Sabor con Encanto Malaga Review – Is It Worth Visiting?

If you’ve been walking around Málaga’s historic centre and wondering where to grab a proper brunch that isn’t just a sad croissant and bad coffee — Sabor con Encanto might just be the answer. I’ve lived in Málaga for a couple of years now, and this place has become one of those spots I keep coming back to, and keep recommending to people visiting.

It’s a family-owned brunch restaurant sitting on a small square just off the centre, focused entirely on healthy, made-from-scratch food. The concept is simple: good ingredients, no deep fryers, no added sugars, and a menu that actually works for people with dietary restrictions without being preachy about it. It’s not fine dining, it’s not a tourist trap — it lands somewhere between a neighbourhood café and a proper brunch spot with a bit more ambition than the usual. Whether you’re visiting Málaga for a weekend or living here, this is the kind of place worth knowing about.

 

Quick Restaurant Facts

 

First Impression

The first thing you notice arriving at Sabor con Encanto is the square. Plaza Enrique García-Herrera is a little local plaza with some outdoor tables and what looks like a small playground nearby — so if you’re coming with kids, that’s already a good sign. The restaurant itself doesn’t shout for attention. There’s no big sign trying too hard. It’s understated, which I actually like.

When you walk in, it feels immediately warm. The owner is often there herself, and more than one reviewer has mentioned just randomly sitting down next to her without realising who she was. That kind of thing tells you a lot about the place — there’s no pretension here. Staff greet you, help you pick something from the menu if you’re overwhelmed (and you might be, because there’s quite a lot going on), and the whole thing just feels genuinely welcoming rather than polished and corporate. The vibe is calm without being sleepy. It feels like a place run by people who actually care about the food they’re serving you.

💡 Fun fact: The name “Sabor con Encanto” translates roughly to “Flavour with Charm” — and honestly, that’s a pretty accurate description of the whole experience.

 

Location and Setting

The restaurant is tucked into Plaza Enrique García-Herrera, which sits in Málaga’s Centro district. It’s close enough to the main sights — the Cathedral, the Alcazaba, the Picasso Museum — that you can easily combine a visit here with a morning or afternoon of exploring the city on foot.

It’s not on the main tourist drag, which is part of why it feels more local than some of the spots right around the Calle Larios area. You have to want to find it a little bit, and that filters out the most casual foot traffic. The square setting means there’s outdoor seating that feels relaxed and unhurried — not crammed tables on a busy pavement, but actual space to breathe.

For parking, there’s garage parking available nearby, which is useful since the centre of Málaga can be a bit of a puzzle if you’re driving. The location works equally well for a slow weekend morning or a lunchtime break mid-sightseeing.

📍 Nice to know: The playground near the outdoor seating area makes this one of the more family-friendly brunch spots in the centre — the kids have somewhere to go while you actually finish your coffee.

 

Atmosphere and Interior

Inside, Sabor con Encanto is cosy without feeling cramped. It’s the kind of place where the décor doesn’t try to be Instagram-perfect, but it ends up being quite photogenic anyway because everything just fits together naturally. The lighting is warm, the noise level is comfortable – you can have a conversation without raising your voice – and the music is background rather than something you have to compete with.

It works for a lot of different occasions. I’ve seen couples there on a slow Sunday morning, people working on laptops, families with small children, and groups of friends doing a proper leisurely brunch. The outdoor seating on the square adds a Mediterranean feel that’s hard to beat on a sunny Málaga morning, which, let’s be honest, is most mornings.

It doesn’t feel like a tourist restaurant, but it’s also not a stuffy locals-only spot that makes you feel out of place if you don’t speak Spanish. It’s genuinely welcoming to everyone, which is rarer than it should be. The overall atmosphere is relaxed, modern enough to feel fresh, but warm enough to want to stay for a second coffee.

 

Service

Service here is one of the genuine highlights. The staff – and the owner herself when she’s around – are consistently described across dozens of reviews as warm, attentive, and knowledgeable about the menu. The owner’s smile apparently never leaves her face, which sounds like an exaggeration until you experience it yourself. Top Rated Online

They’re good at explaining dishes and making recommendations, which matters here because the menu has quite a bit going on – different bread options, dietary swaps, add-ons – and it helps to have someone walk you through it rather than just pointing at the laminated card. Staff are described as extremely friendly and attentive, making guests feel very welcome. Tripadvisor

One thing worth noting: like any popular spot, it can get busy on weekend mornings, and service may slow down slightly during peak hours. But it never tips over into chaotic or dismissive. The owner personally responds to reviews online, which tells you a lot about how seriously they take the guest experience. Payment is straightforward, the farewell is warm, and you leave feeling like you were actually looked after rather than just processed.

