Why do so many travelers avoid Malaga when the city is so delicious?
It’s Monday afternoon, later than usual for my typical lunch, and we’re sitting in a tiny corner of a restaurant by a swinging kitchen door.
People eat happily. From all corners I hear loud chatter, but I don’t understand it. Everyone eats happily, and every time the kitchen door swings open, more delicious smells greet me. The waiter reaches into the wine cabinet behind me. The barman just slipped and smashed a bottle on the nearby floor.
It’s completely chaotic and I’m insanely happy.
Look, the little Bockety table we’re huddled around is covered in the most incredible food, and I haven’t seen the friend sitting next to me in far too many years. The wine is delicious and there is a clothes rack with delicious Spanish hams. I’m in Malaga, Spain.
The bustling port city of Málaga on the Costa del Sol
To be precise, I’m in Mesón Ibérico (mesoniberico.net), a few streets away from the old town, and luckily for me one of the rare places open for lunch on a Monday when I’m visiting. The table is set with wine glasses (red, regional and very, very good) and small plates of local charcuterie, which you get when you order a glass – that’s a whopping €2.50 a glass, by the way, and the pouring is generous. We also ordered grilled chorizo, some morcilla and a small portion of tiny local mussels.
The mussels are sautéed in olive oil and drizzled with lemon juice; The dish is rounded off with a healthy sprinkling of chunks of salt, and a piece of bread is placed by my side. This is a loud, happy sky.
My week in Spain is my first holiday abroad in three years. I’ve been to Ireland during the pandemic and really enjoyed exploring our island, but sometimes you just need strange sounds, unusual smells, tasty new food and a little sun on your face. Malaga offers all this at a price I could afford.
Mainly used as an airport by people traveling through Andalucia, Malaga is a place where many visitors seem to be in transit. I love a good, unusual holiday and a friend’s description of a busy port town on the Costa del Sol sounded pretty good to me.
Admittedly, the port is less about weather-beaten fishermen landing the day’s catch and more about giant cruise ships spewing out armies of motivated folk intent on getting the most of the city in the shortest possible time. But if you have the time to stay a few days, Malaga is a wonderful city to explore the sun, the tastes, the language and the chaotic but relaxed atmosphere and way of life that you will find around the Mediterranean.
As I savored all the meat at that first glorious meal at Mesón Ibérico, those mussels stuck in my mind the most. I went to bed thinking about her and yes I woke up thinking about her. We all do that, don’t we?
I came to town with a mile long list of places to try. Recommendations from social media followers, word of mouth from friends and research on the internet led me to believe that seafood is what I wanted to eat in Malaga.
Seashells are plentiful and come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and prices. My favorites are the simple little ones eaten in that first meal. Called almejas, they are usually served in very simple dressings in half or whole portions (check with your waiter as half portions are often quite generous). The local razor clams are fresh and feature on most menus (I may have eaten them every day).
The beautiful cathedral in Malaga
Another highlight is a raw concha fina drizzled with a squeeze of good lemon and eaten on the hoof as I walk slowly and smell the amazing food on sale at the local market, Mercado Central de Atarazanas (Calle Atarazanas, 10th floor). ), is issued.
The concha fina is a larger, smooth shell found in the area. It washes your mouth with a sweet, salty juice that invites you for a small lunch at one of the tables that you can find anywhere in the market. Owned by the fishmongers, they offer a selection of fresh fish and seafood, grilled and rubbed with garlic oil. I grabbed a beer, ate some delicious food, and licked my fingers while watching people go about their daily business.
Whilst I had friends coming and going on my holiday this was overall a solo adventure and Malaga is brilliant when you are alone. There is so much life everywhere that one certainly cannot get bored.
And more importantly, I feel safe. I walk along the water to the beach in Malagueta, just outside of town. I plant my feet in the wet sand and enjoy the med licking my toes and splashing me a bit. I dry off by sitting in the sun at a beach table in any chiringuito, those little shacks that serve food and drink on the beach. The vast majority serve fresh seafood, cooked on a spit over hot sand. I take a grilled sardine plate which cost me €5. I walk with sandy feet, salty lips and a big grin on my face.
Cracking Seafood in Malaga…
I also find the best hot chocolate in town at Café Berlin (Instagram: @cafe_berlin_malaga), a minute from the Cathedral and right next to the Revello De Toro Museum (a beauty). It has a deep flavor and is so thick I wonder if they used cornmeal in it, which I make at home when the winter is miserable.
There is a lot to do on foot in and around Malaga and you can expect your pedometer to get a little excited. Between the exercise and the sea air, you’ll be famished, and I’d highly recommend trying to mimic my last lunch in town.
Get a table (outdoors in the sun if possible) at La Cosmopolita in the heart of the old town (lacosmopolita.es), enjoy the fun service and eat all the amazing food. The dish of roast beef marrow and shrimp tartare will stay with me until the day I die.
Do not miss
Sit on a terrace near the Cathedral or at the foot of the Alcazaba, preferably just before sunset. Grab a glass of chilled sweet Málaga wine and a bowl of olives, and smell the orange blossoms wafting through the warm evening air.
come there
Both Ryanair and Aer Lingus fly to Malaga from Cork, Dublin and Shannon. Ryanair also flies from Ireland West (Knock). ryanair.com; aerlingus.com
A taxi from the airport costs €20-25; a bus costs 3 €. Travelers can enter Spain with an EU Covid certificate (people without a certificate fill out a health check form). Children under 12 are exempt from both. See spain.info for more.
Stay
Malaga offers stays for every budget. Katia has rented a one-bedroom apartment on the outskirts of the old town through Pinar Hospitality. Facilities, service and location were excellent, but Wi-Fi was “spotty at best.” apartamentospinar.com
https://www.independent.ie/life/travel/europe/why-do-so-many-travellers-bypass-malaga-when-the-city-is-so-mouth-watering-41596813.html Why do so many travelers avoid Malaga when the city is so delicious?