When you walk into Villa Tiberio you are entering paradise. The restaurant is on the busy Golden Mile but you feel as though you are in a picturesque Italian villa in the Naples countryside with its stunning landscaping, beautiful scenery and bountiful statues in the garden.
It can safely be said you won’t have a more unique and special dining experience than here.
The restaurant’s owner is charismatic Sandro Morelli, a rare Marbella treasure. Morelli has come from the most humble beginnings, having been brought up during the war in Naples, Italy, he left school at the age if 11 to support his family.
At 18 he left Italy to pursue a better life for himself and his family. In a pure rags to riches tale (Morelli once slept in cardboard boxes in a bridge in London) he started working as a waiter and worked his way up to manager before forming one of the most successful London nightspots of his time, ‘Barbarella’s’.
He describes this time as “the most incredible experience of my life.” ‘Barbarella’s’ on the Fulham Road in Chelsea was the ultimate venue on the London social scene. As well as a famed restaurant, it was doubled as a nightclub and stayed open until 4am every night. It attracted top clientele including Frank Sinatra, Paul Newman, Princess Diana and Max Bygrave.
After successfully running ‘Barbarella’s’ for over 20 years, Morelli decided upon a change of scenery and one of the places he’d always loved was Marbella. So in 1989 he opened the now famous ‘Villa Tiberio’.
The restaurant has been synonymous with elegance and class for the past 25 years. In addition, it’s always been known for its high standards and faultless service, where Morelli looks after clients as if they are guests in his own home.
Notwithstanding the extensive menu, a note at the bottom asks clients to ask for their favourite dish. Sandro points out that you can never offer a typical menu for Marbella as it is so cosmopolitan. “What we are trying to do is offer the best that Spain produces, which our chefs incorporate into the Italian and international recipes,” he explains.
Some of the delights include ‘capesanti e gamberoni alla thermidor’ (scallops and jumbo prawns served in a cream and brandy sauce); ‘porchetta alla Villa Tiberio’ (crispy roast suckling pig); ‘anitra al’orange’ (duck baked with orange and curaçao liqueur) plus baby lamb braised in Barola wine. As you would expect from a restaurant of this calibre, all the food is fresh and the pasta is all homemade.
Our reviewers went for the spinach and ricotta ravioli and pasta with lobster and fresh cherry tomato sauce. The dishes were amazing, served to perfection and packed with flavour. The white wine choice recommended by the attentive maitre d’ Claudio was the perfect meal accompaniment.
‘Villa Tiberio’’s wine list, comprising some 3,000 bottles of top quality Spanish, French and Italian wines, is as fascinating as the menu and lists a 1938 Chateau Margaux, Petrus, Romanée Villa Tiberio Restaurant – MarbellaConti Grand Cru 1973, Vega Sicilia, Sassicaia, Tignanello Antinori and an 1894 bottle of Chateau Haut Brion, which Morelli purchased at auction from Christie’s. “You would be crazy to open it,” he laughs.
In another string to Morelli’s bow: ‘The Apprentice’ star Karren Brady, has said Villa Tiberio is her favourite restaurant abroad.
kSpeaking to The Telegraph, The former Birmingham City managing director, said, “It is all outdoors; there is nothing worse than going somewhere sunny and having to sit inside. The gardens are spectacular, and if you like Italian food, it is the best you will ever have. Sandro Morelli, ‘Villa Tiberio’’s owner, is utterly charming, and although it’s glamorous, it’s not stuffy. You could go in shorts and T-shirt or a ball gown and feel fine, which is what I like – there are no rules.”
‘Villa Tiberio’ is open every night, apart from Sunday in Winter, from 7.30pm and is located on the Carretera N-340 km 178.5 (next to the Marbella Club) on the Golden Mile.
To make a reservation call: +34 952 771 799 or e-mail: rest.villatiberio@hotmail.com
