If I land at 7:10 pm, would a 9pm dinner reservation be too stressful or would it be better at 10pm? I can’t remember how long it took me to clear customs, grab my bag, and get to the hotel the last time.
Yes, Friday nights in the Retiro are super busy, so either one must be content to hang out, standing, at the crowded bar, or have a reservation. Better to have a reservation.
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@articshark, a 9 pm dinner will be too stressful as you never know how long it will take to clear immigration at Barajas, get your luggage (if checked) and taxi to your hotel. A 10 pm reservation would be better. And if running late, call to alert them that you’ll be a little late.
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Thank you!
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I’m thinking of trying Casa Revuleta for the fried cod that everyone raves about, is it worth the hype?
I would rather go to Casa Revuelta than to Casa Labra for bacalao frito.
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Done and done!! 
@PedroPero
While in Málaga you may want to try their famous sandwich, the “campero”. It’s round bread, a mollete filled with baked ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayo that’s toasted or prepared on a grill.
I don’t think I’ve had one, but one of the most popular places to try it is at Mafalda, if you do go out to El Pedregalejo. Here they serve 20 different “camperos”.
and in Málaga there are almost a dozen ways to order coffee,
I forgot to mention another Málaga food tour company that gets excellent reviews,
WE LOVE MALAGA TOURS.
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@Maribel I will definitely try to make it to Mafalda, I love a good sandwich! Great article about the coffee, good to know. I’ve already booked the Devour tapas/market tour, but they have an excellent cancellation policy if I change my mind. Thanks again!!
edit: Mafalda is only a short 1 hour walk from my hotel, I’ll need the walk after I devour a couple of those sandwiches, it’s on the list! 
@PedroPero,
Julia Pérez Lozano, one of the gastro critics that I follow, just compiled a list of her favorite Madrid tapas bars. It’s a solid list.
I’ve hit all of them except Docamar for patatas bravas (near the bullring) and Taberna Averías on Ponzano for wines. On Pozano for draught beer and crustaceans the classics, Fide and El Doble are great.
Just thought you might want to keep it for your next visit.
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Great list and a great website! Looks like the Retiro neighborhood and Ponzano would be a great place to do a tapas crawl. Thanks again!
Havent paid much attention to this thread as I was busy with the south but Lakasa was our top meal in Madrid a few years back. The Pigeon rice dish made our top dishes list
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A question for conservas lovers. Are the specialty shops like La Mallorquina or Frinsa La Conservera Market in Malaga worth the markup, or will a regular “grocery store” or market have just as good of a selection? I went to Frinsa La Conservera in Valencia, and was great but very pricey.
The Frinsa in Madrid sells conservas from Portugal not Spain but the shop is lovely with excellent products. But not a wide variety of seafood as you would find in other shops. But I just checked Malaga and that outpost seems to have Spanish conservas, so maybe the two are not related (??)
Top-quality conservas are staggeringly expensive now. But remember, the Ortiz ventresca that I used to buy by the dozen online in the USA (around $12 per can for years) has almost doubled in price to about $20-plus a can from Amazon.
And Ortiz seems to be one of the more “affordable” brands although its a personal favorite for ventresca of bonito del Norte.
Maribel will know more, but there must be a Corte Ingles in Malaga. You could look in the supermarket area and also in the smaller “Club de Gourmets” section of the store. I’m not sure their prices would vary significantly from other places selling the top quality conservas. Be very careful to check the origin on the can; sometimes what looks like a great price means that the seafood comes from Peru or Ecuador or elsewhere. Same with asparagus and pimientos Rojas in cans.
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Thanks erica! The conservas I bought at Frinsa(Valencia) were excellent, I wasn’t aware they were from Portugal. Really great shop and excellent service. La Mallorquina looks like a shop that’s worth a visit.
@PedroPero,
La Frinsa shops ARE related. They sell both Spanish and Portuguese (Minerva) products.
Another beautiful shop that sells wonderful conservas is Doña Tomasa.
Their shop at Velázquez 70 apparently just closed but there are 3 others, but not convenient for a visitor. I have one in the suburbs near me.
And yes, there is a El Corte Inglés in Málaga. I was just there. It’s walkable from your hotel, the Molina Lario. All their Club de Gourmets sections have top quality conservas.
Here are some of their brands
https://www.elcorteingles.es/tienda-club-del-gourmet/conservas/
Yes, top brand conservas are pricey—brands like Los Peperetes, Don Bocarte, Güeyu Mar (just bought pulpo a la brasa), José Peña, Ramón Peña, Yurrita.
Albo is a supermarket brand of sardinas from Pontevedra, Galicia and they’re more reasonably priced.
About pimientos rojos and espárragos, the most expensive and to me the “best” come from LC, La Catedral, a prestigious Navarran company, but beware the price!
(LC is also a co-owner, along with Joselito, of the elegant gourmet restaurant A Barra and the Joselito ham shops/restaurants)
When we don’t want to splurge, we buy the Dantza brand of asparagus, as the company is. also from Navarra.
Yes, you do have to be careful as some brands are from Peru. For asparagus always look for the red label, “Espárrago de Navarra, indicacíon geográfica protegida”.
We regularly buy Ortiz ventresca, as it’s the brand we prefer.
About la Mallorquina,
It’s a pastry shop. Go to the new one at the corner of Velázquez and Hermosilla in the Barrio de Salamanca for a better experience, without the crowds of tourists.
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la-mallorquina.es
This is the shop in Malaga.
Now I understand! 
Duh!
I thought you were referring to Madrid´s Mallorquina.
How could I have missed Málaga’s Mallorquina? I need to go back.
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Maribel, where does the CUCA marca fall in your opinion, for conservas?
I need advice on how to use some of these items, apart from the tuna which I use with lettuces. But to make a meal of some of them…how? For example, berberechos? And the huevos de atun that I bought in Barbate and have not yet opened?
