Where to eat in Malaga: The Best Food Guide

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Malaga is an incredible place for slow travel, not just for its beaches and cultural landmarks, but also for the delicious Spanish cuisine options. Be it fine dining restaurants, trendy bars, or no-frills chiringuitos, this foodie guide will help you figure where to eat in Malaga and what food dishes to try.

We stayed in Malaga for 2 weeks this summer, and tried many different restaurants, cafes, and gelaterias. We didn’t try any of the Michelin-starred restaurants in Malaga, and outside of that, eating out in Malaga is quite affordable (compared to other European destinations). I went big on seafood while my husband and daughter were delighted with Iberian ham dishes.

No trip to Malaga is complete without trying local tavernas for tapas and chiringuitos for espetos. If you are planning a trip to Malaga, read on for where to eat in Malaga Spain and what to eat in Malaga.

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Where to eat in Malaga’s historic centre

Bodega El Pimpi

Even if you are visiting Malaga for a day and are restricted to centro historico (the historic centre), it is possible to eat at the famous Bodega El Pimpi. This bodega occupies an old-town mansion filled with historic bullfighting posters, rustic wood, and traditional Andalusian charm. Yes, this heavily attracts tourists including tour groups, so the atmosphere can be noisy and the service a bit slow, especially in the evenings. But the local hotspot is still worth the visit. It requires advance reservation for sure.

Many locals visit and enjoy it for a glass of sweet Málaga wine and tapas, especially during off-peak hours. We tried several food dishes including Gambas pil pil (Spanish tapas dish featuring juicy prawns in hot olive oil), local sheep cheese, pork and fish main dishes. I also had Moscatel (Moscato), a traditional sweet wine at El Pimpi. The restaurant was full in the evening, but our waiter was super helpful with recommendations and prompt with service.

Casa Lola Stratchan

If you roam around the historic centre in Malaga, chances are high that you will see one of the many Casa Lola tapas bars. The Casa Lola diners (the original one is located on Calle Granada) in the historic core are loud, busy and energetic, so expect long lines and a noisy space.

We enjoyed a meal at Casa Lola Stratchan, one of the relatively newer locations (at Calle Stratchan). We went early in the evening (around 7 pm), way before the usual dinner time in Malaga, so got a table without reservation. We tried several Spanish tapas and pinchos (these bite-size snacks are also known as pintxos, originate from the Basque country of northern Spain, typically served on a slice of bread). Plus Iberian ham and local beer.

Uvedoble

This creative modern Spanish restaurant has a great location, right opposite the entrance to the Roman Theatre and the Alcazaba. We opted for the outdoor seating that needs advance reservation. It’s only because we landed there at 7 pm (early by Malaga dinner standards) that we got a table until 9 pm.

It serves unique and modern food dishes, both in tapas and main dish formats. We tried an Andalusian soup, shrimps on fried noodles, amongst several dishes.

Mexicano Tulum

If you are staying in Malaga for few days, like we did, chances are high that you would want to diversify from Spanish cuisine. One restaurant that stands out from the rest is Mexicano Tulum for lip-smacking Mexican food dishes (located on Calle Carretería in Málaga).

Really good burritos with filling of your choice.

From ordering loaded nachos & guacamole to tacos and burritos (multiple filling choices like spicy prawns, beef, chicken, pork, with vegetarian options available), we enjoyed a meal here. Loved the margaritas as well, and my daughter has a house lemonade.

Don’t miss out on Chiringuitos in Malaga

No trip to Malaga is complete without enjoying the beach shacks in the town, or chiringuitos, as they are locally named. Pedregalejo and El Palo have many no-frills local options. The entire stretch of Playa Malagueta upto Playa de La Caleta also has many choices for chiringuitos. Here are the 3 in and around Malagueta beach area that we went to –

Chiringuito El Cachalote

El Cachalote really stood out for its food and service, we went twice here during our stay in Malaga. This laid-back beachfront restaurant has both indoor & outdoor seating on the sand. From the indoor seating, we enjoyed the stretch overlooking the sun beds neatly arranged on the beach and the ocean views. Another good part of the location is that it’s walking distance from an floating aqua park (WaterFun Malagueta) with fun slides in the shallow part of the sea. My daughter and another kid enjoyed their time at the water park while we sipped on vino de tinto.

The seafood at El Cachalote is excellent. It is a popular spot so book in advance. We went without a reservation in the afternoon and got a table, but did make a booking for the next time. We tried espetos (grilled sardines), an Andalusian style of cooking on open fire. You can see little shacks next to the beach restaurants where seafood is being barbecued on coal, giving it a smoky flavour. I relished the locally-caught fish cooked on open-fire.

