Mijas Pueblo town is located away from the coastline and has a wide variety of restaurants and places to eat, including authentic, conventional Mijas Spanish restaurants as well as international ones. Gorgeous fresh seafood is brought in from the coast on a daily basis. Stop by any good tapas bar (particularly on Sunday’s) in rural Andalucía and you will be stunned by the food they have on offer. Seeing the locals buying beers and glasses of wine, accompanied by a large spoonful of clams in their shells immersed in salsa being served on a plate is all part of the culture and feel in any Mijas Spanish restaurant.

There are also a number of restaurants situated in La Cala de Mijas or Mijas Costa, giving beautifully spectacular views over the med from your table. Expect good, fresh fish and seafood, as well as delicious tapas dishes whilst relaxing on a terrace enjoying the fresh, sea breeze and perhaps a glass of bubbles.

With Mijas restaurants being so popular and sought of, we have listed below our personal favourite restaurants in Mijas:

Ristorante Zia Lola – Mijas Golf

Located just behind Puebla Aida, this family-run Italian restaurant truly makes the best homemade Italian food. Superb food, lovely family atmosphere and we would highly recommend a visit.

For more information, check out their website: facebook.com/pages/category/Italian-Restaurant/Ristorante-Zia-Lola-583228288437171/.

La Salina – Fuengirola

This is a long established meat restaurant that supplies succulent Spanish meats. If steak is your meal then this is the restaurant. The Father and founder of this lovely place recently passed the business to his son, who took a degree in viniculture and now searches out superb Spanish wines at an excellent value.

For more information, check out their website: mesonlasalina.com.

El Mirlo Blanco – Mijas Village

Without a doubt, the best restaurant in Mijas village! With food from Northern Spain, in the winter you eat inside the cosy house, in the summer sit under the vines overlooking the charming square it faces. It feels to us like all the family and cousins work here.

El Jinete – Cale De Mijas

A very popular and busy restaurant in the countryside looking out over the Mijas mountains. There is music and dancing most nights, which can be enjoyed out on the big terrace. Food is marvellous value and cooked on an open fire. Also, open for lunchtime menus.

For more information, check out their website: ventaeljinete.es.

El Torreon – La Cala De Mijas

If it’s a day on the beach you are looking for with food right to your lounger, this is where you need to go. This restaurant does excellent beach food that you can have either in the beachside restaurant or even have it brought to your sunbed and eat under a straw parasol.

For more information, check out their website: restaurantetorreonlacala.com.

El Oceano – Mijas Costa

This is a really stunning restaurant on the sea edge overlooking new boardwalk. You will want to go for dinner here, especially with the magical views of the Mediterranean. Take a sun lounger by day or enjoy one of their music and dancing evenings by night.

For more information, check out their website: oceanohotel.com.

Los Marinos “Jose” – Fuengirola

Without doubt the best seafood restaurant in Fuengirola, near to Mijas. Be prepared to be surprised with new ways of cooking and preparing fish. Based on the sea front, make sure you go to the correct Jose as his brother runs the alternative traditional fish restaurant on the beach, however we recommend Los Marinos “Jose”, which we feel is more elegant.

For more information, check out their website: losmarinosjose.com.

La Alcazaba de Mijas

Located on an elevated section of land with fabulous views on a clear day of the Rif mountains of Africa, La Alcazaba de Mijas is one of the most stunning locations to eat a meal in the entire town. La Alcazaba offers some of the best steaks in the region as well a top-notch Chateaubriand.

The Moorish decor and stunning views make it a great place to go for a romantic evening date. The restaurant offers high-quality food at a surprisingly low price.

For more information, check out their website: restaurantelaalcazabamijas.com.

El Capricho

El Capricho isn’t one of the most famous places to eat in Mijas, but it is one of the best. Being on the first floor, the restaurant is easy to miss from the street. But once you find it and walk up a flight of stairs, you immediately find yourself whisked into a semi-magical environment, far from the hustle and bustle of the town below.

When presented with the menu, you’ll be surprised by how basic everything looks, but don’t let that fool you: this is a quality establishment. El Capricho is the sort of place that is so confident in the quality of its food; it doesn’t need to make a song and dance about it.

The quality is undeniable. But it’s topped off by stunning views over the town as well as friendly, relaxed service. It feels more like you’re paying a visit to a family friend than a commercial restaurant, even if you don’t speak a word of Spanish.

