Going out for tapas around Estepona is one of the best plans for a trip to the Costa del Sol. With an extremely attractive culinary offer, this coastal town offers holidaymakers beautiful white streets decorated with thousands of colourful flowers, a renovated historic quarter and a large seafront promenade where you can enjoy the coast.
Travellers can get to Estepona by getting a hire car from Malaga airport so they can travel around easily, discover all of this town’s corners or visit other nearby towns like Marbella or Mijas. Additionally, having your own car is a good way to get to the most hidden tapas bars in Estepona.
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Tapas in Estepona’s old town
Estepona’s historic quarter has a broad range of tapas and pinchos bars where you can enjoy the gastronomy of the area in a renewed surroundings full of terraces and charming corners. Some of the best tapas bars in Estepona are located among these streets, including the most typical tapas straight from the Andalusian recipe book and the most gourmet.
Bodeguita del Chato
The Bodeguita del Chato is the typical Andalusian tavern, ideal for enjoying an aperitif with wine, a glass of beer or vermouth. Its menu contains a wide variety of tapas which include Iberian meats and premium quality cheeses. The menu focusses on a selection of cold tapas, although they also serve warm ones, such as their popular mini burgers.
Its small venue can be found in calle Santa Ana, with a terrace equipped with barrels where you can enjoy a drink in pure Andalusian tapas style. Inside, there is a small tavern, ideal for enjoying tapas and tapa-hopping around different bars so you can try a variety of flavours.
El Típico Andaluz
In calle Caridad, you can find El Típico Andaluz bar, a tavern with a friendly atmosphere with a large and lively terrace. The typical dishes of this bar include acorn-fed hams, Iberian porks and premium cured cheeses.
Other dishes stand out which are characteristic of highland gastronomy, such as scrambled eggs with ham, shredded beef or seasoned tomatoes. All of this, combined with an attentive service and a large wine list to accompany the best Iberian products.
La Esquina del Arte
Also in the centre of Estepona, specifically in calle Villa, La Esquina del Arte offers a wide variety of tapas which include everything from the most typical to other more creative options, such as artichokes with quail’s egg, homemade tuna pâté or stuffed scallops.
This wine bar restaurant offers a bar of skewer bites (pintxos) similar to those in Basque gastronomy, with a cold tapas bar to choose from, although there are also plenty of portions (raciones) to share, including one of the best paellas in Estepona. It also has a wide selection of wines. In terms of the venue, it has a pleasant terrace situated on a pedestrianised street where you can enjoy a drink in a relaxed atmosphere.
Mesón El Capote
Situated near to the historic wall of San Luis Castle (Castillo de San Luis), Mesón El Capote boasts a small terrace in the heart of the historic quarter and specialises in oxtail. This restaurant is just a few metres from one of the beaches of estepona, in calle Viento, and its featured tapas include croquettes, warm sandwiches (serranito) or shredded meat, all at affordable prices.
Mesón Casa Orta
Mesón Casa Orta is located in the heart of Estepona’s historic quarter and offers homemade tapas with a modern touch. Its entire menu offers the chance to select the size of the portion, which is very typical in Andalusia, so you can choose between a tapa, half portion (media ración) or full portion (ración completa). One thing that guests point out is the homemade food but, in particular, the desserts.
This restaurant is located in calle Rocío Jurado, near to Plaza Antonia Guerrero, and its menu includes some of the classics of Spanish cuisine, such as aubergines in breadcrumbs, oxtail or snails. The portions are large and are well-presented at affordable prices.
Tapas on Estepona’s paseo marítimo (seafront promenade)
This town’s modern seafront promenade features large pedestrianised areas and gardens and stretches from the town centre to the fishing port. In it, you can find various beach bars (chiringuitos) and pubs, but also some of the best tapas bars in Estepona.
Tapas Diez
Visitors looking for a different concept of cuisine, with a more international touch will have to make a compulsory stop at Tapas Diez. This restaurant offers gourmet tapas which are meticulously presented and boast original flavours.
The service is excellent and the menu consists of different tapas, including pastela (a North African seafood pie), varied brioches and fried octopus with guacamole and peanuts. In addition, Tapas Diez has a terrace with sea views, but also a beautiful and friendly dining area with modern Mediterranean style décor.
La Bulla Gastrobar
La Bulla Gastrobar is the perfect place to enjoy a charming meal. With a welcoming terrace where you can enjoy the sunset, this restaurant has a varied menu of fusion cuisine in which you can find some tapas that turn Andalusian tradition on its head, such as Spanish omelette with deconstructed chorizo, salmorejo with dehydrated black olive, Wakame seaweed and red tuna mojama or homemade spider crab (txangurro) croquettes.
La Bulla specialises in Almadraba red tuna, although it also offers char-grilled meats, Iberian ham and varied portions (raciones) to share. The service is attentive and the average price of the tapas is around 8 euros. Without a doubt, an option where you can enjoy products from the local area with a creative touch.
Lolas
Among the restaurants in Estepona, Lolas restaurant is one of the most traditional when talking about tapas in Estepona. With a large terrace by the sea, this restaurant focusses on Mediterranean cuisine, with fresh fish and a wide variety of tapas. Notable dishes include ‘rajaos’ of chistorra sausage or chicken, cuttlefish meatballs (albóndigas de choco) and snails.
Customers at Lolas repeatedly note the quality of the helpful, accommodating and fast service, but also the good value for money offered which makes this restaurant somewhere customers go back to time and time again.
Other tapas bars in Estepona
Some of Estepona’s bars are further out from the tourist areas, but they are an authentic discovery for the most curious palates, especially recommended for visitors spending more than one or two days in the town.
La Goleta
In the East area, we can find La Goleta bar, known for its XXL tapas. Although it is a little further away from the tourist area, this is the place well worth visiting to try quality tapas at a fair price. Among its specialities we can find clams and fried squid, but they also have a large selection of tapas, half portions (medias raciones) and full portions (raciones completas).
Urban Tapas
In the West area, next to the park, Parque de los Niños, is Urban Tapas. This restaurant offers plentiful tapas at a good price, among which the goat’s cheese on toast, oxtail croquettes or varied piadina flatbreads stand out. In addition to its varied offer of tapas, Urban Tapas also has a fun atmosphere, with karaoke, projector for sporting events and a friendly service from the team.
Map of the tapas bars in Estepona
Without a doubt, there is a broad offer of tapas bars in Estepona for all types of palates, from those looking for more authentic and traditional products, to those who prefer innovative cuisine, with typical products cooked with a creative spin. This map shows where the ten tapas bars from this section are located so visitors don’t leave without trying any of them.
