The Search for Delicious 9: Málaga

 We were a bit shocked when we arrived in Málaga to find that the free tapas of Granada did not extend down to the large port city on the Mediterranean.  However, since we were on the Mediterranean, we were in a perfect situation to enjoy plenty of sea-residing goodies served up in a plethora of ways. 

Naturally, the first thing we did after getting off the bus from Granada and arriving at our Airbnb was put on our swim trunks and head to the beach.  La Malagueta, as the beach is called, is gorgeous, and after an hour or so of lounging to work up our appetite, we headed to a beachfront restaurant to chow down. 

On our way to the beach we had caught a whiff of a wood fire, and when we got closer, we saw a man grilling sardines on a metal spit.  These are known as sardinas a la espeto and are very traditional of the Costa del Sol, and Málaga in particular.  The restaurant ended up having some of the worst service I’ve had in Europe, although I felt some sympathy for the waiter because we were some of the only people who could actually speak Spanish.  Regardless, it took an hour for us to even order our food.  All the same, we were drinking beer on the beach of the Mediterranean, so things could’ve been much worse.

We ordered the sardines, which had a wonderful char grilled flavor, not too oily or bony, perfectly crispy.  We also got fried chopitos or small squids, and arroz negro as our main dish.  Málaga is famous for its fritura, or fried seafood, and some of the best stuff is supposed to be available a little bit outside of the city proper, in fisherman shacks along the coast.  We didn’t get a chance to test these out, but I’m sure they would be worth a try.

Once we finally got our food, it was all well prepared, and once we were done and satiated, we went back to the beach, comfortable enough to doze off for an hour or so, which I regretted later that night when my back was a lobster-like hue.

That night, we went to tapa hop, although we quickly found out that we were no longer in the land of milk and honey that was Granada.  Tapas weren’t free, and the ones we got were just plain bad, including some onion rings and croquetas that we watched the barman take out of the freezer before putting them in the fryer.  So without the food we expected, our beers started to add up and combined with the pomp and circumstance of the Semana Santa processions made for a bit of an odd evening.

For lunch the next day, we took the advice of our Airbnb host and checked out El Pimpi, one of those institutions that you always like to visit.  It’s a huge place, with wine barrels all over the place and seating outside, inside in multiple rooms, in interior courtyards.  I couldn’t quite figure out if it was a tourist trap or not, but there seemed to be both Spaniards and non-Spaniards alike enjoying their food.  We ordered a variety of things, including some solid pulpo.  It was the sort of place that has pictures of its famous guests, but the food was pretty quality and the décor and vibe definitely had a lot of Andalucian charm.

In terms of sights, both the Museo Picasso and the Museo Carmen Thyssen are worth a visit.  Picasso was born in Málaga, and the museum offers up a thorough and interesting look as his development from a wunderkind who mastered traditional technique to the revolutionary genius who would change the face of painting, as we know it.  The Carmen Thyssen museum was featuring the work of Sorolla, the Spanish painter primarily famous for his depictions of beachside life.

The alcazaba is a Moorish fortress worthy of a stop, reminiscent of the Alhambra.  If you climb up the hillside next to it, you’ll find a spectacular view of the city.

After sight-seeing and a siesta, we did some more research on restaurants and found a couple winners for that night.  Two of the best were located right across the street from each other.  The one, El Mesón de Cervantes, is a more upscale restaurant than a tapas bar, but we had excellent seared ahi tuna before dipping out for more economic options. 

Luckily, its sister restaurant, El Tapeo de Cervantes, offered a bevy of tapas, which although they were about 3-5 euros a piece, were of great quality and were enough to share between two people.  We ordered 5 or 6 different tapas, ranging from cuttlefish, to pork cutlets, to pulpo, all of which were stellar. 

It’s always a goal of mine to have at least one really great meal in a city when I travel there, and although our first night in Málaga left something to be desired, the second day made up for it.   As I said at the time, a day where you have pulpo for lunch and dinner is not a bad day at all.