Wine and Tapas Tour in Malaga: Spain Food Sherpas Review

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Malaga has a vibrant foodie and culinary scene – in my opinion, one of the best in the world. Every time I visit, I look forward to the delicious tapas, local wines and incredible culture.

But even though I travel regularly, and love trying new things, I am as guilty as the next person for sometimes staying too close to my comfort zone.

That’s why I was so excited when I teamed up with Spain Food Sherpas to review their Malaga Tapas and Wine tour.

A waiter in an apron pours wine into a glass at a table where two guests are seated. The woman on the right watches with a slight smile while holding a drink, and the man on the left looks away with a relaxed expression.

I knew from their Taste of Granada Food Tour and Paella Cooking Class that they would take me on a tour of the city’s best bars and restaurants, delivering incredible food and wine that I may not have tried otherwise! Even if you only have 24 hours in Malaga, I highly recommend this experience!

If you’re considering booking a food tour in Malaga, this is my honest review of Spain Food Sherpas’ Wine and Tapas Tour in Malaga, including details of the food and wines we tried, and the places we visited.

Spain Food Sherpas Malaga Tapas and Wine Tour Review

Our Malaga Tapas and Wine Tour was booked for 6 pm on a Friday. We received clear instructions via email and met our guide, Felipe, at the prearranged meeting point in Malaga City Centre.

The group consisted of 12 people in total (including the tour guide, Felipe). The group was made up of Australians, Canadians, Brits and Germans.

A group of people on a walking tour of Malaga at night walk through the historic heart of the city towards a large cathedral tower.

Malaga cathedral towers lit up at night. People are milling around in the square in front of the cathedral.

Antigua Casa de Guardia

We promptly set off for our first stop at Malaga’s oldest tavern, Antigua Casa de Guardia. The unassuming bar, which you could easily miss if you didn’t know it was there, was bustling with people.

We enjoyed a sweet Moscatel wine and a very salty tapa, which were amazingly paired. The tapa, known as Banderillas de Boquerón, consisted of pickled onions, olives and pickled anchovies on a cocktail stick, which I must admit isn’t something I wouldn’t usually order for myself. But the contrast between the sweet and salty was divine!

A Spanish tour guide surrounded by people in the oldest tavern in Malaga. He is handing a small gladd of sweet wine to the photographer.

This tapa ended up being my favourite of the entire tour, mostly because I was surprised that I enjoyed it so much, which shows how important it is to step outside your comfort zone and try new things. This, for me, is one of the best reasons to book a food tour!

A white plate holds several skeweres of Banderillas de Boqueron, salty achiovies with olives and pickled onions. A hand holds the plate as the tapas is delivered to eager diners.

While at Antigua Casa de Guardia, we met a wonderful man who told us that he had been coming to this bar since he was 8 or 9 years old, usually with his father. He said they’d usually give him a little shot of Moscatel (sweet wine) or Coca-Cola, and he loved it and has been coming to this bar ever since.

He was so friendly and was happy for me to take a photo of him. I love this side of travel – meeting interesting people and hearing their stories.

Antigua Casa de Guardia, the oldest tavern in Malaga. The back wall behind the bar is lined with dozens of large wooden barrels. The barmen are serving customers on a busy Friday night.

A older gentleman with white skin and grey hair stands in front of wooden barrels in Malaga's oldest tavern, Antigua Casa de Guardia. He has been visiting this bar since he was a child.

Donde Carlos

After a slow walk through the heart of the historic city centre, our next stop was another restaurant called Donde Carlos. Our guide told us the story of how the restaurant came to be named ‘Donde Carlos’, which in English means ‘Where Carlos Is’.

It was a really cute story and added another layer of depth to the experience, which you wouldn’t otherwise get from a self-guided tour.

Zara's friend, Laura, sits on a barstool in a restaurant in Malaga. There is a menu board behind with the restaurant name 'Donde Carlos' written on the top.

We were then offered a choice of drinks – either a dry sherry or a sweet vermouth. Felipe explained to us that the sherry grapes are local to Malaga and can only be made in this region due to its microclimate. For food, we were served a plate of cheese and Iberian Jamón with bread and olive oil.

The vegetarian option for two members of the group consisted of two varieties of cheese – a goat’s cheese and a manchego cheese.

A selection of Iberian chorizo and jamon, with Manchego cheese on a white place. Behind the plate, there are two glasses filled with sherry and vermouth, placed on a wooden table beside a basket of bread.

El Gallo Ronco

Our next stop, just a short walk from Donde Carlos, was El Gallo Ronco, which means The Hoarse Rooster. Again, our tour guide explained to us the story behind the name of the restaurant, which involves a flamenco dancer.

El Gallo Ronco was our longest stop of the evening, where we enjoyed 3 tapas dishes and another glass of wine, which we could choose from a white Verdejo wine (one of my favourites, known for being very dry), or a red Ribera del Duero wine.

We first enjoyed a huge plate of Berenjenas Con Miel, which in English means fried aubergine with a sweet sugarcane honey sauce. I had tried this dish a few days earlier in another restaurant, and the dish served at El Gallo Ronco was so much better.

A man's hand drizzles a dark sugarcane sauce over slices of deepfried aubergine. A diner sits at the table in the background looking on. This is one of the vegetarian tapas dishes served on the Spain Food Sherpas Malaga Tapas Tour.

A dimly-lit bar in Malaga city centre. Two people sit at a table opposite an empty bar. There are galsses lining the bar and bar stools lined up ready for customers.

Lightly fried in batter and covered in the sweet sugarcane sauce, this was a great vegetarian option that was so moreish! I just keep going back for more after each bite!

The next dish was a traditional gambas pil pil, which in English is prawns cooked in garlic and chilli. The prawns were quite spicy and cooked to perfection!

