Review Malabar - Charlotte

Thomas Leonard

It is usually awkward eating alone, but not at Malabar. The Spanish Tapas were amazing. I ordered three small plates - dates, mushrooms & asparagus, and scallops and it's hard to say which one I enjoyed most (I guess that I would choose the bacon wrapped stuffed dates). Everything was excellent and I would like to bring my wife back here for a romantic date.

Saravanan Ram

Best Tapas in the area. Do visit them for their range of tapas and excellent customer service. Their desserts are a delicacy too. Try their coconut pudding.

Andy

I’m torn at this point, nothing really blew my mind but nothing was terrible it just wasn’t amazing. Don’t let that deter you from trying this cool spot. I really think it was just an off night for them and they seemed understaffed. We had lamb chops, skirt steak, grilled octopus( very bland) olives and a salad ( which was excellent). Main course was the paella- this to me seemed very dry almost over cooked and lacked any type of flavor. Dessert was tiramisu which was amazing!! Will definitely go back and see if it was just an off night.

Jacqueline Telljohann

This is a pretty good Spanish tapas place. I think the best strategy when you come here is to come with a group and order a bunch of tapas to share. I've been here a few times and there are a lot of good things in the menu. The chiles rellenos (stuffed peppers), croquettes, churrasco (skirt steak), and the crispy beef dishes are some of my favorites. The empanadas and garlic shrimp are also very good. This time they had a chorizo special that I was really disappointed by. I'm used to it being juicy and flavorful, but it was a link and very dry. The service is really good. They are attentive and food comes out as it is ready. They take reservations, but there's usually not a wait when I'm there. It's a pretty small, cute little place. Being tapas style, the price can start to add up, but it's worth it for a special occasion. This is a great place to go for dinner before a play or show. It's less than a block away from Belk Theater. If you're in the area, I would recommend checking it out!

Lisa Moon

A classy ambiance, people watching, and city life all make this spot interesting. The drinks are tasty and made with a touch of class. The food is delish.

Justin Carpenter

Amazing food. Their food are always fresh. Their paella is a must try. The only flaw is the service wasn't attentive enough.

Louis G

Simply, wow! Great tapas for a reasonable price. Service was very attentive and parking wasn't bad with a lot nearby. I recommend the croquetas and octopus.

Sara Hart

Perfect evening! We had the best food and experience at Malabar last night. Our family are there before going to Hamilton. Everything was amazing! Ken, our server, was fantastic and was happy to ask the chef if certain dishes were gluten free and one of our sons cannot have gluten. Food was wonderful!

Christina Weaver

I’d like to first address some of the low star reviews- if you are looking for vegetarian options, the menu IS ONLINE. Read it before you go somewhere and complain about lack of options for you!! This is a small, intimate restaurant. Yes, you NEED a reservation, which you can also do online. Shocker, I know. Now, onto the amazing dinner my boyfriend and I had tonight. Let me begin by saying it is Good Friday. It is storming here in Charlotte, and the owner/manager was quick to let us know he’d be our waiter because he had let a significant number of his staff take Easter weekend off. Bless him. We came in for a special occasion, so we were prepared to spend quite a bit of $$ to have a good time. Aside from that I think that these dishes were super affordable. We tried the croquettes, shrimp, empanadas, fried eggplant, their pork belly special, and basically as much as we could off the menu including drinks and dessert and it all tasted impeccable! The service was amazing, the environment was intimate and overall it’s one of the best meals I’ve had in a long while. 10/10 would recommend.

andrew cofield

My first dinner at Malabar definitely won't be my last. Service was absolutely exceptional and all of the dishes were on point. The pulpo was probably the best octopus dish I've ever had. Sublime. Beef churrasco was really great as well. Absolutely loved everything about my dining experience. It doesn't get much better than this.

Nicki Scally

Bacon wrapped dates filled with goat cheese....need I say more ???? The food is incredible. Small plates allow you to try lots of options and we have had nearly every item on the menu and it's all excellent. The service is top notch and the staff is warm and friendly. This is one of my favorite spots in the Charlotte area. The red sangria is the best I've had.

Robert Weil

Managed to get in here for Restaurant week and man am I glad we did. We started with a pitcher of the red sangria. It was delicious, but pretty sweet for just two of us to drink. The restaurant week menu gave a perfect sampling of their small plates, entree menu and deserts. The ribs were fantastic. I started with the chorizo, which was excellent, but what really wowed me was the small plate my girlfriend got, the shrimp ceviche. Unbelievable! Rather small joint so make sure you make a reservation

vince feliciano

This place is fantastic!!! I loved everything about it. The food, atmosphere, the soft authentic flamenco music in the background, the artwork, the warm colors inside, the location, the staff, the cozy size of the place, the prices, everything. This is a romantic spot and my wife and I will be back for our anniversary. I usually try to surprise her with where we go but we both agreed THIS is where we’re going. I had the lamb and empanadas and my wife had the steak and we tried the moussaka and fish stew. We also had the EXCELLENT sangria. If you’re a fan of tiramisu, this is as good as the best one I’ve ever had, which I still remember was in 1998 at an Italian restaurant called Vincent’s in Little Italy in NYC. When my wife had the one from Malabar she almost cried because it brought her right back to what we had on our anniversary back in ‘98. This is a Charlotte gem for me and we’ll be back.

Nikki A

Excellent service, atmosphere and amazing food and drinks! Highly recommended

Danielle Kingsbury

We had a superb lunch here! The food was so so yummy! If I were you I would check out the tappas! Order some for the table and share! Service was a little slow and it gets packed right at noon, but definitely a great place to check out!

Dustin Dubay

I really liked this place. The food was great, the service was awesome and accommodating. The restaurant was really clean. Went for a date night and was not disappointed. Did a variety of small plates and wine and was pleasantly surprised with how delicious the food was and overall how reasonable the prices were.