Hello all,

Our trip starts next week. (Yay!) We'll be traveling from NYC to Malaga, with a layover in CDG for a couple of hours, so by the time we drop the bags at the hotel in the early afternoon I imagine we'll be low on energy, and looking for a decent meal to offset our overexposure to airline food. I'm thinking a menu del dia kind of thing, something relatively simple to decide on, and ideally in a reasonably relaxed setting for two people in rumpled clothes. Communicating in Spanish no problem. Easy walking proximity to Soho area a big plus. Thanks in advance for your recommendations.

menu del dia in early afternoon, might be an issue

How so?

Any suggestions for a place that meets the criteria, menu or no, would be great.

Early afternoon in this case is probably no earlier than 1:30.

The very moderately priced lunch, 3-course menú del día will be served in Málaga, depending on the restaurant, from 1:30-3:30. It appears that you can make that time frame, "early afternoon".

The walk from anywhere in central Málaga from your lodging in Soho will not take time. In fact, everything in central Málaga is easily walkable from Soho.
The walk to the lively, large Mercado de Ataranzanas is from there quite quick and easy.
Here we especially like the very casual Marisquería El Yerno, at the very north end of the market, with bar stools. You can enjoy their dishes in any manner of dress (as we did when escaping, drenched, from the pouring rain). It´s the city´s central indoor market, so you will see locals and lots of tourists in any type of dress imaginable.

We feel that this, El Yerno, is the best of the market "noshing", especially to enjoy their bountiful offerings of fresh seafood, along with an excellent selection of wines by the glass or bottle.
The owner, Paco Murillo, is a stickler about the quality of the seafood he serves. We always stop here for a seafood tapa and glass of local wine. It´s the most genuine and most high quality of the market bars, we think, and the local press tends to agree. It´s open from Mon. to Sat. from 11 to 7 pm, so no need to rush over. No "cheap" menú del día" here but impeccable seafood at reasonable prices. And this market is unmissable from a visitor's standpoint.

https://mercadomalaga.es/puestos/marisqueria-el-yerno/

In Spanish
https://www.abc.es/gurme/malaga/opiniones/sevi-marisqueria-yerno-esquina-felicidad-202402072103_noticia.html

https://www.ojoalplato.com/el-yerno-malaga/

Or if you prefer a very classic, super traditonal ham-centric place much loved by locals, you have Mesón Ibérico. But no menú del día; however many dishes can be ordered in half portions. You can have tapas here or a sit down meal and it doesn´t close until 5 pm. It even gets a nod from the Guía Repsol dining guide as well as Macari. Again, no need to rush. By the way, in the south of Spain folks tend to dine later.
https://www.mesoniberico.net

https://macarfi.com/es/mal/ficha-restaurante/meson-iberico

Thanks, Maribel. I had made note of that market stall previously, I must have read about it in another of your posts. I do love seafood. And wine. I'm looking forward to consuming plenty of both on this trip.

As an old NYC Chowhound person, I love seeking out the genuine, local places with great food. Having read about how busy the market is generally, I did wonder if it might not be a bit more of a scene than our jetlagged selves will be up for, so I had it penciled in for the following day's activities. For our arrival day, local, everyday cuisine in a somewhat chill setting, preferably seated at a table rather than perched on a stool, will be a better fit for us.

Yes, I am a former Chowhound as well. If you've penciled in the market for your second day (and I agree that it can get very, very crowded), then you may enjoy more the very classic Mesón Ibérico where you can sit down.

For seafood sitting at a table, without skirting the crowds of tourists in the market, another option is the 3rd (?) member of the seafood group, Los Mellizos, very popular with locals. I've eaten at the original on Sancha de Lara, always packed with locals.
https://losmellizos.net

In Soho, by the way, there are a number of restaurants belonging to the Tercer Acto group, partially owned by Antonio Banderas. They tend, however, to be "Mediterranean, fusion" in style rather than very typically Spanish. The one that I frequent, though, La Barra de Doña Inés on the Alameda, is quite Spanish, not at all fusion. It may or may not appeal, but it´s frequented almost exclusively by locals, not tourists.
https://www.dreamedrestaurants.es/wal/B10213/wa2/?rcode=11324#/explorer

https://test.macarfi.com/es/mal/ficha-restaurante/la-barra-de-dona-ines

Thanks, Maribel, all three places look appealing. La Barra de Doña Inés may have the edge, with its location around the corner from our hotel. I can see that we would eat well at any of them, and none is at much of a distance.

Well, on second thought, having had a chance to look at the menu for Mesón Ibérico, I want to respond to the question on their web page, ¿Buscas comer en un mesón tradicional? with a resounding ¡Si!

HellieF,
Yes, Mesón Ibérico is súper tradicional.

The Los Mellizos is also súper tradicional for seafood/shellfish, not for meats, but I haven't been yet to its Soho branch. The Sancha de Lara location is always packed since it's the original one, in business for 40 years, the classic Málaga marisquería.

La Barra de doña Inés doesn't attract tourists that I've seen but is frequented by a fairly well to do local crowd, from my experience. The only caveat is that they accept no reservations and it's primarily bar seating. But it´s very handy to the Roommate Valeria and the Soho Boutique.