Best Restaurants in Nerja – Must-Try Dining Spots and Bars August 21, 2024 – Posted in: Spain, Travel – Tags: Andalusia, Food, Holiday, Nerja, Restaurants, Reviews, Spain, Vacation

Find the Best Restaurants in Nerja

Nerja, the charming little beach town on the Costa del Sol, surprisingly offers a wide range of excellent restaurants. Since Roman times, Nerja has been a popular place for landing fish, which is well reflected in the menu. Here, you can enjoy everything from fresh fish and seafood to delicious shellfish. If you prefer a juicy steak or finer dining, you’ll find that here in Nerja as well.

If you’re just in the mood for a good glass of wine or a cold beer, you’ll be pleased to know that Nerja maintains the traditional tapas culture. When you order a drink, a small tapa often accompanies it: a bit of ham, fried fish, or albondigas, the tasty Spanish meatballs.

Most restaurants and tapas bars are located around Balcón de Europa and in the small pedestrian streets leading from it. There are also great dining experiences scattered throughout the town, which you can read about here.

Some Tips for Dining in Nerja

Before we dive into the best restaurants in Nerja, it’s important to note the dining times. In Nerja, where many senior tourists visit, dining times are slightly earlier compared to other Spanish cities. While restaurants in places like Seville open at 8 PM, in Nerja, many places start serving from 7 PM. Lunch is typically between 1 PM and 3 PM.

We visited Nerja in March, which is considered off-season. Still, restaurants were quite busy, with both locals and tourists quickly filling up tables. It’s advisable to book a table in advance or arrive when the restaurant opens. You can check the opening hours by clicking on the links to the restaurants below.

Which Restaurants Have We Chosen?

Before we get into the details of the restaurants, here’s a bit about what types of places we look for. Restaurant visits are a significant part of our vacations. We don’t necessarily go for expensive dining but always opt for local flavors and regional ingredients. We are also always on the hunt for unique food experiences and prefer trying dishes we haven’t tasted before. So, keep that in mind when deciding whether to follow our recommendations.

And now, let’s go dining!

6 Great Restaurants in Nerja

Bar El Pulguilla

We’ll start with the best first! Until now, we had never been on a trip where we dined at the same restaurant three days in a row. But the concept at El Pulguilla was so enjoyable, and there were so many delicious things we wanted to try, that’s exactly what we did.

El Pulguilla is indeed a fantastic place, filled with lively atmosphere and the aroma of wonderful food. When you order a drink, preferably a small beer like the locals do, you choose a tapa from the board. This could be two small pieces of ray, a roll with sausage, or small fried fish. This way, we got to taste ray, horse mackerel, and rosada, the red fish. You can also order tapas in full or half portions, but the tapas that come with 2-3 beers are more than enough to fill you up. And it’s not expensive. For four small beers with accompanying tapas, a half portion of ray, and a half portion of berenjenas (fried eggplant), we spent about 20 euros.

El Artesano

We only managed to visit the small fish bar El Artesano twice – mainly because there’s so little space that getting a seat is challenging. It’s open only for lunch, and the menu mainly features fresh fish. But oh… what fish! You can see the crispy portion of fried rosada that we enjoyed both times in the top photo and the selection in the fish display below.

Bar Hibiscus

Another great lunch spot is Bar Hibiscus, where we had the most delicious avocado sandwiches with sun-ripened tomatoes. Located slightly outside the town center towards the water, you don’t need to cross the town to eat here. Conversely, many hotels and holiday apartments are in the area, making it a cozy place to dine if you’re staying nearby.

Bakus

If you’re celebrating something special on your holiday or just want a truly great meal, we recommend Bakus. Located just above Playa Carabeillo, dining here allows you to listen to the sound of the sea. It’s one of the best restaurants in town, and the price is on the higher side – but it’s worth every penny. We had a starter, two main courses, a dessert, two glasses of wine, water, and a sherry, and spent 85 euros. Rest assured, we left fully satisfied!

Two Great Bars

Back in the old town center, you might be in the mood for a good cocktail after your meal. Many cozy cafés and bars are around Balcón de Europa, but the scene gets more festive a bit further up in town at the intersection where Calle de la Gloria meets the larger Calle Almte. Ferrándiz.

At La Tasquita del Sevillano, there’s a wide selection of drinks and cocktails, and just like at El Pulguilla, you get a small tapa with your drink. At Bar Redondo, you won’t get any food unless you order from the extensive menu. However, the round bar is lively with loud music and a festive atmosphere.

More Great Tips for Your Vacation in Nerja

Find a Great Hotel in Nerja

Nerja is a small town, but there are surprisingly many hotels. Many tourists come here on a charter holiday, but if you prefer to book independently, it’s just as easy. We chose to stay a little outside the town center, but still just a few minutes’ walk to the Balcón de Europa. At our small boutique hotel, Hotel Boutique Sibarys, located on one of the quieter streets, it was quiet all day and night.

Even though the hotel is just a short walk from Playa Calahonda, it features its own cozy pool and a pool bar. We had a delightful small balcony with views of the pool and the sea. The balcony, furnished with a small table and two chairs, provided the perfect spot for us to relax and soak up the evening sun before going out to explore the town’s restaurants. In the mornings, breakfast is served in the intimate dining room located in the basement, offering a buffet that truly lives up to the motto “small but superb!”

Hotel Boutique Sibarys is an adults-only hotel, and it was quite clear that only fellow hedonists like ourselves were staying there! Sibarys is a hotel you stay at if you enjoy relaxing and want to be close to the town life but still have enough peace to take a midday nap in the sun lounger without being disturbed.

Read more about the hotel here: Hotel Boutique Sibarys