The Best Benalmadena Restaurants: Top Picks by a Local Expat

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The Best Benalmadena Restaurants: Top Picks by a Local Expat

Looking for a nice restaurant in Benalmadena?

Whether you’re planning to eat out in Benalmadena Pueblo or Costa, there are plenty of restaurants in varying degrees of quality.

The coastline of Benalmadena is lined with local Chiringuito restaurants offering mostly fried fish in all shapes and sizes, normally of very bad quality – I have never had a positive dining experience in any of these.

If you want to enjoy good food with a nice view, you will have to look a bit harder (see comments about my restaurant research at the bottom of the article).

After testing & trying, I have found so far three places that go far beyond the usual tourist dining experience you will be otherwise treated to. Combining amazing food quality, with friendly service and in some cases awesome views, these restaurants will certainly deliver on their promises.

I will keep expanding this list as I eat my way through the town.

Recommended Benalmadena Restaurants:

Restaurante Escorpio (La Fonda Hotel)

I’ve been struggling to find a new restaurant to test in Benalmadena Pueblo and this one was a very pleasant surprise – it’s located in La Fonda hotel and offers beautiful views towards the coastline – something that’s fairly hard to find in the Pueblo part of Benalmadena.

I arrived during a busy weekend lunch hour but was lucky to find a free table (unfortunately not on the terrace with the gorgeous views).

The service here was immaculate and I loved the whole interior, it felt very much Mediterranean and super stylish. The food also lived up to the expectations and I found some new flavour combinations that I never thought would taste so good (onions + blue cheese toast!).

They have a large selection of different wines and menu has some classic staples along with a few creative choices.

Restaurante Escorpio

Menu: check on their website

Reservations: (+34) 636 451 724

Location: Just off the Plaza de Espana heading towards the coastline, check on map here

butterfly park benalmadena 64
butterfly park benalmadena 56
butterfly park benalmadena 58
butterfly park benalmadena 59
butterfly park benalmadena 61
butterfly park benalmadena 60
butterfly park benalmadena 62
butterfly park benalmadena 63

Yuca’s Mare Restaurant

Yucas combines three different concepts in one place – a more luxurious Yucas Mare Restaurant on ground floor, Yucas Cafe & Bar on the first floor and the newly reopened beach bar called Mar de Copas (Sea of Cups). Each of these has its own menu, but they all share one thing in common – gorgeous sea views all around.

It tends to get very busy at weekends, so we avoided the crowds by booking a table for very early lunch start of the week, giving us the option to choose the best seats in the house.

The terrace offers a variety of seating options – there are indoor and outdoor tables for smaller or big groups, and then the glass cupolas which hold up to 3 tables each (seating 2 persons each).

The restaurant menu is a bit on the expensive side, but both the cafe and the beach bar have less fancy and more affordable dining options. It offers a very wide variety of fish dishes, with a good selection of meat dishes and also a few vegetarian options.

I took a bit of a gamble and ordered a Salmon Curry, something I would normally only order in an Indian restaurant. I have to say, it was better than any other curry I had – well balanced, with mix of textures, perfectly cooked salmon and the most delicious sauce.

If you’re looking for an experience in food with gorgeous view (for a special occasion), this is is the place to be!

Yuca’s Mare Restaurant

Menu: check on the website

Reservations: book online here

Location: off the main coastal road outside of Benalmadena, location on map here

Yucas Mare Restaurant in Benalmadena, Spain
Yucas Mare Restaurant in Benalmadena, Spain
Yucas Mare Restaurant in Benalmadena, Spain
Yucas Mare Restaurant in Benalmadena, Spain
Yucas Mare Restaurant in Benalmadena, Spain

Lime & Lemon Restaurant

It’s been a long time since I was singing praises about tapas, but this place certainly deserves the crown for tapas in Benalmadena.

A very recent discovery of mine, they specialize in bite-sized tapas but also have a selection of main dishes, salads and a few burgers. Set in a lovely bright premises near the roundabout, just a few minutes walk from Bil Bil Castle, you wouldn’t give this place a second glance from outside if you wouldn’t know what treasures hide inside.

The menu was so original and creative I had hard time choosing just a few items to try.

We ended up ordering a selection of different tapas, each more delicious than the other, along with a tapas selection of desserts – a first one for me.

The dishes are very reasonably priced and they also have a very good selection of wines and cocktails (even dedicated range of ‘Instagram Cocktails’ if that’s your thing!).

I will keep dreaming about this food until I can visit again!

