South West Spain Road Trip: The Culinary Side of Andalusia

First stop on your culinary South West Spain road trip is a city with its finger firmly on the gastronomic pulse. Málaga, once a bit down on its luck, is reinventing itself as a true foodie getaway with gastropubs and hip cafes popping up all over.

With its hilltop citadels and contemporary art, Picasso’s birthplace is a vibrant and dynamic city where you can enjoy delicious seafood and, when night falls, a bar scene that just refuses to go to bed.

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Refuel on boquerones fritos — or fried anchovies. These are so popular in Andalusia that the word now also refers to the locals themselves. Pay a visit to the cathedral before enjoying lunch at Atarazanas market.

Head to an ultramarino to stock up on Iberian jamón and cheese to enjoy back at the campervan campsite. Savour the sunset on one of the many rooftop terraces.

For dinner, speciality must-tries include ajoblanco, a garlic soup, followed by a coffee with some tarta Malagueña. For beachside dinner, try espetos, fish skewers roasted over a sizzling fire.

Well-rested and well-fed, head on to the next destination on your South West Spain road trip: the flashy, sassy queen of the Costa del Sol, Marbella.

The city isn’t all swanky clubs, supercars, and private yachts. All that cash to splash also entails some pretty spectacular restaurants. An abundance of local produce is transformed by the best in the business into mouth-watering dishes, and, in Marbella, eating well is basically inevitable.

First up should be gambas al pil pil: prawns fried with garlic and chilli, served with enough bread to feed a village. Or, if you’re hoping to slip into something tight later on, opt for the ensalada Malagueña.

Then explore the fancy and oh-so-fabulous Puerto Banús, or venture out to the surrounding vineyards for some eno-tourism, or wine tasting.

After sunset, engage in some tapeo— hopping from bar to bar for drinks and tapas. This is how the locals while away a leisurely evening — and they probably know best.

One of Andalusia’s best-known pueblos blancos teeters above a 150-metre gorge. Ronda is the emblematic white-stone town and a truly gorgeous stop on your South West Spain road trip.

There’s plenty to satisfy cultural needs here, such as the bullfighting arena of Plaza de Toros. But even more to fulfil gastronomic requirements, from traditional tapas to Argentinian steaks. Plus the rugged Serranía de Ronda produces delicious red wines just waiting to be sampled.

Work up an appetite with a hike down into the gorge and back again. Reward yourself at the Ronda Sweet Bakery, which also runs baking workshops. Enjoy the dizzying views from El Balcon del Coño or learn about Ronda’s riotous history of rebels and outlaws at the Museum of Bandits. 

If the gory tales don’t put you off, take afternoon tea at the Victorian Hotel, whose gardens inspired German poet Rilke. And before you leave, make sure to try some serranitos and stock up on yemas de Ronda.

Surrounded by mountains, pine forests, vast skies, and boundless beaches, Cádiz feels more far-flung, more exotic, and more untamed than the other Andalusian cities.

With its Arabic forts, palaces, and crumbling sea walls where Atlantic waves crash, it’s certainly romantic. Incidentally, it’s also a paradise for foodies.

Cádiz is the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in Europe and we suspect it was those chicharrones de Cádiz that did it. Wander the old town to discover hidden corners crammed with history. Marvel at the golden dome of the cathedral.

Refuel on tortillitas de camarones. Or, for something more substantial to power your South West Spain road trip, try pollo a la canilla — chicken marinated in sherry. Cádiz is, after all, an important point on the Sherry Triangle. 

Stroll by the sea, and, when night falls, head to a neon-lit, napkin-strewn freideria for mounds of delicious salty fish, and, before heading to bed, catch some flamenco in a local peña.

Jerez: tapas, flamenco, and sherry. Oh, and horses. Jerez is where some of the finest horses in the world are trained and bred. So if you fancy some equestrian ballet, you’re in the right place.

You’re also in the right place for exceptional gastronomy. You can enjoy some of the best of Andalusian cuisine in Jerez, also the birthplace of sherry. So read up on this most underrated tipple and continue on to the next destination of this Andalusia itinerary

Your stay in Jerez is going to be heavy on the drinking, that’s for certain (don't drink and drive!). And no better place to start than a traditional tabanco — of which the best-known is Tabanco el Pasaje.

Alongside, enjoy traditional fare of stew, meatballs, tortilla, and clams. Then wander streets of palms and orange trees, soft pink buildings and Baroque churches. Relax in the stately Plaza del Arenal.

If you time your South West Spain road trip right, you might catch the Feria de Caballo, a centuries-old celebration with the city’s famous horses as a centrepiece.

Seville — with its palaces, churches, flamenco clubs, and 14,000 orange trees — is immediately seductive. Intense and fiery, it’s an ideal finale to your culinary South West Spain road trip.

Seville does nothing by halves and the passion that flows into its flamenco songs and dances is met with equal fervour in the kitchens of its acclaimed restaurants. So continue to your itinerary’s last foodie haven: a Moorish capital that is totally—excuse us—moreish.

First, head to the magnificent cathedral. The Metropol Parasol or the Alcázar are also worth your time. Escape the sun in the Palacio de las Dueñas or consider a cooking class at the Mercado de la Triana.

For lunch, there’s carrillada de cerdo or a serranito de Lomo — the city’s signature sandwich. Climb the Giralda for spectacular views.

As night falls, bar-crawl along La Macarena’s Calle Feria and be sure to try the solomillo al whiskey. How did whiskey get involved? We’re not sure, but it’s delicious.