A few days in Málaga after COVID-19 lockdown easing. After ten plus weeks in lockdown, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the prospect of a...

LA COSMOPOLITA MALAGUEÑA Michelin Plate IIO This place is a great little spot just off the calle Granada in the centre of Málaga’s old town. The decor is immaculate, with a traditional twist. You can have tapas at the bar or sit in the main restaurant. There is also an outside terrace for warm evenings. We returned one evening in January for a few late-night tapas at the bar, where we enjoyed Ensalada Rusa (Russian Salad) Bacalao (deep-fried cod) Albóndigas de cola d

APONIENTE Three Michelin Stars A return visit to the Angel Leóns Restaurant (famous for its cuisine of the sea and only from the sea). We had previously visited the restaurant in its old guise in the centre of El Puerto de Santa Maria, which is now their upmarket tapas bar/restaurant. The new, far more glamorous place is just outside town, in what was an old flour mill, built in 1815. A small river/stream flows under the current building, and the energy generated was used

RESTAURANTE LA SAL Las Negras is a Spanish seaside town in the province of Almería, belonging to the municipality of Níjar. It is located...

FINCA LISTONERO MAYBE CLOSED 2025 Reborn after the terrible raging wildfire that swept across the Sierra Cabrera and into the valley at Cortijo Grande and destroyed the previous fabulous incarnation in 2009. Finca Listonero is back and just as fabulous, now run by Ian and Sandra. They are very welcoming hosts and serve up excellent food. It is a boutique guest house and restaurant, hidden away amongst the mountains surrounding the beautiful valley of Cortijo Grande, near

RESTAURANTE TRIBECA Michelin Plate IIO This excellent restaurant is located in the residential barrio of La Buheria, an eight-minute drive from the historic centre of Seville (or a twenty-minute walk). It is modern and well-fitted, and the tables are not too close together. At least three waiters looked after us. The charming chef Pedro Giménez came out to explain the menu to us. He then took us downstairs into the preparation area to choose our fish and shellfish. We

CASA BOLSA 43 Excellent 19th-century, bohemian, shabby chic, five-bedroom, five-bathroom townhouse in a good spot. A bullfighting family owns it, so lots of memorabilia adorn the walls of this stylish house. Stylish bedrooms Ground floor Communal area First lounge The proprietor, Pilar, has an attitude of “mi casa, tu casa” (my house is your house), so you will get the run of the place, including the kitchen and the little terraces, during your stay. You can cook here and e

CHIRINGUITO EL LIRIO (PERMANELY CLOSED, NOW A BURGER BAR!) There are many great things about Málaga. The big blue skies, 300 days of sunshine a year, the beaches and the food. Málaga has some of Andalucía’s best Chiringuitos. These are beachfront bars and restaurants that specialise in tapas, salads and above all else, lots of fish. You will find skewers of freshly caught and salted Mediterranean sardines, dorada (gilthead bream), lubina (sea bass), salmonete (red mullet) a

RESTAURANTE TXIKOTE (Permanently closed 2022) This excellent restaurant, set up near the old town of Conil de la Frontera, is Basque in origin and has a wine bar restaurant appeal with solid wood tables and chairs. There is a bar in the centre of the room, serving excellent wines by the glass, in a charming, rustic yet modern, light and lively setting. They are also outside tables where you can enjoy the nearly always present sunshine. The menu is extensive, with many t

AIRE GASTROBAR An attractive, trendy restaurant on two levels, Gastrobar (terrazzo y plata baja) with seating area downstairs and a more formal restaurant dining room (planta alta) upstairs. The dishes offered are very elaborate, refined and tasty, a new take and modern interpretation of Andalucian food. You can start with snacks, like the excellent ones. Croquetas baby de choco con alioli de ajos asados (baby squid croquettes with roasted garlic alioli) Samosa de cabollita