It’s said that, once upon a time, Malaga boasted more bars per capita than anywhere else in Europe. Whether or not that’s the case, it’s certainly true that scruffy, spit ‘n’ sawdust neighbourhood joints out-numbered decent restaurants and tapas bars in the city until relatively recently.
How things have changed. From casual market bites in the historic centre to sophisticated beach-side terraces and full to bursting gourmet tapas bars down narrow alleyways, there are more great places to eat in Malaga than a city of its size has any reasonable right to.
If you want to get a taste of what it’s like to live like a local in a city where the people are very serious about their food and drink, then hit Malaga, basically. And while it’s been tricky to narrow them down, here are a few of the Luxury Villa Collection’s pick of best Malaga restaurants.
One of fourteen Michelin-starred restaurants in Malaga is at the port, just next to the lighthouse at Muelle Uno. It’s the culinary base of Jose Carlos Garcia who is one of the most famous names in food in the city. The chef himself will be in the kitchen while you dine in this pleasant, spacious dining room which extends onto the terrace outside when the sun shines.
The dining room is one of our favourites in the city: its hard-edged industrial chic is offset by a comfy softness – think a sharp glass box with classic Eames chairs in grey, and thick pile rugs to soften the pressed concrete. (LOVE it.) Food-wise, it’s the finest of fine dining with plate after delightfully crafted plate descending on your table over the course of a meal.
Address: Puerto de Malaga, Plaza de la Capilla, 1, 29016 Malaga. Telephone: 952 00 35 88. Restaurantejcg.com.
Kaleja has been on the fine dining scene in Malaga since 2019 and finally in 2022 it won a Michelin star. Head Chef Dani Carnero also headed up the kitchens in La Cosmopolita and the newer La Cosmo restaurants. He believes in bringing traditional Spanish flavours to life with a nod to cuisine from the villages, serving it with his own flair and winning him awards left, right and centre.
The dining room is minimalist, pared back with no fuss and a serene simplicity. There are two tasting menus that allow the team to show off a little: a 16-course and a 14-course, both of which can be paired with wines. So be prepared – eating at Kaleja is a long enjoyable experience, not a dash. If you’re looking for the best place to eat in Malaga right now, then look no further.
Address: Address: C. Marquesa de Moya, 9, 29015 Málaga. Telephone: 952 60 00 00. Restaurantekaleja.com
All that talented creativity going on at the Contemporary Art Centre (CAC) next door flows right on through to the menu at Óleo Restaurante where taste buds go into overtime. A sleek, but informal venue with a great riverside terrace – an oh-so-perfect spot for a sundowner G&T – this restaurant never fails to provide a great dining experience.
At the helm is Sergio del Rio whose culinary creations combine Mediterranean dishes with a touch of nouvelle cuisine, but not so much that you don’t recognise what’s on your plate. So, good-old patatas bravas get an extra shot of heat via a spicy foam, traditional red tuna is joined by half-dried tomatoes from nearby Alora and the up-and-coming Malaga kid goat becomes the main ingredient in the Vietnamese rolls. You get the idea.
Taking the oriental connection that bit further is Rui Junior whose sushi ranks as the best in town. Prepare to be spoilt for choice. This is casual dining and all plates are suitable for sharing. And the best of all? The bill at the end – mains range from €7 to €22.
Address: Edificio CAC Malaga, Calle Alemania s/n, 29001 Malaga. Telephone: 952 21 90 62. Oleorestaurante.es.
On a corner in Soho, just before you reach the river, is the stylish La Deriva. Ticking all the boxes for a relaxed vibe, good service and good food – and within easy strolling distance from Calle Larios – it’s ideal for a refuelling stop after a morning’s shopping with friends.
The food is excellent overall, but there are standout dishes like the mouth-wateringly tender grilled octopus, oysters and saffron risotto served with jamón and sundried tomatoes. Other things not to miss include a superior cheese board and a wide selection of Vermouths.
