The 11 Best Restaurants in Ronda 2020: Your Ultimate Foodie Guide
Ronda is an undiscovered foodie paradise.
And it’s not hard to see why! The city perches on top of a rugged cliff, overlooking valleys filled with amazing food. You’ll see rolling hills covered with olive trees, vineyards, grazing goats and sheep, all cut by the dramatic gorges of the mountain sierra.
Some of the best restaurants in the country are in Ronda, using local produce you didn’t even know existed!
But how do you narrow it down? It’s not easy…
For a small town, Ronda has a huge number of tapas bars and restaurants, making it hard to know just where to go to eat. Luckily, I’ve done the hard work for you.
From quiet wine bars to upscale restaurants and rustic tapas bars, I’ve handpicked my favourite places to eat in Ronda. So let’s dive into the best of the best!
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How to eat tapas in Ronda
Halfway between the cities of Seville and Malaga, Ronda is in the heart of Andalusia. It isn’t just the most beautiful part of Spain, it’s also the home of tapas!
Nowhere else in the country does tapas as well as the South, and locals where that as a badge of honour. Food isn’t just part of daily life, it’s a religion. I’ve found that if you need to make small-talk with someone from Andalusia, food is the best way to go! Their eyes light up discussing the secrets of a good tortilla, or their granny’s recipe for traditional salmorejo.
But what does tapas mean in Ronda?
Just remember that tapas isn’t a type of food, it’s a way of eating. Sharing is the name of the game here! No matter if they’re at a bar or the best restaurant in the city, Ronda locals share their plates of food.
Menus might have a column labelled ‘tapas’, but that just means a small serving, different from a bigger ración. But weirdly, it’s all tapas! No matter the size of the plate, eating tapas is the idea of sharing food with family or friends while socialising. If you’re doing that, you’re eating tapas like a local!
Where to eat in Ronda
Now you know how to eat tapas like a pro, it’s time to find the best restaurants in Ronda.
Where to begin! Ronda has an insane number of eateries, from old school taverns to Michelin-star restaurants. And when you’re in town, you should visit them all. Spanish food is all about love and simplicity, and some of the best restaurants are the most unlikely ones.
Let’s break it down one at a time.
Traditional tapas bars in Ronda
Ronda lies on the old border between Christian and Muslim Spain. This was the land of the Moors until the end of the 15th century, and a lot of the tapas here still feature Middle Eastern flavour.
This isn’t the place for paella or the spot for sangria! Here you’ll want to eat dishes like fried almonds, ajoblanco soup, grilled anchovies, and plates spiced with cumin, bay leaves, purple garlic, and honey.
Ronda has the best of both worlds! Amazing seafood comes from the nearby coast, and the mountains provide incredible mushrooms, game, and the famous local goat cheese; payoyo. Honestly, payoyo drizzled with local honey might be my favourite tapa in Spain.
And of course, you can’t ignore the pork. Spain is the kingdom of the pig, and the most famous ham in the country comes from Andalusia! It’s a crime to not eat your weight in jamón ibérico when you’re in Ronda.
Here’s my list of the best tapas bars in Ronda:
- Bar El Lechuguita (Calle Virgen de los Remedios, 35). Standing room only, with local crowds ordering simple tapas for no more than a euro each!
- Casa Mateos (Calle Jerez, 6). Family-run tapas bar serving traditional foods sourced from the local sierra.
- Siempre Igual (Calle San José, 2). Old-school doesn’t even come close! Food cooked with love, just like abuelita used to make.
- Las Castañuelas (Calle Jerez, 3). Paco’s home-cooked tapas. It’s like walking into an autumnal paradise, all year round.
- Entre Vinos (Calle Pozo, 2). This local wine bar only serves local bottles, paired with a simple and delicious tapas menu for a light meal.
- Taberna El Almacén (Calle Virgen de los Remedios, 7). Traditional recipes brought into the 21st century in a tavern with a trendy vibe.
Best Restaurants in Ronda
While Seville and Malaga are places where locals love to hop between tapas bars, in Ronda people like to feast. There are more sit-down restaurants here than you can ever hope to eat at (and no, that’s not a challenge!).
There is a love of food in Ronda that I’m not sure I’ve seen anywhere else in Spain. Not only do locals love eating, they’re also fiercely proud of the food from the region. Ask a local waiter for Manchego and you’ll see their eyes narrow as they tell you that the local payoyo is far superior.
Sure, restaurants might have Rioja wines in their cellar, but they’ll gather dust while locals drink up the reds from the local Sierra de Malaga wine region.
So why not see this pride and culinary prowess for yourself! Check out my choices for the best restaurants in Ronda:
- Casa María (Plaza Ruedo Alameda, 27). As the owner tells you when you enter, Casa María is different. There’s no menu here; pay 30 euros and Pepe just brings you whatever his wife has made in the kitchen that day. They visit the market each morning for the freshest ingredients, so you’ll never have the same meal twice.
- Tragatá (Calle Nueva, 4). The passion project of Benito Gómez, the chef behind Michelin-starred Bardal (see below). It’s more casual than his other restaurant, and he brings to life the Andalusian dishes of childhood with local ingredients.
- Tropicana (Corner of Avenida Malaga & Calle Acinipo, s/n). Amazing wine list paired with a menu specialising in seasonal, organic produce and expertly grilled meat.
- Albacara (Calle Tenorio, 8). Situated in the decadent Hotel Montelirio, the food at Albacara is delicious and authentically local, but that’s not what you go for. More than anything else, diners come here for the view!
Michelin restaurants in Ronda
Ronda doesn’t let its small size get in the way of producing fantastic restaurants. It’s hard to have a bad meal here!
For now, there is only one Michelin-starred restaurant in Ronda. (For context, that’s the same number you find in Ronda’s bigger sister, Seville!). It’s a quiet place, a foodie oasis far away from the crowded Michelin eateries in the rest of Spain.
But with an incredible menu produced by a chef who served under Ferran Adrià, it won’t stay a secret for long! To get in before it’s famous, head to:
- Bardal (Calle José Aparicio, 1).
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Are you travelling throughout Andalusia? Don’t miss my other foodie guides! Get the list of the best restaurants in Seville, and where to eat in Malaga.
Have I missed your favourite foodie gem in the city? Let me know your pick for the best restaurants in Ronda in the comments below!