RESTAURANTE VENTORRILLO DEL CHATO This Restaurant is a beautiful historic Goya-esque 18th-century roadhouse, situated near the beach dunes, an oasis in the heart of a desert strip. Jose Manuel Cordoba makes magic with fish here.   We come here for the Tortillitas de Camarones (shrimp fritters). The ones here are larger but also incredibly crispy, with more batter edges and significantly more shrimp than any others we had. They are great with a cold fino sherry. Other excellen

EL BIGOTES Known as "The Fish Shack at Cala Mastella" or El Bigotes (The Moustache), this refers to the proprietor's whiskers!) El Bigotes still sits at his table for lunch whilst devouring a flagon of red wine. Unfortunately, he is 97 years old and does not come to the restaurant much anymore. (update 2025, we believe, although we can't confirm, that El Bigote passed away in 202 RIP). There are two sittings, noon for fried fish (€25pp) or 2 pm for Bullit de Peix (€34pp). F

We spent a few days in Alicante City in October. Arriving late on Saturday night, we checked into our hotel and then headed to  GASTROBAR DISTRIKT 41 Michelin Plate IIO Calle de Navas, 41, 03001 Alacant, Alicante +34 965 181 426 www.distrikt41.es This is an extraordinarily buzzy and busy bar/restaurant with modern décor and a great ambi e nce. It is run by two chefs originally from the Netherlands. They have a contemporary à la carte menu with a few Central European influen

LA COSMO Michelin Bib Gourmand La Cosma is the younger sibling of Dani Carnero's La Cosmopolita. It has a more modern vibe and setting, but still serves big-flavoured Andalucian cooking without any gimmicks. We enjoyed an excellent early dinner, sitting at the long bar looking into the open kitchen.  We started with some excellent bread. Ostras (oysters) La Gilda atún, tomate, piparra y anchoa (a new take on the Gilda, the iconic pintxo inspired by actress Rita Hayworth, wi

Restaurant SALVADÓ This is an old-school, typical Ibicencan fish restaurant north of the island in Sant Carles de Peralta (San Carlos). Featuring fresh fish and rice dishes with a solid wine list and stunning sea views overlooking the little coves of Canal d'en Marti and Pou des Lleó Any lunch or evening meal at restaurant Salvadó is quintessentially Ibicencan and worth the trip. You start with an appetiser of high-quality bread, aioli, and olives. Mejillones picantes (spicy

RESTAURANTE LA ESCOLLERA La Escollera has been in Puerto de Estepona since 1940. The long-standing harbour-side restaurant, with a large terrace, is one of the best places to enjoy stunning, fresh seafood in Estepona. The restaurant is old school and not fancy. There is an extensive menu featuring freshly caught, local fish, right from the fish market. Fresh fish arrives from the sea in the morning, and you can enjoy it at your table for lunch or dinner within hours. You will

CASA BIGOTE      Michelin Bib Gourmand It was in 1951 when a local sailor, Fernando Hermoso, opened a despacho de Vinos selling manzanilla to fishermen. Fernando grew an Errol Flynn-style moustache, and his friends started calling him "El Bigote".   Manzanilla, a salty, extremely dry sherry (the salt comes from the local bodegas' proximity to the sea air), originates from Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and you will still find it on almost every table. In 1970, Fernando Jr. took over

ASADOR LA CASTILLERÍA To reach this meat mecca, just outside the pretty Andalusian hill-top village of Vejer de la Frontera, you must go up an extremely small road, but it is well worth the effort. You will find it is an idyllic setting amongst the trees, which ensures it is coolish on warm nights. Juan Valdés and Ani Melero run the restaurant. The restaurant is a selector, ager, ripener and steakhouse all in one. There are only a few of these around, and here they have their

TABERNA LA NIÑA DEL PISTO This is one of our favourite bars/restaurants in the old town of Marbella. You will find it hidden, down a small, narrow pasaje (passageway), but you won't if you don't pay attention to where you are going. This authentic Andalusian tapas bar is always busy with locals and tourists alike and is reputedly the oldest tapas bar in the Marbella area. The bar area inside is very traditional, beautifully decorated, with many photos of bullfighting scenes

LA SCROLLER We returned to this atmospheric beach restaurant mid-March on a sunny Monday lunchtime. We sat outside on the lovely terrace overlooking Playa Es Cavallet as the weather was good.  In winter, seaweed is left on the beach to protect the sand; it is usually removed for the summer. If the weather is inclement, you can sit in the large dining room, which has a lovely open fire, for chillier low-season or winter dining. We started with a few aperitives. Alioli con pan