Frigiliana Menu Guide - information on restaurants, daytime and evening dining, informal eating-out, tapas bars and cocktail bars.
Frigiliana offers a wide choice of eating establishments with different culinary styles and presentations catering to every palate, and each little place having its own particular ambiance and mood.
For the small and typically rural village that it is, Frigiliana has a modest, though unique, culinary sophistication about it. However, you will only discover these discreet and charming food hideaways if you are prepared to fully explore its maze of streets as some of the best restaurants are to be found, quite simply, in the most unexpected of places.
There are so many excellent places for having a lunchtime or evening meal that it would be difficult to say which one is the best; such is the quality and choice available. However, if you are coming on holiday for a week, this should give you enough time to try them all! If you are coming for two weeks, then better still!
I have been to most of the establishments listed here. The ones I have not had the pleasure to experience myself come highly recommended. There are others not mentioned here but I have chosen not to include them because either they have managed somehow to receive consistently bad reviews which I can corroborate from my own experience or I just simply haven't discovered them as yet! If you have had an enjoyable food experience in Frigiliana and the establishment is not mentioned here, please let me know and I will include it!
Formal Restaurants: classical/international/fusion cuisine
These are the higher-end restaurants that are typically formal in presentation or with a purely international menu.
Balcon de Frigiliana view map
Recently refurbished, fitted out and under new ownership and management, this restaurant is the first one that you will encounter as you come up from the motorway and are entering the village. I have heard that the food is quite impressive, using local produce in season to serve the freshest and most creative dishes. The owner is a seasoned chef and restaurateur with experience in the first Michelin star restaurant in England and on the QE2. An "A la carte" dinner menu is available together with a choice of fine wines. They also do daily specials including fresh whole fish and meats as well as a fixed price lunch menu and lighter lunch/snack items. Live Spanish guitar music every week.
It has been described by some as inventive and refreshingly different, a pleasant break from the usual Spanish tourist menus. Well worth a visit I would say. Nice location, warm and welcoming ambiance, spacious dining, resonably priced with friendly staff. Covered terrace outside with undisputably spectacular views. Avenida Andalucia 45, Reservations: 952 533 508
Sal y Pimienta view map
This restaurant serves typical Polish cuisine, for which it must be said, is really very, very good for its quality, presentation and value for money. Covered outside terrace. Easily accessible as it is located in the centre of town in the newly built parking complex.
The really wicked thing about eating here, and I mean wicked, is that there is a patisserie right next door that makes the most exquisite cakes and sweets. For dessert, you will not even need to get up as the patisserie and the restaurant are almost one and the same. After dessert, you probably wouldn't want to get up anyway! Plaza de las Tres Culturas, Reservations: 666 618 206
La Romantica view map
Haven't heard much about this restaurant, but what I have heard is that it is rather popular and so reservations are advisable. Conveniently located in the centre of town. There is a large covered outside terrace with nice views out to the countryside. C/ San Sebastian
The Garden Restaurant view map
The Garden Restaurant boasts a truly spectacular location and ambiance. Not many other restaurants in Frigi can beat it on that count. Cuisine style is international/Spanish fusion. Very well stocked bar. They have recently installed a wood burning oven to provide roasted meats with a traditional flavour. Reservations are preferred but feel free to drop in at any time for tapas or a restaurant meal. They are also planning on providing cooking classes in the coming year. C/ Santo Cristo, Reservations: 952 533 185
El Mirador view map
Another international/Spanish fusion styled restaurant in a spectacular location and on a quiet cobbled street. You can opt to sit in their impressive indoor dining room or outside on their spacious street patio with patio-side bar and enjoy the views overlooking the village and the sea. Friendly, attentive and knowledgable staff. For a romantic or more intimate experience, dine on their roof terrace with equally impressive views. C/ Santo Cristo 29, Reservations: 952 533 291
La Taberna del Sacristan view map
La Taberna de Sacristan can be found in the heart of the historic quarter of Frigiliana. It is the perfect place to welcome yourself to the village on your first gastronomic evening out as you will be spoilt and pampered by the selection from its menu. The restaurant offers among its main dishes, Avila beef (considered the best beef in Spain) and suckling lamb, not to mention a great variety of fish and shellfish from the province, as well as a wonderful choice of homemade desserts. Need I say more? The decoration in the dining room is typically Andalucian. Enjoy sitting outside on one of the most important squares in the village, La Plaza de la Iglesia - Church Square, and surrounded by other historc buildings. Plaza de la Iglesia 12, Reservations: 952 533 009
Hotel/Restaurante Las Chinas view map
The look of this notably humble and modest Hotel/Restaurant belies its stunningly excellent food. Don't judge this restaurant by its cover. Offers a selection of menus based on fish, meat, vegetarian, etc. and each priced accordingly. International cuisine with a Spanish touch. Very highly recommended. C/Amparo Guerrero 16, Reservations: 952 534 135
El Porton view map
This family run restaurant presents itself well and in a formal way. Upon entering the Porton (Spanish = large door), the interior evokes feelings of coziness, homeliness and warmth. The menu is based upon local ingredients prepared with an international touch. Wide selection of wines. Spacious outdoor terrace. C/ El Porton 1, Reservations: 610 477 003 or 687 264 900
El Adarve view map
El Adarve is one of those many places in Frigiliana that if there were no indication as to its presence, you would never know it were actually there. Walking along one of the quiet back streets of Frigiliana in the Barribarto you will come across the Adarve (in islamic cities during medieval times, an "adarve" referred to a main entrance door positioned on the main street through which one would be lead down a narrow passage to a private residence). Getting to this restaurant is almost like taking a journey back in time - a gastronomic journey where you will be delighted by the fare on offer. This restaurant offers the best fare at a very high standard with an international style. Spacious interior and with a covered outdoor terrace. C/ Alta 3, El Barribarto. Reservations: 952 533 497
Informal Restaurants, Cafeterias/Bars: traditional cuisine
This category is characterised by its informality both in presentation and cuisine style. Typically, these establishments offer traditional, local dishes.
