Where to Eat Out in Style in Marbella, Spain

If you're in the mood for tapas, most places are in thenext to the Marbella Club hotel. This is a good place to
old town with quite a few of them around Calle delcome for more formal Spanish meat specialties, but
Perral. Tapas (literally, "tops") were once a mere pieceyou'll also find international dishes and a large selection
of bread laid over the glass to deter flies fromof Spanish wines.
exploring the drink. The custom of serving a little foodFor Italian food, Villa Tiberio (tel. 952 771 799, ) is one
alongside a drink at no charge eventually spread. Fewpossibility in the same general area. This is a converted
places nowadays offer free tapas (Granada is onemansion with beautiful gardens decorated with
exception), but you can easily cover your lunch orRoman-style statues. The menu is reputed to be
dinner with a selection of two to five selectionsparticularly innovative and there is an extensive and
normally priced at one to two euros each. It's nottruly international wine list, a welcome contrast to many
untypical to wander from bar to bar over a couple ofrestaurants in Spain.
hours to complete a single meal. Most tapas dishesThe Marbella Club Hotel itself features several
are also available as half or full portions (raciones) andrestaurants onsite, with live music at selected times.
common recipes are often based on fish, shellfish, andThe gourmet option is simply known as The Grill (tel.
pork derivatives (cured ham, chorizo, black pudding,952 822 211), and it features a seasonal menu of
etc.). Other options include dishes based on potatoes,dishes in various European traditions. As in many other
eggs, mushrooms, bell peppers, aubergines, and the listCosta del Sol restaurants, dining is possible both
goes on. Many of the bars double up as full-fledgedindoors and outdoors.
restaurants with waiter service, so all or some of theFor Japanese food including sushi, you can head to
tables may be reserved for this purpose while tapasSushi des Artistes (tel. 952 857 403, ). There is also a
tend to be enjoyed sitting at the bar.newer restaurant under the same ownership in the
Before moving on to standard restaurants, it should bePuerto Banús area called Naruto Tokyo (tel. 952 811
said that another important tradition in all of coastal827) specialising in ramen noodles and "Japanese
Spain is that of the chiringito, as the typical beachfronttapas".
bar-restaurant with extended opening hours is known.At Plaza de los Naranjos, the historic square in the
These venues tend to have simple and affordablecentre, Ciboca (tel. 952 773 743) is a celebrated
menus, although some of them achieve fame for therestaurant where you can enjoy your meal on the
quality of their food, especially with regard to seafoodsquare itself. The building is 500 years old and adorned
and, of course, paella. Three of the fifty or sowith flowering vines. The menu should meet your
chiringitos in Marbella are La Pesquera at Playaexpectations if you are hoping for local flavour, as it
Marbellamar, Charli Bar & Restaurant at Playa delincludes many fish specialities and a list of fine Spanish
Arenal, and Los Sardinales at Playa de los Alicates.wines.
For more formal lunch and dinners, Marbella offers theLast but not least, if you are going out for a romantic
greatest variety on the Costa del Sol and you canmeal, try La Comedia (tel. 952 776 478) at Plaza de la
count on finding a restaurant to your liking for anyVictoria, a nice small place with a menu inspired by
occasion. Here we briefly describe a few good places,various European traditions. Here you can sit on a
but there are many, many more possibilities to bebalcony overlooking the square and enjoy the aroma
found in comprehensive listings.and site of the orange trees, only rivalled by those of
Probably the most famous among the luxurythe nearby Plaza de los Naranjos.
restaurants is El Portalón (tel. 952 827 880), which is