This restaurant has been on my list since moving to Charleston 18 months ago. We finally made it for lunch yesterday. It's a small charming restaurant with great service. We ate and drank for nearly three hours. We had about 10 dishes and a couple of bottles of wine. Every single dish was excellent, unique with an explosion of delicate flavors. They also have a wonderful wine selection of unique vintages. I'm going to be a regular patron be because this is such a gem in Charleston. read more

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I can easily and confidently rate this place a 5! I only have positive things to say about my experience. To start, the restaurant itself is tucked away right off king. It is very small and cozy inside and we sat at the bar! The lights are dimmed and there are tons of wine bottle and other market items just made the place feel comfortable. The entire staff is friendly and helpful. Every single dish we got was insane. We started with an amazing orange wine which I can rave about for hours. Some must order items: La bomba Marinated lamb w/ and order of bread for dipping! Although I found some items to be slightly pricey, after having eaten there the price is more than justified for the amazing quality. Truly an amazing dining experience!! A must go place! read more

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I saw some reviews stating this was not Spanish food and I beg to differ. I mean certainly, it's not in SPAIN - but it is obviously spanish inspired and damn good! We went for a late lunch and sat at the bar. The space is small and lovely. Sitting at the bar, we had the best service. We ate: Gilda - I adore Gilda and this did not disappoint. I could have eaten 50 more. Olives - I always, every time, order olives to start and these were good. Mojama con almendras marcona - this was so different and yummy. It's cured tuna belly with Marcona almonds. A wonderful dish and great with their bread. Calamar con mercilla - this was a star - the squid and chickpeas were a great combination. Jamon Iberico - this was also a star - something to only get imported. We had some kind of lamb meatball too - for me, it was overseasoned and too salty, but my husband loved it! With all this fabulous food, I had a wonderful Rose - the server helped me pick it, but I can't remember the name. I also bought imported sherry vinegar from their little shop. Overall a wonderful tapas lunch. People who complained about the portion sizes should google the definition of tapas! read more

Malagon - Spanish Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

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Wonderful lunch!!!! I plan on going back soon. The food, service, and atmosphere were great.

Love this place! The ambiance is warm and inviting, the food is absolutely delicious. The staff is attentive and knowledgeable. We loved every dish 10/10 recommend. read more

We found Malagon on Yelp.....not disappointed. Small and cozy restaurant, many options both small and large plates, don't over look the daily specials, we didn't we had the Tomato Tartar and Arugula Salad. Felt right at home no rush to eat quickly. When ordering look around what others were eating and get an instant review. Highly recommend you make reservations. read more

Argh! This is a hard review to write as we really wanted to love Malagon. We saved it for our last dinner in Charleston and honestly I found it pretty disappointing. The restaurant is on the smaller side and the decor is pretty nice, it's quite dark and rustic. We reserved a place at the bar thinking it would be a fun place to sit, but it ended up being us sat on stools at a countertop looking at lots of bottles of wine and no action. Also the stools were backless which didn't make for the most comfortable dining experience. Our server was quite sweet, but the service was pretty minimal. They do have a wide range of Spanish (only Spanish!) wine which were price in the $50-$150 range I believe, but they only had one beer on offer and a small selection of bottled sodas which I though was poor. We ordered our tapas all at once and they arrived all at once, which was fine but did make our dinner feel quite rushed which wasn't what we wanted. Food prices are on the expensive side. What we ordered: Bread, $8 for TWO slices, yes it was good bread but seriously what a ripoff/ price gouge. You can't eat tapas without bread, and they didn't offer us any extra once we had eaten our two slices. Lomo, this was quite a generous portion, it was good. Marinated Lamb, salty AF. I like lamb and I like salt but this was not great. 'You can dip your (overpriced) bread in the oil' our server said, hmm I did and it wasn't pleasant. La Bomba. Basically an oversized and overpriced croquette. It was just okay. Octopus. The octopus was tender, it came with one new potato split in pieces. This was a small portion and while it was okay it didn't taste particularly Spanish, the smoked paprika was barely there. Yeah, so that was our Malagon experience - overpriced small portions that didn't hit the spot for me and we left feeling hungry. read more

