Chiringuitos

[katy]

Do many of you eat at chiringuitos? Many on the West coast have been poshed up, along with the prices. Our favourite is still more or less the same. Called Fernando and Encarnacion is very close to where we lived. Don't know where the name came from, was probably the same family. Enrique and Mercedes who owned it were our neighbours too, all the veg and a lot of the fruit were from their garden, probably the chickens too. If she saw OH walking the dogs she would shout him in for a breakfast of toast and oil. They did retire and the Daughter and son-in-law ran it but I often saw her at the restaurant kitchen peeling a large bin of potatoes or gutting fish. In high summer they could be seen waist deep in the sea collecting cockles. Have now seen 4 generations there, the last being Mercedes great grandchildren. The menu hardly changed in all those years Great setting, white soft sand beach.

Popular in summer with the people from Madrid. They did a black paella which was popular. Haven't been for a few years but still seems the same according to Trip adviser. The Boquerones were second to none and one dish called pollo Maexicana was my favourite, We used to eat lunch two or three times per week but only lightly, the ensalada tropical was good and great omelettes. Bread always warm. The garlic chicken was awful, never had it but friends did and it made my eyes water across the table. If you ordered the cheap house red it came ice cold, OH acquired a taste for it in summer. We must have taken a hundred people there over the years. Do have a favourite Italian too, back streets of Marbella centre, authentic including frequent rows in the kitchen!

Have you a special favourite? Fernando's doesn't have a website but is on

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restauran ... aluci.html

[Devils Advocate]

I thought they were a novelty at first but had one too many tries at getting a portion of sardines that never left the plate swimming in fish blood.

I gave up after that

[katy]

Once happened to us in Marbella. Ordered them and then noticed a group at the next table happily eating them but all the entrails were still in! Also saw them putting new ones on the stakes in the sand and they hadn't been gutted. I was off them before they arrived. Can't do with fish with heads on either

[Devils Advocate]

Hahaha, seen that too re the entrails. Just the smell walking past some of them puts me off. Found a nice one in Chilches that knew how to cook but the flies put me off there

I now realise why I take my time travelling through France lol

[olive]

We have tried several along the Costa del Sol on spec over the years. Always the same grotty result. Not helped by generally awful disabled access and awful toilets.

Maybe we were unlucky. Willing to try one again if recommended.

[El Cid]

You’re right about the sardines. Not scaled or gutted. I love them if done well and cleaned. I tend to eat boquerones in preference and they are pretty much the same whenever you get them. I like them when they are reasonably big and boned and butterflied, that’s how I always cook then.

The chinguitos have all been told by Costas to clean up their act or they will be closed and removed. La Herradura has about 10 and they have all been completely rebuilt, almost from the concrete beams. They are now all really smart, glass curtains windows everywhere. Yes, prices have crept up but not that much. We love them. My recommendation in La Herradura would be La Sardina at the bottom of the access road. In summer you will not get a table without a reservation.

Sid

[costakid]

We use a few east of malaga that are very good food wise. The problem i have is the toilets are always rank.

[Pamela1]

Agree anout the toilets.we once had a meal in one of the chiringitos in Torre, it was awfull and expensive. Since then we tried one at the end of the Carihuela and OTH had a selecton of fish which he said was quite nice.What i don't get is how they bring bread to the table then charge for it, ive noticed that they do this in several restaurants in Malaga province.

[costakid]

All charge for bread I think. I just knock the cost of bread from the tip.

[katy]

Some even charge for olives close to the one I mentioned. If I went for a takeaway at local Chinese they gave me a gin and tonic whilst waiting.

[Pamela1]

Amazing katy, were you a good customer? There are a number of big chinese stores ( not restaurants) near us in the next town, the staff tend to follow you around everywhere you go, they watch everyone like hawks.They do stock alot of items, you name it they have got it, apart from a few items there is alot of tat.

[katy]

Only used it when we had people staying with us. A rip off poshed up chiringuito close by. owned by a British family, great food, unusual menu but expensive. Didn't mind paying for good food but it was their devious tricks. They would come round with a large bread basket , delicious hot rolls, all varieties. Of course everyone took one, thought it was part of the cost (a lot of small starters were around 12 euro) only to find 3 euro each on the bill! Our last visit 6 adults and 3 toddlers. Had 3 bottles of wine and a lot of specials, fine but on the bill they had put a surcharge of 5 euro each for the toddlers. They said it was because they had not eaten (they ate early before we left) when I queried it and the surcharge was because they had a chair each. Just a normal scruffy plastic one. I asked them if we kept the chairs as they were worth less than that each

[elizabennett]

There are some very good Chirringuitos about 10 km from Marbella, between Elviria and Cabopino. Some of our favourites:
- El Laurel
- Chirringuito Carlos y Paula
- Restaurante 200 (probably not strictly a chirringuito, as it is a building, rather than a wooden structure, but very good food and friendly staff)
- Simbad el Marino
All have good seafood and great views.
Regarding Katy's comments about the house red being served ice cold, that is Spanish culture. I stayed at the home of Spanish friends in the north of Spain several times. They always keep their red wine in the fridge. That is the culture in Spain. In France, red wine is served at room temperature, but a wine expert told me that custom originated from the medieval chateaux, which were cold even in the summer!