Restaurant in Marbella, Spain
One Michelin star, one hour for lunch.
Messina holds a Michelin star (2024) and a Google rating of 4.6 from 434 reviews, making it Marbella's most credentialled creative kitchen. At €€€€, it is the right choice for a special occasion lunch or dinner — but book three to four weeks out minimum. The Chef's Table for four is worth requesting if availability allows.
Messina holds a Michelin star (2024) and a Google rating of 4.6 from 434 reviews, which places it firmly at the leading of Marbella's creative dining tier. At €€€€ pricing, it is not a casual decision — but for a special occasion lunch or a serious dinner, it is one of the most considered meals you will find on the Costa del Sol. Book well in advance: this is a hard reservation, and the midday service window is narrow, running only from 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM Tuesday through Saturday.
The editorial angle here matters. Messina operates a compressed lunch service , a single one-hour window each afternoon , which shapes the entire experience. This is not a leisurely three-hour Mediterranean lunch. You are sitting down at 1:30 PM and the kitchen turns the room by 2:30 PM. For a creative tasting format at this price tier, that constraint deserves attention. If you want time and space to move through courses without feeling the clock, the evening service is the better choice: dinner runs from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM Monday through Friday, and 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM on Saturdays. Sunday is fully closed, so plan accordingly.
That said, the lunch service has a case for it. Marbella afternoons are long, and finishing a Michelin-starred meal at 2:30 PM leaves the rest of the day open. For visitors on a schedule , arriving from outside the city, or pairing the meal with an afternoon on the coast , the compressed lunch slot works precisely because it is defined. You know exactly what you are committing to.
Chef Mauricio Giovanini built Messina around a specific technical idea: that flavour lives in the liquid essence of ingredients. His menus are built on pure juices, concentrates, and creams extracted from primary ingredients, a method that produces cooking rooted in clarity rather than layering. The cuisine draws from both European and Latin American traditions, reflecting Giovanini's Argentine origins, but the approach is not fusion in any loose sense. The dishes aim for individual flavour precision above complexity.
The kitchen opens onto the dining room, which means the room has visual transparency built in , you can see the work happening. The setting has been updated to reflect that openness. For a special occasion, this matters: the room reads as a serious dining environment without feeling cold or performative. Pia Ninci, Giovanini's wife, manages the front of house and the wine programme, which means the service has a coherent identity rather than the fragmented feel of larger operations.
One feature worth knowing about before you book: the Chef's Table seats four guests and includes dishes not served to the main dining room. If you are planning a celebration dinner for a small group and want the most complete version of what Messina offers, request the Chef's Table specifically. This is a distinct experience from the standard booking, and availability will be more limited. There is also InsIDe Messina, a multi-purpose research and development space that can be booked by guests , useful context if you are interested in a more immersive or private experience beyond the standard service.
Messina works leading for: couples or small parties of two to four who want a technically serious meal in a setting that suits a celebration or a significant occasion. The Michelin recognition gives it credibility for business meals or milestone dinners where the quality of the experience needs to be verifiable, not just assumed. For larger groups, the Chef's Table at four is the practical ceiling for a truly differentiated experience , beyond that, you are in the main dining room, which is appropriate but less exceptional.
If you are visiting Marbella and want to eat at one restaurant that represents the city's ceiling for creative cooking, Messina is the answer. The Michelin star is the clearest signal that the kitchen is operating at a different level from the broader Costa del Sol dining scene. For regional context, Spain's creative fine dining tier includes venues like DiverXO in Madrid, El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, and Arzak in San Sebastián , Messina sits below those multi-star benchmarks but holds its own as the most credentialled creative kitchen in its immediate geography.
Within Marbella itself, Skina is the nearest peer at €€€€ with a seasonal Andalusian focus. Other options in the city , including BACK, Nintai, Candeal, and Andala Marbella , operate at lower price points and different formats. See our full Marbella restaurants guide for the complete picture across price tiers.
Messina is on Av. Severo Ochoa, 12, in Marbella. The service hours are tight: lunch runs 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM and dinner from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM (7:30 PM on Saturdays), Tuesday through Saturday. The restaurant is closed on Sundays. Given the Michelin recognition and the narrow booking windows, expect this to be a difficult reservation , build in at least three to four weeks of lead time for standard tables, more if you want the Chef's Table for four. If you are planning around a visit to Marbella, treat securing this booking as the first logistical step, not the last.
For broader trip planning, Pearl covers Marbella hotels, Marbella bars, Marbella wineries, and Marbella experiences. Spain's broader creative fine dining scene , from Aponiente in El Puerto de Santa María to Azurmendi in Larrabetzu and Cocina Hermanos Torres in Barcelona , provides useful framing for where Messina sits in the national context.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Messina | Creative | €€€€ | Hard |
| Skina | Seasonal Andalusian, Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Areia | Farm to table | €€€ | Unknown |
| Kava | Modern Spanish, Modern Cuisine | €€€ | Unknown |
| La Milla Marbella | Spanish, Seafood | €€€ | Unknown |
| Leña Marbella | Asador | €€€ | Unknown |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Dinner gives you more time — lunch runs a single one-hour window from 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM, which is compressed for a Michelin-starred tasting format. If your schedule allows, the evening service (7:00 PM to 10:00 PM) is the less pressured way to experience Giovanini's cooking. That said, lunch works if you want a lighter commitment at €€€€ pricing.
Messina operates a tasting menu format built around Chef Giovanini's core concept: extracting flavour through pure juices, concentrates, and natural thickening agents rather than conventional saucing. Specific dishes are not published in advance. If you want dishes unavailable to the main room, book the Chef's Table for four — that's the only way to access the exclusive menu.
The dedicated Chef's Table seats exactly four, which makes it the practical upper limit for a single shared experience with exclusive dishes. Larger parties can dine in the main room, but the format — a technically focused tasting menu in a compact space — suits groups of two to four more naturally than larger gatherings.
Yes, with caveats. A 2024 Michelin star, a kitchen that opens onto the dining room, and a Chef's Table option make it a credible choice for a significant celebration. The €€€€ price range sets the right expectation: this is a deliberate, occasion-sized spend, not a casual dinner. Couples and small parties of two to four get the most from the format.
The lunch service window is one hour — 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM — which is tight for a Michelin-starred menu, so be on time. The kitchen is open to the dining room, so the experience is less formal than the price suggests. Pia Ninci runs front-of-house and sommelier duties, meaning wine pairings are handled in-house. Sunday is closed.
Skina is the direct Michelin-level comparison in Marbella — two stars to Messina's one, with a similarly intimate format. Leña Marbella suits groups who want a high-profile experience with a more accessible format than a tasting menu. Areia and La Milla Marbella are better for coastal settings over technical cooking. Kava is worth considering if you want creative cuisine at a lower price point.
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