Where to go on the Costa Del Sol for Lunch

Hi All,

We go to Fuengirola every year in June for a couple of weeks and like to have a bit of a drive out to somewhere nice in the morning and stop for lunch before driving back.

We have been down the coast as far as Gibraltar and up the coast to the Balcon De Europe stopping off at various places whose names escape me (senior moment).

Does anyone have their favourite spot or can recommend somewhere that has a nice view to sit out in the Sun or in the shade of a cool beer whilst partaking in the Menu Del Dia?

Thanks

Kelju 

We always go to Venta Garcia which is on the Casares road (past Magestic Hills) up from Casares Costa (that's the little beach with the La Sal Chigurito, also good but crowded, on the N34 down the coast from Estepona). Panoramic windows of the Campo €11.5 menu

The Most Amazing VALUE ON THE coast is ASIA FOOD in ELVIRIA

menu of the DIA

I WILL explain STARTERS, MAIN ,SWEET a DRINK too and coffees

including roast duck which is 20 euros on its own at night

WOW delicious and cheap EXCELLENT service

11.50 euros it was that good I FELT guilty and gave a 10 euro TIP

ENJOY my FRIENDS

Rod

PM me for OTHER GREAT PLACES WE HAVE DISCOVERED OVER THE YEARS

 elviria is not a good place to eat  spent a lot of time there and only food we could eat is a small cafe called deja vu by the sol supermarket in the precinct no meals but very good sandwiches no views but then there arent really good views in elviria there are good restaurants but expensive

have eaten in the asia but prefer not to comment

generally i would avoid elviria its pretty boring 

if you want views try mijas pueblo place 20 mins out of fuengirola there is a cafe next to town hall has terrace looking down the mountain to the sea

This message was last edited by stillgoin on 05/04/2012.

I too would recommend Elviria for a nice, relaxed lunch in the sun. You can't beat it, as it's a beautiful place. There may not be a lot going on there BUT that is why it's just perfect. I would highly recommend the small chinese (not sure if this is Asia but they have been there years) which is just on the left as you come out of Santa Maria Golf (almost opposite the tobacco kiosk).

You cannot beat their menu of the dai for value and the service is excellent. We used to order 2 of the set meals and it would feed myself, daughter and two grandsons for E20 plus tip. Never too busy but often used by local workers in the area. We always left stuffed AND it was always fun to watch the traffic on suicide roundabout!

If you don't fancy chinese, walk around the back of the shops staying left and tucked right at the very end in front of you there is a lovely little English restaurant (might  be called Browns?) which serves lovely food. It has covered seating outside to keep cool or you can also eat inside. Again it is good value for money and service with a smile.

If you take the bridge across the motorway walking towards the beach, just on the right opposite the large hotel is another small restaurant/coffee shop. It's between the supermarket and gift shop with outdoor seating...perfect for coffee/cakes.

Oh and once you have eaten you have the beautiful beach to go and snooze it all off. 

 ELVIRIA IS A PERFECT SPOT FOR A WONDERFUL LUNCH...ENJOY!

hello try Garum on the seafront at Marbella.  Really good menu del dia for 12 euros.  It is always something freshly prepared and very well presented.  We have had some great meals there

If you are in Fuengirola then i´d reccomend the ´uppa crust´ cafe bar. its right behind the Yaramar hotel.

It is a traditional britsh cafe (which i dont normally bother with) but the food is always lovely and fresh and very good prices.

the fresh cakes are also a big plus for me and my ever expanding waistline

Ryan

La Sal" which is the chiringuito by the Casares roundabout on the road to Sabinillas, past Estepona.  Good food and a lovely beach setting on a small beach.

Why not take a drive inland and visit the town of Iznájar?  It's about an hour from the coast, and the surrounding scenery is beautiful.  There's a very good restaurant, called el Charcon, situated on the road side between Iznájar and Rute. The menú del dia is  good and costs 8 euros  (3  courses  + 1 drink).  I live in this area and often eat at  el Charcon .

Hi,

I have always found it almost impossible to judge how good a recommendation is. I have often heard people raving about places I wouldn't go into if it was the last place on earth. But equally some of my favourite places have been slated by friends I thought would have a similar taste. 

The big problem is perception! I judge a "good" place by the overall experience and that in Spain means to me "not pandering to the Brit's".  I can never relate to people who look for English food abroad and bars called the Red Lion or A-boards with Union Jack's on them!

So here are few of my favourite places. I wholeheartedly agree with others about La Sal Chiringuito on the beach just off the Casares roundabout. The waves splash right up to the front steps and with the sound of the sea and the warm Mediterranean air it is just lovely. The food is very nice as well. You can normally judge how good these place are by the type of customer. Here you get quite a few discerning Spanish eating out and that speaks volume's in my book. Try the freshly caught Sea Bass with a glass of Spanish dry white wine. Fabulous! Or Prawns Pil Pil a speciality of theirs. Run by the owner and who can seem a bit abrupt but he is fine really and only wants you to enjoy the visit.

A good drive out is a visit to Rhonda. Fantastic scenery on the mountain road to this ancient town. Rhonda is the home of the oldest Bullring in Spain and is built over a huge gorge with a spectacular bridge spanning the deepest part right in the town centre. Lots of places to eat here through the streets and in the square but if you go into the cellar of the hotel right on the bridge you come to a restaurant that opens out onto a balcony actually in the side of the gorge itself. Quite spectacular and very good food.

