Expecting a password and a bookcase door? The speakeasy in central Malaga asks for neither. The Pharmacy, at Calle García Briz 1, simply sends you down a staircase to a basement bar where signature cocktails cost 14 to 17 euros, and what it does want is a phone booking. Across town, Mañana pours a gin rickey for 7 euros, and Chester & Punk caps its 13-euro Walking Dead at two per person per day.
Where are the best cocktail bars in Malaga? The Pharmacy, a basement speakeasy at Calle García Briz 1, for craft cocktails at 14 to 17 euros. Chester & Punk, at Calle Méndez Núñez 4, for groups, at 10 to 18 euros and open until 3am at weekends. Mañana, from 7 euros, on a budget, and Nusa, on the Muelle Uno, from noon.
A craft cocktail bar in Malaga is a bar with its own fixed list of signature drinks, usually from 10 euros a glass, where booking secures a table. Four of the five below sit in the old town within walking distance of Plaza de la Merced and Calle Alcazabilla, and the fifth is on the Muelle Uno harbourfront.
The speakeasy, and whether you need a password
The Pharmacy has a botanical cocktail bar at street level and, down the stairs, a basement speakeasy the bar describes as “more intimate, reserved and immersive”. It holds a Solete listing in the Repsol Guide, closes at 2am and books on +34 656 48 79 19. No password is involved, and the recurring complaint on TripAdvisor is the price, with one review calling it massively overpriced.
Chester & Punk, at Calle Méndez Núñez 4, is the livelier craft bar: Tuesday to Thursday from 7pm to 2am, Friday from 5pm and Saturday from 4pm, both until 3am. It books online or by WhatsApp on +34 609 875 100 and scores 4.6 out of 5 from 104 TripAdvisor reviews, which makes it the pick for a group.
What a cocktail costs in Malaga
Prices split into three bands. Mañana, at Calle San Juan de Letrán 7, charges 7 to 12 euros for classics: gin rickey 7, mai tai and margarita 9, mojito 10, negroni 12. Nusa sits mostly at 9 to 12 euros. The craft end is Chester & Punk, at 10 to 18 euros, and The Pharmacy, at 14 to 17, with 3 alcohol-free drinks at 14.
Wine cocktails at Mañana start at 3 euros for a tinto de verano, and beer cocktails such as the michelada cost 7. At Chester & Punk, spirit and mixer runs 8 to 14 euros, there is an off-menu list of classics on request, and group masterclasses cost 45, 65 or 75 euros a head.
How to plan a cocktail night in Malaga
Opening hours decide the order, and a full night runs in four stops:
- Noon to sunset: Nusa, on the Muelle Uno, the only one serving from noon, no booking.
- Before dinner: Mañana, from 7 euros, or La Terraza de la Alcazaba for the view.
- After dinner: The Pharmacy basement, booked by phone, until 2am.
- Last round: Chester & Punk, until 3am on Friday and Saturday.
Mañana serves no food and is small, so eat first; where to do that is in tapas in Málaga’s old town and, for a sit-down meal, romantic restaurants in Málaga. If you would rather drink vermouth from the barrel, La Tranca pours it at 3.20 euros.
Cocktails with a view, and without a booking
Nusa, at kiosk K-7 on the Muelle Uno, opens daily from noon to 12.30am and states on its website that no booking is needed, because stays are usually short. One review complains of a surly waiter and a toilet a 10-minute walk away, the price of drinking in a harbour kiosk.
La Terraza de la Alcazaba, on the top floor of the Alcazaba Premium hotel at Calle Alcazabilla 12, faces the Alcazaba and Gibralfaro, with cocktails up to 14 euros and bookings through the hotel website. Other rooftops, with prices and booking rules, are in Malaga rooftop bars.
Where Malaga’s cocktail bars are
Chester & Punk and Mañana are about 250 metres apart near Plaza de la Merced, and La Terraza de la Alcazaba is under 350 metres away. The Pharmacy is west, near the Guadalmedina, and Nusa is on the harbour. Straight from the airport, the C1 train reaches Málaga Centro-Alameda in 12 minutes for 1.80 euros.
| Bar | Address | Cocktail price | Closes | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester & Punk | Calle Méndez Núñez 4 | 10 to 18 euros | 2am Tuesday to Thursday; 3am Friday and Saturday | online or WhatsApp |
| The Pharmacy | Calle García Briz 1 | 14 to 17 euros | 2am | by phone, +34 656 48 79 19 |
| La Terraza de la Alcazaba | Calle Alcazabilla 12, top floor | up to 14 euros | hours not published | hotel website |
| Nusa | Muelle Uno, kiosk K-7 | mostly 9 to 12 euros | 12.30am daily | not needed |
| Mañana | Calle San Juan de Letrán 7 | 7 to 12 euros | hours not published | ask at the bar |
The night areas and their closing times are in Malaga nightlife areas and La Merced after dark. Pickpocketing figures for the city are in Malaga safety, and the city’s wider food map in where to eat in Malaga.
Cocktail questions from visitors
Do you need a password for the speakeasy in Malaga?
No. The Pharmacy, at Calle García Briz 1, keeps its speakeasy on a basement floor reached by a staircase, and the bar mentions no password or hidden door. What it does recommend is booking, by phone on +34 656 48 79 19, and it stays open until 2am.
How much is a cocktail in Malaga?
From 7 euros for a gin rickey at Mañana to 18 for the priciest drink at Chester & Punk. Most cocktails at Nusa on the Muelle Uno cost 9 to 12 euros, and The Pharmacy’s signatures cost 14 to 17. Wine cocktails at Mañana start at 3 euros.
Which cocktail bar in Malaga stays open latest?
Chester & Punk, at Calle Méndez Núñez 4, pours until 3am on Friday and Saturday nights and until 2am from Tuesday to Thursday. The Pharmacy closes at 2am, and Nusa, on the Muelle Uno, at 12.30am every day.
Where can I get a cocktail at lunchtime in Malaga?
Nusa, the cocktail kiosk K-7 on the Muelle Uno harbourfront, opens every day at noon and runs until 12.30am. It takes no bookings, because stays are usually short, and most of its cocktails cost between 9 and 12 euros.
Is there a cocktail bar in Malaga with a view?
La Terraza de la Alcazaba, on the top floor of the Alcazaba Premium hotel at Calle Alcazabilla 12, looks straight at the Alcazaba and Gibralfaro, with cocktails up to 14 euros. For the harbour, Nusa sits on the Muelle Uno from noon.
Choose the bar by the hour: harbour at noon, basement after dinner, Chester & Punk for the last round.