The Best Breakfasts and Brunches in Málaga

Set your alarm clock and wake up excited to enjoy some tasty morning treats. Let’s take a walk to have a few of the best breakfasts in Malaga. Let’s stay away from toast and cafe con leche to try bagels, smoothies, homemade bread and much more. Prepare your stomach and start your day with energy! Let’s have breakfast!

1. Subtítulos

Casas de Campo, 31

Images of surfboards, hippie vans and palm trees add warmth and color to the white walls of Subtítulos (Subtitles). It is a small cafe and restaurant located in the Barrio de Las Artes, illuminated by the city of Málaga through a huge window. There you can hear 80’s music thanks to Cyndi Lauper and her song “Girls just wanna have fun” and the catchy rhythm of “Take me on” by the Glams. When you enter you feel as though you are on vacation, a perfect spot to have breakfast in Malaga within a corporate neighborhood, or for anyone who is on holiday in the South.

All of this is due to the Slovack Matej Marek and his team. After living in California, New York, and London, Marek has brought all of his culinary knowledge to Málaga, where he opened Subtítulos at the end of August. Since then, it has gained a place in the stomachs of tourists and locals thanks to its breakfasts which include bagels imported from Germany and olive bread that they make themselves, among other delicacies.

You can top them off how you like with a range of products or you can order the house specials, like the Salt Beef Bagel, made with beef that has been marinated for seven days and slow cooked over an open flame.

They also have delicious sweets and cakes and they can be accompanied by great tasting specialty coffees. Between its four walls, the time passes quickly thanks to the fun atmosphere and friendly customers and owners. While you are there it will soon become time for an aperitif, which you can take advantage of by trying their craft beer and then by enjoying their lunch entrees where flavor is prioritized. Do not miss out on the meat fondue, something that is virtually impossible to find anywhere else in Málaga.

2. Julia Bakery

Calle Carreteria, 44

At Julia Bakery happiness is measured by the smell of freshly baked bread. And not just any variety, but the best in Málaga: bread with cheese, spreadable sausage, and seeds…With these breads some of the best toasts in the city are made, you can fill them with whatever you like and accompany them with specialty coffees.

While you’re in this wonderful place, that looks like it was taken from a central European city, happiness can also be found in pastries, cakes, and mini cupcakes. Sweets will call your name from the counter as you pass through the doors of the establishment. Everything is made by Maria Arquero, whom you will hardly see because she spends most of the day (and night) in the homemade oven inventing the best homemade recipes to brighten up the work day: when you wake up, she has already been up for a few hours. So thank her for spending your breakfast in Julia Bakery, it will hit the spot.

In addition to her sweets, you can take advantage of her new brunch menu: buttermilk pancakes with blueberries, cold-pressed juices, superfood smoothies or granola with organic yogurt and fresh fruit. If you want more substance, you can order an English festin (feast) which includes eggs, beans, mushrooms, savory scones, toast made from nutritional yeast with various fillings, muffins with eggs benedict, assorted bagels or entrees like falafel made from sweet potato with fruit or vegetables or small vegan burgers. And, since you are already there, for the final touch treat yourself to a mimosa. Enjoy!

3. Casa Aranda

Herrería del Rey, 3

There are a few things as malagueña (to be typical of Málaga) as having breakfast at Casa Aranda. It is the preferred spot in the city to have churros and chocolate, the shop’s specialty. Whether you’re coming back from a night of partying, waking up early for work or, if you simply are in the mood to taste what Málaga is made of in one bite, Casa Aranda is the place to be.

The tiny establishment is made up of several rooms where the coming and going of trays filled with churros, servers, and clients is worth observing. Having been around for 80 plus years, the shop is now a living legend. A true survivor in a city that has tossed aside businesses that have been around for generations, there are only a few that still hold their ground, and even less in the city center. Three years ago they opened another shop close to the Thyssen Málaga

The tiny establishment is made up of several rooms where the coming and going of trays filled with churros, servers, and clients is worth observing. Having been around for 80 plus years, the shop is now a living legend. A true survivor in a city that has tossed aside businesses that have been around for generations, there are only a few that still hold their ground, and even less in the city center. Three years ago they opened another shop close to the Thyssen Málaga Museum if you prefer something a bit closer.

4. Astrid Tapería Orgánica

Calderón de la Barca, 6

If you wake up hungry during the weekend, Astrid Tapería Orgánica is perfect for you. Every Saturday or Sunday from 10am-12pm they prepare a ton of delicious products so you can satiate your palate while you take care of your health. This super breakfast ( or brunch, depending on the time you arrive) is a buffet style and is made up of homemade croissants, as well as muffins, cakes, and baked goods made with dulce de leche and bread.

In addition, you can find seasonal fruit, marmalades, pȃtés, cheese, ham, organic orange and mango with aloe juice, cereal, organic yogurt and milk from Galicia ( a northern region in Spain) and organic milk made from oats, soy, and cows.

Of course, you can also order a rico cafelito, or an infusion or a hot chocolate, that will satiate your cravings. Once you are well rested, take a walk through the city center and come to eat, the Astrid Tapería Orgánica will have you hooked.