Lime & Lemon Restaurant

Menu: check on the website

Reservations: essential for dinner service – 0034 951817476

Location: short walk from Bil Bil Castle, location on map here

Lime & Lemon Restaurant
Lime & Lemon Restaurant
Lime & Lemon Restaurant
Beetroot & Feta Salad with toasted seeds
Lime & Lemon Restaurant
Fried Cauliflower with Truffle Mayonnaise
Lime & Lemon Restaurant
Teriyaki Salmon Tacos
Lime & Lemon Restaurant
Patatas Bravas
Lime & Lemon Restaurant
Tempura King Prawns with Coconut Sauce
Lime & Lemon Restaurant
Trio of Desserts – Chocolate Bomb, Creme Brulee and Fruit Sorbet
Lime & Lemon Restaurant

A short note on my restaurant research:

I almost never use Tripadvisor or similar websites to research restaurant options.

I find them highly biased and centered towards a very specific crowd (tourists) and the top picks for specific cities have always been a massive let down for me. The way the restaurants are ranked in there is completely biased by the amount of reviews a place receives just because it happens to be in a location hot spot and no local would set foot in there.

I normally use google maps to manually check different restaurants at a specific location and check the images/reviews in google.

Instagram is also a good source of inspiration, especially if you’re following a few local accounts. The images in google maps also give you a good indication about the amount of thought and care used in preparing and presenting the dishes, and you can immediately spot a few restaurants that stand out from the crowd. From the review photos you also get a better sense of the location and vibe of the restaurant.

Most Popular Activities & Day Trips in Benalmadena

Here is a selection of some fun activities and day trips from Benalmadena – these are independently organized tours with pick-up from the town. To see available dates and check the prices please click on the link for each activity.

  • Caminito Del Rey Guided Tour – with pick up from Benalmadena, a guided tour of the famous walkway along the El Chorro Gorge, with transportation, entrance fees and tour guide included.
  • Dolphin Watching Boat Trip in Benalmadena – explore the coast of Benalmadena from a boat, enjoy a trip that includes spotting dolphins in their natural habitat, swimming and sunbathing on the boat.
  • Day Trip to Ronda and Setenil de las Bodegas – see one of the wonders of Andalusia, the Puente Nuevo in Ronda with one of the oldest bullrings in Spain, and admire the houses built into massive rock formations in Setenil. Includes pick up from Benalmadena, a tour guide, a glass of Ronda wine, and entry to Palacio Mondragon.
  • Day Trip to Granada with Tour of Alhambra – see one of the most famous monuments in Andalusia, the palace complex of Alhambra with a tour guide with a pick up from Benalmadena.
  • Day Trip to Gibraltar – enjoy a trip to the UK territory with free time for shopping and an optional visit to the Nature Reserve with a guide.

Southern Spain Travel Tips

BEST CAR RENTAL

To rent a car, I highly recommend Discover Cars, an award winning price comparison site for car rentals.

BUS & TRAIN TICKETS

To get the cheapest bus or train tickets, take a look at Omio to find the timetables and prices.

LOCAL TOURS

Local travel companies offer many day trip options from almost all the destinations in Southern Spain. You can check them out here.

HOTELS

I have been using booking.com for all my trips in Spain and abroad, and it’s the best place to book your hotel.

LUGGAGE STORE

If you would like to leave your luggage behind to explore the city on your last day, you can use Radical Storage service, which lets you book luggage storage in all the destinations in Spain.

LOCAL SIM CARD

If you want to avoid surprising extra charges from your operator, you can use a service like Airalo, where you can buy digital packs for e-sim cards.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links – if you decide to book using one of the links, I will earn a small commission that helps me run this site. This is at no extra cost to you.

Southern Spain Travel Tips

Find Best Hotels

Find Hotels

I have been using booking.com for all my trips in Spain and abroad, and it’s the best place to book your hotel.

Find Car Rental

Find Car Rental

To rent a car, I highly recommend Discover Cars, an award-winning price comparison site for car rentals.

Book Your Tour

Local travel companies offer many day trip options from almost all the destinations in Southern Spain. You can check them out here.

Book Local Transport

To get the cheapest bus or train tickets, take a look at Omio to find the timetables and prices.

Find Cheap Flights

Get the best flight deals when you book early via Skyscanner.com

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links - if you decide to book using one of the links, I will earn a small commission that helps me run this site. This is at no extra cost to you.

Hi, I'm Lucia

The founder and writer of Viva La Vita, a blog about traveling in Spain.

On these pages, you will find many practical tips and recommendations from someone who lives in Spain and travels around Spain often.

Filled with my images and unique local perspective, I hope these pages will offer you plenty of inspiration, insights & ideas to plan a wonderful trip to Spain.

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