I had not even realized that my trip was going to be over a religious holiday, not sure what that will mean. I am going to be in Madrid from early on the 16th to 18th, then in Malaga from the 18th to 26th, then back to Madrid from the 29th to May 2nd.
Are there festivals or processions to watch for? Are there foods that are prepared specially for Easter?
I have been reading reports going back a few years and want to thank everyone for so many great ideas! I am more of a Michelin Bib rather than a Michelin star diner, but the photos of the “finer” dining were eye opening for this tyro.
Maribel, LulusMom, PedroPero, Erica, Dostrovs, TigerJohn, Ziggy, you all are so appreciated! I am looking at my notes and I hope I have not left anyone out!
I have way too many for Madrid, (Taberna Carmencita, Casa Dani, Casa Revuelta, La Castela, el Buen, el Brillante…) considering how short my stays there will be. But even Malaga is turning into a long list of “want to go” places.
So far Malaga looks like:
La Cosmo
Mi Cafecito
el Rincon de Lola
Spago’s
la Ristobottega
Mezcal Gastrobar
Alaska Tavern
Sibuya Urban
Kawama Bocateria
3° Reggimento Pirata
la Guernica
I am only going to be in Malaga for a little over a week so I will not be able to hit all of them, but so far those are the ones mentioned positively by the people I noted above and I respect their opinions a great deal.
I am watering the plants, mowing the lawn, dropping off the library books and getting ready to leave tomorrow!
I don’t have anything to offer ( I’ve spent only a few days in Malaga and the was more than five years ago) except best wishes for a wonderful trip,
I had a terrible experience at La Cosmo, I’d recommend La Cosmopolita over it any day of the week.
Hopefully lots of places will be open over the holidays.
Peter, I searched for your comments about La Cosmo but did not find…did you write that up? Just curious as to what was the poor experience. (I’ve never been and do not know Malaga very well, but might plan a visit next spring…)
Peter, I thought I had read almost everything for the past couple years on Malaga and I did not realize that you had had a bad experience at La Cosmo! I am sorry to hear that! It does move Cosmo down my list a good bit, there are quite a few places I want to try in Malaga.
I do not have a really good method for searching for reviews for specific cities. I just put in the city and then work my way down the list of linked reports while taking short notes, mostly of good experiences, but some of the bad experiences too. The emphasis on positive ones may be why I did not note your not good experience and then I read someone else’s positive one.
Thank you for the heads up!
Erica, I will be posting in a couple days about Madrid. I am really looking forward to it! I am trying something new for me. Since I am arriving at 8am and my hotel could not do an early checkin, I am using a partial day app to get a hotel near the airport from 10am to 2pm so I can nap after my 3 flights from Montana to Denver to DC and on to Madrid. I hate that 3 to 6 hour exhausted wander around a new town so it will be interesting to see how the partial day hotel thing works. The app is Dayuse.
To add to your Malaga list – we spent a couple of nights in Malaga a few weeks ago, and loved the food at Anyway Wine Bar, which was recommended by Maribel and others. (Though maybe that was on Fodor’s, not here? I read so many threads on both sites that I’ve lost track.) Didn’t appreciate the fact that they overbooked and almost didn’t seat us, but the food was wonderful. We didn’t indulge, but the plates of Iberico we saw going to other parties were works of art.
Though with limited time, you might want to stick to places more in the central area. We hopped a city bus to get there, and cabbed it back to our hotel.
I see an Anyway Wine bar just a 15 minute walk from my Air BNB, it is right next to the port area.
Some of the photos of the Iberian ham look outstanding!!! The pulpo looks interesting, too!
Do it! Yes, it’s by the waterfront. It’s nice walking along to the lighthouse.
The weather should be better by the time you’re there than it was the night we went – cool and overcast, verging on rainy. We did not appreciate the offer to be seated on the terraza that night instead of inside where we’d reserved, but in better weather it wouldn’t be unpleasant. We enjoyed our seats inside at the bar.
We had our first atun rojo of the vacation there, it was served as carpaccio.
Thank you, Phoenikia! Processions both on Good Friday (I think) when I arrive in Malaga and that Sunday for the Resurrection! My apartment is just a 6 minute walk to the parade route. Plus I already have a solid Saturday lined up.
My first days in Malaga are going to be a treat!
I kind of grinned when I saw that Antonio Banderas is a big draw there. He is a Malaga local apparently and loves the event/procession.
Antonio Banderas is a native son and he participates every year (written into his contracts) in the Palm Sunday procession for which he is a capataz, but you’ll miss that one . We spent the end of Holy Week in Málaga last year and go there often.
Here is our usual never fail rotation: La Cosmopolita, Refectorium Catedral or Malagueta , for their superb seafood and ensaladilla rusa (very much a local’s place and not at all touristy), Anyway Wine Bar in their new location for great value, and now for lovely rice dishes, Beluga with one recent Repsol sun, whose chef hails from Alicante. And for canelones de chivo (goat) the Matiz restaurant in the Hotel Molina Larios, where Pedro Pero stayed, plus for excellent local wines and small plates we head to Araboka (there are 2) and for very creative in Soho, we enjoy Cávala, recommended to me here by tigerjohn.
I must be honest and admit that I’m not familiar at all with the rest of your list.
For romantic dining in a cosseting, very Andalusian setting in the former stables, I send couples to the Balausta in the 18th century palace hotel, Palacio Solecio.
And yes, torrijas (pain perdu) are the quintessential Easter dessert , I had them yesterday, Palm Sunday at Carea BistrĂł in LeĂłn. And bacalao. You will find both on every Holy Week menu, not only in the south but all over.
@ZivBnd
Look for the quintessential Holy Week dish of spinach, garbanzos and bacalao while in Málaga.
I just had one today as a complimentary tapa on Easter Monday at Camarote Madrid in LeĂłn.
Thank you both! I feel like I have a culinary mission, or two, or more! LOL!
The mixture of food types from Torrijas (pain perdu) to Potaje de Vigilia to Bacalao to Canelones de Chivo and Ensaladilla Rusa make for a fun week of searching, walking and dining.
I just arrived in my airport hotel so my trip is starting, kind of. My flights out of the Flathead Valley are generally so early that I tend to stay at the airport the night before. We have a solid frost coming in a couple nights but I planted my perennial wildflowers today hoping that they will thrive despite the coming frost. So Madrid and Malaga are going to be a welcome change in temperatures.
The picture is of Somers, a small town on my way to Glacier Park International Airport.
. Like I always say, YMMV.
