La Taberna Del Pintxo

Tapas… a fun and casual way to eat out! Have you tried La Taberna Del Pintxo yet? This tapas restaurant is a little different to other tapas restaurants. Here, instead of ordering what you want you get offered tapas by a waiter who goes around the restaurant with a tray of tapas. The tapas are served on a slice of bread or on a stick and can vary from fried fish to grilled chicken or even fried camembert. This restaurant can be a lot of fun, unless you are very hungry (sometimes you have to wait a while before the waiters come to your table). Also, if you’re a vegetarian then I suggest you eat before going to Taberna Del Pintxo… it might take a while before you get to eat anything in this restaurant. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

La Taberna Del Pintxo, Av. Miguel Cano, 7, Marbella, Tel: 952 829 321

Metro Pizza & Pasta

In the marina of Benalmádena you’ll find Metro… you know, the pizza and pasta restaurant belonging to the Metro group. Now, I must say that normally I’m not such a fan of chain restaurants but this particular Metro is really nice. However, you have to sit outside. Inside as far as I’m concerned is nothing special. It’s quite modern with an open plan design but it does give you the feeling that you are in a chain restaurant. But outside is a completely different story. They have a large terrace which overlooks the marina and has some great views. You could just sit there for hours simply watching the people go by. Even if you live on the coast, just sitting there for an hour or two gives you the feeling that you’re on vacation. So what about the actual food? Well, I can certainly vouch for their pizzas. The truth is that I have come to worship the pizza at Metro, with its fresh ingredients and crispy thin crust! I like it so much that I’ve never even tried any of their pastas dishes, which I must say look really good. So for those of you in the mood for a nice pizza or pasta, I can highly recommend Metro in Benalmadena marina. Now for dessert I suggest you head over to the Australian Ice-cream parlor in Fuengirola. I know Metro serves some great desserts, including Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream but the truth is, that even Ben & Jerry’s can’t top Fuengirola’s ice-cream!

Metro Pizza & Pasta, La Dársena, Local A20-21, Benalmádena, Málaga, Tel: 952 446 460

Passion Café, San Pedro

Passion Café is one of those restaurants which is always open whether it’ s for breakfast, lunch, dinner or any other time for that matter . It’s trendy, hip and definitely a place where you can just relax, grab a magazine or two and enjoy a healthy, delicious meal. I haven’t had the opportunity to have breakfast there yet but I’ve heard it’s really good. They serve American style pancakes, full Irish breakfast and smoked salmon bagel, just to name a few… I would love to try their pancakes! As far as their lunch and dinner menu goes, I can definitely vouch for how good it is as I have tried many of their dishes on several occasions. Their lunch and dinner menu includes a selection of tasty dishes such as a variety of wraps and salads, lovely creamy soups, quesadillas, hamburgers, and fish & chips, which by the way, I can highly recommend. Each day Passion café also creates a separate small menu with specialties of the day which are definitely worth trying! And for those of you with a sweet tooth, well then Passion Café is definitely the place for you. They have a large variety of home-made desserts including, brownies, chocolate fudge cake, apple crumble, banoffi pie and cheesecake. In addition to all that, you can now also buy some of their pastries and bread to take home including, scones, bagels, homemade brown bread and some other goodies. Mmmm it all sounds very good. Last but not least, I must mention and give credit to Passion Cafe's friendly staff. After all what is a restaurant without friendly staff? They truely are fabulous (well, all except one… you know who you are… grumpy!).

Passion Café, Centro Comercial La Colonia, San Pedro, Málaga, Tel. 952 781 538

Pizzeria Picasso, Puerto Banus

First of all, I must confess that I haven’t been here in ages, basically because I’m not so impressed by the place. I mean let’s face it, this pizzeria is like flying with Easy-Jet: it’s always overcrowded, your jam packed into the place like sardines in a can and you have to wait in line to “check-in”. I mean, I know Picasso is probably the only front line restaurant in Puerto Banús that doesn’t leave your wallet empty but people please, this is not McDonalds, you shouldn’t have to wait in line for a pizza! However, having said all that, I must say that when my nephews are here on vacation they seem to live off Picasso’s pizzas. Kids just seem to love the place. Is the pizza really that good or do kids just love the place because they serve pizza? I mean which kid doesn’t love pizza? Honestly, I really don’t get what all the hype is about. At the end of the day, Picasso is just a fast food pizzeria. Just because it’s in Puerto Banús doesn’t make the pizza extra tasty. Sorry Picasso, I’m sticking to my verdict. So ladies and gentlemen, for those of going to Picasso I would like to wish you a pleasant flight… I mean meal!

Pizzeria Picasso C/ Muelle Ribera, Local 48 / 49 H, Puerto Banús, Marbella, Málaga, Tel: 952 81 36 69