The best rewarded: Michelin starred restaurants in Malaga
The province of Malaga is home to great wonders and experts are aware of this. For this reason, six Malaga restaurants have been awarded Michelin stars, one of the most prestigious culinary awards. Prepare your trip with Niza Cars and rent a car in just 2 minutes to visit the best of Malaga's gastronomy at your own pace.
Skina restaurant (Marbella)
Awarded two Michelin stars and two Repsol Soles, it is one of the best-rated restaurants in the province of Malaga. It is located in Marbella, one of the most luxurious villages of the Spanish shore. Its chef, Marcos Granda, is committed to Mediterranean dishes based on seasonal products of the highest quality. He presents a mixture of Andalusian flavors and avant-garde touches, marinated with a selection of the best wines.
Bardal restaurant (Ronda)
Bardal is committed to local and seasonal products from the region of Ronda, one of the most beautiful areas in the countryside of Malaga. This mixture of traditional cuisine and modern techniques has led chef Benito Gómez and his team to achieve two Michelin stars.
José Carlos García restaurant (Málaga)
This avant-garde and modern restaurant is located in one of the most popular points of Malaga city, Muelle Uno, in front of the luxurious yachts and right in the heart of the city. His proposal of Malaga dishes mixed with a modern and delicate touch has earned chef José Carlos García a Michelin star. It stands out especially for its terrace by the sea.
Located in the Port of Malaga, Muelle Uno has become a gastronomic and cultural landmark of Malaga life. It is a space open to the city in which shops, stalls, restaurants and markets coexist. In addition, since its opening in 2011 it has also become an essential part of Malaga's cultural life. There you can find the Center Pompidou, the first one outside of France. Likewise, in Muelle Uno you can enjoy concerts, artistic interventions, children's activities, summer cinema, theater... All in the same space, with one of the best spots to see the sunset in Malaga. It is a complete experience, in which to enjoy the restoration, art and fashion in the open air in the heart of the city.
The best restaurants in Malaga for tapas
If there is something that distinguishes the Andalusian culture and the gastronomy of Malaga, it is its tapas. Tapas is a way of savoring the art and creativity of its chefs. Malaga is the ideal place to get lost in its streets and to be found in between glasses of its popular sweet wine, Cartojal, and its well known dishes of “pescaito frito” (fried fish).
Atarazanas Market
What better way to discover the tapas tradition than to try the best tapas directly from the place where the freshest products can be found. This traditional neo-Arab food market is a must-see for every food lover in Malaga. It is a key point where you can taste native seafood and fish and where you can lose yourself among the colors of the vegetable, fish and meat stalls.
Bodega Bar El Pimpi
The pescaito (fried fish) is quite good, but the best thing about Malaga is the art and grace of its people. El Pimpi is a clear example of the good atmosphere of the local culture. In the purest Andalusian style, whoever would enter this tavern would feel at home and would surely not leave indifferent. In the heart of Malaga city, this winery is ideal to taste a local sweet wine and taste the Malaga cuisine in its extensive tapas menu.
La Campana
Although there are those who seek calm and tranquility on the beaches of the Costa del Sol, the noise and crowded bars are another way to escape from the routine and enjoy the Malaga atmosphere. La Campana is one of those bars that are always full and that everyone likes, so it is ideal to lean on the bar and have some tapas standing up. A different way to enjoy the local culture and feel part of Malaga like a real local.
The essential dishes of the best restaurants in Malaga
From Nerja to Estepona, passing through Fuengirola and Marbella, Malaga represents the coast, sea and beach. The basis of its Mediterranean cuisine consists of fish, and its freshness makes the difference. Its fishing villages are impregnated with the smell of salt and the atmosphere of the chiringuitos (beach bars), where you can taste the delicacies of Malaga.
Espetos de sardinas
The star dish of the best Malaga restaurants. If there is something that represents Malaga, it is the skewers chiringuitos on the beach, much more characteristic than the monuments that you cannot miss in Malaga, such as the Alcazaba or the Cathedral.
Formed on wooden boats, the espetos de sardinas (skewer stands) retain their traditional structure, where about six sardines nailed to a cane are roasted and eaten like a skewer over the fire. Its secret: the flavor that the embers provide.
Fritura malagueña and boquerones fritos
Given the great variety of fish, a fritura malagueña is the best option for the undecided. This mixed dish consists of a mixture of the most traditional dishes of Malaga cuisine: sardines, red mullet, cuttlefish, anchovies, squid, horse mackerel, roseate, prawns, squid, dogfish…
However, if you can only choose one, our recommendation is to play it safe: boquerones fritos (fried anchovies). One of the most typical and recognized dishes of the province, which is usually battered and accompanied by lemon.
Eggplants with cane honey
Although fish abounds in Andalusian cuisine, it is not the only option. Fried aubergine with cane honey is one of the most popular and appetizing tapas in the top restaurants in Malaga.
Gazpachuelo
Despite the fact that most days the sun shines on Costa del Sol, sometimes there is bad weather and you might want to have a hot dish to make your stomach settle. In this case, nothing better than a gazpachuelo, one of the most typical soups in Malaga that can only be found in the province. This soup varies greatly depending on the hand of the cook that prepares it, but usually includes fish, cooked potato and mayonnaise. It should not be confused with the traditional Andalusian gazpacho, one of the best Andalusian summer drinks based on tomato soup.
If you want to know more and don't know where to start, we recommend this list of the 10 best tapas restaurants in Malaga.