Address: Alameda Colon, 7, 29001 Malaga. Telephone: 951 28 69 21.
Owner, chef and resident Malagueño Daniel Carnero is having a bit of a moment. His three restaurants in Malaga all offer a different take on Spanish cuisine: of his other restaurants, La Cosmopolita is the most casual, and Restaurante Kaleja is fine dining.
Cosmos on Calle Cister is a stone’s throw away from the Cathedral, a stark white dining room with lots of natural light and an open kitchen for those lucky enough to get bar seating.
The razor clams are out of this world – they’re a must-try dish while in Malaga, and this is the place to have them. Carnero’s take on a Malagueñan salad with green beans is also melt-in-the-mouth and will leave you wanting to order more.
Address: Calle Císter, 11, 29015 Málaga. Lacosmo.es.
Sitting between the Alcazaba and the Cathedral, Uvedoble is well placed for lunch on a day jampacked with sightseeing. This small unassuming restaurant has bar, table and terrace seating. It’s nothing really to write home about environment-wise, but you’re not here to look at the décor, you’re here to eat local Spanish food and wine.
Most dishes come in half or full plates and are ideal for sharing. The ceviche of swordfish with avocado from the Axarquia is melt in the mouth; sauteed artichokes with cuttlefish from Malaga are a favourite; the giant meatball in almond sauce is a crowd-pleaser, and Cannelloni stuffed with kid goes down well with a glass of Ribera del Duero. If you want to eat local Malagueno dishes prepared with flair with an emphasis on farm to fork produce, then you’ll be hard pushed to do better than Uvedoble.
Address: C/ Alcazabilla, 1, 29015 Málaga. Telephone: 951 24 84 78. Uvedobletaberna.com.
As for family-focused, child-friendly eateries in Malaga there… really aren’t any. However, the southern Spanish are very accommodating when it comes to children, so smaller plates for smaller people will be produced if requested.
The situation of this restaurant is great for parents with especially energetic broods: right on a square next to the Teatro Cervantes, they can run themselves ragged within eyeshot while you sit back with a chilled glass of wine.
On the food front, we’re talking international, so the menu is varied and more likely to be familiar to smaller, non-Spanish mouths. The portions are incredibly generous, so it’s important to remember to leave room for their delectable double chocolate Guinness cake. If you’re a fan of flamenco, they hold a show at 8pm every evening. Check the website below for more information.
Address: Plaza de Jeronimo Cuervo, 2, 29012 Malaga. Telephone: 952 60 90 93. Restaurantevinomio.es.
Slightly off the beaten track but still just a few steps from the centre, Alexso has quickly established a name for itself on the Malaga foodie scene.
The venue comes small on space but huge on taste, with Chef José Antonio Moyano taking local recipes, giving them a whole new look and then throwing in some surprises for good measure. So that invisible fried egg really does taste like the real thing. And who’d have thought of putting Malaga salchichón (cold sausage) into an éclair? But it works and works well.
Dishes make ideal sharing plates – an option we’re always keen on because you get to work your way through lots of different items on the menu. Pairing is something else Alexso excels at, and the waiters are more than happy to step in and recommend the perfect wine for a dish.
The restaurant also has two set tasting menus: Alexso Route (allow an hour and a half for the seven dishes) and Cooking Up Sensations (just over two hours for ten dishes).
Children are made to feel very welcome at Alexso, with friendly waiters, colouring books and pens.
Address: Calle Mariblanca 10, 29012 Malaga. Telephone: 951 91 35 85. Restaurantealexso.es.
Sitting on Calle Strachan, Blossom keeps good company. This street traditionally was the only place to dine for well-to-do Malagueños.
The menu is seasonal and can be taken as a set menu or ordered as individual dishes. The dining room and service sit neatly in the casual fine dining scene that the city does so well.
On an evening we love approaching the menu tapas-style by ordering all the starters and sharing them for a flavour sensation.
