RESTAURANTS TO BE TRIED WHEN IN SPAIN
Beside the Villa and in the Village:
Restaurant Ole (00-34-9523 492 162) is right at the entrance to Los Claveles. Ordinary well cooked food like most of the restaurants in the Costa del Sol. Juan and Anna the owners are very welcoming and really do look after their customers. Not cheap but average prices.
A bar/restaurant has opened up in La Cortijera called The Captain’s bar but I haven’t tried it yet so don’t really know anything about it. It’s opposite the small supermarket. Instead of turning right after Ole’s to go to the village, go straight through the crossroads and keep left and follow the road – it’s on your left hand side on the way down.
El Porton (00-34-952 49 20 96): This is in the village of La Cala. Come into the village from the Villa and you have to turn right as if heading for Marbella. Park near this end of the village and cross the road. There is a road leading down to the beach but it’s a one way street so the cars will be coming up to you. El Porton is just down a bit on the left side. You have to order the Irish Coffee – it’s a treat well worth waiting for!!! (And that coming from someone who won’t drink them at home??!!). Price wise it’s a little dearer than Ole’s but not much but the menu is more or less the same.
Beside El Porton is an Indian restaurant called Amir’s (00-34-952 493692) which is also very good. It is also reasonably priced. According to one person it was the “best indian” she’d had in ages!
El Patio (one of the better restaurants in La Cala) is opposite Biddy Mulligans on the same side of the road as Yellow Cars. You will definitely need to book El Patio but as I’ve lost their card you’ll need to pop into them to make the reservation.
Mijas Playa is a beautiful (expensive) restaurant down opposite the beach in La Cala. Walking from the tower down by the beach towards the kids playground keep on walking past the town houses on your left and it’s at the end of the road before it swings around to the left. David Mayrs is the resident pianist and he does some great stuff. Food is always superb as are the cocktails!!!
Grill de La Cala is opposite Biddy Mulligan’s and the taxi rank and is a lovely restaurant. Food is really good and again reasonably priced. (00-34-952-494498)
El Gusto is a new restaurant that has just recently opened in La Cala. It’s right next door to Biddy Mulligans and the food is really good and it’s reasonably priced.
Casa Pedro is a restaurant in La Cala – again it’s a really nice restaurant on the style of Ole’s and El Porton. It’s on the road heading down to the tower on the beach and is just before the Catholic Church on your right hand side. It’s a really popular restaurant so call in to book it a few days in advance. Unfortunately I can’t find the telephone number so you’ll have to pop into them to make a reservation.
Down on the sea front over by the round tower are a few restaurants, the one nearest the beach is lovely for lunch and is very reasonable. Also there is a new Thai Restaurant in the northern end of the village in amongst the shops beside the carreterra and beside Supersol. The food is absolutely fantastic but again I can’t find the card so I’ve no number.
Also in La Cala is a chipper called Big Al’s. It serves the best fish and chips in the Costa del Sol (also mushy peas!!) – however he’s not always open so you need to keep an eye open. So even if you fancy staying in but don’t want to cook you can call down to Big Al’s or order a chinese locally and they’ll deliver or you can collect. Also there’s a drive-in McDonald’s in Calahonda and also beside Parque Aquatico in Fuengirola for the kids.
Biddy Mulligan’s, Irish bar is at the roundabout in La Cala and is great “craic”. Breakfast is lovely and food is served all day and night, so it’s great for ordinary food when you don’t want to bother cooking or going to a restaurant. Guinness, Murphy’s Red and Heineken are on draught. (as well as loads of others)!!
The Chinese Restaurant opposite Biddy Mulligan’s is good and really inexpensive for a cheap night out.
Quite close to the village:
Out on the N340 heading for Marbella (literally just outside the village) is a BP Station with some shops beside it – there is a restaurant there called Los Porches which is also good. Not too expensive and would have a few things on the menu that the likes of Ole’s and El Porton wouldn’t.
Also just down the road on the N340 (about 2 minutes away and heading in the direction of Marbella/Cadiz) is an area called Torreneuva and is on the right hand side off the N340. In there is a pub/restaurant called Racquets - the food is very English and very good. You can get steak and kidney pie or minced meat and onion pie with mashed potatoes and mushy peas!! Also you can get the usual Sunday Lunch type roast dinners every day when you just need comfort food!
