Mardeleva — Restaurant in Tías

Very mediocre restaurant which advertises itself as being rather fancy. Even the prices on the menu are on the more expensive side — almost every item on the menu is 15,- or more. Then there is the actual menu, which is not that big, which wouldn‘t be a problem, wasn‘t it for the further "restrictions" put on the customer during the process of ordering (for example, many dishes having the clause "min. 2 people" added to them, which deters you from ordering). Also, we were told that some items on the menu weren’t made with fresh, but rather with frozen fish, which was also contrary to our expectations. But then, once you finally have decided what to order, the service is fine. The waiters*waitresses are friendly. The drinks were mid as well, our Mojitos were extremely sweet. As a starter, we ordered fish filet churro-style, which cost us 16,- euros. We got 7 small filets served with some mayonnaise. The dish wasn‘t arranged in a particularly nice way, not much care was put into the actual look of the food apparently. It tasted fine, but not worth 16,-. Then, as a main course, my partner wanted to order some fish, but was either deterred by aforementioned clause or told that the fish wasn‘t fresh (weird?). So we both finally decided to each have a good ol‘ Schnitzel. In a seafood restaurant. The Schnitzel was fine, not as good as in Austria obviously but passed the Schnitzel-test. It came with fries and some vegetables, both also passable. All in all, the food was alright but not worth the ~50 euros we paid for it. The drinks came out at around 15,- which is fine by any means.

Now, our biggest gripe: The atmosphere and setting. We were advertised a fancy restaurant with a view of the port/sea. We were advertised a cozy, romantic restaurant. What we got was a below average inside seating area with a great view of the counter and its many ads and the such. There was an outdoor seating area, but it didn‘t look cozy either, more like a glorified beer garden. The inside of the restaurant also looked more like a tourist spot, with maps and compasses drawn on the walls. Further, the menu design is just horrendous, graphic design is not their passion apparently.

All in all, this seems like a pretty touristic place, not to say...

Went for a meal ...we didnt book but got a table ok. There were 4 male waiters and a female. She seemed to be going to each table and explaining what was on the menu and how it was cooked for the evening. She didnt come to our table. We were served by a waiter who gave us minimum information about what was on the menu. We ordered and i specifically asked for a bottle of local canarian wine. Only to be given a house white wine from somewhere in spain..! We ordered garlic mushrooms and mussels Sea bass and chicken breast The starters were ok...but we got only 1 bread roll each... The sea bass was see through and not at all like normal sea bass...as it is usually a big fish...i had a piece of lettuce and a slice of tomatoe and a slice of cucumber and 3 tiny canarian potatoes... The chicken was not a breast of chicken as i had asked that it was but a flat chicken steak smothered in pepper sauce and a few chips and a floret of broccoli and a couple of carrots.. We did not get any water on our table as everyone else did...and noone came to see if we were ok...or that the food was nice or anything...we asked for the bill and had to wait 20 minutes to receive it The total price with a small lager and a vodka and lemonade eas €73.60......total rip off for what we received...id pay less than that at Gordon Ramsay's restaurant...and get excellent service and value for money..! Then to add insult to injury..the female waitress was speaking to a woman at the table behind where we were sitting and telling her that she was looking forward to her time off as she was sick of people constantly shouting out at her whilst she was serving.... How rude...when that is her job...! We won't ever go back......it puts you right off eating in places when on holiday....you think its better locally in a spanish eatery rather than going to the larger places on the front that sell food that i can cook myself at home....but its not...they are just after your money...and greedy too...! And i had done my homework befire travelling...i went on trip advisor and looked at the ratings etc...but we all know the proof of the pudding is in...

This dining experience was one we will talk about for a while a hidden gem in the old town of Puerto del Carmen. From the service to the food this place is excellent. If you want a chilled relaxed vibe away from the hustle and bustle get to merdelva. The waiter who gave recommendations of the daily specials got it right every time. His sense of humour really adds to the experience he was fantastic and very passionate. We ended up dining here twice on our visit to pureto del carmen. Highly recommend the mai mai fish exquisite! Seabass, scallops, octopus, the dips with the bread too! Lemon meringue for dessert. All homemade and bursting with flavour . The waitress had told us it is a family run restaurant her husband is the fisherman, brother in law is the chef it really was a gem the staff where all excellent the service was flawless. Be sure to book and ask for a table on the terrace! It can get very busy to put into context we over heard a table next to us ask can they book a table for the next 3 nights! Had we of been staying for longer we definitely would have made another visit. Simple food cooked to perfection. one of our evenings a gentleman played some songs on his guitar this place is vibe...