My Favorite Vegetarian Eats in Malaga, Spain

Hi friends!

Who is looking forward to Easter weekend? Growing up we always did a big family gathering, but I haven’t really made a big thing of Easter since I’ve been living far away from my family. I’m excited for a long weekend though, since work has been crazy busy and after I hit publish on this post I’m planning on doing little to no work. I’m staying local and will hopefully be doing some fun new San Diego area things!

But today, I want to look back a few months and share a recap from my vacation in the Southern Spanish area of Malaga. I feel like I’ve shared so many recaps of this trip because it was such an amazing time packed with lots of adventure. Today is my last post about the trip, and we’re talking about my favorite vegetarian eats around Malaga!

While we hopped around from Stockholm to Malaga to Barcelona, Malaga is where my husband and I spent the most of our trip. From a traditional Spanish tapas cooking class, to touring Malaga with a local guide, to visiting Spanish wine country, I think I really got a feel for the rich culture in the area.

I really loved how it wasn’t as touristy with Americans as some other European cities I’ve visited. When I sat outside at a cafe to enjoy a glass of wine (Did I mention that Malaga’s weather is kind of similar to San Diego? It was pretty nice there in November!), no one at the tables around us was speaking English. Some of the shop owners spoke very little English, and I’m pretty sure that half of my friends and family still have no idea where Malaga is (despite me telling them all about it!). Malaga has recently grown in popularity as a tourist destination for people living in other areas in Europe, but it felt like a bit of a hidden gem for us Americans to get to experience. Our time there was wonderful!

I definitely did a good amount of research beforehand to scope out vegetarian friendly restaurants in the area. I knew that there was a good chance that Spanish tapas menus would have something vegetarian, but I also wanted to make sure to experience the best vegetarian that Malaga had to offer. This post shares my favorite eats in and around the city of Malaga, along with recommendations for other places I had jotted down but didn’t get a chance to visit. Let’s get to it!

Pampa Tablas y Tapas. The first night we were in Spain, we headed to Pampa in the town of Mijas Pueblo. We were super jet lagged, but I was excited at the idea of having my first Spanish tapas of the trip. The vibe of Pampa is a cozy wine bar, which is definitely our style so I liked it right away. We started off with red wine (him), cava (me), a cheese plate and olives.

We also ordered mushroom croquettes, avocado toast, caprese skewers, roasted veggies and fancy potatoes to share. While the menu has lots of items for carnivores, it also has a lot of meatless options. It was a great first dinner in Spain!

We also couldn’t resist splitting something sweet our first night in town:

Looking for other Mijas Pueblo restaurant ideas? Another eatery I had on my radar there was Aroma Café & Secret Garden. 

Los Gatos. We first visited Los Gatos in the heart of Malaga during our tour of the city, and we returned there a couple of days later for some tapas and wine. The owner has been a longtime restaurant owner in Madrid, and he later opened this location in Malaga where he’s originally from.

Los Gatos is frequented by locals, yet it’s also located in a busy city area – making it great for people watching. It has a lot of meat options, but I had no problem finding vegetarian tapas to eat there. My husband and I especially enjoyed their simple starter dish of fresh tomato, onion, olive oil & salt (simplicity at its best!) and their array of crostini options.  Pictured above was my top crostini pick: brie with carmelized onion.

It’s worth noting that the wine at Los Gatos and throughout most restaurants and bars in Malaga is super inexpensive. I’m talking a bottle of water being more expensive than a glass of wine most of the time! It made it hard to resist drinking wine every chance we had.

Also, the flan at Los Gatos was delicious. I hadn’t tried flan in a long time and it’s not my usual type of pick for dessert, but it tasted like caramel custardy decadence.

Atarazanas Market. I had the chance to visit Malaga’s market during my tapas cooking class, and it’s a great place to mosey around, nab some local grub, and eat some tapas.

From delicious breads to locally grown exotic fruit, the market is a fun spot to pop into to grab some healthy food to take back to your hotel room for a happy hour snack or breakfast.

Vegetariano Cañadú. Located in the heart of the Malaga, this was one of the first exclusively vegetarian spots we dined at in Spain. From gazpacho and patatas bravas tapas, to salads, soups, and pastas, the restaurant offers a wide array of options – including many vegan items.

We ordered an asparagus & mushroom risotto dish, along with a vegetable lasagna entree. A glass of wine costs about $3 here, and the entrees are all around $10 – making for an inexpensive vegetarian dinner.

Vegetariano el Calafate. We were a little bit skeptical when we walked into this vegetarian joint in the middle of Malaga on a weekend night and it was totally empty, but it wound up being a yummy, healthy dinner during our vacation (and a few other tables showed up while we were there!).

I ordered a vegan veggie wrap + lentil soup. I totally overestimated how much I can eat and how hearty beans are, and I had to enlist the help of my hubby in finishing the soup!

I definitely felt like I got my servings of veggies in with this meal! In all honesty, every day that we spent in Malaga, I felt like I was eating nutritiously. I love how Southern Spanish cuisine puts an emphasis on produce and keeping dishes somewhat simple.

Here are some other restaurant ideas with healthy vegetarian options: 

• Raw Attitude Cafe & Juice Bar
• Recyclo Bike Café
• Noviembre Health and Food
• El Vegetariano de la Alcazabilla

However, we were on vacation after all, and I tried my fair share of sweets in Malaga! The city has no shortage of bakeries everywhere you turn.

One bakery that stood out to me was Julia Bakery. If you’re looking for a casual spot to grab a bite to eat, Julia Bakery is a lovely spot. Their menu items include things like sweets, bagels, and smoothies, and the above pictured vegan raspberry chocolate scone that I picked up there proved to be a tasty snack!

Another memorable Malaga place for sweets was the famous Casa Aranda. Known for its churros, Casa Aranda has been in business since 1932 and was absolutely packed when we stopped in there. We wound up standing at the bar to get our fill of churros with hot chocolate – a popular way to get your sweet tooth fill throughout Malaga.

The hot chocolate is thick and creamy, and everyone dips their churros in it. It’s more like a chocolate sauce than hot chocolate, but I totally drank the end of mine until my cup was totally empty. No shame in my chocolate game! 

And speaking of churros, something I saw at a lot of area bakeries that I had to try was mini stuffed churros. The above one was stuffed with some kind of jelly.

As for the weirdest food combo that I ate in Malaga? I ordered a salad for lunch one day when we were in a city south of Malaga called Marbella, and along with lots of good fruits, veggies, grains and seeds, it came with caramel popcorn on top of it. I thought it was kind of hilarious!

I’ll end this post with mention of my favorite bar in the area, Chinitas Urban Hostel. The hostel’s rooftop bar overlooks Malaga’s beautiful cathedral. I ordered a glass of wine and just stared at the cathedral for awhile!

The bar offers lots of cozy places to sit and relax, and its wall of flowers offers a nice touch. I also like that it seems like more of a local spot.

Overall, our time in Malaga was really memorable. We explored a lot, experienced Spanish culture, got some relaxation in, drank some good local wine… and as you can see, we enjoyed awesome Spanish eats!

Looking for more travel posts? Check out my other recaps from this trip: 

• Exploring Stockholm for a Day
• The Ultimate Malaga History & Food Experience
• Spain Food Sherpas’ Tapas Cooking Class + Spinach Porrilla Pasta
• A Dreamy Wine Country Day in Ronda, Spain
• 5 Awesome Sightseeing Experiences in Barcelona
• A Day Trip from Southern Spain to Morocco
• Vegetarian Eating in Barcelona