Torremolinos is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Spain, especially with British tourists; it also boasts a large expatriate community meaning you'll feel right at home except with great weather! Located in southwestern Spain, Torremolinos is known for its family friendly, unpretentious restaurant scene.
Local cuisine
Located in the centre of Torremolinos, El Trillo is a laid-back local restaurant that serves Spanish cuisine and is known for supremely fresh seafood dishes and fine Mediterranean desserts. The food is excellent and the atmosphere easygoing enough for families with young children to feel comfortable.
The Spanish Garden is a local restaurant that serves generous portions of delicious Spanish food. The music is upbeat and Latin in style and the food is consistently high quality; this has earned the Spanish Garden the distinction of being one of the most often recommended Spanish restaurants in Torremolinos.
Stylish and cosy, Canto del Agua is a classy Spanish restaurant that serves delicious, carefully cooked Mediterranean food, often accompanied with quality live music. The restaurant employs professional chefs who work hard to serve up a real authentic treat.
Lanjaron is a traditional Spanish restaurant that has been in business since well before Torremolinos became a popular tourist Mecca. Authentic and unadulterated, the food here succeeds in conveying the full gamut of the Hispanic culinary culture in every dish. Fine, traditional Spanish dining doesn't get any better than this.
La Lonja is a low-key Spanish eatery specialising in fried fish and other seafood delicacies. The prices here are spectacularly low, the portions are huge and all dishes are prepared with the freshest seafood ingredients freshly caught that very same day. The menu is relatively limited but everything on it is bound to tantalise your taste buds.
Welcoming and classy, El Levante is a traditional Spanish eatery that serves good food in an unpretentious atmosphere. There are no gimmicks here, just delicious Spanish cuisine and a very pleasant atmosphere thanks to lively local music and extremely polite staff and the friendly owner who's often on hand to discuss the food with diners.
Tapas
Modern and relaxed, El Gato Lounge is an popular tapas bar restaurant right in the heart of Torremolinos. El Gato successfully infuses timeless tapas tradition with modern gastronomy. Prices are very reasonable and El Gato is also known for its delicious cocktails.
Guerola is a cosy tapas restaurant well-loved for its easygoing atmosphere and its incredible tapas. The food here is without frills and unpretentiously delicious, with large tapas portions and an amazing array of different tapas dishes to choose from. The restaurant is low key and somewhat hidden amid the bustling tourist track of Torremolinos but definitely hunt it down.
La Taberna de Tito Juan is a small, traditional tapas eatery that is run by a local family. The food here is authentically Hispanic and well priced. Even though the décor is somewhat basic, the atmosphere is welcoming and the service is good.
The Matahambre is a trendy tapas bar that has been popular with tourists for more than a decade. The food here is delicious enough to earn the restaurant frequent mentions in international tourist guides, and the prices (even though not the lowest in the area) are palatable enough; especially given the quantity and quality of the food.
European
Anema e Core is a popular Italian restaurant with a menu that is heavily influenced by Spanish cuisine. The food here is distinctively Mediterranean and often ventures into uncharted culinary territories. The Anema e Core is classy but also family friendly and very welcoming to families with young children.
The Gattopardo is a classy Mediterranean restaurant with high distinctions among similar restaurants in southern Spain. The food here is top notch, with affordable prices and a formal but reasonably relaxed style. The menu is fairly extensive and includes recipes from Spain, Italy, Greece, as well as exotic delicacies from Africa.
Upscale yet family friendly, La Piazzetta Ristorante Italiano is a popular Italian restaurant in the heart of Torremolinos and situated fairly close to the promenade. The restaurant caters mostly to locals and is something of a hidden gem. The food is wonderfully authentic with down to earth prices to match.
Pizza alla Pala is one of Torremolinos' best and most popular pizzerias. There are virtually countless different pizza combinations to try, including some pizza combos you'd never have guessed existed! If you fancy a pizza, this it a top choice.
The Brittas Casita is the only German restaurant in Torremolinos and one that features a unique culinary melange of Spanish with German cuisine. The food here is delicious, with interesting and unusual flavour combinations that manage to work exceptionally well together. The restaurant is very child friendly, too.
Restaurant Florin has become incredibly popular among tourists visiting Torremolinos. Florin serves a different menu each day, inspired from cuisines around the world. The menu includes numerous vegan and vegetarian dishes, as well as other specialised dishes, catering to diners of all tastes.
The Meson Galego Antoxo is a Latin American restaurant in the heart of Torremolinos and a favourite eating spot with locals and tourists alike. The Antoxo focuses on top quality and on organising unique gastronomic events in the spirit of the Slow Food movement.
