Eating in Benalmadena can be a real pleasure. Visitors that decide to spend their holiday in this coastal town will find a place to switch off from routine, enjoying its beaches, leisure and delicious gastronomy.
To get to Benalmadena, the best option is to use the car hire at Malaga airport, with your own vehicle that will get you to this town in just twenty minutes. That way, visitors will be able to travel around the area by car to enjoy some of the best beaches, monuments and restaurants that the Costa del Sol has to offer.
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Eating tapas in Benalmadena
When it comes to choosing where to eat in Benalmadena, tapas bars are a must, one of the most typical dishes of the area’s gastronomy. This is an option to each cheaply, try different dishes and enjoy mouthfuls bursting with flavour.
Marga&Rita | Bold cuisine
This restaurant offers a concept of exquisite urban food, with dishes full of flavour. In addition, it has a modern and colourful décor which makes guests feel like they are eating in the heart of a jungle. Highlights of its menu include cheddar cheese and smoked bacon croquettes, homemade guacamole or premium burgers. Additionally, Marga&Rita completes its menu with a careful selection of cocktails and premium long drinks.
Lima y Limón | Tapa to tapa experiences
Just a few metres from the beach, Lima y Limón is a cool tapas bar with cuisine based on local produce. It boasts a large selection of creative tapas, where the protagonists are the chef crackers, featuring tuna tataki in sesame seeds with wasabi and pickled ginger, although the croquettes and hummus are also worth a try. It also offers vegan and vegetarian options, as well as delicious cocktails and small desserts that round off its menu. For the most inquisitive amongst you, you will be able to choose one of the tapas experiences for two people, with a selection of the best meat, fish or vegetable tapas.
Panorama Bistro Bar | Tapas with sea views
An essential place to eat in Benalmadena is Panorama Bistro Bar. With a charming terrace with sea views, this bar boasts a friendly and attentive service, run by a lovely Belgian couple. Its menu is oriented towards a foreign audience, with all of the items in English, but there is also a wide variety of typical Spanish tapas, in addition to burgers and pastas cooked with great care in a restaurant that will make customers feel at home.
Gourmet options to eat in Benalmadena
The most exquisite palates also have a plethora of places to eat in Benalmadena, with high quality products, creative offers and dishes that will remain etched in the minds of guests forever.
La Mar Chica | A personalised experience
La Mar Chica is a charming restaurant in the historic quarter of Benalmadena which is committed to exquisitely prepared cuisine, using local and seasonal produce to obtain the best flavours. Its small establishment only has seven tables to be able to offer an intimate and personalised experience where you can combine its internationally inspired native dishes with a pairing of the best wines. La Mar Chica has a monthly menu that varies in price depending on the number of dishes, so you can enjoy an elaborate tasting menu from as little as 30 euros.
Escorpio | Traditional cuisine with panoramic views
Belonging to the La Fonda hotel, this restaurant with colonial inspired décor boasts a light lounge area and terrace with sea views where you can try typical dishes from Spanish cuisine with a creative touch which are changed regularly to adapt to seasonal produce. It offers a tasting menu for less than 30 euros per person and its star dishes include the Milefeuilles of foie-gras with caramelised apple and pineapple, lobster salad (salpicón de bogavante) or Asturian toast.
Ánfora | Creative Mediterranean
Situated in Arroyo de la Miel, Ánfora opts for a Mediterranean inspired menu with international touches and full of nuances that make each dish a unique experience. Highlights of its menu include avocado tartare with caviar or cod kokotxas with surimi of fish (gulas) and king prawns in green sauce. Also noteworthy are its selection of high quality fish and meat dishes, in addition to a wine cellar with a plethora of options to pair with each dish.
Venetiis Restaurant | Michelin star dishes at reasonable prices
Led by chef Matteo Manzato, this restaurant offers dishes with the quality of a Michelin star restaurant at reasonable prices. Inspired by Italian cuisine and traditional ingredients from Malaga’s local cuisine, Venetiis has two tasting menus, although guests can also order from the menu, with classics such as octopus carpaccio with leek purée and Modena mayonnaise or crispy lasagne with Malaga suckling goat.
Places to eat international cuisine in Benalmadena
Although there are many places in the area with typical cuisine, there are also a plethora of establishments to eat in Benalmadena that offer international cuisine. These are some of the best-known restaurants of Indian, Asian or Italian cuisine.
Raju’s Indian City | Traditional Indian cuisine
Indian City is possibly one of the best Indian restaurants in Benalmadena. With a typically Hindu setting, the Raju restaurant is characterised for the flavour of its dishes, with the essentials from the Indian cuisine and some dishes that will surprise visitors. For first timers, Raju will be delighted to suggest the best dishes from its menu to you, although its traditional chicken tikka masala is a must.
The Japo | Japanese-Malaga cuisine
Located in El Higuerón Beach Club, one of the most popular beach clubs in Benalmadena, The Japo is run by Miguel Nagamine with the advice of one of the best sushi chefs in the world, Carlos Navarro. Using some traditional products from Malaga cuisine as a base, The Japo reinvents Japanese cuisine with dishes such as Malaga white shrimp nigiri with Riofrío caviar or the signature nigiri, with red tuna from Almadraba and estuary seabass from Cadiz. They also have themed wine and cocktails for each dish.
La Taverna Dei Sapori | A piece of Italy in Andalusia
Located in El Arroyo de la Miel, La Taverna Dei Sapori takes second place out of the area’s restaurants on TripAdvisor, with the recognition of the Traveller’s Choice award in 2021. This eminently Italian restaurant features homemade dishes, highlights of which include its fresh pastas and pizzas, in addition to the lasagne or bresaola with burrata. Guests simply must try the tiramisu, although they will undoubtedly return thanks to its excellent customer service.
Eating at Puerto Marina (Benalmadena’s port)
Puerto Marina is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most attractive area’s for visitors, with various places to eat that people will love. Eating at Puerto Marina, is enjoying food in a unique place, surrounded by the luxury of a leisure port with sea views.
Angus Puerto Marina | Quality barbecue meats
For meat lovers, Angus Puerto Marina is the perfect grill to enjoy a meal in Benalmadena. Specialising in Angus beef, this restaurant boasts an extensive menu of meat dishes and seasonal ingredients prepared on an oak charcoal grill. You can choose between different cuts and types of meat. This, together with an exquisite décor and attentive service makes this a special venue at Puerto Marina.
Los Mellizos Puerto Marina | From the fish market to the table
For those that prefer fish, Los Mellizos is always a good choice. This chain of restaurants in Malaga is characterised for the high quality of its products, with fresh fish and seafood. With an exclusive terrace opposite the port, this restaurant’s specialities include monkfish in ‘marinera’ sauce, prawns, coquina clams and oysters. It is also famous for offering the best rice dishes and paellas in Malaga and Benalmadena. All of this is endorsed by forty years of experience in the sector and eight different restaurants.
Find a place to eat in Benalmadena on this map
Fish, meat, tapas, pastas or stews. Benalmadena has an extensive gastronomic offer for visitors, who will find everything from the area’s most typical dishes, with fresh and local produce, to large representatives of international cuisine. On this map, you will be able to find our selection of the best places to eat in Benalmadena.
