El Lirio - Málaga

El Lirio is a Spanish restaurant in Málaga which is dedicated to the maritime heritage of the city. They specialise in providing the best fish and seafood dishes made from freshly caught fish brought in at the nearby docks.

The Restaurant

El Lirio

El Lirio is a family run fish restaurant that has been around for around a hundred years making it one of the oldest restaurants on its street, originally opening at the beginning of the 20th Century. Clearly the restaurant has evolved a lot since that time, passing through a number of generations, but the theme and purpose of the restaurant still remains the same: to serve the best fish dishes on the coast of Málaga.

This Spanish restaurant can be found right on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea along the Paseo Marítimo del Pedregal. The views of the sea are therefore excellent and help unite the restaurant with its theme. The sound of the crashing waves nearby gives El Lirio its own natural soundtrack and the fresh, salty air makes you appreciate the subtle fishy flavours.

The interior of the restaurant also evokes the sea and the maritime heritage of Málaga. The restaurant's colour scheme is mainly based on colours of the sea which means that the majority of the walls are painted in varying shades of blue as are the table cloths.

The walls are covered in pictures of the restaurant and some of the historical maritime landmarks from over the decades. Some of the more interesting photos are those of the restaurant before the promenade had been built as at this time, when the sea was at high tide the waves would lap over the feet of the customer sitting in the first row of tables on the terrace. There are also many maritime trinkets such as models of famous ships. You could be forgiven for thinking that you had undergone a Spanish immersion process and become a Spanish sailor!

El Lirio, like most Spanish restaurants in Spain, has a terrace outside at the front of the restaurant. This is a particularly popular spot at the restaurant as it offers the best views of the seaside as well as letting the customers enjoy some Spanish sun - well worth checking out when you visit Málaga.

The Menu

Menu El Lirio

The food at El Lirio is based on traditional seafood recipes from Málaga and the Andalusian region as whole. They pride themselves on using the finest and freshest ingredients, caught in the local area. The use of these fresh ingredients combined with the example experience gained by the restaurant over time means that you can always be assured that you are eating the best and most authentic fish dishes around.

The range of seafood and fish at this Spanish restaurant in Málaga is almost like visiting an aquarium. Everything from a multitude of varieties of clams including 'coquinitas' and 'almejitas', to crayfish and squid can be found at El Lirio. This is a perfect way to learn Spanish - learning the names for all the fish as well as the way they are cooked!

Some of the typical Spanish fish dishes to be found at El Lirio include 'calamares' (battered squid rings), 'lubina' (sea bass) and 'gambas' (prawns). El Lirio wouldn't be a true Spanish fish restaurant if it didn't serve 'paella de mariscos' (Fisherman's paella), the typical Spanish rice dish which normally includes a variety of fish and seafood such as octopus, prawns, squid and mussels. Another of the restaurant's specialities is the 'Sopa de mariscos' or fish soup. For those with a sweet-tooth out there, El Lirio also offers an excellent range of home-made desserts which are the perfect ending to a traditional Spanish fish dish.