Gastronomy is a tourist attraction and is an area in which few Spanish provinces beat Málaga. Their variety of local products covers a wide range of tastes and you can find everything from small inns to chefs awarded Michelin stars using these ingredients in their best dishes. Coín fig bread, Álora olives, Frigiliana treacle and many others, so much so that you will want to stay and live here forever. Here is a list of the top ten restaurants in Málaga which carefully guard the local recipes. Do not miss this route which will whet your appetite and seduce your palate with the best of this land.
1. Restaurante Parador de Málaga Golf, Málaga
Parador Málaga Golf
Eating and drinking well on the Costa del Sol is very easy, especially if you add views of the stunning sea and tremendous gardens. The plan is perfect. The Parador Málaga Golf restaurant serves a delicious and traditional local cuisine in an idyllic setting. Newly renovated and with its modern decor, it also has a large outdoor summer terrace to take advantage of every last drop of sunlight. There are recipes here like rice stew with fish from the coast, the famous Málaga ajoblanco with grapes and Coín fig bread, plus fried aubergine with tempura and treacle. This local dish is one you should not miss.
2. Restaurante Dani García, Marbella
Restaurante Dani García, Marbella
The quintessential Málaga cold soup is ajoblanco and haute cuisine could not resist its charms. Dani García, the chef from Málaga with two Michelin stars, prepares his version of this recipe in the restaurant that bears his name. Málaga ajoblanco, herring caviar with vegetables, vermicelli and prawn carpaccio: this is his menu from Málaga among other Andalucian delicacies such as his famous version of gazpacho. It is not the first time Dani García has done a version of ajoblanco. He has already released bitter almond curd ajoblanco with peppered caramel cream and lychees, served in an eggshell as if it were boiled, or frozen pine nut ajoblanco. This wonderful sensory experience must be experienced first-hand.
3. Las Campanas Bakery in Ronda
Yemas del Tajo. Photo: cocinaconreina.blogspot.com
The sweet spot of this tour of the restaurants on the Costa del Sol and its indigenous roots certainly lies with the bakery Las Campanas in Ronda and its insurmountable “yemas del Tajo” (“Tagus egg yolks”). This recipe is emblematic of this beautiful Málaga city and dates from the early twentieth century. A unique opportunity to visit one of the cultural and landscape monuments in the province and, in turn, try this dish from Ronda. Gourmets simply must not miss this spot.
4. La Molletería 1976, Málaga
La Molletería 1976, Málaga
Eating on the Costa del Sol is a pleasure and the food there endorses it. The mollete, a kind of unleavened, white and undercooked bread, made in Antequera, is the best casual option for a nice lunch or dinner. Next to the Malagueta bullring, the capital of the Costa del Sol, is the Molletería 1976, a restaurant with all kinds of sandwiches made with this delicious bread. From the simplest oil and tomato to more complex elaborations, this place offers you the chance to try authentic deli tastes. Inside each one are the ingredients you want and, above all, local products like Málaga goat cheese.
5. Restaurante el Lago de Marbella
Restaurante El Lago
Glamorous tapas. The Restaurante El Lago de Marbella offers a range of possibilities when it comes to snack time but the stars are certainly the Álora olives. Paco Garcia, managerof the establishment, has even participated as a judge in the cooking contest “La Aloreña en la tapa”. The views of a spectacular lake from the restaurant are impressive and you can also enjoy the signature cuisine.
6. Restaurante El Mirador de Frigiliana
Restaurante El Mirador-Frigiliana
El Mirador de Frigiliana restaurant has impressive views overlooking this village with Moorish roots, white houses, narrow streets and steep slopes. Its indigenous product par excellence that comes from the Arabic tradition is undoubtedly treacle. In this setting you can taste dishes with this ingredient, such as treacle-cured salmon and gratin sauce, kebab made with treacle and virgin olive oil, or even desserts like the Frigiliana cup (3 scoops of ice cream, nougat, chocolate and lemon, raisins and treacle). A menu to sweeten your palate as you enjoy the landscape.
7. Mesón los Lobos in Algarrobo
Mesón Los Lobos
If you like meat, this is ideal place for a nice lunch. Located in the village of Algarrobo in Axarquia, the Mesón Los Lobos brings you the most delicious grills in the area. If you want to try something more local, do not hesitate to ask for an Algarrobo “torta” (“cake”), known throughout Andalucia. Olive oil, aniseed and almonds are some of the ingredients in this traditional product, the recipe of which is only known by the locals.
8. Asador Puerta de Málaga (Casabermeja)
Asador Puerta de Málaga
This restaurant with character located in Casabermeja is skilled in a unique and unrivalled flavour: Málaga goat cheese. This ingredient plays a fundamental role in the whole menu and the establishment has been shown on numerous occasions to be active in promoting this product. If you want, you can try the fresh Málaga goat cheese salad with raspberry vinaigrette, vegetable lasagne and Malaga lamb with goat cheese, payoyo goat cheese, and even in the dessert, Málaga goat rice pudding.
9. Restaurante Posada del Bandolero (El Borge)
La posada del bandolero
In the Posada del Bandolero, you can taste traditional Andalucian food made in a rustic atmosphere and using products from the region, Axarquía. In El Borge, raisins are very famous for sweetening your senses and these cultivated vines in the most fertile land produce the best wines. We recommend that you come to this restaurant, enjoy your meal and then visit the Museo del Bandolero located on the same premises in an old mill.
10. Mesón La Pozuela (Jubrique)
Mesón La pozuela
The La Pozuela inn is located in the whitewashed village of Jubrique in the middle of Valle del Genal. The menu, which changes weekly, is based on creative dishes with an Andalucian touch and offers a variety of produce grown in the mountains of Ronda, as well as its goat cheese, mushrooms, sausages, wines and chestnuts. These last ones are particularly important, especially in desserts. Make sure you come her to taste the typical food from the village cooked with typically grown local products.
ACCOMMODATION
Hotel Fuerte Marbella
The best option for accommodation on the Costa del Sol to try its restaurants and enjoy the local products in Málaga is undoubtedly Fuerte Hoteles. The chain has branches where you can enjoy the best of each area throughout Málaga, in addition to its services. Its more than 60 years of experience are the best guarantee. Marbella, or Torrox are some sites where you can find this amazing accommodation.