EATING OUT

Spanish easting hours are much later than in Britain, although you will be served if you turn up early.  Lunch is from 2-00pm and dinner from 10-00pm.  Try “el menu del dia” for a very cheap lunch – but if your Spanish is not good, check it out from the board outside – the waiters tend to reel off the choices very quickly! Prices are 7 to 10 euros for a three (small) course meal. The beach bars are good places to eat or have tapas. In this part of Spain, you should always receive free tapas with any alcoholic drink.  There is a food dictionary in a black file on the shelf – feel free to take it out with you, but please return it. Our favourite restaurants are as follows.

Casa Emilio  A chiringuita…wine is a bit pricey, but fish is good.
Casa Antonio  A middle priced beach restaurant which we really like.  No menu of the day.  Drive towards Almuñeca; after 3 mins, look out for signs to Playa Cabria. Turn into the slip road, then cross the main road and drive down a very rocky track. Park wherever you can and walk to the last restaurant on the left.
Chez Pierre  A newly opened French restaurant opposite Bar Flores on the front.  You order a series of small dishes; we had four dishes between two of us, which was ample. Not cheap, but excellent.
Chanquete ( Marisqueria) very expensive up market seafood restaurant on the front, but it really is brilliant.  Order separate dishes of clams, lobster, razor clams, mussels etc etc. Take your dictionary.  Try a tapa here, if you don’t fancy a full meal.
Bar Carmen  Up in the hills in a village called Guajar Alto. Allow 45mins to get there on a twisty road.  Follow signs to Granada; look out for turning to Los Guajares.  You will have to turn back on yourself to cross the road. Follow the road passing through all villages; ignore all side roads.  The bar is the first you come to in the village – look out for a small sign “Comidas Caseras”.  For 10 euros you get a salad, an enormous bowl of soup to share, followed by a dish of rabbit, chicken, baby goat or lamb plus “patatas a lo pobre” (potatoes with onions and peppers cooked very slowly in olive oil) and fruit or dessert.  All this is accompanied by as much “costa” wine as you can drink – homemade and grown, but very light.  Take all afternoon!

Tapas are always given free with alcoholic drinks in this area of Spain.  We like to walk to La Caleta and turn left up the street to Bar Gloria…wonderful, tasty seafood tapas eaten under the shade of the old sugar cane factory (2006 is its last year of operation).  The most amazing place to drink and eat is La Brisa del Mar near the port.  Drive as if to Motril, then turn off right, following the signs to the port of Motril. Take the exit after the entrance to the port and you will see the bar on the left. Park where you can! Your tapas seem to increase in size with each drink and you may even get extra portions just for staying there!  The bar staff know exactly who has had what to eat…go early, `cos they stand six deep at the weekends…!