One of my favourite things about Spain is the food
And food in Malaga is no exception. I’m a sucker for any offer of tapas when you’re on your holiday travels, and being seven months pregnant on these particular travels made me prey for tapas even more. Even when we were just stopping for a drink, I couldn’t resist taking a little sneaky glance at the food on offer.
When we go away, we like to have a mixture of booked restaurants and spontaneous, spur of the moment eats. If you’ve ever been to Malaga, or even just somewhere like it, you’ll know how easy it is to come across food. There’s restaurants, bars and cafes everywhere. And Spain is open long days as well, so there’s always something available.
You could almost say there’s too much choice – but that’s where I’ve got you covered. I’ve put together my top recommendations, shortlisted to one per meal-type, for Malaga, plus a bonus two venues at the end. Here’s my list…
Breakfast in Malaga
Breakfast in Malaga for us always means churros and chocolate. If you can’t have what is essentially doughnuts and chocolate for breakfast when you’re on holiday, then when else can you. We’ll usually be on our phones the first morning looking for the best/nearest churros venue.
We found several in Malaga, another one than the one I’ve gone for being Tejeringo’s Coffee, which is modern and popular – going on a weekend you will find it hard to get in without a queue after 10am.
Asking for your order:
“Churros, chocolate caliente y un café con leche por favor.” Churros, hot chocolate, and a coffee with milk please.
Cafe Madrid – C. Calderería, 1, Distrito Centro, 29008 Málaga
A really traditional Spanish cafe in the centre of Malaga, and the best churros we had during our trip – and we had a few. In fact when I was looking this venue up after the holiday, it came up as a must-visit if you’re after churros, so it’s worth a stop. Again, it does get popular at breakfast time, so make sure you get there before you’re completely starving. You can sit inside, or under one of the parasols outside, watching the busy street.
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Lunch or Tapas in Malaga
One of my favourite things about Spain is the tapas. The fact that you can get tasty food at any time in the day. No one will think it’s weird if you’re ordering three different options from the menu, in fact it’s pretty normal. You will have unlimited choices for Tapas in Malaga, some of the best food in Malaga can be found on tapas menus, so make sure you explore your options.
Asking for your order:
“Me gustaria tortilla espanola, patatas bravas y flamequin, por favor.” I would like Spanish omlete, spicy potatoes, and flamequin please.
El Pimpi – C. Granada, 62, Distrito Centro, 29015 Málaga
El Pimpi is a must while you’re in Malaga. Any walk past will speak for itself – there’s always a long queue to get a table. Hence why booking a table is also a must. Not only is the tapas at El Pimpi delicious, but the venue itself is a classic in this town. It’s split into winding rooms and indoor-but-outdoor patios, photos of the celebrities that have visited, and those who have signed barrels. While you’re sat in the front you’ll see sparrows coming in and out for crumbs.
Dinner in Malaga
No matter how much tapas you eat throughout the day, dinner is not to be missed in Malaga. I would say Malaga has less big dinner options than it does tapas, so if nothing takes your fancy you can just go for even more tapas. But, there are options.
Asking for your order:
“Me gustaria paella de Pollo y cerdo por favor, y una limonada.” I would like chicken and pork paella please, and a lemonade.
Pez Wanda – C. Granada, 39, Distrito Centro, 29015 Málaga
Pez Wanda is one of the more modern venues, and its location is ideal if you’ve spent the day in the city centre. Based on one of the main streets running through Malaga, you can choose the privacy of sitting inside next to the fish tanks, or sit outside literally on the street. We did both while in Malaga, and I’d recommend either. They do an amazing steak entricote here, or several options for paella, plus some tasty desserts and cocktails.
Best Stop for a Drink
Walking around in the heat of Malaga probably means you’ll have at least a few drink stops, and it’s another area where Malaga serves. Most of its venues are open all day, so you can come across a stop pretty much any time you’re on your travels, wherever you’ve ended up. Pretty much any venue you go to will serve something small like olives with your drink.
Asking for your order:
“Puedo tomar una limonada, un agua, y una canita, por favor?” Can I have a lemonade, a water, and a canita (small beer), please?
Los Gatos – Pl. de Uncibay, 9, Distrito Centro, 29008 Málaga
Los Gatos is right in the centre, and surrounded by other bars and restaurants, so in the evening there’s a real atmosphere. On the last night of our holiday we sat outside, and watched all the Malaga football supporters walking along the road. You can sit on one of the outside tables – but be warned, there aren’t many seats and they do fill up fast.
Ice Cream in Malaga
Kalúa Helados Uncibay – Pl. de Uncibay, 8, Distrito Centro, 29008 Málaga
You will have no end of options for ice-cream in Malaga, there’s several ice cream shops on every street. But, the one I chose (after much deliberation) was Kalúa Helados Uncibay. It’s based on one of the main streets in Malaga, just up the road from Los Gatos. They have an array of flavours – I had a tub of chocolate and lemon pie. They also absolutely cram one of the flavours in the tub until it’s completely full to the brim, then add the second flavour as a round scoop on the top. Plus it’s topped with a tasty wafer.
Two Bonus Venues
Tasca Laska – Av. de la Aurora, 1, Distrito Centro, 29002 Málaga
This one is a little walk away from the main streets of the other venues on my list, and you’ll have to cross one of the bridges to get to the other side of the city. Half Spanish, half Slovakian, this venue offers modern versions of a lot of traditional Spanish dishes. Their paella is amazing! And the portions are big – they may even double check that you want to order so much food, but do, it’s all delicious. Their flamequin (top of this post) is an especially modern twist, and will be different from anywhere else you try it.
El Gallo Ronco – C. Álamos, 1, Distrito Centro, 29012 Málaga
El Gallo Ronco has several venues within Malaga, but this is the one we tried, as it was just down the road from our accommodation. It’s a really nice mix of traditional and modern. You sit on high chairs at barrels-as-tables, and listen to traditional flamenco music. They do also offer flamenco shows and evenings, so if you’re interested in soaking in even more Spanish culture keep an eye out for those. You can get tapas here while having a drink in the evening, and the staff are all lovely, so it’s worth a stop.
And that’s it, my Malaga food guide. Have you been to Malaga recently and tried any of these venues?
