Inside: Marbella

Situated on Chagrin Boulevard in Pepper Pike, Marbella, the sister restaurant to Mallorca on West 9th Street, has been serving Spanish cuisine since it opened in 2003 to a mostly business-oriented crowd. By appearance alone, you'd think this meal was going to be a home run. Sadly, not so much.

Food: Like Mallorca, Marbella serves many of the most popular dishes throughout Spain, particularly in Madrid and Barcelona like paella and shrimp in garlic sauce. All meals are served with accompanying, family-style sides like saffron rice, chips and vegetables.

On our visit, we tried the shellfish casserole with garbanzo beans, which was loaded with mussels, clams, shrimp and lobster, and the beef tenderloin salad. We both opted for the lentil soup to start, which, as our server shared, was a specialty of the chefs.

Let's start with the positives. The soup, although slightly on the salty side, wasn’t bad and for the most part enjoyable. Also the portion sizes are on the large side. Chances are you'll leave with leftovers.

Unfortunately, that's where it ends. Beyond the soup, we were rather unimpressed and incredibly disappointed. The seafood in the casserole was so tough most of it wasn't even edible. And the mussels and clams were so small and shriveled they were barely visible. As for the salad, the beef was on par with the seafood—overcooked and under flavored. Even the sides were underwhelming and looked as if they had sat under a heat lamp for one too many hours.

Libations: Marbella boasts a hefty wine list with glass pours and bottles from the different regions of Spain as well as California, Italy, France, Argentina, Australia and France. A full beer list is available too, as well as the restaurant’s most requested drink—sangria.

Décor: With its location on one of the busiest streets on the East Side, particularly during the day thanks in part to all the local businesses in the area, it’s only fitting that the restaurant itself is situated on the first level of an office building. With that being said, the décor is what you might expect given this location—fairly nondescript and somewhat generic with the exception of lots of bold and colorful artwork. The space is tired and rather worn, with torn carpet, scratched and nicked tables and chairs. If dining here and weather permitting, opt for the patio. Although it’s partially in the parking lot, it’s a better alternative to the dining room.

Service: There are more tuxedo-clad servers than there are patrons and yet service is still on the slow side.

Crowd: Given its location, the crowd is mostly comprised of area professionals popping in for a lunch meeting.

Bottom line: Marbella falls rather flat on several levels and therefore you’d be better served dining elsewhere.

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