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Ambience 5/5, service 5/5, food 5/5. My new favorite restaurant in Charleston! Everything was so perfect and so delicious. The vibe was so European and I didn't even feel like I was in Charleston. The food was delicious and great portion sizes for a tapas place. And the selection was perfect. Our server was excellent and recommended the squid calamari and lamb which were both outstanding. The patatas bravas were delicious and the famous bomba was so good we ordered it twice! Will definitely be back. read more

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This is an excellent Tapas restaurant near the corner of Spring and King Street. Four of us shared six different small plates, and everything was great! Try the La Bamba and the Zorsa. The service was wonderful as well. read more

Okay wow I was blown away by this quaint tapas restaurant!!! I felt like I was transported to Spain the moment I walked through the door. The decor and ambiance were sooo charming and they even sell goods important from Spain to take home and make/eat yourself!! Service was wonderful and we felt well attended to. The sourdough bread with olive oil was chewy, flavorful, and well portioned. Next we had the pork stuffed potato bomb, which was packed with flavor. The octopus was tasty and well done. The tuna was perfectly seared and paired well with onions. The star of the show was the lamb with fig and almond paste. I literally had a dream about it last night. My dad was just as impressed as I was and we even had enough to take home! read more

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Very authentic Spanish tapas. Quite, intimate space. Would be good for a date night. They don't have sangria, so taking a star off for that.

Made reservations about a month in advance for this place, which I highly recommend since it's a small restaurant I LOVE the octopus. It was perfectly cooked, seasoned and didn't have a rubber texture. Everything else was good too. They even gave pine nuts which were yummy read more

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Had never been to a tapas restaurant but after Malagon, I will certainly go back! Sitting at the bar enabled us to get help determining wines and food for two! Plus Lily was quite knowledgeable about Spain so it did feel authentic! Food was great as was the wine and we thoroughly enjoyed our evening! read more

I came here for dinner on a Saturday evening. I made a reservation the day before via Resy and 5:00pm was the only time available. I was told the food was delicious and they are a popular spot, so reservations are a must! We were seated in the outdoor private, which felt secluded and quiet. We were on a busy street, but we were so far from the road that I forgot that a busy street was nearby. The server was knowledgeable and accommodating. For starters, I had the Spring Salad with asparagus, snowpeas and dressing. I wasn't a huge fan. For our tapas, we ordered the Marinated Lamb, La Bomba, and the Potatoes. The tapas were good. The Marinated Lamb was my favorite. It was melt-in-your-mouth type meat and I loved that. The LaBomba was pretty filling. The Potatoes came w/ aioli sauce and spicy salsa. You get a small serving of each, so I recommend ordering a lot of food. Frankly, I don't think I ordered enough! For parking, I recommend the nearby Hyatt parking deck. It's not expensive ($8 for 2 hours) and there's ample spots available. We didn't find any street parking available. read more

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We are always looking for authentic ethnic food and this restaurant is perfect in all areas. We were greeted quickly and in a very friendly manner. The food is amazing, we had the sourdough bread, anchovies and tuna to start. Next was the lamb that was perfection. Ambiance is great, soft music that doesn't overwhelm in the smaller space. It is a new favorite for us! read more

Odd atmosphere. Very small inside and just did not feel "at home". Came here on my birthday for something different but it wasn't good. Overpriced dishes for the quality. Wanted to love it but didn't. read more

I would argue that Malgón has the best bread service in Charleston. We stopped in for appetizers and wine. Our server was great and the patio was suuuuper cute. Blankets were provided on the patio as well, which was the perfect touch on this chilly evening. I've dinned here a few times and this is easily one of my favorite spots in Charleston. read more

