24th July 2023 
Leave a commentYou can’t miss the tapas of Malaga when you visit us! Small portions of the best of the Mediterranean diet, very varied and affordable, allow us to taste its wide spectrum when we go out “for a drink”.
Typical Malaga Tapas
Malaga, being a coastal city, has a deep-rooted tradition of fish and seafood, so you’ll find numerous options for tapas with these ingredients. But there’s much more, as you’ll discover below:
Espeto de sardinas (sardine skewer)
Although it is not a tapa as such, it is a typical summer food and you can perceive its delicious aroma along the promenades. where they are prepared over an open fire in the Beach Bars.
Shrimp omelette
Shrimp omelettes are typical in Malaga. They are battered and fried.
Ajoblanco
A must to combat the high temperatures in summer is this cold and nutritious drink with bread, garlic and ground almonds.
Porra antequerana
Another summer essential is also this thick cold drink, made with tomatoes, bread, oil, salt, green pepper and garlic. You can combine it with hard-boiled egg, diced ham, croutons and tuna.
Ensaladilla rusa (Russian salad)
Although nobody knows for sure why it is called ensaladilla rusa, what we do know is that in Malaga every year there is a championship to determine which restaurant makes the best ensaladilla rusa.
A cold, tasty and creamy dish of potatoes, homemade mayonnaise, egg and optionally tuna or prawns, it is a typical tapa in Malaga all year round.
Malaga salad
This fresh salad is also suitable to combat the heat, made with onion, orange, green olives, boiled egg and cod.
Pipirrana malagueña
This is a seafood salad with tomato, red and green peppers, cucumber, chopped onion, vinegar and olive oil. You can usually find this very tasty tapa in a Bach bar.
Fried fish
One of the great classics of Malaga is fried fish in all its shapes and sizes: squid, baby squid, red mullet, dogfish… There is nothing better than having a fried fish tapa with a cold beer by the sea in a beach bar. You’ll know what heaven on earth is like!
Anchovies in vinegar
We continue with the typical delicacies of Malaga. Boquerones en vinagre are anchovies marinated in virgin olive oil, vinegar, garlic and parsley and some have even called them the Spanish sushi.
Victorian anchovies
Another way of eating anchovy in a tapa is battered and fried, also typical of Malaga.
Meatballs with almond sauce
A classic is the meatballs with almond sauce, which is the main nut grown in the province of Malaga.
Aubergines with honey
A tasty vegetarian option is also available: slices of aubergine are fried with a little bit of flour and then drizzled with cane honey, which comes from Malaga.
Aloreña olives
The typical Malaga olives are called aloreña olives. They are flavoured with herbs and usually have a stronger flavour than the national average. It is one of the most typical and common tapas in Malaga. When you order a beer anywhere, ask for olives to go with it.
More delicacies
With the above mentioned we are far from finished: Basically, any culinary delicacy can be a tapa, as tapa basically refers to the size: A snack to accompany the drink.
Therefore, depending on the bar or tavern you go into, there will be other options: Papas bravas, pinchos, croquetas, tortilla….
Are you going to miss it?
Typical Malaga wines
Malaga has a millenary tradition of vine cultivation. The preferred grape varieties are Muscat of Alexandria, Moorish Muscatel and Pedro Ximénez.
The wines of Malaga are characteristically very sweet. The province has excellent wineries and wines with designation of origin. We present you the best ones:
- Pajarete de Bodegas Quitapenas
- Viña Axarquía
- El Lagar de Cabrera
- Hacienda Vizcondesa
- Finca Los Frutales
- Botani Garnacha
- Badman wines tempranillo 2018
- Resilencia
- Filitas y Lutitas
- Rosado de Schazt 2018
- Pago El Espino 2018
- Samsara petit verdot
Cartojal – Typical wine of the Malaga Fair
During the Malaga Fair you can’t miss this characteristic wine. The Cartojal bottle has a striking fuchsia colour and is the most popular during this celebration. You drink it ice-chilled.
Typical Malaga Beers
Malaga also produces Beer! Specifically, there are two breweries closely linked to the city: San Miguel and Victoria Malaga.
And there are all kinds of beers for all tastes: From the classic pale lager beer (Pilsen), to Radler, Gluten Free, OO alcohol…
Nothing better than drinking a cold Malaga beer in a beach bar by the sea!
Where to eat Tapas in Malaga
Usually you can find Taverns and Bodegas with a good offer of Tapas in the city centre.
If you want to taste the great culinary variety of Malaga, there is nothing better than strolling through the streets and let yourself be carried away by the scents. Follow your nose, literally.
In addition, you can orientate yourself with these “hints”: On the street these bars usually have high tables and more informal bar stools.
If you are looking for a good Tapas bar, also look at the clientele: If the bar is full of locals, this is the place!
Did you know…?
When best to eat sardine skewer
Enjoy sardine skewer (espeto de sardinas) in the months without “R”: May, June, July and August, Malaga sardines are at their best when it comes to flavour.
2500 years of wine culture in Malaga
Vineyards exist in Malaga since the Greeks and Phoenicians, who taught the local inhabitants how to prune vines around 600 BC.
The earliest archaeological record of wine production in the province dates back to the Roman Empire.
The fame of Malaga wines became world renowned, so much so that in 1791 the Spanish ambassador in Moscow presented Empress Catherine II of Russia with a gift of cases of Malaga wine, and she was so impressed by them that she exempted all Malaga wines arriving in Russia from taxes.