For more information, check out their website: bodegaelcapricho.com.

La Reja

La Reja is a traditional Spanish restaurant located in what looks like a very traditional building from the outside. Once you get in, you feel like you’ve been transported to a cellar, thanks to the exposed brick and dim lighting.

In the winter, La Reja is a special place, enabling you to escape the cold and have a delicious meal in a warm and cosy environment. In the summer, the staff open up the terrace, providing a cool breeze and offering fabulous views of the Sierra de Mijas.

The staff are friendly, as they are in many restaurants in the town, and the service is prompt. La Reja regularly hosts four-piece Spanish bands for those who like to eat while listening to live music.

For more information, check out their website: facebook.com/restaurantelareja.demijas.

Bodega del Pintor

Some people might not like Bodega del Pintor. To say it was like Wetherspoons would be misleading, but it does try to be everything to everyone, offering a broad range of food on its menu, rather than focusing on a few outstanding plates of food.

Bodega del Pintor is the place that you go if you’re with a large group of people whose idea of a delicious meal varies from person to person. You might have one person who wants a light salad, another who wants pie, and still others who’d prefer to gobble steak or pizza.

The sheer selection of food on the menu is what makes Bodega del Pintor an excellent place for groups of people who don’t want to eat the same thing.

The drinks here are good too. There are slow drinks, quick drinks, and just about everything else in between.

For more information, check out their website: facebook.com/pages/La-Bodega-Del-Pintor.

Restaurante Meson El Olivar

Let’s start with the bad news: the Restaurante Meson El Olivar is closed on Saturdays. So if you’re popping into Mijas for a Saturday night on the town, you’ll have to go somewhere else for food first. With that said, there are many reasons why you might want to check out this restaurant for the remaining days of the week.

The first is that it’s supremely popular with the locals. On any night other than a Saturday, you’ll be hard pressed to find a table straight away. The fact that locals love it says a lot about the quality of the food.

Second, the restaurant runs a regular BBQ, which helps to bring in people from all over the town. Top of the list of barbecued food to try is the pulled pork.

For more information, check out their website: restaurantemesonelolivar.com.

La Pampa

If you’re looking for somewhere with “food to share” then La Pampa is where to go. The restaurant specialises in the food that Spain is best known for, sharing tapas, and offers a stunning selection of special treats to try.

Top tapas include guacamole towers, empanadillas and veggies. The staff are friendly and the food, again, surprisingly affordable. If you’re with a large group of people and want an authentic Spanish culinary experience, then you’ll want to check this restaurant out.

For more information, check out their website: pampatablasytapas.com.

Alarcon Restaurante Bar

Alarcon Restaurante Bar has been in business for over four decades, a testament to the popularity of the establishment and the quality of its food. You’ll find Alarcon down a small street near to the church of Santa Ana in one of the older districts of Mijas.

Suffice to say, that the Alarcon Restaurante Bar is popular with the locals, offering some of the best tapas in not just Mijas, but the entire region.

The restaurant gives patrons a fabulous choice of food, all cooked from fresh. It also has terraced areas where you can eat more substantial meals, just in case you’ve worked up an appetite sightseeing.

For more information, check out their website: facebook.com/pages/Bar-Restaurante-Alarcon.

Pizza Uno

Pizza Uno offers Western tourists something a little more familiar. Granted, it’s not particularly traditional or authentic, but it is a great place to grab a quick pizza if you’re in the mood. All pizzas are made right there in front of you by highly skilled chefs.

For more information, check out their website: pizzaunomijas.blogspot.com.

Casa Navarra

If you’re looking for an inexpensive dining experience, then Casa Navarra probably isn’t the place for you. But if you want to dine somewhere special for an evening, then it’s the perfect venue.

Casa Navarra is a restaurant in Mijas which stays open through the winter, outside of peak tourist season. The food is, as you might expect, excellent, but what makes the restaurant special is the dining environment. The menu contains plenty of meaty dishes with a healthy dollop of Spanish flavour.

It’s more of a romantic venue than a place you’d take your entire family or a group of friends, so not ideal if you’re on holiday with friends.

For more information, check out their website: casanavarra.com.

We hope our Mijas Spanish restaurant guide has been helpful when planning your next trip to the Costa Del Sol. If we can be of any more assistance, then please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on (+34) 95 247 78 54.