Skina is a small, family-run restaurant located in Marbella’s pedestrian old quarter. Opened in December 2004 by Marcos Granda and his wife María Isabel Salamanca, the restaurant’s avant-garde menu draws from the couple’s impressive culinary expertise and is inspired from dishes traditional to Malaga province and surrounding Andalucía. In 2008, four years after opening, the restaurant was awarded its first Michelin star and since then the double chef kitchen led by Victor Trochi and Daniel Rosado have continued to work hard to hold onto that recognition.

Skina is simply but tastefully decorated, with clean white walls that contrast the  black leather, high back chairs.  Beautiful Andalucian-inspired artwork adorns the walls, providing a small dash of colour in what is otherwise very simple, chic decor. In a part of Spain where glitzy decor is often favoured over good quality food, Skina is a very welcome breath of fresh air.

The 14-capacity restaurant offers a very affordable Andalucían tasting menu which is priced at €105, or €155 with matched wines. The regionally-inspired menu features dishes such as slow cooked country egg served with seasonal mushrooms, and venison loin with Jerusalem artichoke, with almond cookies topped with crème brulée foam to look forward to for dessert.

The restaurant’s À la carte menu is equally tempting with dishes such as Red salmon tartare served with fennel and radish, local seasonal mushroom and quail salad, and roasted small shoulder of rabbit served with mustard and parsnip.

Meanwhile the wine menu is made up of wines from small, local vineyards, each thoughtfully chosen for its support and contrast to the restaurant’s dishes.

Given Skina’s size and popularity, both within Marbella and further afield, reservations are highly recommended. A deposit of fifty euros is required to finalise the reservation which can be paid over the phone by credit card.