El Tintero
Restaurante El Tintero, located right on the seafront in the eastern district of El Palo, offers a Malaga dining experience like no other.
With its distinctive auction-style service and specialisation in pescaíto frito (fried fish), this popular restaurant combines delicious food with a lively atmosphere, ensuring a memorable visit for all guests.
The El Tintero ‘auction’ explained
The restaurant’s auction-style dining process is certainly unique. In fact, it’s both engaging and efficient.
El Tintero does away with a traditional menu (although one is available). Instead, waiters circulate around the restaurant with trays of various dishes, “singing” the dishes they carry, adding to the unique dining experience.
Diners can see exactly what they are choosing, from lobster and salads to the region’s famous espetos (sardine skewers) and seafood paella. If you see something that you like the look of, you can claim plates by raising your hand, creating an interactive and fun experience.
This system allows for swift service, often with food and drinks on the table before guests even sit down.
Payment is straightforward, with waiters tallying the number of plates and performing basic arithmetic on the tablecloth.
The kitchen remains open throughout the day, accommodating latecomers with a wide selection of dishes.
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Celebrated cuisine
El Tintero is renowned for its quality and variety, offering other local favourites such as prawns, langoustines, clams, salads, calamari, baby squid (puntillitas) and Malaga’s famous anchovies (boquerones).
The restaurant’s fame is well-earned, thanks to its fresh dishes, excellent beachfront views and unique service style.
It captures the essence of Malaga’s vibrant culinary scene, providing an unforgettable dining experience for both first-time visitors and returning guests.
Daryl is the co-founder of Malaga Guru. He is a copywriter, editor and translator who moved to Malaga a decade ago having first fallen in love with the city on his Erasmus year. After working for many years at local expat newspaper SUR in English, Daryl gained expert knowledge in life from the perspective of foreign residents and decided to co-found this site in 2016.