We went to Barcelona 20 years ago and have been hunting for authentic Tapas restaurants since then. This restaurant is the best we have found. I wish I had taken pictures of the menu because of their details. We had a mushroom dish that was excellent. The asparagus dish was also very good. There are pictures from other reviewers. Served with 3 white stalks with a cheese sauce. The lamb with Paprika, Zorza de Cordero was a substantial serving in a tasty sauce. Clearly the selections screamed for bread so we ordered a $6 side for 4 fresh large cuts of bread. We passed on the wine but the list looked impressive. We ended the meal with a cafe con leche latte. The evening was a wonderful experience and we will be back. read more

Last night I had dinner with friends at Malagon. This is a small, beautiful spot that feels very inviting - something hard to come by these days. The service was also top notch as we were recognized and greeted with a smile by each team member during our visit. We ordered a variety of food each of which tasted fresh and was prepared very well! Wine options were plentiful and it was nice to see a restaurant here in the USA with a variety of vermouth options. I would highly recommend this restaurant! read more

This was my first time in Charleston and our group hadn't put much thought into dinner. Tapas sounded like a good idea so our group headed out. Malagón had a quite extensive menu which accommodated the group. The prices varied a bit, so you can easily end up with an expensive bill. We were able to balance indulging in a few unique things and some more affordable items. It's a neat little space suitable for small groups or intimate dining. read more

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The food was exquisite. Each of my friends ordered meals that ranged from "pretty good to VERY good". What we ordered: -Pork Belly (not what I expected but still good) -La Bomba (stole the show) -Lamb (delicious) -Fried Vegetables (fried squash. Very good) -Tortilla omelet (our least favorite but decent) -Basque Cheesecake (highly recommend!!) I would give this place 5 stars if: -Our server, Lindsey G, would have informed us that the still water she offered was $8.50 - wow. Can we not be served regular water out of courtesy? -Our server, Lindsey G, was friendly. All 3 of us witnessed her pensive facial expressions. We felt like she didn't like us, her eyebrows were often furrowed and her responses were tense?? We felt like she didn't want to be there. At such a high end restaurant, the service should be impeccable. Instead, we left with the thought that we were imposing on Lindsey's time. The food, I recommend. The server, Miss Lindsey G, I hope she gains training on her soft skills read more

Went to lunch with my wife (Wednesday) and was excited because when we walked in you were greeted by a deli case of Spanish goodies. The side wall filled with different Spanish wines and Spanish ingredients. The decor was very homey from the light fixtures to watch the service staff was wearing. We started off our lunch with the wrinkle potatoes warm bean salad and bread everything complemented each each other very well. We also had the La Bamba, which was a fried mashed potato bowl with ground pork and a spicy tomato sauce, as well as their secreto which was a perfectly cooked pork steak. Everything tasted amazing our server Christian was very helpful and guided us through our lunch. Highly recommend this place. read more

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"Isastegi cider is a crisp, authentic taste of the Basque Country--tradition in every sip."

The wine was average but very pricey for the tiny pour they give you. The chorizo and goat cheese with honey on bread was frigging amazing..... we loved it The pork belly covered in cumin was tasty, but boring, after the incredible clever chorizo dish. It's just chunks of cut up diced sized pieces of chorizo with a few toothpicks stuck in them. Service was nice We flew in today from San Francisco and after walking up King street to try to find a restaurant, we found this near our Airbnb and popped in around 8:30 pm. and it wa pretty busy on a Tuesday night read more

