Here you can read our insider guide for best eating out & dining opportunities in Costa del Sol, including best restaurants, outdoor cafes, gastronomy and cuisine. The gastronomy of the Costa del Sol and Andalusia is very fantastic and worth a taste for travellers as Andalusia has been a land of different cultures, center of maritime trade and port to the Indies with the Phoenician style of salting, Roman appreciation for oils and garlic, and Arab cuisine which helped agriculture and garden products flourish.
Holidaymakers may find the wide range of great restaurants on the Costa del Sol where you may find both international and Spanish cuisine from the deluxe restaurants of Marbella to the “chiringuitos” on the beach or the mountain cooking of La Axarquia and the “Pueblos Blancos”.
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Gastronomy & Top Dishes
There is a strong contrast between the coast and inland of Costa del Sol. Coastal Malaga looks to the sea and offers freshly caught fish and seafood. The “pescaíto frito” (mixed fried fish), grilled or marinated fish, anchovies, red mullet, squid, and sardines are the popular dishes. Rice dishes also has a privileged place in Mediterranean cuisine with endless varieties combined with fish and seafood.
Cold vegetable soups or “gazpachos” is popular especially in the region of La Axarquia. The great garden produce of Velez Malaga makes for delicious dishes such as “ajoblanco” (chilled white garlic-almond soup), “ajobacalao” (with salted cod), “sopa Maimones” (Arab soup of garlic, bread and olive oil, sometimes with ham), “ropa vieja”, and pastry such as “tortas de aceite” (pastry biscuits made with oil), and “mostachones” (S-shaped biscuits, often with nuts). Also the “porra antequerana” is a very thick type of “gazpacho”.
Trout from El Bosque, rabbit stew, pork sausages, celery salads and green cabbage are some of the specialties of the “Pueblos Blancos”.
On the inland areas, stews and thick vegetable soups, pork products and pastoral recipes are popular with the products such as goat cheese from Estepona, liver pastoral-style, or “gachas” (gruel).
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Also the crumbly little cakes called “mantecados” and “polvorones” of Antequera, “alfajores” (almond-and-honey candy), “batatillas” in honey as well as almond soup from Ronda are some of the sweetest dishes throughout the region.
Fruits also deserve special mention on the Costa del Sol. Grapes, raisins, pomegranates and figs are very popular.
Wine
As for wines on the Costa del Sol, the wines of the region are the famous sweet wines of Malaga. “Moscatel”, “pajarete”, “campanilla” and “pedrito” are some of the varieties.
Also travellers may sample some of the other wines from neighboring Cadiz. “Fino” (dry, light, pale yellow sherry), “manzanilla” (dry delicate sherry) and “oloroso” (dark golden full-bodied sherry) or “amontillado” (amber medium-dry sherry), more colorful and sweet are a must on the Andalusian lands.
There are also variety of great gastronomy festvals and celebrations devoted to food and drink that include the Festival of the Ajoblanco in Almachar in August; Harvest Festival in Antequera also in August; “Pescaíto” Day in Torremolinos; “Migas” and Wine Festival in Torrox in December, the maritime Virgen del Carmen Festival in Fuengirola in July and Raisin Festival in the region of La Axarquía held in September.
