8 Best Restaurants in Costa del Sol, Costa Tropical, and Costa de Almería, Spain

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.

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 tuna tataki comes with custard apple; and duck, local mango, and grilled avocado accompany the tomato salad. 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 are also good-value tasting menus (€70) 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.

Set in the pine-clad foothills of Sierra Blanca with panoramic views of the Mediterranean, this “secret oasis in Marbella” offers Andalusian-French fusion cooking, with innovative dishes created by award-winning chefs (and brothers) Jacques and Matthieu Lagarde. Their maxim is sustainable local produce—they have their own garden and orchard, and forage in the nearby woods—and all dishes showcase the seasonal food calendar. Don’t miss the charcuterie of the day (the Lagardes make and cure their own), the butternut with Mexican red pipian or the fresh fish dishes. You’ll also find perhaps the only mashed potato with horseradish in southern Spain. Good-value tasting (€85) and lunchtime (€32) menus are available. The outside terrace enjoys a fresh breeze and sea views, while inside is rustic with an open fire for cooler days. La Cascada also has a pop-up, Le Patio, with quick bites and live music on July and August evenings. 

Sandwiched between the Museo Picasso and Fundación Picasso is one of Málaga's largest wine collections (there are more than 600 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.

Between the casco antiguo and the seafront, this innovative restaurant has an unpromising plain exterior, but forge ahead: the interior's contemporary elegance in gray tones and wood make for cozy surroundings for a quiet dinner from chef Mauricio Giovanni, who renewed his Michelin star in 2025. The seasonal tasting menu has an international slant, with more than a sprinkling of Spanish cuisine in its unusual fusion dishes, such as local mini shrimp with blue cheese and gazpachuelo soup with squid. If there are four of you, book the chef's table for a tailor-made menu and a more hands-on dining experience.

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. The seasonal menu (it changes four times a year) highlights local fresh produce including fish. Service is excellent, and there's a good-value tasting menu (€65 for eight courses) and an extensive wine list.

Perched high in the hills above Fuengirola, this is one of the best fish restaurants on the Costa del Sol. Holder of regular and green Michelin stars, 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. 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. 

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.