Where to eat: the 12 best restaurants in Zahara de la Sierra

It was so good the first time we returned the following evening. First day my husband had meatballs, which he loved and I had a spinach salad. The second time I had hake(merluza) my husband had churrasca de cerdo, some kind of pork fillet that he raved about. Quite funny considering he was expecting a burger for some reason. The first evening we sat inside, the second time in the courtyard. Lovely atmosphere.

We stumbled upon this restaurant at Zahara de la Sierra and had a fantastic meal! It really lives up to its good reviews. The grilled prawns were bursting with flavour, salad with tomatoes and avocado was really good, and the chicken skewers…*chef’s kiss*

Great courtyard that looks out over the hills. Food is excellent and my portion of couscous was *huge*. Adam did a great job, probably the most attentive service I had in Spain.

We were visiting the area and stopped for a late lunch. This restaurant doesn't seem to close for the typical afternoon siesta hours and therefore draws people from all over the city looking for refreshments and food. It has a very cozy vibe outside where kids can play and adults can relax. For food we had the burger and chicken skewers. Both of which were a big serving and completely delicious! We also tried the fried cheese which was a very interesting flavor that could have been a dessert or a starter. The prices were excellent and service was friendly. I highly recommend this place and would definitely visit again!

The tanjines with vegetables as well as the couscous with vegetables were good and very plentiful. The grilled prawns were really really good. It was the lamb and couscous that was outstanding with wonderful flavors of raisins cinnamon and cloves and meat so perfectly cooked it literally fell off the bone.

Nice place friendly and welcoming service. Food was good too but beware of the bill. The waiter was really good service but he over charged us for a beer. Told him we only order 2 beer but he insisted 3.

Good food. Large portions. Menu is on your phone and you order on your phone. This makes it difficult to ask about dishes. However food was tasty and good quality. We had a good night.

The staff was very attentive and prompt to find us a table outside, although it was quite busy. The venison was good. The downside I find about this place was the timing, as it took a long time to get our food and, if it did, it came at different times (not ideal). The other downside was its tortilla. Rather than the classic Spanish tortilla, we got an omelette style tortilla. It was okay but a little bit disappointing.

Jabali stew was nice. Not outstanding...but nice. Pork platter for two had a great portion, was hit and miss with some of the pieces. Some were pretty tough, the others were alright. Fish is mostly fried. Restaurant's okay.. Wish I had tried something else! Even if it didn't have a view.

It was our second time at this restaurant and we loved it! First of all, here we get the best views 🏔️ second of all, the langostinos were excellent! And, of course, our waitress was very welcoming and attentive :) We didn’t have to wait for the table as we called and booked it in advance.

We came across this place during our road trip and it was the best. We ordered the aubergines flamenco and couldn’t recommend it more! The staff is very friendly, especially the waitress Laura.

The good: The food was good, especially the cheesecake. The waitress was very nice and friendly. The bad: We waited almost 45 minutes for a table outside. They added bread on the bill, but they did not bring it. Overall I recommend it.

It was a lovely experience with great views… the staff was extremely friendly and attentive and made our table of 8 feel comfortable and welcome. The food was mainly good only it was very simple and a bit oily however it was generally a great experience.

Nice views. Great venison and ox tail 😁

This was a fun discovery. The food was homemade and quite tasty. Tagarninas are in season, so they were included in the potaje, quite yummy. The second course was the berenjena rellena, great flavors. For dessert, the Tocino del Cielo had great texture.

We chose this restaurant based on the former reviews, since it had the best average in the city. However it was a true disappointment. We sat for 75 minutes before receiving our food even though it wasn't a busy time at all (a few other tables with guests). We had scrambled eggs with potato and chorizo, shrimps in marinated oil and entrecote. The eggs were bathed in half a liter of oil, the meat was completely tasteless and dry and the shrimps had not had their intestines removed which made them taste rather gross. All in all a very bad experience.

Very nice stuff and good food! Would return here if will be around here again.

Best place to eat in town hands down. Good service and decent menu although some vegetarian options would have been nice. Outdoor seating was uncomfortable and mixed in with smoker's. Deserts were delicious.

Very good place. Prices start from 10€ for the main dish.

Don't be fooled by the name: this is not a bar, but a quality restaurant. It is a little bit far from the city center but it is well worth the walk (and the price tag). You absolutely have to try the Berenjenas San Jacobo, the perfectly fried chipirones, the excellent Ali-Oli sauce and the piquillos but, above all, the mind-blowing cheese cake. My mother literally broke into tears eating the cheese cake, saying she hadn't eaten one like it in 15 years.

Nice little place outside of the busy center. Food is plentiful and feels homemade. Recommended!

Restaurant with amazing view. Staff is very friendly. The food is simple for a reasonable price.

