When we use words better or worse, it is practically impossible for us to do so in a completely objective way. It may be that what I am looking for is the quality of the dishes and on the other hand you prioritize the views, the cleanliness or the absence of noise (call it children or drunken gangs). Taking this for granted and with a criterion based on the experience of 17 years living, eating and drinking in Estepona, I have elaborated the following list of restaurants. All of them are within the urban area of the town and the bill is around 30 or 40 euros per place, always taking into account that if you order a great wine or a Galician beef that they pamper from calves as if they were bourbons… you will pay dearly for it.
10- LA GAMBA – Paseo Marítimo (next to Carrefour)
I admit that if this restaurant didn’t have the views it has, it wouldn’t even make the list, but it has postcard views of the entire bay of Estepona. And besides the scenery they have really good rice. I do not recommend two things: first, go with a westerly wind, because there is a wall that makes a screen and you can not be hot; second, they have a waiter in his fifties who seems nice but if you give him conversation he can give you the food, he is a bore and lacks a boil.
9- THE HUNTER – Marina
If you are in the port of Estepona and you feel like eating meat, this is your place. They serve a fairly generous plate of pork tenderloin accompanied with the sauce of your choice which is very good and as a starter, without a doubt, some prawns with bechamel sauce that if you let yourself go, you can eat a loaf of bread spread without any effort.
8- TABERNA DE MIGUEL – Center of town
Actually it is not just one restaurant, there are three or four in a row, one is Miguel’s tavern, the other is Alma de Miguel and I don’t know what the rest are called because every time I go there he has bought the annex and built a new one with an even better and more beautiful terrace. The owner is a ‘flipao’ and he does very well because he has good food and good service.
7- OLIVA IBEROTECA – Center of town
It is a wine bar restaurant with a modern and quality cuisine. Be careful with what you order because some dishes have gone overboard with the price and then the fine hurts.
6- LA RADA – Town center
Very good restaurant where I recommend meat, fish, rice, tuna… They do everything right and have very good raw materials. Estepona’s restaurant of all the life with fame and success.
5- LA BULLA – Center of town
Typical posh gastrobar, with avant-garde decoration and food. Even the waiters wear uniforms with printed flower shirts. Meager but delicious portions and a truly attractive cocktail menu.
4- TABERNA DIEZ – Center of town
A good restaurant with a great menu of meats and especially fish. The highlights, in my opinion, are the Russian salad (they add small shrimp, which is original and delicious), the octopus (it is not a generous portion but they serve it with guacamole and it is exquisite) and the fried rooster, which personally drives me crazy.
3- LA ESCOLLERA – Fishing port
Right next to the Estepona fish market is this splendid and traditional seafood restaurant, possibly the place of reference for Estepona residents for several decades. You can’t make reservations and when you arrive you have to wait. They are saved because they have a very good staff of waiters, it is usually full of people and the theme makes sense because they only work with excellent quality raw material.
2- LAS BRASAS DE ALBERTO – Center of town
It is a first class restaurant specialized in meat. If you are looking for a steak in Estepona, this may be your best option. They buy black pudding in Burgos, lamb in Aragón, lettuce hearts in Tudela…. I’ve loved everything I’ve tasted, but especially the shrimp balls and steak croquettes that produce great satisfaction. Both are off the menu, do not hesitate to ask the waiters.
1- EL PESCADOR – Seafront Promenade
It is not an outstanding number 1, in fact it is not much better than the first five, but perhaps it does deserve that privileged position considering the environment: with a first line of the promenade next to the sea and also taking into account that the waiters are lifelong and provide excellent service. There are many reasons, but what is clear is that it has the most important one: quality in its dishes. Special mention to the rice with carabinero, it is ¡top, full of small pieces of squid and with all the pieces peeled. Forget about working while eating rice and enjoy a splendid taste. To top it off, this restaurant has giant round tables that encourage a great after-dinner meal after eating the millefeuille of your life.
It is impossible to please everyone. Surely some reader will tell me that Vista al Mar has the same quality in fish as La Escollera or that Casa del Rey has nothing to envy to La Bulla, and maybe they are right, but in my opinion these are the ten best restaurants in Estepona.
We also love El Rinçon Toscano (best tiramisu) and El Galeón!
You have a lot of good restaurants in the hidden streets of the old town that is good to descover .