Choosing the best places to eat in old town Marbella is really tough because there are so many amazing restaurants to try! The streets are covered in restaurants with a big range of foods. Obviously, we didn’t get to try every restaurant but we did eat at a good few of them as we ate out for lunch & dinner every day for the week we spent in Marbella.
I checked Trip Advisor for most of our choices & it directed us right in most cases. There were only a couple of places we ate that I didn’t enjoy either the food or service. I’m not going to mention those places – I’ll just share my absolute favorite places that I’d go back to if we return to Marbella again some day.
There are some Michelin star restaurants in the old town but they didn’t rank as well on Trip Advisor as many of the restaurants we ate at. Most restaurants don’t provide prices online. So we would walk around the town & check out the menus before we made any reservations. Average prices for a main course range from 14 – 30 euros. Some restaurants have early bird options that end at 7pm.
If you like to dine early you won’t need a reservation most places but if you want a table on the street or during the busy time of 9 – 11 at night, a reservation is advisable. I’d recommend a reservation for my top 4 restaurant choices below because they are popular & were fully booked the nights we dined.
Here are the best places to eat in old town Marbella
Best Steak
Buenos Aires Steak House had the most tender & delicious fillet steak I’ve ever had in my life. It was amazing, cooked to perfection with subtle seasonings. Service was fantastic with kind & efficient staff.
We booked a table for 6:30pm which was during their early bird menu. The fillet steak & dessert was 25 euros each which was quite reasonable for the portion & quality of food.
You can request a table on the footpath for dining outside. The restaurant is quite small so even if you are inside you can still see the people walking by.
My steak & ice cream was divine. There is seriously delicious food at Buenos Aires Steak House!!
Best Dining Experience
El Patio de Mariscal had the most amazing staff & patio seating area. The patio is behind the restaurant & books up quickly. It’s open air with trees & beautiful lanterns & lights for decoration. Dining after dark would be ideal here to enjoy the lights & romantic setting. Request seats in the patio when making your reservation.
The staff worked together flawlessly with a positive & upbeat energy. Many of the customers were back visiting for second or third times from prior trips to Marbella which is a wonderful sign of a good restaurant.
The food was beautifully presented & delicious. We shared a salad & the mixed seafood & chicken paella. For dessert, my husband had the profit rolls were which gorgeous. I had their signature cheese dish which was Spanish sheep cheese, walnut jam & sweet wine. It was a fantastic combination but it’s quite a big portion – it would easily feed two.
Best Tapas
Arco Tapas Bar serves tapas with a Brittish / Irish flare to them so it’s not the most authentic Spanish experience but it was by far my favourite tapas. We had tapas at a few different places where the food is left out & reheated when you pick something. I was put off by the flies landing on the food & the tapas were quite rich for my liking.
Arco Tapas Bar cooks all of the food to order. The food was fresh, delicious & beautifully presented. You choose. around 6 dishes when you order & they bring out two at a time. I was impressed with the generous portion sizes & by how tasty each dish was.
You definitely need a reservation to eat here. If you’d like to sit outside be sure to mention that when you call. It’s a busy street for people watching so it’s a good place to sit outside.
The Arco sangria was my favorite sangria in Marbella. The fresh fruit was delicious & the banana slice added so much to the flavour!
Best View
Beach Club Restaurante Grill at the Hotel Fuerte Marbella had by far the most spectacular view of the sea while dining. The tables are right on the beach with the waves coming up only feet away from you. The food & service is excellent. The full hotel menu is available at the beach club. It’s open to the public & was a great place to have a drink & a bite for lunch. Just look at this beautiful, fresh food with a spectacular view!
Final Thoughts
The nightlife in Marbella is eating late & having a few drinks while you are at it. There are only a handful of bars that don’t serve food. To get in with the local culture, try eating late one night, around 10pm. The place really comes alive then!
Not far from the old town is the promenade along the beach. It doesn’t have the character & charm of the old town. I felt like I could have been on any promenade in any city in the world. But there are lots more restaurants & bars along there. Being honest, I didn’t enjoy the food we had down there nearly as much as the meals in the old town – that’s why we ate in the old town so much.
The character of the town, the charm of the people & the delicious, fresh ingredients of the food come together to make an amazing place to enjoy a meal!
For more details, check out my post about the old town Marbella here.
In case you were wondering, we paid for all of our meals. I just love to share my opinions 😉 x
I’m sharing with #citytripping & #bloggerclubuk
