaller orders sitting at more spacious tables. It wasn’t rude service, just unprofessional and not well thought out. Our actual servers were friendly, but clearly not trained for anything more than the basics.

Atmosphere-wise, KE still delivers. It’s a beautiful space and the overall vibe is great, but it was a little strange seeing some guests walk in barefoot. At times it feels like KE isn’t quite sure what it wants to be: part formal, part beach bar. It’s a bit all over the place in that sense.

Still, I’d definitely recommend KE for the food and the drinks, especially if you’re not expecting flawless service. It’s a great place to enjoy a casual meal or cocktails in a lovely setting, just don’t go in expecting fine dining levels of...

I went here first during the summer of 2020, and felt like an afterthought to the staff who seemed to care little for my presence, and despite this place being scenicly located on the Marina front, the coffee was average, the ambiance was one of dismissal and the WiFi was unforgivably slow. After this experience I started going to Foodisiac (a short walk away) instead.

Today though, it was closed for refurbishment, so I thought I would give this place another try, after all my experience at Ke may have just been a one off. I arrived and was greeted by a kind waitress, who realised my Spanish was at best substandard and in English helped me get settled, things were getting better.

The beef baguette was good a solid three stars, and the coffee seemed better than I remembered, both were a little on the pricey side, but i didn't worry too much. Then, shortly after I finished, probably 40 minutes after arriving, a member of staff placed a 'reserved' card on my table, for 45 minutes later. I was waiting for my partner to join me, whilst doing some work (I had to tether my laptop to my phone as the internet was too slow to use), and there were two empty (equal-sized) tables on the terrace. This eventually became five, yet the reservation slip remained on mine, while the other tables remained vacant (and unreserved). I did complain to the waiter about this (in bad but understandable Spanish) and he offered to relocate me, however at this point I declined and moved to Pane & Cioccolato down the road.

In conclusion, the food is average and overpriced for the quality of food you receive, the service is sub-standard (with the exception of the waitress who greeted me) and the atmosphere is uninviting. It is undeniably a beautiful...

Wandering around the port last night, this restaurant was beautifully lit and had a buzz of people enjoying themselves. We therefore chose to go here (to have a change from the restaurant we had lunch at).

We were seated at an unlaid table (as is normal currently). However, they didn’t bring anything to dress it until after we had ordered. We ordered two glasses of rose wine and a Ternera Milanese to share.

They then set the table and brought a basket of bread which they almost threw on the table. A few moments later a plate was dumped on the far corner of the table. This was our meal. I have never had such dry and disgusting meat served to me in a restaurant of this supposed standard (it was €18).

The waiter was hugely attentive to the people across (who were a larger group and were already on a third bottle of his recommended wine).

We ate the food as we were hungry and just wanted to have a quiet evening (no hassle).

We then wanted to leave. We were ignored for over 10 minutes so we went to the entrance to see the maître de. No one was there and to be honest we could have just walked out but we are not like that. We then finally spoke to someone (another 5 minutes waiting at the entrance). They graciously apologised and happily accepted our money of €29 which included the service charge they did not deserve (no offer of reduction was made).

Choose one of the other places so the other restaurants get more clients and these don’t continue to monopolise the evening trade.

Would...