One of the best aspects of vacation is the fact that calories don’t count. In Málaga, we walked so much that the calories really were needed, so that’s why we say they don’t count!
Málaga was filled with absolutely delicious places to eat, and we thoroughly took advantage of that. Brunch was amazing. Lunch was amazing. Dinner was amazing. You get the point. The variety of spices had us salivating, and thankfully, we were always satisfied. My husband loved all the seafood and till this day raves about the Spanish seafood he had in Málaga. If you’re planning a weekend trip to Málaga—not to be confused with the party town Magaluf—I’ve got you covered on the treats to eat.
Brunch at Brunchit Organic
We had brunch here on both Saturday and Sunday, that’s how much we loved it. This place is the highest-rated brunch place in Málaga and not by mistake! They have an eclectic supply of breakfast options, drinks, and seating. Located in the heart of Málaga, you can walk here easily from our hotel (Teatro Romano Hotel). We waited zero minutes for seating on Saturday and maybe two minutes for seating on Sunday.
We both ordered “The London” both days. (If we find a space we really like, it’s incredibly difficult for us to venture and try something new.) I ordered mine without bacon because of that #vegetarianlife. Our plates were filled with bread, mature cheddar cheese, scrambled eggs, and fresh fruit. Those hot breakfasts coupled with lattes and fresh-squeezed orange juice left us feeling full and ready to take on the day. I noticed many people took food takeaway, so that’s assuring to know they don’t skimp out on service even if you don’t dine in.
Tapas at Bodega-bar El Pimpi
How can you go to Spain and not get tapas? It’s just not possible! As we quickly found, there are tapas restaurants on every corner and very few seats open at any of them. This branch of El Pimpi restaurants are always filled and are highly rated, so we knew we had to go here. One of the fun characteristics about Spain is that dinner is so late. People are seated to eat around eight or nine, and that means normal people (hehe) like my hubby and me are seated anywhere around six or seven in the evening.
We definitely used this to our advantage. We ate tapas at Bodega-bar, a restaurant right next to our hotel, but we didn’t take any pictures of the food! I know, what a shame. We were so engrossed in our food that we actually forgot to click photos, but hey, that’s life. Take my word for it: this place is delicious. If you want to see a long list of the best tapas in Málaga, click here.
Tapas at Restaurante Toro
For our last dinner in Málaga, we headed to El Toro. This restaurant in ranked #35 out of 1,700 restaurants in Málaga! We were seated in the outside area near the heaters with the water as our view. We enjoyed the bread, butter, and olives as our first plate. For our second plate, I enjoyed the grilled veggies, and he ordered a variety of seafood. This was hubby’s absolute favorite meal we had in Málaga. The service was exceptional, the food was flavorful and fantastic, and the weather was the cherry on top. If you are looking to make a reservation anywhere in Málaga, please do not miss this space!
Indian food and Mexican food at Amigos Muelle Uno
As hubster and I walked down the marina, we made it our goal to hit 20,000 steps before we sat down for dinner. Sounds ridiculous, right?
Except we totally hit it. And that made our large, cheesy burritos SO WORTH IT. We were tempted by the Indian food because every time we go to a different city, we like to try out the Indian food there. But for some reason—maybe it was the salt in the air, maybe it was the live Spanish guitar, maybe it was the memories of the delicious quesadillas we had the night before—whatever it was, we chose to go Mexican instead.
And oh man, am I so glad we did! These burritos were larger than our Chipotle burritos, and that’s saying something. We enjoyed sitting by the water, under the heaters, and in the moonlight, a plan you couldn’t dream of doing in January in London. They treated us to drinks on the house, which was so kind and a great way to end our dinner!
Calamari & garlic tomatoes & sangria at Beach Restaurant
After our long walk to the beach, we decided to walk along the beach. Not sure what came over us, but we walked a lot while we were in Málaga. You’ll notice along the shoreline that there are identical beachy restaurants placed every hundred metres in case you finally decide to step into one for refreshments. The first couple we said no to, but finally our resolve broke when we saw some people inside enjoying a delicious vase of sangria.
All of these beach-side restaurants look the same on the outside and have very similar menus on the inside. Hubbs enjoyed fried calamari, fresh bread and butter, and a cold glass of sangria. I enjoyed a plate of sliced tomatoes soaked in garlic and olive oil and a cold sangria as well. These were the perfect mid-afternoon snacks and gave us enough momentum to keep walking. So don’t be sketched out by these side spaces; they are filled with authentic seafood bites and veggie meals too!
There were honestly so many restaurants we wanted to try, but we just weren’t there long enough to visit them all. If you have been to Málaga and tried out some other restaurants, which ones do you recommend? You can check out my Málaga sights guide here.
