Walk into Nerja old town hungry at 5pm and three of these five kitchens are dark. Service stops at 4pm at La Puntilla, 3.45pm at El Pulguilla and 3pm at Restaurante Oliva, and none of them reopens before 6.30pm. The two that keep cooking are Bar Redondo, which serves from noon to midnight with a free tapa on every drink, and Chiringuito Ayo on Burriana beach, where a plate of wood-fired paella costs €11 until the kitchen shuts at 5.30pm.
Where should I eat in Nerja? Bar Redondo on Calle de la Gloria for tapas, because a free tapa comes with every drink. La Puntilla on Calle Bolivia for fried fish, with half portions from €6. Chiringuito Ayo on Burriana beach for paella at €11 a plate, lunch only. Restaurante Oliva on Plaza de España for a €70 tasting menu.
Nerja is a small town on the eastern Costa del Sol where the four old-town places below sit within 650 metres of the Balcón de Europa, with Burriana beach about 1 kilometre east. If you are staying there, the decision is less about which restaurant and more about which hour: Spanish lunch runs to about 4pm and dinner rarely starts before 7pm.
Which Nerja kitchens serve at 5pm, and the last bus back
Only Bar Redondo and Chiringuito Ayo cook at 5pm, and Ayo stops at 5.30pm. That gap is the one that catches visitors coming back from the caves or the beach: La Puntilla reopens at 6.30pm, Oliva at 7pm and El Pulguilla at 7.30pm. The full logic of Spanish meal times is laid out in Málaga meal times.
Two closures to plan around. El Pulguilla shuts on Mondays. Its own website lists La Puntilla’s two services seven days a week, but it can be closed on Thursdays, so ring 952 52 89 51 before going that day.
The last ALSA bus leaves Avenida Pescia at 9.55pm and reaches Málaga at 11.15pm; earlier evening departures go at 7.30pm and 9.05pm. From La Puntilla the stop is 280 metres away and from Oliva about 550 metres, so leave the table by 9.45pm. The bus fare starts at €5.62.
If the caves are on the same day, opening times and the bus to Maro are in the Nerja caves; for the white village up the hill, see Frigiliana and Nerja in one day; and for kayaking first, the Maro-Cerro Gordo cliffs.
Is the tapa free with your drink in Nerja
At Bar Redondo it is. The bar on Calle de la Gloria 10 advertises “with every drink, a free tapa of your choice from our menu”, and opens from noon to midnight every day. That makes Nerja different from Málaga city, where every tapa is ordered and paid for, as explained in Málaga old town tapas. Google gives Bar Redondo a 4.3 from more than 5,000 reviews.
Bar Redondo is built around a round oak and marble bar, with a terrace where wine barrels serve as tables. The house singles out its grilled baby squid, its “redonditos” topped with marinated pork, its fried fish and a potato omelette made with 22 eggs. It takes phone bookings on 952 52 33 44.
The catch: the priced menu on Bar Redondo’s website is out of date, so ask the price of a beer at the bar before the first round. At La Puntilla and El Pulguilla a free tapa is not advertised; ask when you order, and if it is not included, the half portion is the size to share between two.
Where to eat fried fish in Nerja, and what a half portion is
La Puntilla on Calle Bolivia 1 prints its full menu with prices in Spanish, English, French and German, which removes most of the guesswork. Fried fish comes in two sizes, a media ración (half portion) and a ración (full portion): fried anchovies cost €7.50 and €9.80, squid €7.30 and €10.50, and a mixed fry €9 and €14. Google rates La Puntilla 4.5 from more than 4,000 reviews.
| Dish at La Puntilla | Half portion | Full portion |
|---|---|---|
| Fried anchovies (boquerones) | €7.50 | €9.80 |
| Fried squid (calamares) | €7.30 | €10.50 |
| Mixed fried fish | €9 | €14 |
| Baby squid (puntillas) | €10.60 | €17.60 |
| Sardines | €7.30 | €10 |
| Aubergine with honey | €5.40 | €7.90 |
| Fish of the day with Puntilla sauce | n/a | €16.50 |
Three lines on that menu change the bill:
- Fish sold by weight. Sole is €60 a kilo and Burriana cuttlefish €50 a kilo, so ask the weight before ordering.
- Bread is extra, at €0.60.
