Are you dreaming of a white Christmas this winter? No? Then you’re in the right place.
While Costa del Sol temperatures during winter may not reach the heady levels of summer, they’re certainly a whole lot more agreeable than the freezing conditions felt in the UK or anywhere else north of the Iberian peninsular at this time of year. You can typically expect delightful December highs of 24°C and unspeakable lows of 12°C. Not too shabby at all, in other words.
What’s more, from traditional and expertly prepared roast dinners to more exciting and innovative takes on the notion of ‘Christmas lunch’, many of the area’s finest restaurants go all out with their Christmas menus to ensure that the most important part of the festive season remains intact.
To help you make your decision about where to eat on the Costa del Sol over the festive period, here’s our roundup of a few of the best restaurants offering mouth-watering Christmas and New Year’s Eve menus.
Christmas Eve / Christmas Day
Lively Vibe & Great Food at Bibo Marbella
Hanging Plants at Bibo Marbella
Bibo’s long been one of our favourite restaurants in Marbella. The interiors are stylish but relaxed, the vibe’s lively and fun, and the food’s superb – as you’d expect from Dani Garcia – without being challenging or overly ‘haute’.
This Christmas there are three menus to choose from. These include Oxtail brioche, marinaded Iberian pork flank, crunchy Robuchon king prawns, Sea bass ceviche and Almadraba tuna tartare- to name just a few things that had us salivating.
To see the full 2023 Christmas menus at Bibo Marbella, go here.
Details: +34 951 60 70 11; reservas@grupodanigarcia.com; Grupodanigarcia.com.
Spectacular Seafood at Sea Grill – Marbella
Outdoor Dining at Sea Grill
Just across the road – well the plaza, technically – from Bibo is Sea Grill. Their 2023 set Christmas Eve menu is a thing of beauty: given the name of the place it’s hardly a surprise that seafood features, with sea bass and tuna carpaccio featuring in two of the courses, plus prawn an tomato ravioli with a creamy truffle mascarpone.
Perhaps even more temptingly, though, they’ve got a Christmas Day brunch menu (from 1pm on Christmas Day) on this year. So you can sit back on their outdoor decking with a glass of Champagne and enjoy a range of traditional festive dishes, from turkey to lobster through to delicious desserts, while you soak up a bit of December sunshine.
To check out Sea Grill’s 2023 festive menus in full, see here.
Details: tel: +34 952 82 09 00; email: restaurantes@puenteromano.com; Puenteromano.com.
Luxury Dining at Finca Cortesin – Casares
Open Kitchen at Finca Cortesin
If you’re looking to push the boat out this Christmas then look no further than Finca Cortesin. This hotel, complete with its own golf course, is regarded as one of the most luxurious in Spain and often hosts celebrities and royal family members. There are three separate restaurants: El Jardin de Lutz (Spanish/traditional), Rei (Japanese) and Don Giovanni (Italian). Each is run by a top, distinguished chef and offers cuisine of the highest standard. For more info on each restaurant’s 2023 Christmas Menu, look here.
Details: tel: + 34 952 93 78 00; email: reservas@hotelcortesin.com; Fincacortesin.com.
Socialites’ Favourite at el Grill, Marbella Club – Marbella
Garden Views at The Grill, Marbella Club
For a very special treat you could take advantage of El Grill’s exquisite Christmas menu options at the incredibly chic Marbella Club. Diners can choose between the restaurant’s beautiful terrace or the tastefully decorated dining room where the grill takes centre stage. Juan Gálvez is El Grill’s award-winning chef, who ensures that all ingredients used are seasonal and locally sourced and that only the very best cuts make the grade.
Details: tel: +34 952 822 211; email: hotel@marbellaclub.com; Marbellaclub.com.
Marbella Club’s full 2023 Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve menus can be seen here.
Louche & Laidback at The Playwright – Elviria
Bar at The Playright
Sleekly decorated and dimly lit, this popular bar and live music venue in Elviria looks, upon arrival, for all the world like a place to order a couple of dirty martinis and settle in for the night at one of the banquettes.
But it also does a very nice line in food, too – as their Christmas menu more than proves. There are quite a few dishes on offer this festive season that caught our eye: King prawns wrapped in Kataffi pastry and grilled wild sea bass? Pernod-infused seafood chowder? Galician fillet steak? Yep. That’ll do nicely.
Details: tel. +34 952 83 08 68; email: info@theplaywrightmarbella.com; Theplaywrightmarbella.com.
To see The Playwright’s full Christmas menu, go here.
New Year’s Eve
Party the Night Away at La Sala – Puerto Banus
Dining Space at La Sala
La Sala in Puerto Banus brings you the ultimate buzzy dining experience on the Costa whatever the time of year. Their rear terrace is the ideal place from which to kick off festive proceedings in style, and this year, it has been transformed into a pop up Ski Lodge complete with twinkling lights, bright snow and festive cheer.
Enjoy a winter warmer here before moving on to one of their Christmas or New Year’s Eve menus featuring a range of international and Spanish classics.
You can see this year’s full Christmas and NYE menus here.
Details: tel: +34 952 81 41 45; email: reservations@lasalabanus.com; Lasalabanus.com.
Private Chef & Christmas Menu 2023
Alternatively, if you just fancy a Christmas holed up in your luxury getaway, we would be thrilled to provide you and your family with a private chef. They will take care of the shopping, cooking and the clearing away, leaving you to enjoy family time together. Just get in touch with our Guest Experience Team for further details!
Can’t face another year of endless cooking and washing up for the whole family? Thinking of an indulgent Christmas 2023 in southern Spain instead? Have a look at a few of our available Christmas break villas.
Lindsay Gregory
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