5. La Recova

Pasaje de Ntra. Sra. de los Dolores de San Juan, 5

At La Recova they know that being happy costs very little. And they remind us that to brighten any day all you need is a hearty slice of toast accompanied with the best homemade products. For that, when you sit down to have breakfast, Antonio and his team will quickly serve up a plate with five bowls, two types of spreadable pork lard (chicharrones), spreadable sausage and two homemade marmalades made from seasonal fruit.

To accompany the toppings, they will give you a huge slice of toast cateto that you can enjoy in whatever way you like.

The flavors will transport you to another era, so you will probably order another slice, which you can eat with butter, oil, and tomato. It’s success among the tourists who visit Málaga has made it so there are lines out the door for breakfast, although the wait is never too long.

At any rate, you can entertain yourself by enjoying the numerous antique objects that decorate the establishment that also happens to be for sale: growlers, old washing machines, wicker baskets, straw goods and a variety of objects that seem to have been taken out of your grandmother’s house and placed in the shop.  In addition, there are local products such as homemade vermouths, sweet wines, and olive oils, that you can take home and use to help you remember your time spent at La Recova.

6. El Mortal

Plaza Enrique García Herrera, 18

The breakfasts at El Mortal are a real treat. In this locally owned restaurant, Jana and Juan strive to fill your first meal of the day with energy that won’t run out. They can accomplish this by starting out with a flat bread or a stupendous slice of bread with tomato and ham but the main attraction is an exquisite platter made with cheese, grilled ham, cured ham, avocado, tomato, sweets and different breads.

For those who like to eat breakfast slowly and at their own pace, we have a special suggestion. When you ask for seconds (because you will) order the Christian, an exquisite grated tomato toast with cheese, avocado, and grilled ham.

You can also try a slice of rye bread with oil, tomato, avocado, coarse salt, and pepper. And do not forget to try their sweets like dark chocolate filled croissants and homemade biscuits that change daily so you can come back every morning and watch life go by from the big windows of El Mortal. When it comes time for lunch, just take a look at their Instagram to know the menu of the day, which is always made up of healthy and delicious recipes.

7. El Último Mono Juice & Coffee

Calle Santa María, 9

A chalkboard where you can choose and share your favorite and least favorite TV shows is one of the latest inventions on display at El último mono juice & coffee. It is a cafe situated in the heart of Málaga that provides a contemporary touch on a street that in between souvenir shops, a local hardware store called la Cereria Zalo is located, where you can purchase images of saints, religious candles or your hooded outfit for Holy Week.

The owners and employees will probably chat your ear off asking you about your day, so just go with it. There you can enjoy shakes, smoothies and freshly squeezed juices, as well as a chai tea or a delicious coffee that you can drink alongside a mustache shaped, chocolate filled, or chili flaked cookie, along with more excellent homemade treats. Everything can be eaten at the shop or can be taken to go if you are in a hurry or want to provide breakfast for your co-workers.

There you can enjoy shakes, smoothies and freshly squeezed juices, as well as a chai tea or a delicious coffee that you can drink alongside a mustache shaped, chocolate filled, or chili flaked cookie, along with more excellent homemade treats. Everything can be eaten at the shop or can be taken to go if you are in a hurry or want to provide breakfast for your co-workers.

And if you want to go back for seconds…

Beyond these seven places to have breakfast in Málaga, the capital of the coast offers much more that you can choose from. In the city center, you can swing by Cafe con Libros (Coffee with books), a staple of Málaga located in the middle of Plaza de la Merced where you can enjoy delicious teas and coffees along with crepes and sandwiches. In another square, popularly called De Camas (of beds), you can find

In another square, popularly called De Camas (of beds), you can find Recyclo Bike Shop, where you can taste the classic mixed pitufo (a breakfast sandwich) from Málaga, in addition to scrambled eggs on toast or a fruit salad.

Closely located in another square called La Marina, you can find Cafe de Estraperlo, where you can try yummy cakes and the classic mixed pitufo from Málaga, and La Bella Julieta, a modern cafe where the highlights are the variety of sweets, cakes, brownies and even waffles.

Next to the Plaza  Los Martires you can find Dulces & Dreams Hostel, there they have delicious homemade cakes and a stupendous brunch with bagels, sweets, coffee, and orange juice, and one more surprise, when the weather is nice your order will be served in a precious box so you can take it up to the terrace.

On Alamos street, you can enjoy Noviembre and their delicious sandwiches that are available for vegetarians, vegans, meat lovers or for whomever and on Carreteria street you can also enjoy Brunch it, with luscious fruit smoothies and bread with poppy seeds, sesame, flax, millet, and squash and sesame seeds. There they offer toast like the kind that exists in New York, made up of tomato, avocado, and eggs benedict.

Of course, you always have the option to enjoy the sun in Málaga next to the beachside neighborhood of Pedregalejo at the restaurant La Galerna, where having a tasty glass of orange juice and a multigrain toast with tomato, eggs and avocado while looking at the sea will make you question why you don’t live in Málaga so you can enjoy this kind of breakfast every day.

English version of the article “Los mejores desayunos de Málaga”, written by N. Sánchez / Spain Food Sherpas for traveler.es (10/01/17).