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Just under the Don Pepe Hotel and right on the promenade, this is the perfect spot for some refreshment before or after a long stroll along the seafront. Done in navy and white with wicker chairs, this outdoor café-restaurant has a fitting nautical theme, and if the temperature drops, blankets and gas heaters are at the ready. Meals are available all day, starting with a range of breakfast options and continuing with brunch-style dishes such as Caesar salad with king prawns and omelets, or something a little more filling like minute steak. Drinks are on the expensive side, but the ocean view is well worth it.
Calle de José Meliá, Marbella, Andalusia, 29602, Spain
Known For
- Ocean views
- Brunch
- Stylish terrace
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This superb restaurant run by the congenial brothers Jorge and Nacho Rodriguez moved down from the hilltop to a new venue right on the seafront in early 2018. The light and airy dining room has stunning sea views, and there's an outside terrace as well. The dishes, all creatively presented, include traditional options like grilled sardines, oven-baked lamb, and braised oxtail as well as more innovative choices like skate in Champagne sauce, which goes well with the excellent local white wine, Calvente blanco. The desserts are sublime, particularly the cheesecake and the selection of tropical fruit. The three-course menu (€15) offers a particularly good value.
Paseo Marítimo Reina Sofía, Almuñécar, Andalusia, 18690, Spain
Known For
- Traditional dishes
- Sea views
- Good-value three-course menu
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed. and Jan. and Feb.
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One of the eastern Costa del Sol’s foodie treats sits in a pleasant central square with its signature ruby-red feature wall. Chef Sergio González combines the best of local produce with more exotic touches to perfection: the venison comes with chestnuts and Pecorino; and duck, local mango, and shrimp go into the gyozas. Red tuna takes center stage on the seasonal menu, where you’ll also find fresh fish, grilled meats, and a short list of vegan choices. There’s also a good-value tasting menu and an extensive list of tapas that are a gourmet world apart from the rest of the bars in town and on a par with the best in Andalusia.
Pl. Damasco 2, Almuñécar, Andalusia, Spain
Known For
- Creative fusion dishes
- Attentive and friendly service
- Good-value tasting menu
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues., No dinner Sun.
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Sandwiched between the Museo Picasso and Fundación Picasso is one of Málaga's largest wine collections (there are more than 500 on the list). The two historic mansions that make up this restaurant include an original patio and 17th-century stone wine vats; you can sit on barstools in the beamed tapas section, where the walls are lined with dozens of wine bottles, or dine on the airy patio, which is covered with stained glass. Each of the creative dishes here can be paired with its own wine if you wish: crujiente de ternera (crispy beef) with fino sherry, for instance, and black cod with purple potato and coconut sauce arrive with white Málaga wine. Wine and olive-oil tasting sessions, led by the owner, are available on request, or you can try three different wines at any time for €10.
Calle Beatas 43, Málaga, Andalusia, 29008, Spain
Known For
- Wine list
- Innovative tapas
- Stunning interior
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Mediterranean cuisine based on fresh, local produce takes center stage at this restaurant, which has both a minimalist, intimate dining room and a pleasant terrace that's heated in winter. Highlights on the seasonal menu (it changes four times a year) include local fresh produce including fish. Service is excellent, and there's a good-value tasting menu (€52 for seven courses) and an extensive wine list.
Pl. de España 2, Nerja, Andalusia, 29780, Spain
Known For
- The best innovative cuisine in town
- Wine list
- A good-value tasing menu
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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Perched high in the hills above Fuengirola, this is one of the best fish restaurants on the Costa del Sol. Michelin-starred chef Diego Gallegos champions sustainable and healthy cuisine, and his on-site aquaponics facility raises most of the fish and vegetables used here. As a result, 90% of the ingredients are ‘homegrown’ with the remainder sourced locally and Gallegos also has a green Michelin star for sustainability. Freshwater fish such as trout and sturgeon take pride of place on the tasting menu (four aperitifs plus nine dishes), where you’ll also find organic caviar and smoked fish.
Avda. del Higuerón 48, Fuengirola, Andalusia, Spain
Known For
- Sustainable and innovative cuisine
- Latin American touches in dishes
- Coastal views
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon., No lunch.
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This long-established vegetarian restaurant has a large, pleasant dining space decorated with vibrant artwork. It's best known for its excellent, vast, and bargain-priced lunchtime buffet, which includes salads and hot dishes like red-lentil croquettes, vegetable paella, and soy "meatballs." Leave room for the house-made desserts, all delicious. Vegans are well catered to. Biodynamic wines and beer are available, as are more mainstream Spanish varieties.
