EL CAPISTRANO VILLAGE / OASIS DE CAPISTRANO:

Whilst we would not recommend the restaurant within El Capistrano Village (see below), if you are looking for somewhere close by to eat, we would very strongly recommend the restaurant in Hotel Los Arcos (La Brasería Ibérica), Map Ref: D10. This can be found on the main road through Nerja, just opposite the entrance to El Capistrano Village.

The restaurant in Oasis de Capistrano, La Vainilla, (Map Ref: F11), provides good food with a friendly atmosphere, and is also within walking distance of El Capistrano Village.

WHERE TO AVOID:

In the main, eating (and drinking) out in Spain is a very rewarding experience. However, in addition to mentioning those places that we do recommend, we, somewhat reluctantly, feel that we should also warn you about three or four that we don’t.

First of all, there is the restaurant within the El Capistrano Village complex itself, just by the pool. However it is really quite pricey, and to be frank we’ve never had a really good meal there yet – and have actually had one or two quite poor ones. In fact we’ve recently had numerous letters from guests who were tempted by its convenience, but who then said that they wished they’d taken our advice not to eat there.

People sometimes recommend El Portico on C/ Cristo, but I guess that when you’ve had a really poor meal somewhere (to the restaurant’s evident unconcern) then it’s difficult to be enthusiastic about it. Then Pata Negra, on Plaza La Marina, serves good food but combines this with a particularly poor attitude to foreigners and solo diners.

TAPAS:

Finding tapas bars is something of an art – the really authentic ones aren’t advertised as such, and you need to do what the Spaniards do, which is to make your way up to the bar, order a drink and point to the particular delicacy on the counter that takes your fancy. In Spain, tapas are often included in the price of the drink when sitting at the bar (or in some places there is a small extra charge), and generally you choose what you want, although in some bars there is no choice and you are just given one with your drink. When people go out for tapas in Spain, they go to 3 or more different bars, having a quick beer or glass of wine with a tapa, before moving onto the next one. This would normally be an ‘aperitif’ before going home for a proper meal, rather than a meal in itself, although some people find that a few tapas is sufficient for dinner.

If you are looking for something a bit more substantial, you would need to ask for ‘raciones’. These are larger portions of the same sort of food you would find as tapas, but you pay for these in addition to your drink. A good way to have a light meal is to order a selection of raciones to share, and it means you can try out lots of different delicacies at once.

Here are some places we would recommend visiting:

The Round Bar / Bar Redondo, C/ Gloria, 10, Map Ref: G5, is a good authentic tapas bar which has tapas under the counter round the bar, which you can just point to, as well as raciones that you can order from a menu.

Just round the corner on Almirante Ferrandez is El Pulgilla, (Map Ref: G5). Tapas are free if you sit at the bar, and fish and seafood is the speciality. You can also order raciones and there are plenty of tables to sit at, as well as a large terrace with wooden decking.

Less traditional, but modern and with great food, is La Biznaga, (Map Ref: G4), next to the Balcón de Europa, by the church. Here you pay a couple of Euros for tapas, and portions are a good size with a lot of variety.

Just a bit further along behind the church in the Plaza Cavana is Casa Luque, (Map Ref: G4). This is really a ‘gourmet tapas bar’, which has a large selection of less traditional tapas such as ‘Foie with Goat’s cheese and caramelised Pineapple’.

Then, heading up C/ Pintada, and left onto C/ Nueva, (Map Ref: F5), is the Mesón La Posada Ibérico, which specialises in Iberian meats such as chorizo, morcilla, salchichón, and Manchego cheese.

Moving further east away from the Balcón, there are several more tapas bars. We would highlight Vinoleto, C/ Antonio Millón (Map Ref: G3) which is a wine and tapas bar, one of the few places in Nerja to specialise in both. Their large selection of wine has quite a few that are available by the glass, and each drink is accompanied by a small tapa. You can also buy tapas for a euro or two.

This should be enough for one night, but there are many, many more tapas bars in Nerja, so please let us know if you find any that you would like to recommend.