British
The Carvery serves delicious carveries and is perhaps the best place to eat hearty hog roasts and other traditional dishes from back home. The Carvery boasts an extensive selection of beers and ales, catering to homesick Brits as well as to tourists and locals seeking to sample traditional tasty British dishes.
Bistro Europa is a relaxed British eatery famous for its English breakfasts and cheap beers, which are served throughout the day. The restaurant is child friendly with very polite staff and great service.
Laid-back yet known for very high quality food, Kate's Cottage is a genuine British restaurant that serves well-loved dishes from back home, including Sunday roast, fish and chips, English muffins and more. Kate's is very family friendly, with low prices and a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
The Tudor Rose is a discerning and high quality British restaurant merging British cuisine with Hispanic culinary influences. This upscale restaurant is fairly formal, and while families with children are welcome, this is not the most family friendly restaurant. Regardless, this is one of the best places to sample first-class British cuisine while visiting Torremolinos.
Asian
As its name implies, the Kathmandu Nepali Indian Restaurant is a fine Indian / Nepali restaurant in Costa del Sol. The menu has mild dishes that are geared towards children as well as hot and spicy options.
Unique in Toremolinos is Japones Nozomi, the only Japanese restaurant in the whole area. Nozomi is sublime in its simplicity and the chefs have been trained in Japan. Spankingly fresh sushi and numerous other Japanese delicacies are made using mostly locally caught fish and seafood.
Shang Hai-Restaurante Chino is a classy Chinese restaurant in the heart of Torremolinos. The music and atmosphere create the perfect setting to enjoy fine Chinese cuisine. This is a fairly touristy establishment but the food is delicious and the service is excellent, so don't let that put you off.
Cosy and family friendly, Ciudad Sur is another great Chinese restaurant that serves well-loved favourites as well as more unusual, authentically Chinese dishes.
International
Fat Fajita is a brilliant tex-mex restaurant located in the centre of Torremolinos. The Fat Fajita serves delicious Latin American dishes in a colourful and upbeat atmosphere. The chefs here frequently hold eat-as-much as you can competitions.
Restaurante Fenicia is a unique Phoenician restaurant that claims to serve dishes that come straight from the Bronze Age. The food here is as delicious and cooked with care and served with a smile. The menu features a colourful combination of Spanish, Mediterranean and Oriental dishes, so you won't be short on choice.
The Los Pampas is a popular Argentinean restaurant that serves incredible steaks and Latin BBQ dishes in a family friendly atmosphere. Popular with tourists and locals alike, Los Pampas has earned numerous national distinctions as one of the best restaurants in Torremolinos.
Fine dining
Diners with discerning tastes flock to Amanecer to dine in style. Located in Calle de la Playa, the Amanecer attracts upscale customers who aren't shy of paying a bit extra for a swanky dining and first-class Spanish cuisine. This is a very formal and classy restaurant, and is perhaps not the best choice for kids.
Bodegas Quitapenas is a popular wine restaurant that sports the largest selection of premier quality wines (local and imported) in Torremolinos. Tourists seeking a unique fine dining and wining experience should definitely pay this place a visit. Even though this is one of the more expensive establishments in the area, the minute attention to food quality and the impeccable service make dining at the Bodegas Quitapenas an unforgettable experience.
Cafes & snackbars
Cafe Fresco is a great beachside café on Torremolinos' promenade. The café caters to beachgoers in search of a hearty snack after a long day at the beach, as well as families with children looking for affordable snacks and drinks on the go. This is a very easygoing eatery, with a friendly atmosphere.
Ciao Bella is an Italian café/restaurant that serves delicious coffees and fine, Italian inspired snacks at reasonable prices.
Relaxed and family friendly, Heladeria Beni is a local bistro that is open all year round and caters to locals as well as tourists. This warm and welcoming establishment is located in Torremolinos' Paseo Maritimo and serves good coffee and snacks.
The Launch Grand Café is a trendy café/bistro on Playa de Carihuela, one of the liveliest promenades in Torremolinos. This popular café is spacious and boasts attractive, contemporary design. This café caters to those with a taste for good coffee and offers spectacular views over the Mediterranean.
Seafood & grills
La Cacerola is one of the most popular traditional Spanish Steakhouse and BBQ restaurants in Torremolinos. The Cacerola specialises in huge portions of hearty meat dishes including steaks, roast, burgers and other meaty delicacies. The service and the food here are both excellent, with fresh ingredients and a very sunny disposition towards all diners setting this place apart from the norm.
Chiringuito la Jabega has been serving fresh seafood dishes since 1963 and is still considered one of the best places for fish Torremolinos to this day. Famous for serving only the freshest fish, caught the very same day within kilometres from the restaurant. The restaurant is not open at night as the owner believes that fish caught in the morning isn't fresh any more come the afternoon now that's a stickler for fresh fish!