Chiringuito Mediterraneo

Again, like El Cachalote, the location is excellent. It is the last one on the Malagueta strip. We loved the outdoor setting on the beach for a leisurely meal. My daughter enjoyed the calamari. I don’t know whether it was language issue or something else but the service was slow. And the fish I ordered was ok but not great compared to El Cachalote.

Nothings wrong with the paella (except that the pork was super salty)

Our experience did not match the online reviews we read on Trip advisor and elsewhere before going.

Baños del Carmen / El Balneario

Baños del Carmen is located right at the eastern edge of the city center/La Malagueta area and just before Pedregalejo begins. Though the location right on the ocean is excellent and great for sunset views, this place really let us down. And I am surprised because it came recommended by locals. The beautiful views are not worth the terrible service. It took them some time to seat us at our table (despite advance reservation), many food dishes on the large menu were not available, and the waitress had an attitude that she was doing us a favour bringing our food. The food taste was ok not great (there are so many better spots in Malaga!).

You can’t mess up potato and meat croquettes.

I strongly recommend to stay away from this unfriendly place and leave the rude staff for locals to handle. I wish I had read some of the recent Trip advisor reviews which are all terrible for this vintage restaurant.

Restaurants to try in El Pedregalejo

For our 2 week trip to Malaga, we stayed in a lovely Portuguese house in Pedregalejo booked via Airbnb. naturally, we got a chance to try many cafes and restaurants in and around Pedregalejo. The seafront promenade (Paseo Marítimo el Pedregal) in Pedregalejo is famous for its traditional chiringuitos and Mediterranean views.

Los Cunaos

I cannot recommend this no-frills chiringuito enough! This beachside restaurant on the main Pedregalejo promenade is well-known for traditional Andalusian seaside dining. Like the chiringuitos at Playa Malagueta, it is famous for espetos (grilled sardine skewers cooked over an open-air sand-pit barbecue) and fried fish, calamari, and regional catches.

The wait-staff is knowledgeable and friendly. Everything we ordered including grilled fish, gambas pil pil, fried calamari was fresh and the amongst the best we had in malaga. What’s more, the restaurants in Pedregalejo are budget-friendly as compared to the ones in and around historic centre.

La Chancla

Restaurante La Chancla is a beachfront restaurant in Pedregalejo, offering Mediterranean and Asian fusion cuisine. We ended up going here on the day of Football World Cup Final (Spain vs Argentina), it was one of the few restaurant left on that promenade with a table for us.

That cheese was the best part of the salad.

The food was ok, nothing great, but the service was good despite a packed and noisy crowd. I enjoyed my salad and drinks. The lively atmosphere and no-stop enthusiasm of Spanish fans made up for everything else! Overall satisfactory.

La Machina

La Machina again has an excellent location, the restaurant is right on the pedestrian walkway. It serves creative Mediterranean tapas, and fresh fish. We went for a leisurely lunch and tried several tapas including a Spanish omelette, croquettes, but what they are known for is hamburgers.

The online reviews on Trip advisor point to several anecdotes of bad service, but the man who served us was friendly and fast. No complaints at all.

Tejeringo’s Coffee

Who would have thought that on a summer trip to Malaga, we would go to a local chain of restaurants and enjoy the churros and hot chocolate! We tried the spot in El Palo – budget-friendly, non-greasy churros, thick cup of hot chocolate, quick service, what’s not to like!

I later came to know that churros are a part of Spanish gastronomy. Tejeringos are a variety of Malaga churros that have a much denser and more consistent dough compared to traditional churros. We didn’t try any of the sandwiches or other items on the menu so can’t vouch for that, but the churros are on point.

Ummo Restaurante

Apart from delicious Mexican cuisine, we also tried Italian food dishes during our trip. Ummo at Malaga-Este is known for its sourdough Neapolitan-style pizzas and artisanal pasta.

Our Airbnb landlord ordered a huge meal delivery as a way to say thank you. The sourdough pizzas and the cheese / meat platter to share were all great. Super way to laze in the backyard.

What we missed out on in Malaga (that you should try)

We missed visiting Mercado Atarazanas near the historic centre of Malaga. This local market has over 200 stalls of fresh produce – seafood, meats, cheeses, olives, local wine, and tapas counters, where you can sit down for fried fish and a glass of wine. The outdoor café tables are a favourite with locals and tourists alike.

Summary: Foodie Guide to Malaga, Spain

If you are staying in Malaga for a longer duration, you will find numerous restaurants, cafes, for a variety of cuisines, including Turkish, Italian, Mexican, and more. We bought a lot of salads and sandwiches from supermarkets like Carrefour, Aldi for a meal each day. And stepped out every day for the second meal, mostly dinner. And had a lot of gelato!

What to eat in Malaga ranges from fresh seafood, traditional cold soups, tapas, to plenty of options for other European cuisines. Where to eat in Malaga is easy to figure out, so many options from fine-dining to budget-friendly and everything in between.