Whether you fancy brunch, lunch, cake or just a great cup of coffee, Málaga has plenty of great cafés – also for vegetarians and those who want to avoid sugar and gluten.
Here are my favorite cafés in Málaga.
1. Cool atmosphere and vegetarian food at the bike cafe
It can be a bit of a challenge to find vegetarian and vegan dishes in Málaga, but you won’t go wrong at Recyclo Bike Café, which sits right next to the drying Guadalmedina riverbed. Meat eaters will also find something on the menu, which offers classic café dishes such as salads, burgers, empanadas, nachos and hot dishes. The dishes can be combined as brunch, lunch and snacks for the evening drink, as well as a selection of cakes for coffee. The place also has a nice selection of beers.
The atmosphere is young, cool and relaxed in the café, where you can sit at the long wooden bar, small café tables or cozy corners on the two floors under bicycles hanging from the ceiling. Recyclo Bike Café also has a large terrace.
Next to the café, the same owners run a bike shop where you can rent a bike or get your own repaired and buy various accessories.
If the atmosphere is important, then choose Recyclo Bike Café mixing the good cafes in Málaga.
Recyclo Bike Café
Plaza Enrique García-Herrera 16
2. Sustainable brunch with a view
BYOKO is located in Plaza de Merced, close to Picasso’s childhood home, and I particularly enjoy sitting on the café’s terrace on an early morning and having brunch while the city slowly wakes up in the square.
The concept is perfect for those who love healthy food and care about the environment. BYOKO uses seasonal, organic, locally produced ingredients.
The brunch menu is extensive and includes the popular Buddha and smoothie bowls, toasts with poached eggs, burrata, bacon and goat cheese and vegetarian toast with hummus. You can also order eggs in cocotte and a selection of cakes. You choose from the menu or from a couple of brunch menus.
The coffee is good, and BYOKO has a selection of smoothies and freshly squeezed juices.
If you arrive later in the day, you can also simply enjoy a coffee and a snack.
BYOKO also has a branch at C/ Strachan 5
BYOKO, Plaza de la Merced 22
3. Healthy and delicious café food
Noviembre focuses on healthy food, and the café is recommended for both brunch and lunch. The spacious rooms are bright and modern, and the décor is wooden with details in bright colours such as mint green. Noviembre has visitors of all ages, but it’s especially hip among young people. The atmosphere is relaxed and you can stay late with friends. The service is good, even though it is busy during the busiest hours of the day.
The café menu consists of dishes such as organic egg dishes with and without meat, toasts (from light to various coarse varieties), bagels, sandwiches, crepes and yoghurt with toppings, burgers and pork dishes. Noviembre also offers dishes without gluten and lactose. In addition, there is a nice selection of juices with both fruit and vegetables. The food is well prepared using good quality ingredients and organic produce is used where possible.
Noviembre Healthy Food
Calle Álamos 18
4. Cakes with and without sugar and gluten
In Málaga’s Soho neighborhood you’ll find Santa Coffee Soho – formerly Santa Canela – whose counter is filled with homemade rustic pastries, both sugar and gluten free, which can be enjoyed on the terrace in the colorful neighborhood. The cakes are homemade, moist and delicious. Santa Canela also has a nice selection of both sweet and savoury pancakes, salads and sandwiches, so it’s also a good place if you want to enjoy a brunch that you can put together yourself from the menu. The café roasts its own coffee and it is available in several flavors.
Canta Coffee also has two other cafes in Málaga – Camas at Fernán Gonzalez 6 and Catedral at San Augustin 5.
Santa Coffee
Calle Tomás Heredia 5
5. Good coffee in the living room
El Último Mono is small but has cosy rooms where you can sit in peace over a cup of coffee or freshly squeezed juice and get some work done or email correspondence on your laptop. The small corners with good reclining chairs and bookshelves allow you to sit in peace and feel at home in the living room. The fact that you also get service as if you were the best friend in the house adds a little extra to the experience.
In addition to serving really good coffee, El Ùlitmo Mono offers delicious, freshly squeezed juices and smoothies. The food selection includes small plates like sandwiches, wraps, muffins and croissants, but it’s limited because the focus is on the coffee and juices. You can also choose to take coffee or juice on the go.
El Úlitmo Mono Juice & Coffee
Calle Santa Maria 9
6. Specialty coffee at Laura’s
Bertani Café is an established coffee joint in Málaga, run since 2012 by coffee passionate Laura Cabrera. Laura was the first to open a specialty coffee café in Málaga. The café is located in the center of Málaga and is regularly visited by locals and tourists alike.
In the small combined café and shop, which is a delicately decorated pink universe, Laura makes coffee, especially Arabica coffee certified with over 80 points by the Specialty Coffee Association.
You can enjoy your coffee standing in the store or take it on the go. You can also shop for coffee beans to take home and a selection of accessories.
Bertani Café, Calle San Juan 40
More travel tips for Málaga
Find inspiration for the best things to do in Málaga in this guide
Get inspired to discover some of the overlooked museums in Malaga .
Are you looking for good tapas bars and restaurants in Málaga? Then read the guide to the city’s great eateries here
