The Best Restaurants in Ronda, Spain

Located just off the old Moorish quarter‘s main drag, the cosy and innovative Casa Maria (named after the proprietor) is a must-visit if you’re in Ronda. There is no menu here: you simply make yourself comfortable – booking in advance is strongly recommended – order your drinks and inform the staff of any relevant dietary requirements. The delicious courses that follow are chosen and created by the kitchen depending on ingredients obtainable at the market that morning. Make sure you leave room for dessert: the lemon cheesecake in particular is spectacular.

Before opening this cute and quirky tapas joint in Ronda’s oldest quarter, owner Guillermo cooked in restaurants from the Basque country to Marbella, learning about many different cuisines and cooking techniques. The results of his culinary odyssey are clear to see in the dishes on offer at De Loco Tapas: Spanish classics such as tortilla and “Russian” salad are replaced by imaginative treats such as Basque tuna stew or Turkish-style meatballs. Reservations are pretty much essential as the minimalist interior has just six tables.

This hugely popular eatery takes its name from the beautiful old barrio of San Francisco, located at Ronda‘s southern extremity. The menu is dominated by Andalusian classics, all of which are home-cooked to perfection using the best local ingredients. Try, for example, the exquisitely tender rabo de toro – bull’s tail, slow-cooked in a red wine sauce – or the gambas al pilpil – spicy prawns served with hunks of rustic bread. Bodega San Francisco also boasts a superb wine list, a big screen for live sporting fixtures and a large, sunny terrace.

Located at the southern end of Ronda’s enchanting old Moorish quarter, Almocabar is a meat eater’s paradise and said by many locals to be the best restaurant in town – period. Beef and lamb dishes are cooked at your table, whilst other raciones (main courses) show off the wonderful flavours of locally-caught rabbit and partridge. Particularly recommended are the pig cheeks, the pork chops and the to-die-for desserts, all of which can be enjoyed in a smart dining room or a spacious outside terrace. The excellent wine list features all of the leading local producers.

The star draw at Meson El Sacristan – another of the old town’s best restaurants – is its wood oven: the only such oven in Ronda, it lends meat dishes a wonderfully smoky flavour and fall-apart texture. Star raciones are the baby goat chops and the suckling pig, but clients also say this is one of the best places in town to try the Andalusian classic of rabo de toro, or slow-cooked bull’s tail. The restaurant also prides itself on the quality of its cured hams and its homemade desserts, so make sure you leave room for something sweet after indulging in the exquisite roasted meats.

As you’d expect from a restaurant named after one of the greatest Spanish bullfighters of all time, this popular establishment is located just across the road from Ronda’s beautiful 18th century bullring. As you’d expect, the décor at Restaurante Pedro Romero revolves around this controversial Spanish spectacle, with huge bullfighting posters and mounted bull’s heads plastering the walls. The menu is rustic, featuring hearty southern Spanish classics such as slow-cooked bull’s tail (obviously), stewed partridges and pork cheeks with mushrooms. Customers also love the homemade desserts, especially the cheesecake.