Malaga City - Restaurants

Café Central

Restaurants

Boasting some of the best restaurants in Spain, Malaga attracts diners from all over the Costa del Sol.  Whether it is tapas bars, fine dining restaurants, fast food or excellent fresh fish you are after, you will find it here.  Many Malaga restaurants are situated in old houses with courtyards and patios, to create a unique dining experience.  Many of these restaurants are chic and elegant, and offer some of the most innovative food you will find in Andalucia.

Café Central

With its tables spilling out onto this pretty historic square, this is an all-day dining spot, where you can start your day with chocolate and churros (spiral-shaped doughnuts), moving on to the fino, tapas and traditional dishes later in the day. Plaza de la Constitución 11, Tel: 952 22 49 72.

LA COSMOPOLITA

This place calls itself a "guiso-bar" - it has a relaxed atmosphere and fresh, modern décor with white tables and chairs, and a bar with green stools. Try the salad of roast duck with roasted apples; beans with oxtail; or beef and almond alioli croquettes. Tel: 952 21582.

 

El Chinitas

A traditional restaurant decorated with colourful ceramic tiles, the menu here includes such local specialties as sopa viña (fish soup flavored with sherry and solomillo al vino de Málaga (fillet steak in Málaga wine sauce). Calle Moreno Monroy 4-6.Tel 95 221 0972.

El Bodegón de Gurpegui

Located in Malaga´s Paseo de Calderón, El Bodegón de Gurpegui in Pedregalejo, boasts quirky decor with fine paintings on the walls, golf clubs hanging from the ceiling and brightly coloured ceramics around the restaurant. Traditional Spanish dishes are served at El Bodegón de Gurpegui, with a hint of modern flair.  Stuffed peppers and baby squid are two of the most popular offerings, and a fabulous home-made wine called zurracapote is also a favourite with the locals.  A pleasant terrace area, complete with singing canaries, is the perfect place to dine in the summer. Tel: 95 220 2254.

 

MARICUCHI

This is is a typical chiringuito, a beachfront restaurant - it is located on Pedregalejo beach. Go to town and feast on platters of seafood, such as prawns and clams, and the famous local speciality: sardines barbecued on sticks. Also try the gazpachuelo - Malagueño fish soup. Tel: 952 290412.

 

 

MANDUCARE

This smart restaurant, located at the end of the Paseo de Parque by the port, serves traditional Andalusian dishes with a contemporary angle, such as home-made foie with mango and banana chutney, tartare of sea bream with cider vinegar or duck with sweet potato and honey. Tel: 952 212058.

 

 

 

MESON CORTIJO DE PEPE

Restaurant with traditional décor (some might say old-fashioned): dark wood furniture, vaulted ceiling with beams, historical prints. Gambas al pil-pil are a speciality of the house, as is the montadito de lomo (pork roll). There is a long wooden bar to sit at, or tables either indoors or outdoors. Opposite the Casa Natal de Picasso - his birthplace, now a museum. 952 224071.

 

 

GORKI

Like many of the new-style tapas bars, this place has tall, round tables with high chairs (more comfortable than stools). A "wine bar which serves food", it offers a huge range of gourmet snacks such as rolls (sardines, pepper and alioli; or venison, peppers, onion confit and chimichurri) and platters of ham, cheese and salads. Try the crispy tarts of mozarella, aubergine, bacon and tomato, or mini-spring rolls of mortadela, aubergine and roquefort. More substantial dishes include stews (chickpeas, spinach and cod), pasta and hamburgers. This is the original Gorki, off calle Larios; there are two other branches in Malaga, as well as Marbella and Guadalmina, one in Seville and one in Cordoba.  Tel: 952 221466.