 

Food and Menu

This is where Sabor con Encanto really earns its reputation, so let’s get into it properly.

The Concept

The restaurant makes meals from scratch using good quality and fresh ingredients, doesn’t deep fry anything, and uses no added sugars in the menu. They’ve also thought carefully about dietary needs – there are options clearly marked for gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian diners, and the allergen labelling on the menu has been specifically praised by reviewers. Tripadvisor

The menu covers a lot of ground: toasts on sourdough, omelettes, waffles, arepas, salads, burgers, sandwiches, and desserts. It sounds like a lot, and it is – but everything has a coherent philosophy behind it. Nothing feels random.

What We Tried

Toasts (Tostadas): The sourdough toast section is one of the stars. The Sabores Matutinos – scrambled egg, avocado, tomato and gratin edam cheese on sourdough – is exactly what a good brunch toast should be. Generous, well-seasoned, and the bread is genuinely good quality. The Delicia Mediterránea with iberian ham, avocado, tomato and rocket is another strong option. Each toast comes with either a small fruit bowl or a mini avomole bowl, which is a nice touch.

Omelettes: The Primavera Italiana – a two-egg omelette with cherry tomato, mozzarella and pesto – was a favourite. It comes with your choice of toast or air-fried potatoes, plus the fruit or avomole side. The Campesino with mushrooms, peppers, tomato, onion and cheese is heartier and more rustic.

Arepas: This is where things get interesting. Sabor con Encanto does Venezuelan-style arepas, which you don’t often see in Málaga. The La Llanerita – beef tenderloin, Venezuelan white cheese, lettuce and homemade chimichurri — is genuinely excellent. The steak arepas are one of the dishes the restaurant is particularly well-known for. The Delicia de Pollo with slow-cooked shredded chicken in Greek yogurt sauce is equally good and a little lighter. All arepas are naturally gluten-free. InTravel

Waffles: The Waffles de los Buenos Días – made with oat flour, sweetened with dates, served with eggs and crispy bacon – is a proper brunch dish. The fact that they’re sweetened with dates instead of sugar is the kind of detail you notice because the flavour is rounder and less sharp.

Burgers: The signature Sabor con Encanto burger uses 180g of Angus beef on a butter brioche bun with their yogurt-based special sauce. It’s a serious burger that doesn’t apologise for itself.

Desserts: The Guilt-Free Brownie – made with dark chocolate, sweetened with dates, no flour, served warm with vanilla ice cream – is one of the best things on the menu. The Cheesecake Encanto with homemade passion fruit jelly topping is also worth ordering. The House Signature Look-alike, a kalamansi citrus mousse shaped like an avocado, is a bit of a showpiece.

💡 Fun fact: The avocado-shaped dessert (the “Trampantojo”) is a trompe l’oeil — a dish designed to look exactly like something else. It looks like a perfectly ripe avocado, but it’s actually a citrus mousse with a chocolate coating. Genuinely impressive.

 

Best Dish

Tough to pick just one, but the La Llanerita arepa stands out. The quality of the beef, the homemade chimichurri, and the combination of textures in a naturally gluten-free format – it’s the dish that feels most distinctly them, and it’s executed really well.

What Could Be Better

The menu is extensive, which is mostly a good thing, but occasionally the kitchen gets stretched when it’s busy and a couple of dishes can come out slightly inconsistently. The pastrami sandwich, for example, has received a few more mixed reviews compared to the other sandwiches. Nothing dramatic — just worth noting that not every dish fires equally.

 

Drinks and Wine

The drinks menu at Sabor con Encanto is solid and well thought out for a brunch restaurant. The coffee is consistently praised – they serve everything from a ristretto to an iced latte, affogato, and a flat white, and the quality is clearly taken seriously.

The fresh juice and smoothie selection is genuinely good: the Morning Energy (kale, apple, kiwi, cucumber, lemon and ginger) is the kind of thing that makes you feel virtuous, and the Tropical Frappe (strawberry, mango and orange) is more of an indulgence. Fresh orange juice is available, and there are several other cold blends.