Calle Santa Isabel 8, Fuengirola, Andalusia, 29640, Spain
Known For
- Vegetable dishes
- Lunch buffet
- Soy meatballs
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner. Closed Sun., July, and Aug.
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The modest, old-fashioned exterior of this local favorite is a bit deceiving: inside you'll be greeted not with stodgy decor but with spacious dining rooms with soccer memorabilia, photos of famous patrons, and tanks of fish. Seafood choices include fried or grilled squid, spider crab, lobster, sole, red snapper, and sea bass. If you're not a fish eater, though, you'll have to make do with little more than a roll and dessert. The latter includes homemade rice pudding and chocolate mousse. This is a popular venue with locals and tourists, so go early to be sure of a table—especially if you want to dine outside on the lovely terrace on the plaza.
Pl. Altamirano, Marbella, Andalusia, 29602, Spain
Known For
- Seafood
- Homemade rice pudding
- Outdoor dining
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed.
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Around the corner from the Mercado de Atarazanas, this is Málaga's oldest bar, founded in 1840. Málaga wines and finos flow straight from the barrel, and the walls are lined with sepia photos of old Málaga—including some of Picasso. Wash your wine down with plates of cheese, shrimp, or cold cuts.
Calle Alameda 18, Málaga, Andalusia, 29005, Spain
Known For
- Málaga wine
- Historic legacy
- Tapas
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Tucked behind the Picasso Museum, Araboka has a well-deserved reputation as an excellent gastro bar serving Mediterranean dishes made from local produce. Inside, the restaurant is contemporary with low lighting and plant motifs on the walls, and outside there’s a pleasant terrace. Sharing plates is encouraged, and the maître d' offers good advice on wine pairing from the extensive list.
Calle Pedro de Toledo 4, Málaga, Andalusia, 29015, Spain
Known For
- Sharing plates
- Extensive wine list
- Outdoor terrace
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Andalusian cuisine meets Basque tradition at this authentic restaurant in the heart of the older part of Fuengirola. Dine on fresh local produce either outside on the pleasant corner terrace or inside the rustic dining room. The menu takes Andalusian cooking as its base but adds Basque traditional dishes in a unique and very tasty north-south fusion. Try the txangurro (Basque-style crab), milhoja de foie con queso, membrillo y manzana (mille-feuille with foie gras, quince, and apple), or the house specialty, duck. There's also a cozy bar where you can enjoy inexpensive tapas and sharing plates. The wine list runs very long and staff offer good advice on pairing.
Calle Larga 14, Fuengirola, Andalusia, Spain
Known For
- Basque-Andalusian fusion
- Duck
- Excellent wine list
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed.
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Thanks to the malagueño families who flock here on weekends for the legendary fresh seafood, this restaurant seats 170 inside and 150 outside in an attractive square, one block back from the seafront. Try for a table overlooking the mermaid fountain. This is a good place to indulge in fritura malagueña or arroz marinera, one of 12 different rice dishes prepared here; others include lobster rice, vegetable rice, and black rice flavored with squid ink. The generous set menus feature different types of seafood, fish, or rice dishes. Service can be brisk and impersonal.
Pl. San Ginés, Torremolinos, Andalusia, 29620, Spain
Known For
- Zarzuela de marisco (seafood stew)
- Fried fish
- Rice dishes
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Right on the sands at the southwestern end of La Carihuela, this family-run restaurant has been serving up fresh fish and seafood for over 50 years; not for nothing is it a regular winner of the best espetero prize (maker of grilled sardines). Sit in the bright and airy interior dining area, furnished in jaunty nautical navy and white, or grab a table outside on the beach to soak up the Mediterranean vibe. Highlights on the menu include any of the grilled fish (ask for daily specials) and a good choice of rice dishes. Finish with a cocktail on the frontline 'armchairs' as you watch the waves.
Calle Nerja, Torremolinos, Andalusia, Spain
Known For
- Grilled sardine espetos
- Rice dishes
- Cocktail menu
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
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Fresh seafood and crisp fried fish star on the menu at this busy chiringuito (beach restaurant) on the western seafront near the tall chimney. Eat inside in nautically themed decor or outside on the terrace on the sand. Sardines grilled over olive-wood charcoal are the best in town in season (May to August), and barbecued whole fish is also worth trying. There’s a good selection of salads including pipirrana de pulpo (octopus). Desserts aren’t so good, but nearby Marcello and Maiten serve ice cream. Service is always swift and efficient even when the venue is packed. If you like quieter dining, go midweek.
