Don Marisquito

The lady on the door who encouraged us in was very friendly and welcoming, which unfortunately was where the positives ended.

The calamari was extremely tough and difficult to eat. The paella had good flavour and the rice itself was well cooked, but it was very lacking in protein - only a few small pieces of seafood and chicken, with the vast majority being rice.

We stayed for dessert as it was part of a 3 course set menu, otherwise we would have left earlier. We had the cheesecake and apple cake, both of which were disappointing. The cheesecake looked very sad, under cooked - tasted more like an omelette. The apple in the apple cake was pleasant, but the sponge itself tasted undercooked and doughy.

Service also felt quite difficult throughout the meal. Simple requests such as bread or drinks seemed to be an inconvenience, which left us feeling unwelcome. It’s possible something was going on that we weren’t aware of, but overall the experience was disappointing after such a warm initial welcome.

Very disappointing!
Opted for the set menu;
Squid was hard,
Chicken croquettes had no chicken in
Salmon was raw in the middle and tasted watery and flavourless
Seabass was hot in places and just warm in others,
Vegetable side dishes some were soggy, others hard
Cheesecake had not been refrigerated and tasted room temperature.
Menus were on dirty, screwed up paper and there was no tissue in the toilet.
The waitress was miserable.
Would definitely not recommend.

We were initially drawn in by the large sign advertising a set menu for €18.50, which seemed like a great deal. We were warmly welcomed and seated by a very friendly hostess, which gave us a good first impression.
Unfortunately, the experience declined from there. Our waitress came across as quite unfriendly and seemed annoyed when we asked about the set menu, which was not included in the menus we were given. This made the service feel uncomfortable for the rest of the meal.
The appetizers were decent, we ordered croquettes, gazpacho, and Russian salad, which were all okay but nothing stood out. For the main courses, however, we were quite disappointed. The hamburgers tasted like they were made from frozen patties and were lacking flavor. The paella for two was very small, with dry chicken and little to no flavor, and it lacked the traditional presentation and quality of seafood we expected. The steak was very thin and tasted more like veal.
Dessert options were also limited, as only ice cream and cheesecake were available despite several items being listed on the menu. The ice cream was good, but the cheesecake tasted like it may have been store-bought.
Overall, while the location and initial welcome were promising, the quality of the food and service did not meet our expectations.

I was in Costa del Sol with my wife at the end of November, and we ended up at Don Maresquito on someone’s recommendation. We have no regrets at all. We liked it so much that we came back three days in a row (after that, the restaurant was closing for a break).

The food is absolutely outstanding. A great option is the personalized set menu, where you can choose a starter, a main course, and a dessert. The fish dishes are pure poetry. I personally loved the octopus, while my wife enjoyed the seabream.

If we manage to visit Benalmádena again next year, we will definitely return to this fantastic restaurant. Greetings from Kraków/Poland

Lovely meal and nice atmosphere. My husband had the seafood paella and I had the 3 course meal.