Since moving down to Charleston, I have been to Malagon probably about 5 times already. Full disclosure, I've only been living here for 2 weeks! First time I came to Malagon, I was with a friend who has been living here in Charleston for over 6 years and was baffled at how she was just experiencing this amazing restaurant for the first time due to my arrival. But I myself, wasn't ready nor prepared for this food experience or 5+ star service that was given. From the moment I walked into the restaurant , I was greeted by this charming, charismatic, kind, yet handsome man with a very distinctive French warm accent. I told him I was a party of two and told him I didn't mind dining at the bar. The feel of the restaurant was small and intimate but inviting. The waiters and waitresses dress in unison and the flow of the restaurant was energetic. My waitress "Emma" greeted me in a timely manner, because as a New Yorker(I) myself can be impatient but have to remember to be patient and just enjoy the experience. She was so sweet and kind with her southern draw was very endearing. As I waited for my friend, enjoyed the atmosphere and ate some sourdough bread with olive oil. You can never go wrong with that combination. Once my friend arrived, it was on! I ordered so much that I can't even begin to go through each dish. And because it's Spanish tapas, it's meant to share and be shared that you end up ordering everything. And when I say you won't be disappointed, you will not be. Chef Juan who is Colombian, who has truly done something special At Malagon left me coming back for more! Thank you for creating such an amazing menu and to your team for executing your vision throughly. Mid way through the every bite, my friend and I was checked in on by another handsome man with blonde hair in a slick back man ponytail who was also just as kind and gracious as the first Gentleman. Thank you for the amazing hospitality again. Last but MOST Importantly ! DO.YOURSELF.A SERVICE.AND.GET.THE CHEESSECAKE! I tried to take a piece back to NYC for my mom(it made it from CHS TSA to my gate in CHS). read more

Malagon - Cheesecake made by a true Angel here on earth! Chef Juan - Spanish Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Amazing dinner! The La bomba pork and potato was fantastic and the marinated lamb was to die for! Everything from mixed olives to cheesecake dessert was so delicious! The service was also a top notch. Great wine and after drink recommendations from Emma. Would definitely return next time we're in Charleston! read more

I love tapas and this place did not disappoint. We started with bread and olives. I could make a meal just off the fresh sourdough bread alone. Glad I didn't stop there though we were off to a great start. Next we had the crispy pork belly. These bite sized cubes had the perfect layer of fat over the meat making them perfectly moist and the seasoning I can't even describe except maybe cumin!? Yummmm! But the main reason I came was for the Spanish tortilla. Ultimate comfort food! It's a delightful potato and onion omelet that just satisfies as comfort food should. We also got the churros. They were AMAZING! And best of all, our server, Johanne, was attentive and had great suggestions. Can't wait to go back and try some other things. read more

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Had a delicious meal at Malagan! We came when it was pretty close to their closing time, and the employees were super accommodating. It is a super cute atmosphere and very quaint. Our waitress Whitney was super helpful and friendly. We ordered a bottle of wine that was delicious and shared some food. My favorite was the chorizo and goat cheese toast (not pictured) and the octopus. Next time I'm back in Charleston I would definitely come back! read more

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The food was outstanding; the service was attentive and the place is kinda cute. Problem is the size of the portions and the prices. Even the store articles are incredibly overpriced. Will think about going back because the prices don't make up for the small quantity of food. Sad because I wanted to like it; having a piece of Spain right at home. read more

Wonderfully prepared small plate dishes - interesting wine list, and a relaxed vibe. Wait staff is attentive and gives you space to enjoy your meal. There is packaged food to buy, try all the potato crisps!! and the cheeses, cured meats etc. read more

Atmosphere makes you feel like you are traveling abroad and stopped in to your favorite place in Spain. Each menu item is worth trying! One of my favorite spots in CHS! read more

