Malaga Tapas & Bar

The wine list is extensive and very good. Prices are a bit higher than other establishments, so you need to know your wines, so you can order appropriately. Bar staff was understaffed with 2 people behind a busy bar. Cold and Hot tapas are very good, which enhance the wine found in their cellars. Atmosphere is nice, and like every other place in 2nd Street, is trendy and you will need to plan ahead, and try to reserve ahead. Hostess staff is very cocky and to an extent rude, but that is what you get when there is younger people in charge. For a true Spanish experience, the wine and tapas are fine, the servers are knowledgeable, but the owner of the restaurant really needs to pay close attention to the hostesses, which are the first contact of a client with the establishment. Food 4 stars. Wine 5 stars. Hostesses 1 star. more

What makes any establishment great is it's people. Unfortunately this place doesn't have them. We were excited to find a place that would give a class on cooking with the meal. We purchased a gift certificate for 10 people to dine and have the chef give us a class on wine and spanish quisine. We had to book the time about a month and a half in advance because they only did this.class at certain times. It was a challenge to get ten people all there at the same time. We called a day in advance to confirm with the lady we had made the reservation with and she denied that we had ever made reservations. Luckily my wife had it in writing, but instead of trying to resolve the issue she basically told us tough luck. We cancelled and had to wait several weeks to get our money refunded. I am not suprised th hear from other reviews that the place is not very busy on weekends with this kind of service. Stay Away!! more

This restaurant is located in the warehouse district downtown. I was very impressed and would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a little Spanish flair! Fantastic food at a reasonable price! I enjoyed that the portions are small, so my friends and I were able to order a variety and try a number of different items. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. They were able to recommend several different wines based off the tapas we ordered. And I loved the atmosphere! Felt like a small slice of Spain!!!! I'll definitely be returning here every chance I get! more

I have lived in Andalusia, where the name-sake of this restaurant is located. Pros: Nice to look at, good wine Cons: Incredibly over-priced basic food, unfriendly more

I tried to book a reservation for Valentines day for me and my girl. This place is kind of a sentimental choice for us, since we went there for our first Valentines (In fairness, we had a great time). So I call and the hostess informs me that only the manager can make the reservation, so I say fine, call me back when he gets there. So I put off making my Valentines reservation (dangerous) and he does call me back. more

It is not like our favorite Tapas restaurant ""Tapeo"" in Boston, but it is VERY close. Especially now that they have outdoor seating. The Sangria is exceptional and the variety of food is good. Pros: Ambiance, parking, outdoor dining Cons: not enough game meat like rabbit, quail, wild boar, fried strawberries, etc. more

In sum, my friends and I had a horrible experience. The waiter was inattentive - - My soda was flat, but I had to wait 20 minutes before he came back to the table to ask for a replacement beverage. The worst part of our dining experience was that the wait staff removed plates and glasses before we had even finished eating and drinking what we had purchased. Although the chef/owner stopped by our table to ask if everything was satisfactory, he told me to wait 5 minutes when I told him there were several major problems with our overall dining experience at his restaurant (because he was busy socializing with other diners!). In short, he was extremely rude and completely unapproachable. Adding insult to injury, the food was nothing to rave about! more

I was a fan of Malaga when they had their smaller location next to Cedar St., so I was excited to try out the new location downtown off of 2nd St. The space is much larger but still has the long bar and the decor the other location had. They've also added a nice patio out front and have some great happy hour specials (glass of wine and tapas for less than $10)! I was with a large group and we ordered a variety of dishes but the Queso de Cabra Frito con Miel was my favorite! The calamari is pretty tasty as well. This is a great place to sit out on the patio with a glass of wine or if you are with a large group, move your party indoors. They definitely have the space to accomodate. more

I've always been a fan of Malaga on 4th Street, so I was eager to try out the new location. The space looks great, but our experience there was terrible. I met a couple friends here for happy hour on a Thursday. The restaurant was not busy at all, so I'm not sure how to explain the slow, inattentive service. Our cheese plate was pathetic and unsatisfying (bland cheese and fruit on a small salad plate, the whole thing generously sprinkled with paprika ... not exactly great presentation) so we ordered a few other tapas. These were absolutely horrible and we ended up sending them back (something I never do) and canceling our order for the 2nd bottle of wine. The waitress was totally apathetic and did nothing to help the situation. We paid for our 1 bottle of wine and went down the street to Cru. There we were happy to find exemplary service, and fresh, delicious appetizers. I was hugely disappointed with Malaga, and will not be going back. Pros: ambience, decor, location Cons: service, food more

I have yet to go to the new 2nd street location, but am going this week. I enjoy the service as it has always been spot on. The desserts are my favorite and I have to say that I like all of them. The prices though, are way above tapa prices in Barcelona. They should be priced lower because the purpose is to have many appetizers, not just a couple. Still, it is a great place. more

Just tried the new location on 4th and I didn't think it could be better than the old location... but it is! The wine selection was great as usual and the food even better. We had the Quail Legs and the Portobello and the Lomo. All were excellent. The atmosphere was a fun and exciting (but a little loud for me) since the place was packed on a Friday night. I think we had a new server, she could have know the wine list a little better. But, we were having so much fun we hardly noticed! Pros: Great food and wine selection Cons: a little loud more

