My 5 Best Places to Eat in Almeria, Spain

I moved to Almeria four months ago, and I had one major mission when I arrived: Finding the best cafe and best bar in Almeria.

When I move abroad one of the first things I like to do is find a great place to eat and drink, where the atmosphere, the food, and the staff all combine to make an amazing dining experience and where I know I can go and feel like I’m at home. Whether it’s a meal, coffee and cake, or drinks in the evening, everywhere I go I have to hunt down somewhere that fits. When I arrived in Almeria and started to wander the streets and check out the Almeria restaurants I began to fear I wouldn’t find any place in Almeria I really loved to eat!

Well, I needn’t have been so worried! Almeria has a lot of traditional places to eat, and while sometimes the food and staff can be really great, I put a lot on the atmosphere and decor as well. While I can appreciate some traditional Spanish decor, I also like something a little different! So below are my 5 best places to eat in Almeria, for different reasons. All of them are great at multiple times of the day, but especially amazing when they have tapas on offer and you can make a meal of it.

My 5 Best Places to Eat in Almeria

La Mala

Calle Real, 69, 04001 Almería

A tiny corner bar, La Mala has some of the best tapas in Almeria in my opinion, plus an awesome menu if you feel like spending a little more. Tortillas are their specialty, and if you order one you’ll know why. The service here is always excellent with the barmen somehow keeping up with multiple drink and tapa orders even on a busy Friday or Saturday night. The downstairs in La Mala can become very crowded on the weekend, especially later on as people spill into the street, but you can head upstairs for a seat if you want to order something off the menu too. Also one of the only places where I’ve found spicy sauces as an option with tapas, since spice doesn’t seem to be so popular in Spain! La Mala was my first favourite bar in Almeria.

Cafe Cyrano

Calle Méndez Núñez, 19, 04001

Cafe Cyrano in central Almeria is my kind of cafe. Comfy couches, coffee, cake, alcohol, tapas, meals, free wifi, movie nights – everything! If I feel like sitting and relaxing in a cafe from lunch to dinnertime or taking my time over coffee and cake then Cafe Cyrano is the best place in Almeria to go. The cafe has a more European feel than most, and is the style I’m used to from home. They have a great menu of the day on weekdays with different options related to different countries like Mexico, Italy, or France. Cafe Cyrano also offers tapas with a difference, borrowing cuisines from Thailand, Vietnam and Japan, plus delicious Spanish options. Some tapas are an added cost but always worth it. Cafe Cryano would be my pick for the best cafe in Almeria.

El Vino en un Barco

Calle Real, 12, 04003

I thought El Vino en un Barco bar looked great from the outside but when I went in I never wanted to leave. El Vino en un Barco has a funky decor that I think I’ll borrow for my own house one day. The staff are some of the friendliest I’ve ever come across, they remember you, and I feel like nothing is too much trouble for them. El Vino en un Barco has both comfy couch seats and higher bar tables. On the menu you can find traditional cheese and meet tapas, as well as a few alternative options like a falafel wrap and a mini bun filled with fondue. There are always daily specials that come out great, and cakes on offer too. The cocktails list at El Vino en un Barco has almost everything and if it doesn’t you can ask for whatever you’d like and the staff are happy to make it for you. El Vino en un Barco is the best bar in Almeria to relax in.

Lila’s Cafe

Rambla Obispo Orberá, 34, 04001

I always walked past Lila’s Cafe in Almeria and thought it looked lovely, but out of my price range. When I finally decided it just looked too tempting and it turned out to be no more than anywhere else for the standard drinks and tapas. Decorated in a Thai theme with a two page long list of delicious tapas to try, Lila’s Cafe is well worth the visit. You can sample tapas inspired and named after cuisines from all over the world, from Japan to Mexico, and the USA to India. I also love being asked what sort of food I like, and offered different choices that aren’t even on the menu. The seating inside Lila’s Cafe is ridiculously comfortable, and I’m already anticipating my next visit!

La Consentida

Plaza Antonio González Egea, S/N, 04001

I gave up on trying to go to La Consentida the first few times because it was so busy, and when I finally made the effort I wished I hadn’t waited so long! On the weekend it’s difficult to find a spot inside or outside this beautiful bar because it fills up so quickly. Be sure to go earlier, or on a day other than the weekend if you want a table right away. The kitchen at la Consentida opens from around 8pm, earlier than many others, and since the tapas are like meals it’s a great place to start out. If your Spanish isn’t great the tapas are pictured on tv screens, and although this sounds tacky it actually leaves your mouth watering over what options you could choose next. At La Consentida the large beer is the size of a scooner, or a 3 quarter pint, plus the tapas (named after celebrities!) are on the larger side at no extra cost. I love the decor of La Consentida but it’s the tapas here that win it for me.

What do you think? Are you booking your ticket to Almeria yet?  There so many things to do in Almeria, and now you have all the best places to eat in Almeria so hurry up and add it to your list! Now I’m not saying these are the only Almeria restuarants you should try, or even that they’re the best restaurants in Almeria, because I’ve certainly discovered a lot more since, however, they are some of my first favourite places to eat, and I know you’l enjoy them too!

Do you live in Almeria? Did I get it right? Which one looks like your favourite?

Sonja x

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