Calle Pacífico 129, Málaga, Andalusia, Spain
Known For
- Grilled sardines
- Fresh fish and seafood
- Efficient service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Feb., No dinner in the winter.
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If you've done any traveling on the Costa's main A7 highway, you've doubtless spotted this place, high in the pine-clad hills above the village—the views from the dining room stretch all the way to Africa on a clear day. The dishes, made with the freshest ingredients, have a definite touch of northern Spain, and the restaurant and tapas bar are both popular with a sophisticated Spanish clientele. Highlights include traditional stews such as fabes con almejas (beans with clams), creamy rice with king prawns, and steaks grilled over oak wood embers. There's an extensive wine list.
Ctra. Benalmádena-Mijas, Km 3.1, Benalmádena, Andalusia, 29631, Spain
Known For
- Grilled meat dishes
- Coastal views
- All-day kitchen
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Down the road from the tourist office, this ordinary-looking restaurant serves excellent and abundant Spanish cooking for some of the best prices in the area. Inside, traditional wine barrels share space with modern leather stools, pine furniture, and a flat-screen television, and there's also a pleasant outside terrace. Open all day from early to late, the mesón serves breakfast, snacks, tapas, lunch, and dinner—it's often bustling and more than a little loud. Specialties include pulpo a la brasa (grilled octopus), berenjenas fritas (fried eggplant), and pío antequerano (cod, orange, and olive salad). The service is friendly, although it can be slow when the restaurant's busy. Portions are large, so they're best for sharing. Finish off with a liqueur or something from the impressive gin list.
Calle Encarnación 9, Antequera, Andalusia, 29200, Spain
Known For
- Tapas
- Generous portions
- Gin list
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Set among the Palm Walk near the cruise-ship terminal and with first-class views of the harbor, this restaurant has become a firm favorite with locals and visitors. Sit inside the modern glass cube for elegant dining or outside for a more informal meal (or just coffee). Try the homemade croquetas (croquettes) with squid and red pepper or octopus carpaccio for starters, and follow with one of the paellas—the highlight is the arroz caldoso con bogavante (creamy rice with lobster) or fresh fish. Make sure you leave plenty of room for the canutillos de almendra con mousse de chocolate blanco (almond snaps with white chocolate mousse). Service is friendly but slow when busy.
Muelle 2, Málaga, Andalusia, 29001, Spain
Known For
- Harbor views
- Paella
- Croquetas
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Just a block from Plaza de las Flores, a 200-year-old building hides this sleek, modern wine bar, serving some of the best tapas in town. Choose from a long list of hot and cold pinchos (small snacks)—the rabo de toro en hojaldre (oxtail in pastry) and graten de bacalao (cod gratin) are perennial favorites—tostas, and miniburgers, or from the à la carte menu, where meat dishes star. The wine list has more than 300 labels (including some of Spain's best), and the friendly staff can offer advice on pairing options.
Calle Raphael 7, Estepona, Andalusia, 29680, Spain
Known For
- Tapas
- Wine list
- Rabo de toro
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
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This justly popular restaurant is housed in an 1860s building that also incorporates an 11th-century Moorish well. Time may have stood still with the setting, but the cuisine reflects a modern twist on traditional dishes, including seafood mains like bacalao con cebolla, miel y pasas con crujiente de espinacas (cod with onion, honey, and raisins) or rabo de novillo con almendras (oxtail stew with almonds). Desserts such as the milhojas de manzana (apple mille-feuille) are also good, and the wine and gin lists are among the best in the city. The restaurant is fronted by a popular terrace and tapas bar (first tapa free) that is generally filled with a boisterous business crowd.
Calle Marín 3, Almería, Andalusia, 04007, Spain
Known For
- Creative tapas
- Wine list
- Bacalao
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon., No lunch Tues.
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Located at the heart of Estepona port, this is one of the best places on the western Costa del Sol to try simply cooked fresh fish, delivered daily off the restaurant’s own boat. The very busy venue (on weekends it’s packed to bursting) has excellent service and a quick turnaround so you never have to wait very long for a table. Feast on lightly fried small fish, try the oven-baked larger fry, or treat yourself to the catch-of-the-day lobster or crab. Desserts may disappoint, but then again you’ll probably be too full.
Calle Puerto Pesquero s/n, Estepona, Andalusia, Spain
Known For
- Fresh fish
- Liveliness on weekends
- Authentic atmosphere
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun., Closed Mon.
