Planning to spend your next holiday on the Costa del Sol and want to explore the best of its gastronomy? From its bay to its orchards, the restaurants in Málaga reflect the culinary, cultural, and natural richness of this destination. The sun and beach plans blend with sensory experiences at tables set according to the most entrenched customs, yet also open to innovation and surprise. Don't know where to start? Let your palate guide you and, after choosing the perfect hotel for your Málaga getaway, make a list of all the dishes you want to try.
Skina
Once Audrey Hepburn’s favourite destination, Málaga now hosts several Michelin-starred restaurants. Skina, doubly recognized with this distinction and led by chef Marcos Granda, proposes a renewal of Andalusian culinary tradition in the historic centre of Marbella, with dishes that change with the seasons and locally sourced ingredients. Its Seasonal Product tasting menu is the star, though you can also dine à la carte.
Tip: Book well in advance, as there's often a waiting list.
Top Dishes to Savour at Skina
Local garden produce and seafood are the stars of a culinary experience with an artisanal spirit. Featuring evocative dishes like Málaga white prawn with its consommé and snow peas, red tuna tartar with pistachio and caviar, gazpachuelo with smoked eel, or its refreshing pineapple, lime, and basil dessert. A wine list with over 950 references completes the experience.
Chambao by the Sea
Looking for romantic restaurant recommendations in Málaga to surprise your partner? At Chambao by the Sea, you'll savour the best of Málaga's cuisine while enjoying an evening by the sea. Located near Puerto Banús and with a Mediterranean atmosphere at the Iberostar Selection Marbella Coral Beach hotel, it serves high-quality fish and seafood, prioritising responsible fishing sources as part of Iberostar's commitment to coastal health.
What to Eat at Chambao by the Sea
Whether staying at the resort or visiting its restaurant looking for original places to eat in Malaga, Chambao by the Sea will enrich your escape for two with a gourmet homage typically Andalusian in the heart of the Costa del Sol. Seafaring dishes like its rice and paellas or its fish and seafood grills will remind you time and again where you are.
Lobito de Mar
To let your palate guide your travels, just allow yourself be carried away by the destination's flavours and embrace the experience. Lobito de Mar, led by Dani García and based in Marbella and Madrid, offers a Mediterranean-themed journey with what they call “root cuisine,” the traditional market, and a reinvention of the typical without pretensions. The result? An honest yet contemporary repertoire.
Lobito de Mar's Menu
Marbella is a cinematic destination, and its food is no less impressive. At Lobito de Mar, characterised by a colourful and varied menu, you'll find marine charcuterie and fry-ups. There's also a whole section dedicated to red tuna (their particular ode); abundant Andalusian garden produce like tomatoes, potatoes, and avocados; daily catches; shellfish like clams, prawns, and baby squid; creative sushi; stews; tapas like tuna burgers or belly sandwiches; rice, noodles, and more.
Mesón Casa Palma
The Axarquía region in Málaga, known for having the best weather in Europe, hosts some of those timeless Málaga restaurants worth trying. Many serve ensaladilla arriera, a typical dish from Torrox made with cod, orange, and tomato. At Mesón Casa Palma in Torrox Costa, you'll be captivated by its excellent value for money and its geranium-filled patio, perfect for dining in a relaxed atmosphere. Nearby, you'll find Iberostar Waves Málaga Playa, where, in addition to relaxing on the beachfront and sleeping in a hotel with traditional Andalusian architecture, you can continue to delight your palate with a natural cuisine committed to sustainability.
Mesón Casa Palma: Flavours of the Land and Sea
Thanks to its excellent climate, this part of the Costa del Sol grows exotic fruits like mango, avocado, and cherimoya. Mesón Casa Palma's seasoned tomatoes "aliñaos" with garlic and avocado and mango salad from Axarquía will let you savour the abundance of this land. The menu features high-quality red meats, fish, seafood, and local charcuterie and cheese boards. There are also typical dishes like scrambled eggs, stew croquettes, and homemade desserts.
Chiringuito Pepe Oro
A beach bar couldn't be missing from this selection. At Pepe Oro, you might have to wait for a table, especially in high season, but it's worth it. You'll dine on the sand at Playa El Peñoncillo in Torrox Costa. You'll enjoy a unique experience in an open-air space where food is cooked with love, toasts are made to the present moment, and conversations among friends stretch into infinity.
Chiringuito Pepe Oro's Iconic Dish
In Andalusian beaches and also at Chiringuito Pepe Oro, sardine skewers ("espetos") are the stars. This traditional technique, which involves skewering the fish on long, thin canes and then grilling them, is considered a true institution on the Costa del Sol. Fresh daily catches, rice dishes, paellas, portions, and salads complete the offering of this simple restaurant with a cheerful soul and sea views.