La Bodeguilla view map
If you are looking for somewhere that serves food that is tasty, traditional and typically representative of Frigiliana and the local culinary culture, then go to this friendly family run restaurant which serves some of the best dishes in town. Some of the tasty dishes on offer are CHOTO FRITO - "stewed kid", AJOBLANCO - a cold garlic soup, GAZPACHO - whether a new or returning visitor to Spain, surely you must know about gazpacho by now!, MIGAS - basically this is fried breadcrumbs with garlic. Very reasonably priced and excellent service. Very welcoming atmosphere. Great for lunch but they also do evening meals. Large exterior covered terrace with views of the countryside. Well worth a visit. C/ Chorruelo 7, Reservations: 952 534 116 or 952 533 428
La Bodega de Pepe view map
Very friendly, family run restaurant located in the heart of Frigiliana with good access, great food in a lovely setting with impressive views. It sits just above the botanic gardens and can also be accessed through them. Great for if you just want to have tapas and some small bites, but also does a full ranging menu. Very reasonably priced. Good selection of wines. After all, the owner is French! Large outdoor terrace where you will be sitting underneath the foliage of lemon trees with a bird's eye view of the centre of the village.
Restaurante Jaime view map
Small village restaurant/bar specialising in typical local cuisine and an assortment of raciones and tapas (tapa is a saucer-filled portion of food, a racion is a plate-filled portion of food). Small but pleasant roof terrace with views of the village and sea. Nice for having a drink and some tapas. C/ Amargura 15
Restaurante El Tangay view map
Restaurant serving traditional local dishes in a strict menu format = first and second course served with bread, wine and dessert at a set price.
Las Virtudes view map
Cafeteria/bar located in the centre of the village with a large covered outdoor terrace with views of all the goings-on. The staff here can be a bit crude in their manner and service (don't take it personally! - ironically, this is what happens in Spain when you become one of the most popular cafeterias in the village) but the food is meant to be quite good and they are always heaving with people. So they must be doing something right!
El Acebuchal view map
El Acebuchal is an isolated mountain hamlet on a forest trail a short drive from Frigiliana. The restaurant serves local dishes based on wild game, goats and local produce. Deserving of a visit if only but to see the hamlet itself. It was abandoned in the late 40s as a result of the civil war but was painstakingly restored to its former glory and now offers rustic apartments for rent as well. Information: 650 956 033 (Antonio)
La Cantina del Ingenio view map
Located in the centre of the village opposite the public parking, this cafeteria offers a good menu and an assortment of tapas. Popular with the locals and foreigners alike, there is a covered outdoor seating area as well as a fairly large indoor dining room.
La Parada del Zacatin view map
Cafe/Tapas Bar offering traditional dishes and tapas on a covered outdoor terrace.
La Taberna del Espartero view map
Quite a popular village restaurant/cafeteria serving a varied menu and raciones (a racion is a plate-filled portion of a larger dish). Large covered outdoor terrace and street terrace. Limited selection of tapas. Avenida Carlos Cano 50.
Tapas/Sandwich Bars/Bistros: snacks, pastries, sandwiches, tapas and coffee
Al Fuente view map
Compact, cozy Dutch owned tapas bar serving very good tapas and finger food. Also specialises in an assortment of cakes and desserts. Very friendly and personalised service. Neatly tucked away behind a discreet indentation on the main street. Be careful not to miss it as there are usually only two very meticulously placed tables on the street that will give it away.
El Rinconcillo view map
Just a little lower down the street from Al Fuente you will find this other cozy and charming little bistro offering simple dishes, coffee, desserts, etc. Nice place for chilling out. The owner is a lovely French girl who is very welcoming.
La Tahona view map
There are so many nice eating places to try in Frigiliana, but if you do have to try one of them, make sure this cocktail bar/bistro cum tapas bar/pizzeria is one of them! They make a seriously good pizza in a traditional wood burning clay oven (eat in or take away), not to mention an assortment of tapas and other bits. It is a very quaint and intriguing little place. Choose to sit in the quirky bar/entrance area for a quick drink and to get a real feel for the place before heading upstairs. When you get up onto the charming rooftop terrace you will be left wondering why you hadn't discovered this place on your first day. The views are great and the setting very special indeed. The staff are exceptionally friendly and laid-back. Perfect for a quiet or romantic evening out.
Cocktail Bars: after-dinner drinks and one for the road!
Fandangos view map
English run bar in a quiet location with a small street terrace with outdoor seating. They have a wide screen TV and will usually show popular sporting events.
Take Aways: staying in this time
Taj Indian view map
Indian restaurant and take away with a wide selection of dishes from which to choose. Open Sunday - Sunday. C/ San Sebastian 30, Tel: 952 534 318 or 609 916 398