Whenever I try a restaurant, I try to pick those are top-rated to avoid disappointment, although some are so-called tourist traps. Here are four at least rated 4.5★ restaurants we tried on our Málaga trip. And they did deliver some of their best dishes.
La Peregrina Centro (Seafood Tapas Bar)
Lunch, 10-15€ per person. Dinner opens from 8:15pm.
My favourite: Fried aubergine.
It is located in a quiet street with fewer tourists. By the time we visited, we were the only foreigners there, but the friendly server accommodated us well with an English menu.
Most of the dishes have tapas size, so that we could sample more varieties without feeling too full. You can choose how to cook the seafood as they offer a wide choice. And their fried food is quite delicious too, because the batter was light and not oily.
Restaurante Divinno
Dinner, 25-30€ per person. Dinner usually opens from 7pm.
My favourite: Chickpea stew with tripe (callos con garbanzos)
I went there for 3 reasons. First, they have a 4.9 high-rating; second, it’s closed to the promenade; third, they have callos con garbanzos (chickpea stew), a traditional Spanish dish, but not easily available.
Divinno offers modern Spanish cuisine at a slightly high price to reflect its good quality cooking. Among the above dishes we ordered, as expected, I loved the chickpea stew the most. I should have insisted on ordering a larger size! I also loved the spinach salad which had mango, shaved Parmesan, dehydrated cherry in it. Comparatively, the main courses fell short as the flavour was not very impressive.
Uvedoble Taberna (Tapas Bar)
Lunch, 15-20€ per person. It opens all day from 12:30pm till mid-night.
My favourite: Fried Padrón pepper.
If you want to try a wide range of Spanish tapas, or something with a new twist, Uvedoble can be a good choice.
What I liked were the classic and tasty fried Padrón pepper, and the ravioli soaking in the mayonnaise soup, gazpachuelo, so the whole dish was quite a new experience to me.
However, I didn’t like much of the server’s strongly recommended dish – bone marrow with a few pieces of thinly sliced scallop, cost €12.9, ended up we couldn’t taste much but animal fat. And the meatball on crispy chips? It was very soggy and definitely crowned the worst dish on our trip.
Restaurante Vegetariano Cañadú
Dinner, 20-25€ per person. Dinner opens from 7pm.
My favourite: Vegetarian chickpea stew.
After one or two meaty and mostly-seafood Spanish meals, we were very happy to find a vegetarian restaurant.
Believe me or not, among all the restaurants on the trip, I felt the most homey eating at Cañadú. Nothing was photogenic, to be honest, but the flavour was well delivered, and the price was kind of ‘local’ despite their good location.
Just one thing to remind you – the portion is big, especially my favourite chickpea stew, it was like a main course more than a starter. And the risotto surprised us so that the waitress wished us ‘good luck’. 😛
Other Top-Rated Restaurants in Málaga
- Dynamit: Using Spanish produce, but something you can’t find in Málaga. (REALLY wanted to try this, unfortunately it was holiday when we visited)
- Maria Lisboa Brunch: Popular Portuguese restaurant. More like a cafe.
- Los Marangos: Chain. One of their selling points is €25 paella for 2 people.
- ZURY: Fusion cuisine with minimalistic setting. Small menu. People called it a hidden gem.
- Blossom: Michelin Bib Gourmand awarded. Fancy. Tasting menu only.
- Mesón Ibérico: Traditional southern Spanish tapas in a proper setting.