By this point, I was already starting to feel full when the guide told us we still had 4 dishes to try before the end of the tour. There was so much food that even with 11 people around a table, there were still leftovers!

The last dish served at El Gallo Ronco was a slow-cooked pork tenderloin, cooked in sweet Moscatel wine. The pork was delicious and cooked beautifully in the sweet sauce with roasted potatoes.

A small ceramic dish sits on top of a wooden table. It is filled with roast potatoes and a delicious pork tenderloin in a sweet wine sauce. This is one of the dishes served at El Gallo Ronco on the Malaga Tapas Tour.

Eme de Mariano

After leaving El Gallo Ronco, we enjoyed a walk through the Centro Historico of Malaga, passing by the Santa Iglesia Catedral Basílica de la Encarnación de Málaga (Malaga Cathedral), while Felipe told us some interesting facts about the Cathedral and its missing tower!

We continued to a modern-looking restaurant called Eme de Mariano and sat down outside for our last pitstop on the tour.

Our first tapas at Eme de Mariano were Jamón Iberico croquettes – one of my favourite Spanish tapas, accompanied by a red Rioja wine. We also tried a Gazpachuelo, a fish soup made with mayonnaise, which sounds strange, but it was one of my favourite dishes on the Malaga Tapas and Wine Tour, due to its light, fresh and creamy flavour.

A waitress smiles proudly as she holds up a large paella dish filled with perfectly cooked paella. She is wearing a brown apron and is standing outside the Eme de Mariano restaurant in Malaga.

A waiter wearing a brown apron pours a glass of red wine while diners look on. This photo was taken on the Spain Food Sherpas Malaga Tapas and Wine tour.

I’m not generally a seafood lover, so I was surprised that my favourite tapas of the evening were both seafood-based!

We then finished with a small plate of paella rice, which was perfectly sized given the huge amount of food we’d eaten throughout the evening!

The vegetarian alternative at Eme de Mariano was onion soup, patatas bravas and paella rice without the meat.

Once we’d all finished eating, Felipe showed us the Spain Food Sherpas Malaga Dining Guide that we would each get a copy of. The guide is filled with recommendations on the best places to eat throughout the city.

Unfortunately, as I was leaving Malaga 3 days later, I didn’t get to try any of these places, but I’ll be keeping the guide in my back pocket for my next visit!

A small white plate holding a small portion of paella. The paella is cooked with peas and chorizo and is one of the tapas choicses on the Spain Food Sherpas Malaga tour.

Is It Worth Booking a Food Tour with Spain Food Sherpas?

Absolutely yes! This is the second food tour I have experienced with Spain Food Sherpas, and I really enjoyed both. I honestly believe this is one of the best tours in Malaga. As well as enthusiastic local guides who are passionate about the local food and culture, you also learn fun and interesting facts about the places you visit, and the city’s history.

Every place you visit on the food and wine tour is from a curated list of amazing places to eat, with selected dishes and perfectly paired wines, by people who really know what they’re doing!

As a huge foodie, this was one of my favourite experiences in Malaga during my December trip.

A tour group on the Spain Food Sherpas Malaga Tapas and Wine tour sitting around a white table outside a restaurant in Malaga. They are all smiling and having a good time.

Malaga Tapas and Wine Tour Details

This tour costs €71 per person, with three time options of 5:30 pm, 6 pm or 6:30 pm. The tour lasts between 3 and 3.5 hours.

The tour meets in the centre of Malaga at Calle Marqués de Larios, 18, although this sometimes changes during busy times such as December. We were given an alternative location, just a short walk from the original location, due to the Christmas Light show.

We enjoyed 8 different dishes, 3 glasses of wine and a vermouth or sherry, with explanations and information about the dish, the wine, and the history of the restaurant or bar we were visiting. The tour includes visits to some of Malaga’s best tapas bars and restaurants.

We were asked about any food intolerances before the tour. With two vegetarians on the tour, it was interesting to see what options they were given and to hear their experience. They were pleased with every dish they were given as a vegetarian option.

The tour group is kept to a comfortable 13 people.

Spain Food Sherpas also offer culinary tours in other cities: Madrid, Seville and Granada.

Book the Malaga Tapas and Wine Tour.

Three people are gathered at a table in a lively setting with framed pictures and artwork covering the walls. A man in the center, wearing a patterned button-up shirt, leans toward the camera with a wide smile, while a woman next to him laughs and raises a glass of wine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this food tour good for solo travellers?

Yes, booking a food tour is one of the best things to do in Malaga solo, as you get to meet new people from all over the world! There were two solo travellers on our tour, and I’d definitely consider joining a future tour as a solo traveller. I enjoyed this tour so much, I included it in my Malaga 3-day itinerary post!

Do Spain Food Sherpas cater for dietary requirements?

Most dietary requirements can be catered for with a variety of vegetarian options provided during the tour. If you have any dietary requirements, you should let Spain Food Sherpas know ahead of your Malaga tapas tour so they can cater for you.

Two people clink small glasses filled with golden-colored Moscatel wine in a toast in a busy tavern bar in Malaga.

How much food is served on the Malaga Tapas Tour?

After enjoying a previous Spain Food Sherpas tour in Granada, I knew there would be plentiful food and drinks on offer. You will not leave hungry at the end of the night. In fact, I’d recommend not eating absolutely everything on your plate, as you’ll want to leave room to try all the dishes throughout the night. The portion sizes are generous and there was plenty of food to go around our tour group.

What language is the food tour carried out in?

The Malaga tapas tour is delivered by an English-speaking guide.

How long does the food tour last?

Our evening Malaga food experience lasted for 3.5 hours, with a visit to 4 different restaurants and bars, and a brief walking tour in between pitstops.