Address: Calle Strachan, 11, Loc 2, 29015 Málaga, Telephone: 951 53 78 22. Blossommalaga.com.
For a traditional tapas bar you can’t go far wrong with Colmado 93. Small but perfectly formed you grab a barrel, order a vermut, a selection of tapas from the special board and take in the atmosphere. It’s loud, busy, people spill out onto the street and there’s not enough room to take your jacket off (thankfully you’re in Malaga and a jacket is rarely needed) – it’s great! The food it traditional fair – cold cuts, croquetas, ceviche, albondigas but only the best quality. This is what is neighbourhood eating is all about tapas, the buzz of a busy bar with simple but great light bites.
Address: C/ Carretería, 29008 Málaga. Telephone: 615 02 96 69
This vegan restaurant in Soho, Malaga has a real family run feel. As much as possible the produce is from Malaga province and seasonal. The dining room is small and there’s no terrace but it has a real neighbourhood vibe and the food packs a tasty punch. Super creative dishes served up with flair and finesse.
Address: C/ Vendeja, 29, 29001 Málaga. Telephone: +34 648489705
Always full to bursting, El Calafate is the best vegetarian restaurant in Malaga. They have a €9.50 set lunchtime menu which changes daily (it’s slightly more expensive on the weekends). It offers the usual things you’d expect from any self-respecting veggie restaurant with thick soups, curries, stir-fries, Moroccan-inspired dishes and one or two vegan options. The candlelit dining room can accommodate a largish group (of up to around 14 people) but you have to book it in advance.
Address: Calle Andres Perez, 6, 29008 Malaga. Telephone: 952 22 93 44.
Ordinarily we would never recommend eating in the same square – or even the same vicinity – of a city’s cathedral. However, the Refectorium is a rare exception to the rule. There’s great service (some of the best in the city) in this busy, modern, light and airy restaurant, while the food is a mix of time-honoured classics cooked to perfection and the sort of wonderfully simple, let-the-produce-speak-for-itself dishes that are what Spanish cooking is all about. Everyone raves about its Russian salad – and with good reason, too: this pretty bland and basic Spanish staple is transformed into a mouth-watering morsel.
Although the restaurant welcomes children, the well-heeled clientele are less welcoming to small children. It’s an adult’s establishment, in other words; a place to enjoy the food, service and atmosphere.
Address: C/ Postigo De Los Abades, 4, 29015 Malaga. Telephone: 952 60 23 89.
You could never call chef Pablo Ramon Caballero Larios’ dining room a restful place; rather it’s brilliantly bustling and busy. The restaurant can be found in Soho just before the port. It’s Malaga city proper, and it harks back to an older, slightly less polished Malaga where there was always something a little hectic and chaotic going on.
The menu is short – but more than sufficient – and the wine list is likely to please most tastes. The chef himself is in the open kitchen, creating playful dishes which are a delight to look at as well as to eat. On our visit, we worked our way through the squid tartare with tigernut milk (horchata), saffron risotto with truffles and beetroot, pig’s trotters with king prawns and chocolate and tiramisu. And if the squid and the tiramisu were the genuine standouts, suffice to say it was all really rather splendid.
Address: Calle Barroso 7, 29001 Malaga. Telephone: 659255532. Antxoeta.com
Open for lunch and dinner. Closed Sundays and Mondays.
Housed within a small palace to the far north of the old town, Restaurante Montana is definitely something of a looker. Opening out from a plant-filled central courtyard, the grand 19th-century premises dovetail beautifully with stylish, modern interiors, and the lighting inside and out is just right.
It’s far from a case of style over content, though, as it offers fine dining without the foodie fashion whims. We love to sit in the sunny courtyard and order a plate of melt-in-the-mouth Jamón Iberico as an after-shopping treat. In the evenings, its excellent international wine list, cocktails and comfortable seating area make it the perfect place to kick back after dinner and plan out the next steps of a night out.
