Marbella Restaurants

Marbella’s restaurant scene is a thriving one and it caters well for its playboy visitors as well as for package holidaymakers. Visitors will find a wide variety of establishments on offer throughout the city, although it’s probably fair to say that restaurant prices are a little more expensive than in other Costa del Sol resorts.

Local cuisine

Marbella doesn’t have its own local cuisine and tends towards traditional Spanish food with a bias towards seafood on account of its coastal location. Tasty paella combines locally-caught crab, lobster and prawns with rice, olive oil and saffron, and can be found in many of the area’s best restaurants. Other popular dishes to be found include risotto made with rice, celery, onions, garlic and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Similar dishes to paella that combine rice with seafood include arroz negro and fideuá. Wine is traditionally drunk with most Spanish meals and as with most of the country, is relatively cheap in Marbella. Unless you are a connoisseur, you’ll find the house wine at most places perfectly acceptable.

Where to eat

The over-developed tourist areas may not be the best place to find truly authentic Spanish cuisine.  If you are looking for a really good meal, then you need to find a venue that’s frequented by the locals. The outskirts of the city, away from the main drags, and many of the small back streets will yield some great restaurants if you are prepared to do a little exploring. Aside from Spanish cuisine, Marbella is also developing a reputation for its fine international cuisine and visitors may well want to check out some of the French and Italian eateries.