In the morning, in Malaga, I never send my guests far. The best spots for coffee and breakfast are all a few minutes’ walk from the Casa Beatas hotel. Here’s the little shortlist I really give at reception: a specialty coffee, a place to brunch, and the great classic, churros con chocolate. Besides, breakfast in Malaga is happily taken outside, at the counter or on a terrace. It’s a ritual, not a chore. But before you push a door, you have to learn how to order your coffee.
Speaking “coffee” like a malagueño: the ten strengths
Here you don’t just order “a coffee with milk”. Indeed, Malaga invented its own scale, back in the 1950s, at the Café Central. It names the exact proportion of coffee and milk. It runs from the strongest to the mildest. At the top, the solo: coffee alone. At the very bottom, the nube (“cloud”), almost all milk. Between the two, the most common is the mitad, half and half, and the sombra (“shade”), very milky. There’s also the largo, the solo corto, the corto and a few more. Ten shades in all, one per mood.
It’s even said a tenth name was added as a joke: the no me lo ponga (“don’t put any in”). The Café Central has closed, but the habit stayed across the city. My tip: ask for a mitad if you like a milky coffee, a sombra if you prefer it soft. The waiter will take you for a regular.
A real specialty coffee: Kima Coffee
Travelling for a good coffee? Then drop by Kima Coffee, on Calle Carretería, on the northern edge of the old town. They roast their own beans in Malaga and work with single-origin coffees. So have a well-pulled flat white, or a filter when you have time. Reckon about €3 a cup. As a result, it’s small and serious, the opposite of coffee gulped standing up. Sit on a stool and watch them weigh and grind. It’s a different, slower relationship with coffee. Many digital nomads, in fact, make it their morning office. Do check the hours before you go, though, as they vary by day.
Breakfast and brunch: Next Level Specialty Coffee
For a proper sit-down breakfast, I send you to Next Level Specialty Coffee, on Calle Panaderos, a stone’s throw from the Atarazanas market. On the menu: avocado toast, eggs, cheesecake, and a specialty coffee to go with it. So it’s the address when you want to take your time in the morning. There’s room, too, to set down a laptop. Our travellers who work on the road come back often. A brunch plate runs about €6 to €12, and the coffee measures up.
The classic: churros con chocolate at Casa Aranda
And then there’s the ritual I most love to share: churros con chocolate at Casa Aranda. It’s in an alley right by the Atarazanas market, since 1932. In Malaga, churros are often called tejeringos. Here they come out of the fryer, crisp. Then you dip them in a thick chocolate, barely sweet, served in a little cup. It’s cheap (€3 to €5), it’s lively, and it’s full of families on Sunday mornings. So go early: that’s where you understand the Malaga breakfast. The Atarazanas market is right next door: push the door before or after, the stained glass is worth a look. A freshly squeezed orange juice happily rounds off the picture. And for the rest of the day, I gather my addresses for eating well in the centre in another post.
Your ideal morning, a short walk from Casa Beatas
If I had to plan your first morning: a mitad and some churros at Casa Aranda to wake up. Then a real specialty coffee at Kima, if the urge returns. That way, it’s all on foot, in a few minutes, never getting back in the car. It’s, for me, the finest way to start a day in Malaga. And for anyone who likes an effortless start, our cozy double room on the ground floor even spares you the stairs before the first coffee. Something specific, gluten-free, a very quiet spot? Ask me on WhatsApp, I’ll point you to the right door.