It’s convenient, too: highly unusually for a restaurant in Malaga city centre, it also has its own parking.
Address: Calle Compas de la Victoria, 5, 29012 Malaga. Telephone: 952 65 12 44. Restaurantemontana.com.
This place has seemingly been around since time began. What started as a traditional tapas bar where everyone from the ages of 19 to 90 went to have Jamon Serrano washed down with Malaga wine (made from sweet Moscatel grapes – don’t knock it until you’ve tried it) is now a Malaga institution and must-visit.
The setting is outstanding and typically southern Spanish: inside, it’s all tinkling fountains, tumbling plants, huge wine barrels from floor to ceiling and photos of famous people who had visited over the years. It’s cavernous, too, with two floors and several different sized rooms that can be easily taken over by large groups.
Taking the décor and atmosphere out of the equation, the food is only so-so to be completely honest. But it’s well worth a visit, even if it’s just for a pre- or post-dinner drink inside or out on the terrace looking over the Roman amphitheatre.
Address: Calle Granada, 62, 29015 Malaga. Telephone: 952 22 54 03. Elpimpi.com.
If you like a vista with your vino, it doesn’t get much better than at the Parador up next to the Gibralfaro Castle. Treat your taste buds to some delicious local cuisine while you feast your eyes on the bright lights of Malaga and the Mediterranean below your feet. Views are pretty good from inside the restaurant, but nothing short of exceptional on the outside terrace and certainly the best at any table in Malaga.
With chef Bartolomé Rodrigo at the helm, the menu puts the accent on local produce harvested from the nearby Axarquía mountains, Guadalhorce Valley and of course, the Med (all part of your table view).
Dishes change with the seasons; on the menu this summer are refreshingly cool soups – try the almond and garlic with fig bread or the thick tomato porra malagueña with Iberian ham – and fresh salads as well as fish and meat dishes. There are also some Malaga classics such as fried fish and battered aubergines with honey. The dessert menu falls a little short, but you’ll be too sweet on the views to notice. And if you want to make that vino with a vista that bit extra special, time your dinner to coincide with sunset.
Address: Castillo de Gibralfaro s/n, 29016 Malaga. Telephone: 952 221 902 Parador-de-malaga-gibralfaro/gastronomy
Malaga excels at chiringuitos, beach bars that specialise in locally-caught fish and seafood, and it’s difficult to go wrong for a lunchtime bite. One of the best sits on the western side of Malaga Bay near the Russian and Car Museums. Gutiérrez Playa has been around for a while and this experience, plus the fact that the family runs one of the busiest fishmongers in the nearby Huelin market, means they know what they’re cooking. Staples on the menu include deep-fried fish – think anchovies, baby sole and whitebait – delicately flavoured salt-baked fish and that Malaga classic, chargrilled sardines on an espeto cane.
If you like your fish cooked gently over an olive wood fire, try the other espeto specials – langoustine, bream, squid or octopus. Book your table on the sand where you’ll dine just yards from the Mediterranean and stunning views of the Bay.
Address: Paseo Marítimo Antonio Banderas 2, 29004 Malaga. Telephone: 952 118 908
If you have a bit of a group (or even just the two of you!) and fancy having a local expert show you around Malaga, then why not book a Malaga tapas tour with our partners Toma & Coe?
Like the sound of our pick of best restaurants in Malaga, check out our Malaga nightlife guide. Or tempted to stay a little further up the coast? Check out our selection of top places to eat in Marbella.
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[post_content] => If you find yourself in the fortunate situation of being able to spend a week or more in Ronda, you're in for a treat.
Set amidst spectacular scenery in Malaga Province, this picturesque town is known for its iconic eighteenth bridge, which arches over the plummeting El Tajo gorge beneath, and offers fabulous restaurants and wealth of historical sites.
