The best news for years for food and wine-lovers in Almunecar. Fantastic scenery and surroundings in a sort of Roman Amfitheatre. A young couple from Spain (Sandra) and England (Mark) is really trying, and the result is very promising. We had two very nice salads, then lamb and rabbit, and both of the main cources were excellent! Nice wine list as well, especially the reds, many of them were from up-and-coming bodegas many of us have not heard of before. Well worth a visit this new restaurant!

Definitely worth a visit for the adventurous food, good surroundings and friendly service. We've been twice and the first time was a very pleasant surprise - very high quality food and wine. I was a little disappointed the second time - possibly because my expectation had been raised impossibly high by the first visit. I will be back though - which is a lot more than I can say for most places in the area.

What a fantastic new restaurant, went with some friends and had a wonderfull evening. Everything was just so refreshing from the usual average Almunecar dining experience, Great location, at very affordable prices. The best steak I have had In years with service and quality only found in the big city establishments. Go and enjoy we will at every oportunity. Good luck to Sandra and Mark, I am sure that very soon I will hafto book weeks in advance.

I'm wondering if I've ever eaten such high quality food, 3 visits this year alone culminating in a wondrous Valentine's day meal. We're really finding it difficult to go anywhere else.

Was expecting a sensation but unfortunately we were disappointed. Went for the Friday evening set menu (travelling through Europe I think) and we all felt the courses were haphazard and didn't flow. this would've been ok but it seemed that they were woefully understaffed, one waitress and as far as I could see just the chef in the kitchen and no help ... we struggled to get a drink and the time between courses overlong. After reading the other reviews, hopefully this was just a bad night and we will visit again to order from the standard menu. Will report back.

I try to make a rule of only eating at restaurants personally recommended to me. Los Laureles is one such and I wasn't disappointed. We were a party of six and took it as a good sign that a high percentage of tables were full mid-week. We hadn't booked but I think we'll have to on our next visit as I'm sure it'll go from strength to strength. The food was delightful, the menu inspired and the decor warm and welcoming. Front of house was slick and professional. I only come to Almunecar once a year for a holiday and am absolutely thrilled to have found this little gem and would recommend it to anyone and everyone. I know I'm wishing my life away but I can't wait for 2010. I'm salivating already sitting back here in UK! A very big "thumbs up" to Mark and Sandra.

Finally something worth talking about in Almunecar. Great food, no, not great food amazing food!! You must try this place, great setting and service, but the food is out of this world, I can´t believe I have left it so long before I tried this place, all I can say is foie gras special !!

Our third visit to Laureles, and by far the best experience so far! We had some friends from Nerja with us, and they really envy us having this quality restaurant in Almunecar. The fish (esp. the cod with Macademia nuts) were just wonderful, the meat also. And the desserts? -Just fantastic. If you have not been there, order your table today

Have become regulars at this lovely restaurant, and there are a lot of reasons for that: the location, the seating, the quietness, the people, the friendly service, the menu and the winelist. Everything just tops what the rest of the restaurants in town can offer you. And best of all: The prices are also very affordable. The foie gras special is an experience, some of the starters are just incredible, so are both the fish and the meat as well. And the desserts? Well - if you love chocolate fondant, this is the place to go!

We went to los laureles 3 times in one month, got to say the food is fantastic. First night I had the tasting menu which at 19.50 is a bargin of real quality. Every dish was fantastic and very will thought out!! Second was for the normal menu, just wanted steak and chips, top quality meat and really good, had cut chips (mustard sauce was top notch too) but the 3rd time I went was for lunch, can´t believe that for 12 euros you can get this type of quality .I had squid and chorizo salad, pork loin with braised cabbage and potatoes and cinnamon panocotta with pineapple syrup, I´m back in October and this will be my first port of call !!

I over heard some English people talking about this restaurant, so I thought I better try it. Went on a Thursday night (took half an hour to find, but thats a different story) amazing setting, you can tell the owners have spent a lot of time and effort to make this place what it is!! I started to think this was going to be a very expensive night but it really was better value for money than I could ever expected !! Service was first rate and with a smile and the food was excellent, truly excellent!!! We had such a lovely night and the chef even came out for a glass of wine and a chat at the end!!! This is without doubt the best restaurant in Almunecar!! I will be back

Just wonderful. The lunch menu for 12 euros is just amazingly cheap considering this is real, sincere quality. And the menu gives you a choice of the most exciting dishes. Just try it!

