Costa del Sol Guide - Torremolinos

Torremolinos Information

The name Torremolinos comes from ‘Molinos de la Torre’ (the mills of the tower) and the ancient mill is still here, standing like some Disney-inspired folly at the base of the souvenir strip of Calle San Miguel. The town evolved as a thriving centre for fishing, primarily centred around La Carihuela, an area south-west of the town centre, where a few bona fida fishermen still work and the best seafood restaurants can be found. A brand new auditorium means that the level of culture here is no longer reduced to canned flamenco and kareoke bars, while the adjacent Congress Centre is attracting a new breed of business to ‘Torrie’ with year-round trade shows and exhibitions.

Torremolinos has had a good scrub and brush up over the past few years with extensive landscaping, the pedestrianising of several streets and a general tarting up of the 7km long promenade. New construction has to adhere to far stricter controls and there are fewer brat pack Brits who holiday here.

Map of Torremolinos

Map of Nerja

The sea is the greatest provider of Torremolinos cooking. The fish come in all shapes and sizes, and are normally fried or barbecued on the spit, often taken with a glass of refreshing gazpacho soup. Some claim that the best fried fish is available at the chiringuitos along La Carihuela beach, while the many excellent restaurants in the town might dispute this claim. Paella is also a popular dish here, perhaps due to the many foreign tourists that ask for it, but there are many other dishes traditional to Torremolinos that are not fried fish. These include roasted pepper salad, a long-time favourite of the area, made with roasted pepper, onion, tomato, oil, vinegar, salt and ali-oli. Pastry making is an important part of the gastronomic offer of this town too, the traditionally-made Tortas de Aceite de Torremolinos among the most delicious pastries to be had in Spain. But not all the Torremolinos cuisine is traditional. The huge influx of foreigners to the town has left its culinary mark, and in the 250 or so restaurants in the municipality, one finds something good to eat from every continent.