Kaleja
After a beach walk, we return to Michelin-starred restaurants in Málaga. Kaleja is located in the city centre. Under the motto “we cook memories,” its menu and grand menu pay homage to Andalusian culture across several chapters that cover the entire region, including Sephardic influences. In fact, the word kaleja means alley in this language. Dani Carnero's concept has been awarded a Michelin Star and two Repsol Suns.
Kaleja's Culinary Concept
Getting married soon and want to capture the moment with the perfect wedding photo in Málaga? The surroundings of Kaleja, a restaurant made for celebrations, will provide your best romantic snapshots. On the table, soups (gazpacho of floja, viña AB of asparagus and pargo, maimones of eel in all i pebre sauce), fat (sardine, Chinese cabbage and anchovy), cultivation (boletus, green pepper and cod tripe) or maillard (candle-roasted pepper) await as part of the tasting experience, available in both long and short versions.
La Cosmopolita
La Cosmopolita, part of chef Dani Carnero's universe along with Kaleja and its Michelin-starred sister La Cosmo, is a house of meals or a stew bar. It stands out among the best restaurants in Málaga city centre thanks to its philosophy of relaxed haute cuisine, with recognizable dishes to share and affordable prices. Here, the product matters, and what's on the table varies to suit the daily market and the creative freedom of the kitchen team.
Top Recipes at La Cosmopolita
La Cosmopolita's Russian salad with ham cubes has already become a classic, as have its mussels in Escabeche Fino in collaboration with La Cala de Albert Adrià, its Arturo Sánchez Iberian sausage, or its tempura cod with shiso leaf. Under the motto “today's dishes, we don't know about tomorrow's”, the daily menu adapts to the season and local ingredients, offering delights like organic tomatoes from the Hevilla family or fresh Málaga prawns.
Mimo Vegan Bistró
Among the restaurants in Málaga city centre, there are also options for vegans or those wanting to explore the vast array of flavours, aromas, and textures of plant-based cuisine. At Mimo Vegan Bistró, a charming and eclectic restaurant, you can enjoy brunch, lunch (with a weekday menu option), and dinner. Everything is cooked with organic, local ingredients, without added sugar, and, importantly if you are celiac, gluten-free.
Mimo Vegan Bistró: High-Quality Vegan Cuisine
Happy oysters (made with roasted and marinated oyster mushrooms in olive oil with cranberries, onion, garlic, and parsley). A different, raw vegan and meat-free royal tartar; 100% veggie sushi; quinoa, buckwheat, and Portobello mushroom burger; zucchini lasagna with chard and basil pesto, dried tomatoes, walnuts, almond ricotta, and bull's heart tomatoes. Mimo Vegan Bistró's vegan options taste as good as they sound, while promoting anti-speciesist gastronomic hedonism: if your holiday is also about this, you can complete it with animal-friendly plans, such as a tour of Andalucía's best natural parks to ethically observe birds, Iberian lynxes, and other endangered species.
Palodú
Cristina Cánovas is the woman behind Palodú. Together with her partner Diego Aguilar, the chef offers haute cuisine tasting menus with up to sixteen courses in a minimalist and label-free atmosphere. They refer to it as “dual cuisine”. Here, the most unexpected Málaga is tasted in an intimate and elegant space decorated in neutral tones, perfect for elevating a celebratory date or sharing the moment with your foodie friends.
What's on Palodú's Menu?
As one of the romantic restaurants in Málaga that you can't miss, Palodú. With a Repsol Sun, serves market dishes and renewed Andalusian traditions like ajoblanco with oysters, roasted leek, pork shank with celery and pear, or grilled tear pea. Their wine harmonies, meticulously designed, allow you to travel both through the map of Andalucía and other vineyards.
Marisquería Godoy
Have you ever heard that classics will always be modern? Some of the unique places to eat in Málaga that everyone talks about might coincide with the most typical ones. For example, Marisquería Godoy. For over twenty years, this seafaring restaurant located in the port has delighted diners with sea views and tables full of local vegetables and fish and seafood from the day's catch. Choosing local produce in your travels is an excellent way to support sustainable tourism and reduce your carbon footprint during your vacation.
A Table Full of Delights at Marisquería Godoy
At Marisquería Godoy, which also boasts a Repsol Sun, the seafood (razor clams, fine shells, crabs, clams, Málaga barnacles, wild lobster, eels…) combines with grilled wild fish (snapper, sea bream, sole, grouper, swordfish, turbot…), fry-ups, stews, rice dishes, and some grilled meats. Local vegetables are also featured in salads such as the Port Salad, roasted pepper salad, warm green salad with Ronda goat cheese and honey, or tomato and avocado salad. What route will you follow? These restaurants in Málaga are the journey!