Was recommended by the guys at Ayer (sorry chaps), had a really good meal, the setting was superb but the service was the biggest low point, all served ok but the girl serving (think married to chef) was miserable, she seemed like she had just won the lotto only to find that she forgot to do it!!

We've eaten here three times and there's no denying the food is excellent... but we found the grey and white decor in the restaurant cold and conference room-ish. The service on our first visit last year was warm, friendly and attentive, but then, we were the only customers that lunchtime. On our more recent 2nd and 3rd visits, whilst entertaining our clients, we found the service to be indifferent, leaving us feeling in the way and that they were doing us a favour by serving us! It was, quite frankly, embarrassing. We won't be visiting again which is a shame, as the food is top quality, the chef is obviously working hard, it's a pity front of house is letting them down.

I went to Los laureles in the summer and was completely amazed by the whole experience!! Anyway, I´m back for a couple of weeks and first place I went was Los laureles!! Having read a few negative reviews about the service i was thinking, Sandra must have left!! So I was surprised when she greeted me!! Service was great, friendly and smiley, we had a fantastic evening and the food was really tasty as usual (great new scallops dish) great restaurant and I will be going back!!!

Went there last Friday, and were surprised by a tasting menu for 19.50 euros. Could not resist that. A what an incredible menu we were served! Duck, oxtail, merluza and so on... Presented in a way you'd only see in top international restaurants. And this is in tiny Almunecar! No wonder the terrace (must be seen!) was almost packed. Will be back very soon. Thanks to the two wonderful waitresses who brought this amazing food. And the chefs in the kitchen who made it!

I was recommended to go to this restaurant, and having seen most of the reviews were good,so i thought lets give it a go!! amazing setting the terrace is absolutely lovely, nicely lit and something you dont see here in the south of spain table linen, now comes the part that i couldn´t believe 6 course tasting menu for 19.50 euros. each course was well presented and varied and i couldnt pick a fault in any of it, i was informed it changes every week which for me makes it even more special because i wont be going anywhere else for the next 2 fridays.

went to los laureles on tuesday night thinking its not going to be very busy!! arrived at 9 oclock and the terrace was packed!! im happy and sad !!! great news for the guys that own it, but my special little hideaway looks like its gone forever!!! great food as always and the service was fantastic all in all, this place seems to be improving with age!!!

Took some friends for taster menu last friday. Absolutley gorgeous, everything really tasty. thankyou mr parris you clever chef you!!!!! . We all loved it very much, will be back soon.

Went on recommendation for the taster menu, fantastic setting, great food very well priced but a couple of things were lacking. The service was efficient but not at all pleasant, the atmosphere was that found in a library all we could here was the table next to us boasting how much money they had! Really needs some background music on the terrace and the coffee was undrinkable. Will always return, please read as constuctive.

Great food on the taster menu, superb and friendly service and with those prices I`ll never cook again myself on a Friday evening while visiting Almunecar! Good luck. Dutch Kees.

Great food on the taster menu, superb and friendly service and the wine fantastic. Amazed by the whole experience I will come back

We've visited before for evening meals and went in to try their lunchtime menu del dia ... the place should be chocked full! Stunning 3 course meal for 13 euros, as good as most restaurants very best dishes and an absolute steal at this price. The best menu del dia we've ever had.

We first went to Los Laureles when it opened in 2008 for a Friday evening "Tour of South America"...Steve and I still talk about that culinary experience to this day. We have returned many, many times over the subsequent years and most recently for the best value menu del dia in town (NB Sandra and Mark dropped their prices to help with the credit crisis) - As always SUPERB **********

On a fourteen day visit to the area my friends and I visited Los Laureles seven times, with a mixture of lunchtime and evening dinners. Every meal was different and original,superbly presented, very well prepared, and a credit to the staff.The wines that were recommended were good and not overpriced.There was a bit of a spat between front of house and the chef, this was politely explained and soon forgotten, and I guess that the staff were a little overstretched as the terrace was full. The prices for the lunchtime and the evening meals were most reasonable and better than almost all of their competitors down in the town.We will be back.