Bar Cosmopolita is a pleasant outdoor restaurant situated on the seafront in Los Boliches which borders Carvajal to the left towards Malaga and the larger town of Fuengirola to the right. To look at, it does not stand out from any other outdoor café along the promenade with the usual blinds overhanging the plastic garden furniture but what it may lack in character is more than made up for by the quality of food and the good service provided by all the staff. It has been established for a number of years and is run by two Spanish chaps, Thomas and Manolo. The former is the restaurants frontman and ably tends to his devoted clientele who return faithfully come rain or shine whilst Manolo is usually to be found tucked away in the kitchen. Indeed, so popular has this restaurant become and the informality it generates, that it is known simply as Thomas`s to the locals. Thomas is ably assisted by two young waiters, Sam and Sergei, who you will find present there most days. Like the majority of restaurants here, Thomas and the waiters work incredibly long shifts in excess of 12 hours. However, the long hours do not reflect on the service you will receive as they will always be happy to greet you and indulge in some chit chat as if you are long lost friends.

There are several signature dishes served named after the restaurant, namely their Cosmopolita salad, which is essentially leafy lettuce, juicy tomatoes, boiled eggs, plump green olives, sliced onion, tuna and liberally drizzled with olive oil. The Cosmopolita chicken dish is an extremely tasty breast of chicken, smothered in mushrooms and black peppercorns in a rich creamy sauce. Personal favourites of mine are the veal scallop, encrusted in bread crumbs and fried to perfection and the prawns pil-pil which has a deliciously spicy tang. Every dish can be served with either potatoes or chips with vegetables of your choice. Specials of the day will encompass either a hefty piece of steak or whatever the catch of the day is from the sea.

The menu, encased in an attractive leather bound folder, has been carefully designed to welcome people of several nationalities as it has been translated from Spanish to English, German and several Scandinavian languages which, as the majority of foreigners on the Costa del Sol originally hail from these countries, is quite a smart touch and not one that is found in many restaurants here. Whilst the first page of the menu covers quite a variety of dishes with starters ranging from Serrano ham to sautéed mushrooms at approximately 4 -8 euros. Be warned if you choose the mushrooms as the portion is ridiculously large and is best shared amongst your group rather than as a dish for one person. There is a comprehensive selection of fish dishes such as grilled red snapper or swordfish, highly recommended at approx 9.50 euros as well as a selection of chicken, veal and beef.

To cater for the British market, Thomas has created the type of food he knows will go down a treat such as egg n chips, beans on toast, English breakfast to burgers etc at 5 euros a throw. A nice addition to this particular selection is that Thomas will happily modify the dish to your liking so it is always worth asking if they can prepare an alternative to what`s on offer. For example, sausages on toast with tomatoes isn`t actually on the menu nor are toasted sandwiches but these can be knocked up without difficulty. Desserts range from mousses to cakes at 3.50 to 4.80 whilst the price of drinks start from 1 euro for beverages, which is pretty standard along these parts to 1.40 for beer with bottles of wine from 7.50 for the Rioja de la Casa Paternina up to 20 euros for the paternina Banda rioja. As in any restaurant or bar in Spain, the spirit measures are most definitely on the generous side, poured as they are directly from the bottle without any specific limit. In fact, it would seem that if they are in a particularly upbeat mood, you could find yourself with an extremely large drink without any extra charge. At the end of the evening, it is highly likely that you will be offered complimentary drinks such as Baileys or some other type of liquer, which again is a nice touch to round the night off.

For anyone on holiday with young kids, this is a place that most certainly welcomes youngsters and you will find the staff here genuinely interested in your little ones which can definitely eliminate any extra stress that an evening out with children can generate.

Opening hours are from 10 am until late every day except Thursdays. During the winter period, it closes for approximately 6-8 weeks in common with many restaurants here so that the staff can enjoy a well deserved break. It will reopen in early January and expect it to be packed as their regulars return with a vengeance. As a general rule of thumb, it is usually full every lunchtime and most evenings so booking is advised.

89 Paseo Maritimo
Los Boliches
Malaga
Tel : 952 66 02 40