At Rosas Café the stunning decor and delicious, healthy menus feature all-day breakfasts, brunch & lunch. There’s even a special menu just for your dog!
Article by Cheryl Gatward. Photos by Kyle Kettner-Borough & Courtesy of Rosas Café
Rosas Café is quite unique. There is nothing like it in Marbella, or the rest of the world for that matter (as far as my experience goes). It has managed to get everything just right. Spot on. It’s very elegant, without being formal, and the food is exquisite but not fussy. The décor is surprising and delightful, but it’s not over the top. The staff are attentive, but not annoying. There is a vintage feel to the place, yet it’s fun and contemporary. The fact that there is also a healthy and delicious “Menu For Dogs” with 5% of the money raised from this menu going directly to animal welfare charities, tells you that this place has a heart.
Roses are always associated with love, and Rosas Café certainly feels like it was created with a whole lot of love, care and attention. An incredible 30,000 silk roses went into the stunning wall murals on either side of the Café. If you weren’t feeling romantic, or loving, when you walked in, you will be by the time you leave. There’s even a “love seat” swing in front of one of the rose murals. It’s no wonder the place is a magnet for instagram-enthusiasts. It must be the most instagrammable Café in Marbella.
Believe it or not, the founder and owner of Rosas Café, Ana Santos, doesn’t include roses as her favourite flower.. “When I lived in Paris, my aunt always used to fill the house with lilies. Since then, they have been my scent and my flower. I called my project Rosas Café because I decorated the walls with silk roses of six different shades, which give colour to everything you see around you.”
“It hasn’t always been a bed of roses. But with love, sweat and literally tears we have made Rosas Café a reality. And I always believed that dreams, with large doses of enthusiasm, effort and a great team around you do come true!”
There are a few important things to know about Rosas Café – firstly, all the ingredients are locally sourced from the Costa del Sol region – they work with local businesses. Secondly, all the food is homemade, including the delectable treats from their bakery, and lastly, but certainly not least, Rosas is inspired by art and life – expect fun and creativity.
The “love” aspect is everywhere – around you on the walls, in the great ambience and also on display in the food. Cava is served with flowers floating on top, and each dish has quite obviously been created with love. On Google, the food typically receives positive reviews, with everyone appreciating the modern, healthy options like fresh salads, brunch dishes, delicious vegan options, smoothies and juices.
Our table of seven chose an eclectic mix of dishes from the Beef Burger (“the best I’ve had”) to Salmon Skewer’s (“superb”) to Rosas Vegan Wrap (“fresh and full of veggies”) to the Rosas Club Sandwich (“wow, glad we came here”) and all of it was fabulous. We drank cava on arrival, we sipped rosé with our mains, and then there were the desserts….well, they were on another level.
With quotes like “Have a Cake day!” and “You can’t buy happiness but you can buy cake” around the restaurant, along with the mouth watering display of cakes behind the counter, you know without question that your dessert will be a 5-star one.
We ordered Warm Apple Tart with ice cream, Rosas Cheesecake and Rosas Banoffee Cake – and the four people that didn’t order dessert in our party were truly sorry! All the desserts and cakes are homemade and they taste better than grandma made them. Even if you don’t normally order dessert, you have to make an exception when you are here – they say that “cake is the sweetest form of art” and nowhere is this more true than in Rosas Café. And it’s not just dessert, you can order cupcakes, cake pops, homemade cookies, eclairs and the very popular macarons. It happened to be my birthday, and when I ordered my cheesecake it arrived with my name printed on one macaron and “Happy Birthday” printed on the other. A delightful and thoughtful touch.
I haven’t yet mentioned that there are over 25 specialty coffees on offer at Rosas. From Ginger & Cinnamon Cappuccino, to Tumeric Latte to a Crème Brûlée Cappuccino. If you are a coffee lover Rosas is for you! They proudly serve Tunki coffee, crowned the best coffee in the world by the American Speciality Coffee Association. They also offer a cute novelty where you can order your favourite picture on top of your Cappuccino – just send them the image as you order and hey presto it appears on the top of your frothy cappuccino. You can also have your favourite designer label printed on your coffee to make that image for instagram even more fun. I just happen to be a tea lover, but I wasn’t disappointed with the tea offering – I could choose between nine speciality teas.
It’s the variety of food that makes the menu at Rosas so good. To start with, you can get breakfast all day. Hooray! A restaurant that finally understands that 1pm is still not late enough for some of us to enjoy brunch. I must admit I was torn between the delicacies of the lunch menu and the “Good Morning” brunch offering which is a wonderful mix of tea or coffee, freshly squeezed orange juice, mini pastries, jam and butter, fruit salad and eggs your way – all accompanied by salad and toast!
And then there are the amazing American Pancakes, the Homemade Crêpes and the Torrijas (Rosas version of French Toast). Even before we had ordered I had already decided that I would be visiting again so the sampling of the “All Day” menu I will leave for another day.
Another quote that you see on the wall of Rosas does sum it all up rather nicely – “Elegance is timeless”. There is no doubt that Rosas has a classy vibe – the colours, textures, furniture and lighting all come together to create this very special and elegant atmosphere. As it says on their website – “Elegance is a timeless concept that transcends trends and fads, enduring through the ages as a symbol of grace, sophistication, and refinement….”
This was supposed to be a breakfast review for our “Breakfast Diaries” series, but at the last minute it got changed to a birthday lunch for seven people. I’m so glad it did. Not only was it one of the best birthday lunches I have ever had, (the food and the vibe came together in perfect proportions) – it has left me wanting more of the elegance and refinement that I so enjoyed whilst sipping my specialty tea, surrounded by roses and feeling romantic…
Find out more about Rosas Café on their website
Visit Rosas on instagram @rosascafemarbella
Rosas is open every day from 09:00- 18:00
Avenida Playas del Duque,
Gaviotas IV Local 3, Puerto Banús, 29660 Marbella