In the middle of the modern busy city of Marbella there is hidden the "Old Town" and in the centre is "Naranjes Square". Atmospheric with a whiff of Jasmin and lots of street restaurants. No cars, this is strictly pedestrians only and very relaxing.

Try Puerto del la Duquesa which is just past Estepona. This is a lovely low key marina surrounded by cafes and restaurants and In the daytime it is wonderfully relaxing just sitting by the harbourside watching the boats gently bobbing. If you walk west along the promenade you will find Castillo. This is a hamlet by the sea with a castle tower and a small square with about a dozen restaurants. Worth a visit!

The "White Villages" in the hills such as Casares offer wonderful car free streets and a different pace. Again lots of small restaurants with a variety of tastes on offer. There is a restaurant on the edge of the town that has a balcony looking over the village and the valley below where you sit and watch the "Condors" with their 8 feet wingspan just soaring on the hot thermals.

A great selection of good food in fabulous surroundings can be found at the many "Golf Courses"on the Costa del Sol. Probably somewhere you have never thought of visiting if your not a golfer but you will find that virtually all clubhouses will welcome you for lunch and there are no restrictions because you are not a golfer. Over 60 to chose from but I would particularly recommend San Roque set in what was the "Domecq" sherry family's old villa in the oak cork orchards of Sotogrande. Very friendly and great to sit on the patio with waiters serving you in the sun. You can have fun trying any of the clubhouses they are all friendly and you will more than likely find a favourite very close to home. Try them you will be pleasantly surprised most of the time.

As you probably can tell I get a bit carried away when talking about the Costa del Sol. I love it and it has something for everyone no matter your taste or preference. So I will stop now and I wish you great pleasure with your exploring.

Terry T

hi, you could also try 'El Jinette'  Go up the Market road out of La Cala towards La Cala Golf.   Beautiful setting and menu del dia.

 went to Don Q last night new owner likes a chat much better than before

all you can eat for 11 eu cost 25eu for 2 with drinks its on the fuengirola prom  near the kids carrousel on the prom

60 dishes on the hot and cold menu inc fruit icecream and dinky cakes

after telling owner how good it was he brought us two large prawn cocktails not on the menu though so be nice to him

All depends on what your criteria are but if it's good food then you can't do better than La Casita, Urb. La Heredia on the A397.  The restaurant is run by a Gordon Ramsay trained chef.  The restaurant is elegant, has indoor and outdoor dining and something for everyone on the menu plus daily specials. 

Sorry Alphamed but I probably couldnt disagree more with you. Have been to La Casita on 2 occasions and I know I will ruffle some feathers with many people - once when I paid and once when I was a guest. Their style of Nouvelle Cuisine meant that on both occasions I went home hungry and disappointed.

Their prices are on the high side (and I seem to recall vegetables extra) and finally I have had the worst rack of lamb there that I have ever had in my life - mine was not the only bad experience as I heard a man seated at the next table also complaining that his lamb was as tough as old boots. The night I paid (last May) the bill was 135 Euros for two - we did not have wine but my partner had 2 glasses of cava and I had 3 Jack Daniels so we didnt go to town on booze. Probably one of the worst value meals I have ever had considering its quality. Especially when you can drive 1km down the hill to Monte Halcones and go to Prado (spelling?) and choose from their menu del noche at 20 Euros (with good choices and no supplements) or A La Carte as usual and the food is superb. To add insult to injury at Casita they spilled my partners glass of Cava over on the table - using my best wicket keeper hands I grabbed it and managed to save about half of it but it went over my partners bag - no offer of a replacement or knock it off the bill. All round disappointing experience and a great shame as its the closest restaurant to me

I have to inform you that I eat at La Casita several times a month, the service is excellent and there are set price menus for both lunch and dinner at 15 euros and 20 euros respectively - very reasonable indeed for the standard of food. They also do a breakfast menu these days with an excellent eggs benedict.

The restaurant "Tapeo de Carvantes" in Malaga is quite nice. Its prices are very reasonable, the food is fantastic and the service is very good too.

I think it's worth paying a visit.

As I said Alphamed I knew I would ruffle some feathers and you clearly have very different experiences to me - other than the fiasco where the waitress spilled the Cava (without any offer of replacement) I couldnt fault the service and the setting outside is nice as well. The food on the other hand on two occasions (and that is what I really go out to dinner for) fell a long way short of expectations considering the price - I am sure that few people would consider 23 or 24 Euros for rack of lamb that was difficult to cut with a steak knife value for money - let alone chewing the meat. I would agree with you that 20 Euros for a set menu is good value for money - the problem is that even for something as simple as fish and chips they charge a supplement where so many other places offering set menus incorporate a la carte dishes such as steak within their set menu price.

Horses for courses I guess and I am sure that you have been to places you wouldnt return to owing to bad experience and we all have to speak as we find.

 Thanks for all the replies, too many to respond to individually.

We will definitely be printing this off and taking with us so we can try some of the recommendations.

The Golf course sounds interesting, something we would not have considered and the Chiringuito with the waves lapping sounds idyillic.  Duquesa is one of our favourites and we have also been into Castillo on a few occasions.

Thanks again and we are looking forward to sampling dome of the culinary delights on our hols.

Kelju