- Paella needs notice: 12 hours ahead, for at least 2 people, at €13 a head for the mixed one.
El Pulguilla, on Calle Cristo 26 and 262 metres from the Balcón de Europa, is the choice for a big terrace: the house calls it “splendid” and also has a large indoor dining room. It fries anchovies, squid and prawns and serves tapas, portions and seafood. With a 4.3 on Google from more than 10,000 reviews, it has the largest review count of the five. It does not publish prices online, so compare with La Puntilla once the menu is on the table.
Paella on Burriana beach at Chiringuito Ayo
Chiringuito Ayo, at Paseo Burriana 15, cooks paella over wood fire in giant pans on the sand and serves it by the plate, at €11, without bookings and always freshly made. The beach bar opens daily from 9am to 7pm, but the kitchen only runs from noon to 5.30pm. Google gives it a 4.0 from more than 6,000 reviews, the lowest score of the five.
Ayo’s menu, VAT included, lists grilled sardines at €10, fried anchovies at €13, garlic prawns at €14.75 and a small beer (caña) at €2.90; lamb is served on Thursdays only, at €25. The family has run it for more than 55 years, and the website and menu come in English. For children there is spaghetti bolognese at €11, a plain omelette at €10 and roast chicken at €13, with the beach a few steps from the table.
Paella is the reason to choose Ayo over the old town: €11 per plate with no minimum, against €13 per person, minimum 2 and 12 hours’ notice at La Puntilla. Fried fish runs the other way, €27 for Ayo’s mixed fry against €14 for a full portion on Calle Bolivia. Ayo is also more than 1 kilometre from the bus stop as the crow flies, and the municipal car park at Burriana costs €2.14 for the first hour, with full rates in things to do in Nerja.
Booking a special dinner at Restaurante Oliva
Restaurante Oliva on Plaza de España 2, 275 metres from the Balcón de Europa, is the place for a celebration: a tasting menu at €70 a head, wine pairing for €40 more and a cheese course for €14.50. The menu changes four times a year, with starters from €18.50 to €24 and mains from €30.50 to €35. Google rates Oliva 4.6 from more than 1,300 reviews.
The rules come from the house. Book online for up to 6 people at least 2 hours ahead; groups of 7 or more can only order the tasting menu. The tasting menu is for the whole table, lasts about 2 hours and can be ordered until one hour before the kitchen closes. Tables are held for 15 minutes and cancellations need 24 hours’ notice. Bread, olive oil, herb butter and an appetiser are charged at €3 a head, a fixed extra to expect on the bill.
Dinner for two with the tasting menu and the wine pairing comes to €226: €140 of food, €80 of wine and €6 of bread. Oliva serves from 1pm to 3pm and from 7pm to 10pm, so a 7pm tasting menu ends around 9pm, in time for the 9.55pm bus.
Nerja restaurant questions visitors ask
Are tapas free in Nerja?
At Bar Redondo, yes: the bar on Calle de la Gloria advertises a free tapa of your choice from its menu with every drink, from noon to midnight every day. Elsewhere in Nerja old town a free tapa is not advertised, so ask when you order the first round; in Málaga city tapas are paid for.
What time do restaurants open for dinner in Nerja?
Most Nerja kitchens reopen for dinner between 6.30pm and 7.30pm: La Puntilla at 6.30pm, Restaurante Oliva at 7pm and El Pulguilla at 7.30pm. Bar Redondo is the exception and serves straight through from noon to midnight, which makes it the safe choice for an early dinner.
Do Nerja restaurants have menus in English?
Several do. La Puntilla prints its whole menu with prices in Spanish, English, French and German; Chiringuito Ayo has its website and menu in English; and Restaurante Oliva prints its tasting menu and à la carte dishes in Spanish and English. Bar Redondo and El Pulguilla do not publish an English menu online.
What time is the last bus from Nerja to Málaga?
The last ALSA bus to Málaga leaves Avenida Pescia at 9.55pm every day and reaches Málaga bus station at 11.15pm. No bus leaves Nerja between 2.15pm and 3.40pm, so a long lunch ending at 3pm means waiting for the 3.40pm departure.
If the dishes themselves are new to you, what to eat in Málaga explains each one, and where to eat in Málaga covers the city.
In Nerja the clock picks the table: eat between noon and 4pm, or after 7pm, unless you are at Bar Redondo.