The Mediterranean Insider

Málaga, Spain

Málaga’s 5 best restaurants (and must-try dishes)

The Mediterranean • Eat & drink • Málaga’s 5 best restaurants (and must-try dishes)

The guide to Málaga’s best restaurants

Málaga’s food scene has changed a lot in the last few years. It’s still all about long lunches, local wine and seafood that barely hits the grill — but there’s a new energy in the mix. You’ve got chefs in Andalucía who are rewriting what local cooking can look like. More chefs are pushing past the old-school tapas formula, digging into local ingredients and experimenting without losing the plot. We’ve done the digging – from standout dishes and award-winning tasting menus to design quirks and the backstories that make each venue tick. Here’s where we think you should be booking next – and exactly what you should try when you get there.

Top photography courtesy of Sollo

Blossom

Blossom, situated just off the city’s historic centre, is a restaurant that quietly delivers some of the most considered, flavour-forward food in the area. Led by chef Emi Schobert, the kitchen focuses on modern fusion cuisine, combining flavours from Peru, Mexico and Argentina. The menu is seasonal, highlighting local ingredients from both the coast and the inland regions of Málaga. Blossom offers two tasting menus – you can expect dishes like deer tartare and scallop with foie gras, sweet potato and almonds. The space is pared back – minimalist, almost Nordic in feel – but with enough warmth and greenery to keep things from feeling cold. If you’re after something thoughtful but unfussy and you’re curious to see how far a kitchen can go with fresh Andalusian produce and restraint, this is one to have on your radar.

Blossom
C. Strachan 11
Distrito Centro
Málaga
Spain

Photography courtesy of Blossom

Ta-Kumi

Ta-Kumi is the kind of place that makes you rethink what you thought you knew about sushi. It’s run by Toshio Tsutsui and Álvaro Arbeloa – both chefs trained in Japan, now based in Spain – and together they’ve built something that feels sharp, focused and totally unique to its setting. The space is clean-lined and calm – light wood, neutral tones and Japanese-inspired decor – designed to keep the focus on the food. Their omakase (chef’s tasting menu) is the best way to experience the full range, but if you’re ordering à la carte, go straight for the gunkan with red prawn and the butterfish nigiri with truffle – you can also never go wrong with the tuna.

Ta-Kumi
C. Mundo Nuevo 4
Distrito Centro
Málaga
Spain

Photography courtesy of Ta-Kumi

Sollo

Sollo is run by chef Diego Gallegos, also known as El Chef del Caviar. This Michelin-starred spot is built around a concept you won’t find anywhere else – sustainable, closed-cycle aquaponics. In plain terms? Gallegos raises his own fish, right on site and uses them as the core of a tasting menu that’s as technical as it is personal. The star ingredient is river fish – not usually a crowd-puller – but Gallegos has built his reputation on changing minds. Dishes rotate, but past highlights include sturgeon with fermented pepper, smoked eel with beetroot and a reinterpretation of Andalusian salmorejo (cold tomato soup) made with Amazonian pacu fish. It’s experimental, but it works.

Sollo
Urbanización Reserva del Higuerón
Av. del Higuerón 48
Fuengirola
Málaga
Spain

Photography courtesy of Sollo

Tragatá

Tragatá is where traditional Andalusian tapas get a smart, playful upgrade without losing their roots. Chef Benito Gómez (who also runs the two-Michelin-starred Bardal next door) uses the same attention to detail here, just in a more casual, fast-paced setting. The dishes are small and inventive, without ever drifting into fine dining territory. The charcoal-grilled Iberian pork stew with wild mushrooms is a must. The roasted aubergine with pickled tomato sauce, feta cheese and almond pesto sauce is a delicious vegetarian option. The menu changes often, so it’s worth asking what’s new. The space is buzzy and informal – a bright, whitewashed room that spills out onto a terrace when the weather plays along, with modern high tables and chairs.

Tragatá
Alameda Principal 3
Málaga
Spain

Photography courtesy of Tragatá

José Carlos García

José Carlos García’s restaurant is set right on the Muelle Uno dock and that waterfront setting isn’t just for show. Floor-to-ceiling windows look straight out onto the yachts and the whole place feels quietly confident, combining industrial design with Mediterranean elements. The man behind it all, García himself, is a Málaga native with a Michelin star and a background that stretches from family-run kitchens to training with Martín Berasategui. The tasting menu is the main draw here – there’s no à la carte – and it reads like a deep dive into Andalucía, filtered through high-level technique. Expect things like sea urchin with smoked butter, oxtail ravioli with Málaga wine and red mullet.