El Mesón de Cervantes

Top choice in Málaga


Cervantes started as a humble tapas bar run by expat Argentine Gabriel Spatz, but has now expanded into four bar-restaurants (each with a slightly different bent), all within a block of each other. This one is the HQ, where pretty much everything on the menu is a show-stopper – lamb stew with couscous; pumpkin and mushroom risotto; and, boy, the grilled octopus!

Most things can be ordered as half or full portions, meaning you can taste a rich variety. Cervantes is still humble but now vastly popular. Book ahead.

The newest bar of the quartet, La Taberna de Cervantes, sits directly opposite and is often less busy.