Every December I get messages from people coming to Málaga for Christmas, asking where to eat.
As a family we prefer to stay home, cook a South African Christmas meal and spend the day together, so I haven’t eaten at any of these places.
Below is what each one has published: the price, what’s included and which days it’s open.
Jump to: 24 December · 25 December · 31 December
Christmas Eve (24 December)
La Caverna: €45
Calle Tomás Echeverría 21, an Andalusian tavern. The menu can be booked from 1 December to 6 January, so ask if the kitchen is open on the 24th.
- Mains, your choice: marinated chicken, herb pork or skirt steak with chimichurri, with chips
- Drinks included: soft drinks, draft beer, house wine and vermouth
- Book: on its TheFork page, where the full menu is listed
Balausta: €60
Calle Granada, at the Palacio Solecio hotel. Lunch only on Thursday 24 December, with no dinner that day.
- Mains, your choice: Iberian pork presa in a stroganoff-style sauce, or cod pil-pil with cauliflower
- Included: a snack, bread, water and coffee. Other drinks aren’t included
- Book: on its TheFork page, where the full menu is listed. You can’t order from the menu once you’re in the restaurant
Vino Mío: €120
Plaza de Jerónimo Cuervo 2, next to the Teatro Cervantes. The same three-course menu runs on the 24th and 25th, with no flamenco show on either day. The à la carte menu is also available at lunch on the 24th.
- Times: lunch (arrive 14:00 to 14:30, table until 17:00), first dinner seating (arrive 18:00 to 18:30, table until 21:00) and second seating (from 21:30, table until 01:00)
- Mains, your choice: roasted corvina fillet with salsa al macho, or braised veal cheek with parsnip purée and shaved truffle
- Drinks: not stated, so ask
- Book: ring +34 952 22 59 22 or see restaurantevinomio.es. The menu says availability is limited
Terraza Catedral: €140
Rooftop restaurant with the Cathedral tower lit up behind you (more in my restaurants with a view guide). Dinner only on 24 December, about 1.5 hours, VAT included.
- Mains, your choice: beef sirloin with Oporto sauce, or oven-baked sea bass on a bed of vegetables
- Drinks included: water, soft drinks, beer, wine, cava, coffee, herbal tea and an after-dinner liqueur
- Children’s menu, €70: croquettes and chicken strips to share, then a mini burger or hake fingers, then a brownie
- Book: on the Terraza Catedral website, by email to reservas@terrazacatedral.es or on 650 89 24 50. The full Christmas Eve menu is a PDF
- Terms: a 40% deposit guarantees the table. Final numbers, each person’s dish and any allergies are due a week before. Cancel at least 30 days ahead if you booked less than three months out, and nothing is refunded within 72 hours
- The terrace isn’t covered. It has heaters, but if it rains or is windy it can’t guarantee a table indoors
Matiz, Hotel Molina Lario: €160
Prices include IVA. Matiz posted its 2026 menus on its Instagram, @restaurante_matiz.
- Mains: carabinero prawn with cured egg yolk and spiced potatoes, and Iberian pork cheek with black truffle sauce and glazed chestnuts. Both are listed, so ask whether you choose one
- Drinks included: water, soft drinks, beer, wine, coffee and tea
- Book: contact the Matiz restaurant directly on +34 952 062 002
Only YOU Hotel: €200 at Carmen, €225 at Sonora
Alameda Principal 1. Carmen is at street level and Sonora Sky & Bites is on the seventh floor. Both serve the same set menu on 24 December, dinner only, with live music.
- Mains: wild sea bass with pumpkin and baby eels, and a Rossini sirloin with black truffle. Both are listed, so ask whether you choose one
- Drinks included: white wine, Rioja Reserva red, sparkling wine and one after-dinner drink each
- Vegetarian and children’s menus: by email to restaurant.malaga@onlyyouhotels.com
- Book: on the Only YOU Hotel Málaga website, or email restaurant.malaga@onlyyouhotels.com
Groups of 8 or more: Bendito and Batik
Both have 2026 Christmas group menus with unlimited water, soft drinks, beer and wine. Everyone at the table has the same menu, and no date is attached, so ask whether the 24th or 25th is possible. Prices are per person, IVA included.
- Bendito, Calle San Juan 11, at Hotel Málaga Premium: Deseo €49, Ilusión €55 and Tradición €63. Only Tradición includes coffee and tea. A 30% deposit confirms the booking, and final numbers and dishes are due 7 days before. Ring +34 952 063 802 or email eventos@grupopremium.es. The full menus are a PDF
- Batik, Calle Alcazabilla 12, on the fourth floor of the Hotel Alcazaba Premium, with views of the Alcazaba: Oro €49, Incienso €57 and Mirra €63. Only Mirra includes coffee and tea. A 30% non-refundable deposit confirms the booking, and final numbers are due 7 days before. Ring +34 952 063 802 or email info@grupopremium.es. The full menus are a PDF
Christmas Day (25 December)
Fewer places open, so book earlier.
