Rafa Nadal's haute cuisine venture to open spectacular new restaurant on Marbella's Golden Mile

Juan Soto

Malaga

Wednesday, 23 April 2025, 12:51

Tatel - Pau Gasol and Rafa Nadal's haute cuisine restaurant group - will launch an establishment in Marbella this year. The Madrid-based chain will occupy the historic Villa Tiberio, a huge estate surrounded by lush gardens in the heart of Marbella's Golden Mile, probably from late summer onwards.

The project is currently in its initial phase, with several months of work ahead. There is already some development on the interior of the site, but an opening date has not been announced yet. However, it seems likely that it will not be before August.

Tatel was born in 2014 as a haute cuisine restaurant in Madrid, in the heart of Paseo de la Castellana. The chain already has establishments in some of the most luxurious locations around the world: Ibiza, Dubai, Riyadh and Valencia.

The restaurant in Marbella will be the sixth in the group. From what is known so far, the establishment will be more than just a restaurant, as it will be based around the concept of the 'beach club'. Occupying a large and privileged location on the Marbella coast, it will function as a pool club in the mornings, converting to one of the chain's most exclusive restaurants in the evenings.

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The philosophy of the new establishment will follow the brand's characteristic style, offering a haute cuisine dining experience complemented by live music and a carefully chosen ambience.

Tatel's managers had been looking for the ideal place to set up in the heart of Marbella's Golden Mile for some time. The group wanted to go for the Costa del Sol town, because it has grown, has been rejuvenated and is led by a strong mayor.

Although it is still early days, Tatel has already begun to select some of the staff who will work in the future restaurant. The vacancies for executive chef and human resources coordinator have been advertised through specialised job search platforms.

As previously mentioned, Tatel will occupy the vacant Villa Tiberio site, which was one of Marbella's most exuberant and luxurious restaurants for decades. Opened in 1989 by business owner Sandro Morelli, it specialised in Italian and Mediterranean food and was a regular haunt for English and Irish customers. Its eye-catching gardens and lounges, complete with fountains, a lake and huge classical sculptures, were also frequented by artists of all kinds, including Sean Connery. The villa closed for good in March last year.

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Tatel restaurants belong to Mabel Hospitality - the gastronomic division of Mabel Capital, founded by Abel Matutes Prats, Rafael Nadal and Manuel Campos, with Pau Gasol and Cristiano Ronaldo as partners.

The work to open the future restaurant is taking place in parallel with the urban development plan that Mabel Capital has also begun to carry out in Marbella. The company plans to build 75 apartments and six luxury villas between Marbella and Estepona this year.

The residential project, which will be carried out in alliance with Sierra Blanca, foresees the construction of 42 flats and six villas on land in the beachside Los Llanos area in Estepona, in addition to 45 multi-family homes in the Nagüeles area of Marbella.

In total, the real estate company plans to invest around 200 million euros in these two projects. Both will be built under the concept of 'branded residences', i.e. luxury homes with access to the services and amenities of a five-star hotel.