Málaga Foodie Recommendations
My boyfriend and I both work in tech and have been working from home since the pandemic hit in March. We both moved back in with our parents to try and save and packed up our home in Dublin. We were given the green light to work from home until August 2021, so since I work in travel and have the added perk of quarterly coupons to use on travel (woo!), we decided to make home Spain for a while, Málaga to be precise and get a little bit of sunshine into 2020.
Of course being the foodie that I am, I had to research some top food & drink spots to hit up while I was there. While I love stumbling into random places and finding hidden gems, I also like to have a backup list of places I was recommended/want to try if I have been disappointed by a spot the previous day. Nothing worse that spending your hard earned money on a disappointing meal! Here are some of my Málaga top picks broken down by tapas, restaurants & bars:
For Tapas & Small Bites
So, this cute little tapas bar was actually on my list that I had researched. However, on our first evening, I hadn’t unpacked my laptop yet and we happened to stumble into it and thought we found a hidden gem (little did I know it was already on my list!). It’s busy with locals every time of the day (a sure good sign). The tapas are all delicious. We tried the jamón, the goat cheese toast with caramelised onion, pata asada (sliced marinated pork with crusted bread), meatballs and the beef empanadas. Everything was so tasty. The staff were so friendly and our entire bill with 5 drinks came to under €40. We couldn’t believe it.
Taberna La Gloria
The setting of this restaurant is just idyllic (unfortunately, I didn’t get a good photo). We ordered the prawns pil pil, patatas bravas & mini burgers here. The prawns were by far my favourite here! They gave us complimentary bread and olives here too. Needless to say we left feeling very full. Including cava, beer and sangria this meal was also under €40! This place has a very upmarket feel for a fraction of the price. We were sitting outside, but the setting was just lovely.
Nuestra Signora de la Victoria
This was a gorgeous little bakery close to our apartment and out of the main tourist hub. They did lovely coffee and pastries and their bocadillos (sandwiches on fresh homemade bread) were outrageously tasty, especially the serrano ham one! This place is full of locals and for 2 coffees and 2 sandwiches, I paid €6.50! Seriously, €6.50!!!!
If you love mexican food this place is a TREAT! It’s super small and cozy. They do wicked margaritas and their tacos are on another level. We basically tried them all, but the pollo al diavolo were my favourite. There was a spicy beef one too that was a close contender for second. Basically I loved them all! We didn’t try their nachos / burritos as we were so obsessed with the tacos, but everything smelled and looked divine. So worth a visit if you like spicy food / mexican food.
Restaurants
Some days where you just want a substantial meal rather than snacking on tapas all day, Terra Mia will be your saviour. This place is a no-frills pizzeria situated in old town and has its reputation for a reason. The a’tartufato truffle pizza was just delicious and my boyfriend ordered the diavola. Good sized portions that we needed a to-go box. I’ve eaten a lot of Italian pizza, and in my opinion this was as good as any pizza I’ve eaten in Italy
I’m an Argentinian steakhouse convert. This was possibly up there in the top 3 steaks i’ve ever eaten (a close contender to another Argentinian steak I had in Madrid). I ordered the filet mignon and it comes with either house salad or fries. They give complimentary olives & bread to start. We ate on the outside terrace and it was beautiful and not too noisy. The staff were very friendly and the steak was cooked to perfection. The interior is very dark and cozy, a great date night spot. For 2 steak dinners with drinks, including tip our bill came to €70, so while potentially pricey for Spain, very reasonable by Dublin standards.
This Italian Restaurant was out of this world. It was just as good as being in Italy. The sausage & truffle pasta was so good we had to go back 2 nights in a row. There was an aubergine parmigiana as a special one of the nights, and it was really tasty and cheesy. So reasonably priced and a really intimate setting.
Bars
La Vida de la Gente
Calle Carretería, 44, 29008 Málaga.
This is a gorgeous cocktail bar that serve delicious tapas too. It features floor to ceiling shelving for all their liquor and it’s cool, dark & cozy inside. The pornstar martini I had was delicious. We ordered some pre-dinner tapas and everything was beautifully presented. We had olives, served in a martini glass over ice, mozzarella truffle bites and bresaola served with crusty bread & sundried tomatoes. Service was quick too. A gorgeous little spot if you want a fancy drink and a nibble before dinner.
This is situated on the rooftop of a hostel. It’s a lovely, relaxed outdoor setting with all white decor. I would imagine in non-covid times, that it would be a great summer spot. It was quiet when we were there but the cocktails were so good and beautifully presented.
