Where to eat in Malaga?
Eat cheaply in Malaga
To make your life easier, we have made this map with the best places to eat cheaply in Malaga, they are all places that we have personally tried and that also have the best reviews on tripadvisor.
Also, if you click on each place on the map, you will be able to read a short description that we have put on each site.
Click on the square icon in the top right corner of the map to open it.
Map legend:
- Places in red: Camperos.
- Places in green: Fish.
- Places in black: Rooftops with a view.
- Places in yellow: Tapas Malaga center.
- Places in dark blue: Vermouth places.
The aim of this map is that you know the recommendations of first hand Malaga, yes, you have to understand that in a city like Malaga in which tourism is so important, you will find tourists everywhere but we want to share with you our favorite places.
In addition we do not receive any commission, we can assure you that the recommendations are 100% honest.
If you are sure you want to go to a specific place, we recommend you to make a reservation as the demand is usually very high.
Where to eat espetos in Malaga?
Undoubtedly the most typical dish of Malaga, cooking them well is an art, usually each espeto contains about five sardines. It consists of skewering them and placing them at the perfect distance from the fire so that they are just right.
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Best espetos in Malaga
It is important to know that espetos can only be eaten on the beach. Although a bar in the centre may advertise it, don't be fooled as the real ones are eaten on the beach.
As you may have seen, the coast of Malaga is very wide and full of beach bars, most of them have a boat next to the restaurant where they cook the espetos de sardinas and all kinds of fish.
Sardine skewers are to Malaga what shrimp pancakes are to Cadiz or what cocido is to Madrid, so if you come to Malaga a visit to a beach bar is a must.
We know many cases of people who have come to Malaga and have insisted that they were not going to like the dish but when they try it they can't stop eating it.
It is important not to confuse the espetos with the pescaito frito, as the espetos do not have any ingredient, they are just sardines with coarse salt cooked on the grill; In the case of the pescaito frito, it is the fish in batter and cooked in the fryer, so the espeto is also a very healthy dish. -
Best places to eat espetos in Malaga
We insist that if you want a good espeto you will have to go to the beach to eat them, luckily in Malaga the beach is very close to the center, so you can visit the city in the morning and at noon go for a walk, by car or bus to eat.
The closest places to eat espetos are the port and the Malagueta beach, although they are the most touristic places, where there will be hardly any local people and the price will be higher than in the other beaches.
If you don't want to leave Malaga without trying a good espeto, our recommendation is to go to the beach of El Palo, a traditional fishing district of Malaga where local people go to eat fish. It is an hour walk from the center, so we recommend going by public transport as parking is very limited in that area. Undoubtedly the palo is the most local and economical option.
Another option is to go to the beach De La Misericordia or Huelin, where there are many quality beach bars, although it is a little more touristy than El Palo and with higher prices.
Is it possible to eat espetos all year round?
All the beach bars offer espetos all year round, but the reality is that they are a seasonal product. We are going to give you a trick, since the best months to eat espetos are those that do not contain the letter "erre", that is to say, from May to August.
What to eat in Malaga?
If you want to know more about what to eat in Malaga, you can't miss our article. Apart from pescaito frito and espetos, the gastronomy of Malaga is very wide. We are going to try to recommend dishes that we like and that are not common in the rest of Spain.
Porra antequerana
Surely if you do not know this dish, the name will suggest something different from what it is, as it is a fresh soup. We could compare it to the salmorejo cordobés, it is usually accompanied by serrano ham and hard-boiled egg or tuna and hard-boiled egg. Ideal for a hot day in Malaga.
Fried fish
It is another typical food of Malaga, the most popular are the fried anchovies with lemon, for something the people from Malaga are known as boquerones and the women from Malaga as boqueronas. They are also very popular chopitos, red mullet or squid. If you are not sure what to order, opt for the fritura malagueñaIt is a dish that contains a variety of all kinds of fish.
Lemon anchovies
Actually we could have put the boquerones al limón in the pescaito frito classification but we think they are so spectacular that they deserve a special mention.
These anchovies are battered and seasoned with lemon so it is not necessary to season them with more lemon as they contain a slight lemon flavour which is enough.
You can find boquerones al limón (anchovies with lemon) in places in the centre of Malaga, but as with the espetos, we recommend that you go to the beach to eat them as they will be very fresh and not frozen like somewhere else.
Campero
This is the best example of fast food in Malaga, it is a sandwich in round and crunchy bread. The basic one has chicken, ham, cheese, tomato, lettuce and mayonnaise. There are many varieties and although there are not many places in the center of Malaga, we recommend you to try them as it is a simple dish but it is delicious.
If you want to know where to eat a good campero, visit our map at the top of this page.
Malaga salad
Are you looking for a light and fresh meal to combat the weather in the weather in Malaga? No doubt this is going to be a good solution. It has boiled potato, cod, orange and olives. It is a typical dish of Malaga, as you will not normally see this combination of foods in other places but it is a great mix of flavors.
Fried aubergines with honey cane syrup
Just as the porra antequerana could mislead us a little by the name, here there is no trap or cardboard, it is slices of eggplant cut in half, or cut into small cubes and coated with flour. Normally they take out the jar of honey to serve us to taste.
Malaga breakfasts
Smurf
The pitufo is a sandwich and is the most popular breakfast among the people of Malaga, the most demanded is the serrano ham with tomato but you can also order bacon and cheese, potato omelette and many other things. Other types of bread are molletes and vienas.
Churros or porras
is a very typical breakfast in Andalusia and one of the things that make them very good is that almost everywhere they are cooked at the time so they are usually hot and crispy.
Crazy cakes
It is the typical dessert of Malaga, they are made of puff pastry, custard, egg yolk icing and a cherry, do you want to know why they are called like that? Come to our free tour and we will tell you this story and many more.
Sweet wine
What better way to end a meal in Malaga? Surely you have heard of Pedro Ximenez, it is a similar wine that is usually taken at the end of the meal. The typical sweet wine of Malaga is the pajarete, but we also have the virgin Malaga or the quitapenas.