Malagon - Clams - Spanish Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

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This is a tough review to write because I really wanted to love this place. Unfortunately, it would be really hard to recommend it; particularly to anyone who has been to Spain. My parents are Spanish immigrants and, although I was born here, I was raised in Spain until I was about six and then traveled to Spain to see family every year until I graduated from college after which I lived in Spain for a few years until I again moved back here. We still go back to see family regularly. I only mention this to highlight the fact that I am not a stranger to Spanish food and the delightful tapas of Spain. This restaurant, while it has many authentic Spanish items, is decidedly not Spanish in its execution. Our server was great. He did a fine job at being our server, but honestly, that was probably the best part of our experience. When he greeted us, the first words of his spiel were about how the restaurant serves its food "in the traditional Spanish tapas way." No, it most certainly does not. First of all, they don't offer you free bread. They have bread, but it's not the traditional crusty baguette "pan de barra" that you get all over Spain. Instead, they have a thick cut sourdough bread which tastes fine, but you pay $8.00 for four slices. In all of the literally hundreds of bars and restaurants I have been in in Spain (and Italy and France for that matter) nowhere has ever charged for bread, particularly not at a tapas joint. Secondly, the portions are small and outrageously priced. I've eaten enough boquerones to choke a killer whale in bars all over Spain. If you order them here, you will get three pieces (which add up to one and a half whole fish since they are split down the middle) and you pay $10 for them. They were presented very well but way too expensive. We put together a meat and cheese board and the portions of each, while still way overpriced, were pretty respectable. We had the chorizo, lomo, serrano ham and two cheeses. The cheeses were supposed to be on the firm side, but one of them, the Mahon, was dry and hard as a rock. We couldn't cut it with a knife without it splintering all over the place (there's probably still some behind the wine bottles that were next to our table). We had the grilled carrots which were cooked very well and tender, olives, and the octopus which had a nice char - but all at a much steeper price than they deserved. Third, while they do have a very extensive wine list (we paid $75 for a middling bottle of Albariño), they have no spirits (which might just be a liquor license issue) and they only feature one beer - which isn't even Spanish. No Aguila, no Estrella, no Mahou, nothing. They also offer one cider. To sum up, the pictures attached to this review (except the bottle of wine which is not pictured) set us back almost $300. No one in Spain has ever paid $300 for tapas unless they had a lot of people with them or they were ordering gambas rojas, percebes and angulas. The food may be imported from Spain (all of which anybody can get on-line), but the prices for what should be a casual appetizer snack are way out of line. Charging for bread? Get outta here. The bottom line: Yes the food is from Spain, but at these prices your money would be better spent actually flying to Spain and eating it there. It's not bad quality, but hard (if not impossible) to justify the bill. read more

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Malagón, Mercado y Tapería in Charleston was decent. Happy I tried but not keen to go back. Pictured first is La Bomba De La Barceloneta which was the Pork stuffed mash potato "bomb" w/ tomato & alioli. It was tasty and we split 4 ways. The seafood paella also pictured was good and filled 3 people. I didn't love the Tortilla Española but others at table were into it. Did give free corn nuts which was a new food for me but was salty and like an Unpopped kernel. Olives were kind of expensive but tasty. My cider was not great so would also skip the cider. Warm atmosphere and friendly staff. We sat outside and there were heaters which helped reduce the cold. Staff were nice. #bergerknowsbest read more

Malagon - Las Bombas - Spanish Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

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Malagón is incredible and a must-dine if you're looking for a small, hidden gem in Charleston! It's a small restaurant but the patio is really nice to sit at and enjoy on a mild summer evening. Malagón is a market and tapería with offerings focus exclusively on Spanish cuisine. The market offers canned seafood, Spanish wine, Spanish cheese, charcuterie, and other Spanish gourmet items. The tapería menu has both regional Spanish small and large plates Must order at the tapería: Iberian Ham (so incredibly tender with a sweet and smoky flavor) Asparagus with Anchovies Octopus Mushrooms Squash Blossoms (in the summer) Bread Malagón is the sister restaurant of Chez Nous, which is a block and a half away -- they are an amazing and quaint restaurant that features delicious food and wine from Southern France, Northern Italy, and Northern Spain. Malagón is located in the neighborhood of Cannonborough in Charleston, SC You can book a table through Resy read more

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Very underwhelming experience. Came in this place with high hopes and it did not live up to expectations. Service on the patio was challenging and not the best atmosphere outside(very dirty). The lamb was wonderful and everything else lacked. read more