For something with alcohol, they do classic cocktails – mimosa, mojito, margarita, tequila sunrise, gin-tonic – all at €7, which is fair for Málaga. There’s also a small but decent wine-by-the-glass selection and a handful of beers including a gluten-free Cruz Campo. The Café con leche XL with Baileys (€5.50) is a popular order on weekends and you can see why.

💡 Nice to know: The coffee with Baileys XL is probably the most popular weekend order after the fresh juices. If you’re going to be sitting on that terrace on a sunny Saturday morning, it’s hard to argue against it.

 

Price and Value for Money

Expect to spend roughly €15–€25 per person for a full brunch with a drink. For a lighter option – a toast and a coffee – you’re looking at around €13–€15. The premium dishes like the chimichurri toast or the La Llanerita arepa push slightly higher, but you’re getting quality ingredients and genuine effort behind the cooking.

Compared to similar brunch spots in Málaga’s centre, Sabor con Encanto sits at a fair-to-slightly-premium price point – but the quality justifies it. This isn’t the place to come for a €4 tostada con tomate, but it’s also nowhere near the prices you’d pay at some of the more tourist-facing spots around the Cathedral. You’re paying for food that’s actually made properly, and that feels like fair value.

Cocktails at €7 are very reasonable. Coffee is priced normally for Málaga. The extras system (add bacon, an egg, avocado, etc. to any dish) is transparent and lets you customise without the bill running away from you unexpectedly.

 

Who Should Visit Sabor con Encanto?

Great for:

• Couples looking for a relaxed weekend brunch
• Solo travellers who want quality food without fuss
• Families — the outdoor square with the nearby playground is genuinely useful
• Anyone with dietary restrictions (gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian are all well-served)
• Food lovers who appreciate made-from-scratch cooking
• People staying in the centre of Málaga who want a proper morning meal

Less ideal for:

• A quick, cheap breakfast before an early flight
• Large groups wanting a set-menu or party atmosphere
• People looking for traditional Andalusian tapas
• Anyone in a real rush — this is a brunch place, not a fast-food concept

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Genuinely excellent, made-from-scratch food with real thought behind it
• Outstanding dietary options — gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian all handled well
• Warm, personal service with an owner who clearly cares
• Good outdoor seating on a pleasant square
• Interesting menu with Venezuelan and Mediterranean influences you don’t find everywhere
• Transparent allergen labelling
• Very high ratings across multiple review platforms

Cons

• Can get busy on weekend mornings — booking recommended
• Not every dish is equally strong (the pastrami sandwich divided opinions)
• Not the spot for traditional Spanish tapas or a quick bite
• Menu can feel a little overwhelming on first visit

 

Final Verdict

Sabor con Encanto is one of those places that earns its reputation honestly. The food is well above average for a brunch spot – fresh, made from scratch, genuinely creative in places – and the service has a warmth that’s hard to fake. It’s located in the heart of the historic town centre, and you can feel the fresh produce and the care put into the ingredients. Wanderlog

It’s not perfect for every occasion. If you want a traditional Andalusian experience or a quick, cheap bite, look elsewhere. But if you’re after a proper, unhurried brunch in a city that doesn’t always take brunch that seriously – this is the place. Some regulars come here multiple times per week and still rate it 5/5, which says something. Tripadvisor

The combination of dietary inclusivity, genuinely good cooking, a lovely outdoor square, and that personal family-owned feeling makes it stand out in a city full of options. I’d go back without hesitation, and I’d take people there without worrying they’d be disappointed.

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Rating

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FAQ

Is Sabor con Encanto worth visiting? Yes, especially if you’re looking for a proper, healthy, made-from-scratch brunch in the centre of Málaga. It’s one of the best brunch spots in the city.

Do you need to book a table at Sabor con Encanto? Booking is recommended, particularly on weekends and during high season. You can reserve directly through their website.

Is Sabor con Encanto expensive? It’s mid-range, with an average spend of around €15–€25 per person including a drink. Not budget dining, but fair value for the quality.

What is the best dish at Sabor con Encanto? The La Llanerita arepa (beef tenderloin with chimichurri) is exceptional. The sourdough toasts and the Guilt-Free Brownie dessert are also highlights.

Is Sabor con Encanto good for people with dietary restrictions? Yes – it’s one of the better spots in Málaga for this. Gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian options are well-represented and clearly labelled on the menu.

Is Sabor con Encanto good for families? Yes. The outdoor square seating and the nearby playground make it more family-friendly than most brunch spots in the centre.

 

Latest update: May 2026