The restaurant in Miraflores Golf Club in Urb. Riviera del Sol (00-34-952 931941) is also very nice and again very reasonable. It’s open from 8 am and their breakfasts are gorgeous – best around for bacon, sausage, egg etc.. They also do a really nice lunch and again it’s very reasonable.
For a really special lunch or evening meal, then Oceana is the place to go. You would have to go towards Marbella and turn back at the Riviera del Sol exit (Miraflores) and head back towards La Cala. The next turn off after you see the signs for Miraflores will bring you into Oceana which is overlooking the beach. It’s expensive so be warned!!!
Calahonda which is just beyond Miraflores and Riviera del Sol on the way to Marbella has loads of restaurants which are
really good.
Further away – between Miraflores and Marbella/Puerto Banus:
Further on towards Marbella is the port of Cabopino called Puerto Cabopino. This is really worth a visit if only to look at the lovely boats and enjoy some of the really good restaurants there. La Despensa (00-34-952 837490) is very good especially at lunch time – treat yourself to a crepe “Canigo” it’s to die for!!. Harbour Lights (00-34-952 837 483) is expensive but worth going to for a treat but does get very busy so you will probably have to book. (The suckling pig is amazing!). Alberts is also a lovely restaurant and is a sister restaurant to Mijas Playa in La Cala.
On the approach to Puerto Cabopino, there is a restaurant on the right called Da Bruno’s. This is a beautiful restaurant and they do just about everything. I wouldn’t be mad about their steaks but everything else is really good – it’s certainly worth a visit and it you’re taking taxis, the restaurant will call one for you before you go.
The Chinese Restaurant Pekin (00-34-952 838392) and the Italian restaurant in Cabopino are ok – basic and very reasonable. There is also a really lovely fish restaurant called El Puerto and again the food is really excellent – it’s now under new management but I haven’t heard any adverse comments so it’s probably as good as ever.
Also near the Hotel Artolo just outside Cabopino on the N340 heading for Marbella (take the Las Chapas exit) is a restaurant called El Rancho (00-34-952 831 922). This is also a very good restaurant and well worth a visit – their salads are absolutely massive and gorgeous to boot. Price is pretty reasonable.
In Puerto Banus on the second road up from the port is an Argentinian Restaurant (on an upper level) which is lovely and again very reasonable. When in Puerto Banus you have got to try the Marvellous Bar – it’s right on the port and is fantastic – I just have to go there each time I’m down. The music is brilliant – 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s and is live. No cover charge but the drinks are very expensive – a vodka and diet coke for example is about €8 so for Spain that’s dear but for Ireland it would be cheap in a live music place with no cover charge!! There are loads of restaurants in Puerto Banus mainly one or two streets behind the actual port. Best way to go there is either have someone drop you there and then get a taxi home or just taxi it both ways. Don’t go there to eat until at least 9pm because most of the bars and clubs don’t get going until well after midnight. Marvellous bar doesn’t get going until about 1am so maybe a drink in Joys Piano bar beforehand would be an idea.
Heading north from the village of La Cala, i.e., back towards Malaga, you should go to the port in Benalmadena, it’s called Puerta Marina. It’s an amazing port a little like Puerto Banus but not so crowded and is well worth a visit. There is a restaurant there called El Marena (I think) which is upstairs and juts out over the water in the port – if you look up as you are walking along you can’t miss it. There is also a great water park there for the kids so there’s plenty to do.
Also heading north from the village of La Cala, i.e., back towards Malaga, you should go and visit the town of Mijas in the hills – it’s well worth a visit. After passing the Parc Aquatica in Fuengirola keep in the right hand lane and watch for the signs for Mijas – or Mijas Pueblo. Turn off and this time you’ll be heading up and back over the N340 and heading up into the hills. In the high season it can be quite busy so parking when you get there could be a problem. In the quieter months it’s really beautiful. You can go over to the Grotto and behind it are telescopes and you can see for miles!
Plenty of hotels, restaurants and tapas bars up here and the famous donkey rides!
Let’s just say that there are tons of restaurants beside, close to and just a short hop away – so you’ll never be bored!
TAXI
TAXI RANK IN LA CALA VILLAGE IS RIGHT OUTSIDE BIDDY MULLIGAN’S PUB
PHONE: (00-34) 95 247 8288
SHOULDN’T COST MORE THAN €5 (when going back to the villa)