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Bucket list experience:

Last updated: 10 November, 2022
Expert travel writer: Dana Facaros

Andalusian cooking is renowned for fresh seafood, olives and olive oil, sun-ripened vegetables, garlic and paprika.

Cooking is simple, letting fresh, delicious ingredients speak for themselves. Much of the preparation in the kitchen is minimal – fish is usually lightly dredged in flour and golden fried in olive oil.

Cold soups star in summer, hearty stews in the winter and melt-in-your-mouth cured ham (jamon serrano) year-round. Many of the desserts, many involving almonds, go back to Arab times.

Sangria, as elsewhere in Spain, is a popular drink, as is sherry.

What to try

Try Andalusia’s famous cold soups: gazpacho, but also ajo blanco, made with garlic, almonds, and bread, and thick creamy tomato salmorejo.

Seafood classics include mixed fish fry (pescado or pescaita frito), bluefin tuna (atun Rojo), and gambas pil pil (garlic and paprika prawns).

Other specialities include carrillada (braised pork or beef cheeks), rabo de toro (bull tail stew) and pringa (slow-cooked beef or pork and sausage).

Also see our round-up of traditional Spanish foods you must try in Spain.

Recommended itineraries by our writers that include this experience

Price: Free
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 13+
When: All year around
Duration: -

Getting there & doing it

The food markets of Andalusia are often surrounded by tapas bars and traditional restaurants, patronized by the locals. For eating and drinking recommendations, check out the town-by-town restaurant listings at Andalucia.com.

When to do it

Spaniards traditionally eat later than most Europeans, and in the hot summer months, the Andalusians often dine as late as 11pm or midnight when it’s cool enough to sit out on the terraces. Restaurants, however, open much earlier, and there are always tapas to keep hunger at bay. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day, eaten between 1pm and 3pm. In the summer following it with a siesta is strongly recommended.

Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity

Malaga Market Tour and the Oldest winery Tapas included

Malaga Market Tour and the Oldest winery Tapas included

Malaga

We will walk through this market with a unique atmosphere. Enjoy the friendly locals and tapas culture, while your knowledgeable guide enhan...

€55 | Rating 4.63 / 5 [11 ratings]

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Tour supplied by:

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3 Hours Malaga Tapas Crawl Tour

3 Hours Malaga Tapas Crawl Tour

Malaga

This experience is a great way to really discover the culture through the local food and drinks and also by mixing with the crowd. Our exper...

€65 | Rating 4.97 / 5 [69 ratings]

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Tour supplied by:

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Malaga Traditional Wine & Tapas Tour - by Oh My Good Guide!

Malaga Traditional Wine & Tapas Tour - by Oh My Good Guide!

Malaga

Discover the hidden gems of Malaga's gastronomy with a local! Eat, drink and enjoy like a local!  We'll make an amazing tour visiting three...

€69 | Rating 4.22 / 5 [18 ratings]

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Tour supplied by:

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Malaga Evening Wine and Tapas Tour

Malaga Evening Wine and Tapas Tour

Malaga

Taste your way through Malaga on this 3.5-hour guided evening wine and tapas tour. See why Malaga has become one of Spain’s top dining desti...

€73 | Rating 4.90 / 5 [589 ratings]

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Tour supplied by:

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Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first

Hotel Posada del Patio

Malaga, Andalusia, Spain

Sleek new five-star hotel in pole position for enjoying Old Malaga, with a delicious rooftop pool. Well-positioned for seeing the sights.

Official star rating:

Hotel Palacio Solecio

Malaga, Andalusia, Spain

In the lively heart of Malaga, peaceful, luxurious rooms and a superb restaurant in an elegant 18th-century palace.

Official star rating:

Finca Cortesin Hotel Golf & Spa

Malaga, Andalusia, Spain

A gorgeous, Moorish-style Andalusian manor house surrounded by 23,000 square metres of flower-filled gardens, including a world-class golf course. There’s a superb, Thai-style spa with ice cave, and restaurant with a Michelin star.

Official star rating:

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Andalusia

Andalusia, Spain

A big dazzling region, packed with fascinating cities, beautiful landscapes and beaches, colourful fiestas and oodles of sunshine.

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Overview >

Malaga

Andalusia, Spain

A big, vibrant city with a fascinating old centre, lively contemporary art, sandy beaches, great restaurants and buzzy nightlife.

Website >
Overview >

Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first

El Caminito del Rey

Malaga, Andalusia, Spain

The ‘World’s Most Dangerous Walkway’ over sheer gorges in Malaga’s mountains is safer now, but no less vertigo-inducing and spectacular.

Best for ages: 18+ | £25 | 3-4 hours

Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..

Alcazaba of Malaga

Malaga, Andalusia, Spain

A well-preserved Moorish city fortress, built 11th century on a hill in the city centre. Adjacent to the entrance are the remains of a Roman theatre, dating back to the 1st century AD.

Best for ages: 13+ | £3

Exterior of the market with people waiting and cars parked
Experience

Atarazanas Central Market

Malaga, Andalusia, Spain

Malaga’s Arab shipyards were adapted in the 19th century to create this wonderland of fresh fruit and veg, meat and seafood. In fact, the entire neighbourhood is devoted to food – it’s a great place for a tapas crawl.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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Carmen Thyssen Malaga Museum
Experience

Carmen Thyssen Malaga Museum

Malaga, Andalusia, Spain

Here Carmen Cervera, the Malaga-born wife of Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza, displays her prize collection of mainly Andalusian art, ranging from the mainly religious works of old masters to the colourful, luminous landscapes, portraits and street scenes from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Best for ages: 18+ | £10

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