I’m in a taxi, zipping down stretches of winding highway and narrow, cobblestone streets with snatches of ancient buildings and colours flashing by my window. This is a city brimming with people from across the globe, and the warm, late summer air is humming with endless chatter over fresh seafood, endlessly flowing wine, and the resounding clap and stomp of Flamenco. This is the historic city of Malaga, capitol of the Province of Malaga in the Andalucian region of Spain.

Feelings of excitement and nervousness are bubbling in my stomach, knowing I’m about to begin my first entirely solo travel experience and I have no idea what to expect. One thing I know for certain is that in just two days I’ll be meeting with Hanni from Food Experience Malaga to embark on a tour that will introduce me to Malaga’s history and culture through its incredible food scene.

This is going to be a unique tour because it’ll just be Hanni and myself. When the day arrives, we meet in my hotel lobby and after chatting for a few minutes it’s immediately clear that we’re not only going to get along, but we’re going to have a lot of fun! We venture out together to our first stop.

Antigua Casa de Guardia

To start, Hanni takes me to Malaga’s oldest bar, Antigua Casa de Guardia, a spot many tourists miss on their visits to the city. It was founded by winemaker, Jose De Guardia in 1840 and is still a beloved local stop during the pre-dinner tapas hour. We enter the inconspicuous building with no signage in sight, and I’m greeted by a room with barrels stacked wall to wall and filled with wine, sherry, and vermouth. Hanni tells me that years ago locals would come in and fill up their bottles directly from the barrel taps. Today, there is a long bar separating the barrels from the customers, but I’m told it isn’t uncommon for locals to bring in water bottles to be filled with wine to take for an afternoon at the beach – brilliant!

What we had:

Seco trasañejo (extra aged Málaga wine)
Pajarete (sweet Málaga wine)
Banderilla de Boquerón

Casa Lola

Next, we make our way to a local and tourist hot spot, Casa Lola. We move past the line of customers snaking out the door, and head straight up to the bar to grab the best seats in the house. Hanni tells me that most people are waiting for a table, but just like at home, I agree that the bar seats can’t be beat. It’s the seat of action where you can people-watch, chat with the bartenders and servers, watch food being prepared and drinks being mixed. While our tapas and drinks are served, Hanni explains the style of customer service here in the South of Spain. Servers here will take your order at the beginning of your visit, but once you’re served they will leave you alone and that is entirely intentional. Unlike in North America where servers are trained to continually check in with their patrons throughout the meal - are you enjoying your food? Can I get you a refill? Can I get you anything else? - this is not the Spanish way. The locals don’t want to be interrupted while taking their time socializing over good food and wine, so if you do want to place additional orders or request your bill you simply need to raise your hand with a subtle wave and make eye contact with your server. They may or may not acknowledge that they’ve seen you, but rest-assured, they will get to you. Meals here are something to be luxuriated over, not rushed through. It can sometimes be an adjustment for tourists who may mistake this cultural norm for rudeness, but that is certainly not the case.

What we had:

Vermut de la Casa (house vermouth)
Ventresca de atun (tuna belly in olive oil)
Boquerones en vinagre (anchovies cured in vinegar)

Los Gatos

Next, we visit another popular spot, Los Gatos. I loved this place! It’s a cozy, welcoming resto-bar with a handful of tables and a long counter behind which you’ll find Miguel, the friendly owner, greeting and chatting with customers, while slinging beer and serving plates of gorgeous pre-prepared tapas. I’m realizing that Hanni knows everyone in the restaurant business around this city, which means the food never stops coming! Below is what we officially ate, but I sampled and snacked on so many things along the way, all of which were fresh, bright and packed with flavor. The tapas portion sizes in Malaga may not be on par with the Granada standard I wrote about in my last blog post, but for such high quality food they would certainly be considered generous by North American standards.

What we had:

Vino Blanco de rueda or tinto de Ribera
Pinchos de morcilla (blood sausage) and bacalao (cod)

La Tranca

Here’s where it starts to get a little hazy. Thanks to the local generosity and friendliness I’m feeling fairly well lubricated by this point. La Tranca is a place many tourists hear about, but are too intimidated to actually enter once they’re standing on the street outside, and faced with the raucous crowd of singing, dancing locals and thumping music. I’m told this bar was originally located in a different spot just up the street, but due to its ever-growing popularity, it moved to a larger spot, where the crowd still spills out the front door onto the street. I didn’t fully understand how ordering worked here (and still don’t), but Hanni thankfully handles this for us, and when the order is ready the bartender calls out something like “blondie” to let her know our order is ready. Like so many places in Spain, the communication between customer and server is subtle, and I’m never quite sure how they remember every order for every person in this place where there is barely room to elbow your way into a corner spot to stand and shove plate after plate of salty, porky snacks into your mouth. 80’s music is blaring, my belly is full and the drinks keep coming. The experience might be blurry, but it was definitely a good one! Tip: If you do venture to La Tranca (and I think you should), make your way up to the bar – be bold and confident – and just ask for whatever you’re in the mood for. Enjoy the music, chat with your fellow bar-mates, and your food and drink will find you.

What we had:

Vermut, wine, beer...!
Pata asada (slow roast pork leg)
Chicharrones (cold cured sliced pork)

Over the course of several days, I fell in love with Malaga. It may not have the more glamorous international reputation of a place like Seville, but make no mistake, Malaga is worth your time. Its people are generous and welcoming, its climate is warm, its streets feel safe and easy to navigate – even as a woman travelling alone, I never felt uneasy walking anywhere at all hours of the day or night - and it has an incredibly rich history and culture, which is best enjoyed through its food. I highly recommend visiting the city and scheduling a tour with Food Experience Malaga.

This post is in no way sponsored. I genuinely loved this experience and needed to share it with you.