I have yet to visit the new location, My date and I finally checked it out on Sat night. We started out at the bar bc it was packed. The bartender , Mike I believe, turned us on to an amazing martini called Mona vie. It was delicious and he was very friendly and funny. We then went on to our table were WE were served by a charming young man named micah, he was very knowledgable and anticipated all our needs. Great service!!. more

Malaga I (old location): Nearly everything about this place is perfect so it is easier to get the only ""con"" out of the way. The food selection is somewhat limited, or should I say, not as adventurous as I've had in Spain, Boston (Dali restaurant in Cambridge), or even Raleigh (Red Room Tapas). What was ordered (portabello mushroom, scallops, asparagus, and some type of tortilla pie) was hit or miss. The rest was excellent, from being seated immediately and accomodating our late arrival, to the wine selection, to the prompt service, the incredibly romantic ambiance, the attentiveness of the waitstaff, the reasonable prices, etc. Pros: swanky space Cons: food, sangria more

I just read through the reviews for this restaurant and was shocked that anyone could have had a bad experience at Malaga! I've been going there for years with friends, family, dates, you name it. Every time it's been a perfect, unforgettable, delectable experience for all. From the moment you walk in you feel that you've left Austin (or the US for that matter) and entered romantic old-world Spain. The ambiance, the music, the lighting, the smells all enchant your senses. The hostesses and waitstaff only serve to enhance the experience - caring for you exactly the way you wish everyone would: there when you need them, knowledgable, helpful but never intrusive. So welcoming! The wine list is to die for and the food is a culinary experience like no other. In fact, I've been to Spain many times and I have to say I like the chef's interpretations of the Spanish classics better than many I've had in their country of origin. And very frequently the chef makes the rounds, visiting with customers, sprinkling his charm and passion for food and wine like pixie dust on everyone. Truly, if you're into great wine, fantastic service, old world ambiance and mouth-watering food - you absolutely MUST make Malaga your next dining experience. Pros: Everything about this place is a pro Cons: Careful... it's addictive more

So we hadn't been to the new location in about a month and decided to get our Malaga fix this past Sunday afternoon. To our surprise they had just started a new brunch menu. In short, it was amazing. It was my husband, 2 friends and myself. We all ordered different items off of the brunch menu and as usual Malaga did not disappoint. To top it all off they have Mimosa's and 4 different Sangrias for $1.00!!! That's right one dollar. I think I just found my new favorite brunch spot and can't wait to go back this weekend. Pros: brunch menu rocks Cons: they still are not open 24 hours more

This was the worse restaurant experience I have ever had in my 25 years of living (I know that?s young but I'm old enough to know how a good, paying customer should be treated). Beware of Adam (the host) this man quite literally has never had any social training. My girls and I were trying to have a girls night out and we loved the look of this place but you can forget about the service! Bad bad bad! There are so many places in Austin where you can have a great time, this is not one of them. Please guys, don't take your dates here. more

RUDE, RUDE, RUDE! I have been going to the Malaga for the past three years and have very much enjoyed it. I was eager to bring friends of mine one recent evening. However, that evening ruined it for me. My friends and I came in and were shown a table. As simple as that. When we said we were not going to order food, the waitress became visibly annoyed and left. A minute later, the host (the same that gave us the table) told us we had to wait at the front until a space was free at the bar because tables were reserved for meals. This was not mentioned by him when he gave us the table nor was it written anywhere. So I asked if we could wait at the table instead of moving twice seeing it was his mistake. He said fine then came back with two customers and told us to get out. It got ugly very quickly when I got angry and he threatened to get the police. We put him to the challenge. He left for a good 5-10 minutes while people were piling at the door and came back without the police. Meanwhile, the staff had obviously been told not to serve us. Waitresses and bartenders ignored our orders. We were finally told by the host that he was going to throw us out if we didn't leave. We did. But we told everyone that we encountered that we had found small creatures at our table :) NO CLASSY ESTABLISHMENT TREATS THEIR CUSTOMERS LIKE THAT. Pros: the food is good, wine list is good Cons: staff is rude and do not know how to run a restaurant more

I can't believe the slew of negative reviews. I have eaten here many times and the food is always great. The wine pours are huge, really more like two glasses. more

I've only been to this place once, but I thought it was fabulous. I met someone for a first date on a Thursday for the happy hour (which was very reasonably priced). It wasn't crowded, but wasn't like a ghost town either. Our waiter was polite, and the ambience was lovely. This would be a great place to go for a girls' night out, or go to the happy hour before going somewhere else for the evening. Pros: food, happy hour prices, mojitos Cons: having to walk up and down stairs while you're walking on the sidewalk to get to Malaga more

My girlfriend and another couple decided to eat here last week. We tried a lot of different stuff, including the lamb, the olives, the cheese, the tuna, and a few others. Really, not worth the $170 we spent. The food was just so-so. I had the pinot flight and didn't really enjoy the four wines they offered. We all agreed that if we were going to spend that much, we might as well get sushi. more