Discover why Ronda is Andalucia's third most-visited destination with our ultimate guide to Malaga's most scenic town, with a full list of the best things to do in Ronda.
Ready? Grab your sunglasses and let’s go exploring.
The 3 top must-sees in Ronda
1. El Tajo de Ronda
No trip to Ronda would be complete without witnessing the captivating beauty of El Tajo, the gorge that divides the city into two parts: the ancient Moorish Old Town and the modern new town. The canyon and its surrounding valleys are best viewed from the Puente Nuevo, or New Bridge, a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture that spans the Guadalevir river.
El Tajo de Ronda is not only a natural wonder, but also a cultural and literary treasure, providing the inspiration for Earnest Hemingway’s novel ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’.
Top tip: Stay at our beautiful pedigree townhouse Casa Amaia and enjoy your own private views of El Tajo gorge.
2. The Old City
If you want to discover the true essence of Ronda, then the Old City is a must. Known as La Ciudad, this part of the town extends South of the famous Puente Nuevo Bridge. Featuring cobbled streets, charming squares and examples of Moorish architecture, this area is perfect for a morning of aimless wandering taking in the sites.
Top tip: To get the best out of your visit to the Old City, visit early in the morning or later in the evening when the streets are quieter away from day-trippers, and the temperature is a little cooler.
3. Plaza de Toros (& royal cavalry of Ronda)
Completed in 1785, Ronda’s bullring was declared a National Heritate Site in 1993. Known locally as the Real Maestranza de Caballería, its the oldest and one of the most attractive in Spain. This unique bullring offers a fascinating glimpse into Spain's (often controversial) heritage of bullfighting and equestrian arts.
Nowadays, the Plaza de Toros is mostly a museum and cultural centre, and it continues to house the Royal Riding School teaching professional dressage. It is used only for its original purpose during the spectacular September Goyesca bullfights and annual festival, in which the townsfolk dress in the manner of Goya's portraits of 18th century life in Spain.
Where is Plaza de Toros? C. Virgen de la Paz, 15, 29400 Ronda.
When to visit? 10:00 – 18:00 November to February, 10:00 – 19:00 March to October. Partially closed early September for the Goyesca festival
Website: Royal Cavalry and Bullring of Ronda
Other must-sees
(c) Bodegas Garcia Hidalgo[/caption]
(c) Bodega F. Shatz[/caption]
(c) Bodega Descalzos Viejos[/caption]
(c) La Melonera[/caption]
What sets Ronda wines apart from other Spanish types?
Spain has an extremely wide variety of wines, from Cava’s sparkling wines to Rioja’s hearty reds to the unique Sherries, thanks to the wide range of terrains, soils and climates across the country. Even within Andalucia, you can find many different types of wines, from Cadiz’s Sherries to Malaga’s Moscatel wines and Cordoba’s fortified Montilla wines.
The Ronda region is known for its high-altitude vineyards (600-900m above sea level), with extreme temperature differences from day to night. This produces more complex wines, adding acidity and structure, and resulting in fresh, elegant wines with spicy, fruity notes.
Villa Sofia, luxury rural villa rental in Ronda[/caption]
As well as helping you explore the Ronda wine scene, we can also help you delight the tastebuds with local experiences including olive oil tasting, cheese making and private Michelin-grade chefs at home during your stay in Ronda. Email us at reservations@theluxuryvillacollection.com to start planning your trip.
[post_title] => Guide to the best wine tasting experiences in Ronda
[post_excerpt] => Discover the best wine tasting experiences in Ronda. Learn about local wineries and find out how wine is made in this charming Andalucian town.
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If you find yourself in the fortunate situation of being able to spend a week or more in Ronda, you're in for a treat. Set amidst spectacular scenery in Malaga Province, this picturesque town is…
One of the easiest towns – not to mention the most spectacular – to get to from the Costa del Sol is Ronda. Famous for its deep gorge that splits the town in two, spanned by a magnificent bridge,…