Small intimate Tapas restaurant just off of King Street. Great ambiance for a romantic meal with a dim setting and cute European vibe. If you have minimal familiarity with Tapas it can be a bit overwhelming, luckily the waiter we had was knowledgable about the menu, patient, and very helpful in making recommendations when we had questions and were choosing between items. The dishes came out quickly and filled up our table which gave us plenty of options of food to try and explore all flavors. We ordered the following: - Fuet (dry cured pork sausage spiced with nutmeg--recommended by the waiter) very good starter! - Olivas mixtas--mixed olives - Bread--house made sourdough with Spanish olive oil--Excellent! - Gambas a la plancha--Grilled Shrimp with sea salt. They were smoky and salty crunchy char outside - Padròns--roasted peppers with sea salt--salty, smoky. Mild heat, a surprisingly large portion relative to the other dishes - Tortilla española--potato and onion omelet with aioli--savory, rich flavor, the chive cream was a nice touch - Carrilleras de ternera al vino Tinto--red wine braised beef cheeks--charred crunchy outside tender juicy inside. Savory and so flavorful! Favorite of the night. This was an experience meal and we would recommend it if you are looking for a meal that will be at least a two hour event. The staff was excellent, the vibe is great for a date, getting some friends together, or doing something a little different that of course incorporates delicious food. Definitely worth checking out! read more

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We had such high hopes. Small little place with great decor. It draws you in. It is Spanish tapas and a high quality wait staff. But... The tapas a tapas size, small. What you would expect. Except, most of the tapas are priced like a full plate. When compared to a non-tapas restaurant, to get the same quantity of food would be more expensive at Malagon. That's a bit reverse of tapas restaurants in Spain. But the worst part is that it was hit or miss. Crispy pork belly was simply charred and burnt. The clams (a $21 seafood entree) was the size of the tapas and the meat in the little necks was about the size of a large pea. Other items were fantastic. The marinated lamb and the innovative flan. All in all, it was nice to visit but won't go back. read more

Amazing lunch. The Vina Tondonia available by the glass is amazing, paired with the valdeon cheese and 5J Iberico. read more

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We checked Malagon's menu online, on their own website, on our way down south from Montreal. We were anxious to compare it to another Spanish restaurant that we know well in Charleston. We specifically ordered the Paella for two, shown on their online menu for $42 for a shrimp and chicken version. Upon arriving, we were told that only chorizo and artichoke paella was available- not the most interesting but it would have to do. The paella was ok by non-Spanish standards. For me, as a Spaniard, it was but a bit too salty; the aioli that came with it was little drops dotted on top of the paella but lacked any taste; certainly no garlic was discernible in its composition. The wine list was extensive but fairly pricey for a tapas place. We were pleasantly surprised however, at an excellent red from the northeast of Spain at a reasonable price. Now, the punch line. When we got the bill, the paella was not $42 but $85 for two, double the price listed on their own website's menu! The waitress, reacting to our surprise, sent someone who was apologetic and mentioned something about third party menus being the culprit. Obviously, they were aware of the problem. We had, however, consulted Malagon´s own menu on their own website. We did not want to make a fuss so we left. I then wrote the restaurant´s contact person. This person sent a rude, arrogant, condescending, response, falsely accusing us of mistreating the staff. Au contraire: the staff was the best part of the establishment. The disappointment at feeling misled, not to mention the completely bizarre response from management, left a bad taste that will be remembered long after the credit card statement is paid. ¡Que lastima! read more

We came, we ate, we drank, we loved!!!! How much more can you say? We tried a little bit of all. Some we liked better than some, but overall it was a most delicious evening with good wine and delicious food. And, while I am not a fan of the seating, if I concentrated on our table, and our food, I could block out that 8 of us across the back bench were almost literally butt to butt. This goes down as one of those most perfect evenings.... read more

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