The best Frigiliana restaurants survive something most villages this size do not. Frigiliana has perhaps 3,000 residents and sees nearly a million visitors a year.
Somehow, that hasn’t ruined the restaurants.
Sure, there are a few overpriced and touristy spots, but I’m always really surprised by just how many long-running restaurants are still here.
These are my favourites.
⭐ Don’t miss >> Where to stay in Frigiliana, my hotel picks
La Bodeguilla
This is where we ate on our last trip.
It was our first visit, and for the stunning views, we couldn’t believe how affordable the menu was.
There’s nothing fancy or touristy here.
You can expect traditional Andalusian cuisine. We had patatas a lo pobre for only 7 euros.
They’re located in the church plaza and only serve lunch. Don’t make the mistake of eating at the overpriced restaurant in the square.
Eat here instead!
Here are my favourite places to stay in Frigiliana:
⭐ Best all-rounder >> Beneste Frigiliana Hotel
⭐ For couples >> La Casa del Molino
⭐ For the views >> Hotel Los Caracoles
⭐ Countryside retreat >> Hotel Rural Almazara
El Tangay
On the other side of town from La Bodeguilla, El Tangay serves the same kind of honest Andalucian cooking.
It’s a bit more tucked away and feels more local, as you can see from the picture. This is the sort of place where the menu is short because the kitchen only makes what it makes well. The menu focuses on traditional dishes, and the portions are really generous.
Like La Bodeguilla, El Tangay is lunch only. If you want dinner, you’ll need to look elsewhere.
Asador La Viña Nueva
If you’re in the mood for meat, this is where to come.
Asador la Viña Nueva specialises in grilled meats, cooked over charcoal, and usually very rare.
This is another restaurant where you’ll find generous portions, and the menu is fairly priced.
It’s not the place for a light lunch, but if you want a proper meal with quality meat, this is the one.
🎟️ Frigiliana’s tapas bars and wine spots fill up fast in high season. Browse food tours and tastings on GetYourGuide.
Nueva Tahona Pizzeria
Even when travelling, we don’t always eat local. This is a good option if you need a break from Spanish food.
I can easily recommend the pizzas here.
It’s in the tres culturas plaza, safe for the kids to run around, has a nice view, and is nowhere near a hill if you’re done walking.
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La Parada de Zacatín
A solid choice, although it’s well hidden in the heart of the village.
Frigiliana tapas at their most straightforward, with raciones and cold beer, and they’re really well priced.
Because it takes finding, it stays a local room even in August, which isn’t true of anywhere on the main square. If you want somewhere that hasn’t adjusted itself for visitors, this is the one.
As you can see, the seating is very simple, but the view and the food make up for it.
Stop, even if it’s just for a drink, so you can rest your feet and enjoy the view.
El Casino
El Casino sits on the Plaza de las Tres Culturas with one of the best terraces in town.
From the outside it looks like a tourist trap, and the name doesn’t help, but if you go inside you’ll find quaint seating and a terrace with beautiful views.
The terrace really is the main draw here, so go early if you want to book a spot, because there aren’t many available.
As usual, you’ll find all the typical Andalusian dishes here.
Plaza 45
If you want to try a bit of everything, Plaza 45 does an amazing full tapas set menu.
It’s a great way to sample the local specialities without having to commit to one dish.
I was happy with the quality and the portions the one time we went, and the prices were really fair too.
Planning Your Visit
Most of these restaurants are within a few minutes’ walk of each other in the village centre. If you’re here on a Thursday, the Frigiliana market runs 8am to 2pm at the same end of the village, and the produce stalls are a decent lunch in themselves.
Parking is at the village entrance, and don’t try to drive into the old town.
For traditional Andalucian cooking, hit La Bodeguilla or El Tangay at lunchtime.
For dinner, Asador La Viña Nueva or Plaza 45.
The Two Everyone Else Recommends
Two restaurants Frigiliana guides name almost without exception, and they’re worth knowing even though they aren’t my first picks.
Restaurante El Jardín is the one most often called the best in Frigiliana, and the draw is the setting as much as the food, with a terrace looking out over the rooftops to the mountains and the sea beyond. It’s more of an international menu than a traditional one.
La Taberna del Sacristán sits centrally with tables out on the Plaza de las Tres Culturas, and the reputation is for good cooking at fair prices rather than for a view. If the terrace tables on the plaza are full, that’s usually why.
Order the Miel de Caña
Whatever you eat, order something with miel de caña. It’s sugar cane honey, dark and sticky and closer to treacle than to bee honey, and it comes poured over fried aubergine or drizzled on toast.
It matters here more than anywhere else in Spain, because Frigiliana’s El Ingenio is the last sugar cane honey mill left in Europe. The stuff on your aubergine was made a few hundred metres from your table.
If you would rather not rush it, you can find a place to stay in Frigiliana and work through this list over a few days.
And if you fancy something more guided, this tapas and wine tour around Frigiliana and Nerja is a fun way to taste the area with a local.
Don’t forget to visit my page on Nerja for more of my favourite things to do in that city.