Vino Mío: €120
The same menu as the 24th, with lunch and two dinner seatings at the same times and no flamenco show. Details and booking are under Christmas Eve.
Matiz, Hotel Molina Lario: €70
Matiz posted a Christmas menu (Menú Navidad) at €70 with no day on it. Ring +34 952 062 002 to confirm the date before you plan around it.
- Mains, your choice: corvina with pil-pil and pea and mint, or braised pork cheek with roast sweet potato and aniseed sauce
- Drinks included: water, soft drinks, beer, wine, coffee and tea
Other places that have opened on the 25th
They haven’t published their 2026 hours, so check with the restaurant first. Call, or walk past and look at the door.
- Muelle Uno port: a local guide calls it the liveliest area on Christmas Day, with restaurants open for lunch. Toro Taste of Spain and Casa Carmen were its picks
- Plaza de las Flores: Beluga and Kraken have opened for lunch and dinner
- La Malagueta and the east beaches: El Merendero de Antonio Martín on La Malagueta beach, Candado Beach and Las Palmeras (lunch)
- Primitivo, Avenida Salvador Allende
- Casa Aranda, Calle Herrería del Rey: churros and hot chocolate until about 1pm on Christmas morning
- Pizza and pasta: walk around Málaga centro and you’ll find some places open, but I can’t name one that has confirmed the 25th
Chiringuitos and beach restaurants
- El Tintero, El Palo: waiters shout out the dishes, you pick, and they count your plates at the end. No bookings
- El Merlo, Paseo Marítimo El Pedregal 87, Pedregalejo: advertises Christmas meals. Ring +34 617 41 80 05 or see its website
Ring or walk past to check they’re open before you go.
New Year’s Eve (31 December)
For the midnight countdown and the free grape bags, see my New Year’s Eve in Málaga and Christmas in Málaga guides. What’s on in Málaga in December lists which museums and shops close on the 31st and 1 January.
Balausta: €60
The same menu as Christmas. It’s lunch on Thursday 31 December and Friday 1 January, and dinner on Friday 1 January only, so there’s no dinner on New Year’s Eve itself. Water, coffee, bread and a snack are included. Book on its TheFork page.
Vino Mío: €120
The same three-course menu as Christmas Day, with live music and the 12 grapes at midnight. No flamenco show on the 31st. Drinks aren’t stated, so ask. Ring +34 952 22 59 22 or see restaurantevinomio.es.
Terraza Catedral: €160
Rooftop restaurant by the Cathedral. The lucky grapes, party favours and 4 drinks or cocktails are included. Children are €80.
- Mains, your choice: grilled sea bream over seasonal vegetables, or charcoal-grilled beef tenderloin with pepper sauce
- Book: on the Terraza Catedral website, by email to reservas@terrazacatedral.es or on 650 89 24 50. The full New Year’s Eve menu is a PDF
Matiz, Hotel Molina Lario: €170
Prices include IVA. Contact the Matiz restaurant directly on +34 952 062 002.
- Mains, your choice: roast monkfish with a crab bisque and smoked clams, or confit suckling pig with raspberry sauce and glazed chestnuts
- Drinks included: water, soft drinks, beer, wine, coffee and tea
Batik: €220
On the fourth floor of the Hotel Alcazaba Premium, Calle Alcazabilla 12. Dinner on 31 December with a DJ, party favours and a late supper until 05:00. IVA included, and places are limited. Ring +34 952 063 802 or see restaurantebatik.com.
Only YOU Hotel: €345 at Carmen
Alameda Principal 1. Dinner on Thursday 31 December, with a DJ after midnight. Sonora Sky & Bites has a €370 menu listed as not available at the moment.
- Mains: seared lobster with caviar, and roast suckling lamb with dates. Both are listed, so ask whether you choose one
- Included: white and red Ribera del Duero wine, Moët & Chandon champagne, the grapes, party favours, an open bar from midnight to 3am and a late-night snack
- Vegetarian and children’s menus: by email to restaurant.malaga@onlyyouhotels.com
- Book: on the Only YOU Hotel Málaga website, or email restaurant.malaga@onlyyouhotels.com
British Christmas dinner
The British-run bars and restaurants that roast turkey are in Estepona, La Duquesa and Sabinillas. A Costa del Sol guide says they take bookings from November and are full by the second week of December.
Before you book
- Now. A Costa del Sol guide says the Spanish restaurants that open on the 24th book out by mid-December
- Deposits: Terraza Catedral asks for 40%. The Bendito and Batik group menus ask for 30%, and Batik’s is non-refundable. For the others, ask when you book
- Allergies and vegetarian: Only YOU does vegetarian and children’s menus by email. Batik wants allergies when you book, and Bendito and Terraza Catedral a week ahead. Terraza Catedral also wants each guest’s dish a week ahead. For the others, ask
- Rooms: hotels fill up for the 31st, so book a hotel early. My where to stay in Málaga guide has the areas
- Everyone else: ring or email, and ask for the date, the price per person and what’s included