The view is amazing, but the food is just ordinary. There are better places where to eat. A beer here would be nice just to enjoy the view

Great lunch with an amazing view. It offers a 10 Euros menu for lunch. Worth every penny of it. Instead of the french fries you typically find on menus for 10 Euros, they serve fried potatoes. A good change of pace. Otherwise all the typical items like meatballs, beans and tripes...are available and done well. Friendly service. This restaurant is at the top of the village. It is well worth the extra climb. Would recommend parking your car at the entrance of the village unless you like to navigate on steep and narrow streets.

The food was good (especially the chocolate mousse!), but not spectacular. I had a salad which I could not add oil and vinegar to, because the bottles for these were so dirty and slippery that they could not be removed from their holder. The soap dispenser was broken. Service was quite awkward. View is good, but it was a bit cold inside.

The flavor was amazing. The codillo has the best seasoning I had in Spain. The wine was top notch. And the price was good! Also the view. The entire family agreed it was our best meal in Spain.

The waiter was alone, it took more than 45 minuts just to get the soup. Keep in mind its a very cozy (tiny) dinning room, so the time was unacceptable. Asked for a second beer, never saw it. Food was ok.

great place to eat not expensive at all. Lots of choice. Local produce. Amazing views from the dinning room at the back of this restaurant.

Lots of locals here. Excellent, friendly service. Reasonable priced. Opening/closing times vary day-to-day. Suitable for drinks or casual dining. Favourite in ZdlS.

They are very nice and knowledgeable about celiac. The owner is a young man and speaks English very well. Our server, Stephanie was a younger female who also knew a lot about celiac and spoke English pretty well. The fries are GF, also you can have any salads, fish and meats. Additionally, they gave me a packet of GF crackers when they served my family bread. My husband and daughter are not GF. She had the chicken nuggets and he had the Gamba- they both said their meal was amazing!

Travelling alone. Reserve a table! La Era has excellent service, food and athmosphere. One of the waiters speaks very good english and what the others might lack in language skills, they make up for with their excellent service attitude. I got a table without reservation, but all tables seemed reserved. So book a table or prepare to be disappointed.

The food was traditional and absolutely delicious. The staff is so friendly as well

Best food I've had in Spain in the two years I've lived here. Everything from starters to desert is absolutely amazing! Also the level of service is the best I've seen in Spain and very good prices, no tourist tax here like is common in most places.

The best food we had in Spain. Javier was also very friendly and welcoming. Don’t leave Andalusia without visiting this place. The atmosphere and the view are excellent. Greetings from Greece!

Rather disappointing service and food and my mussels were a combination of hot and cold, not ideal. My wife never even got her main dish and we ended up leaving after 1 hour feeling very disappointed. The restaurant really struggled

We made a reservation on line. When we aroved the waiter did not come to us we waited 10 min. He called his boss who speaks 4 languages and let us just stand there. There was 1 table with a familly having drinks he did not offer us a table so i got fed up and walked to a table. It took another 10 minutes to receive a menu which i had to ask for because this waiter was so shy or incapable to do his job. Another 10 minutes for he brought pur drinks. Luckly when the womanboss arived things changed and we where served quicker. I asked in advance for food without tomatoes and peanuts or meet because of allergies and Vegetarian. When we said that while ordering the menu she was almost rude, said we should have told them before, so i tried to explain we did. Anyway it felt not good but finaly we got the food. It was absolutly good but the Paella way overpriced for the tiny bits of fish. On the website you find pictures looking you sit in front of a lake but in reality you look over a parkinglot for campers and van's. You have amazing sunsets here. I would sugets to drive a bit further to Hotel Salinas they have a great restaurant overvieuwing the lake all dishes with local organic bio food. Realy jummy and the service is excellent

Excellent restaurant serving delicious food with a varied menu. Not to mention the amazing views of the lake and mountains that can be enjoyed from the terrace. The menu includes great vegetarian options, something which is not easy to find in this area, and one of the only places to offer something different and more modern compared to the others. Food quality was excellent and the menu was very reasonably priced. There are also plenty of options for breakfast, from healthier options like kefir with homemade granola to pancakes, or eggs on toast with a wide choice of extra toppings. Service has been excellent throughout our meals. All staff were very friendly and approachable, and saw to our every need.

Visited Al Lago based on some reviews that the travel company we used had recommended. Service was fine but the food was disappointing which was a shame as nice setting. Had a paella which just seemed to taste of curry and was burnt at the bottom of the pan which didn’t help with the taste, the meals also had by the rest of the party were also disappointing so unfortunately won’t be returning. Place was also very quiet for a Sat night and no atmosphere even at 10pm wished we had gone into the centre of the village as the restaurants were buzzing there with people.

Very much loved the food and the view. Service was very pleasant too. Would definitely recommend.

This hidden gem of Andalusia is a one of a kind family owned restaurant - great atmosphere, friendly and comfortable, outstanding food. They speak English as well 😉 and are happy to make suggestions. Enjoy the sunset from a terrace with a perfect temperature glass of wine. 🍷 you will not regret it.

Delightful spot, family run hotel and restaurant. Good local food. Lovely staff. Warm atmosphere and great communication. Special location. Highly recommend. Everything is taken of — thank you Mona!

We stopped here for lunch as a family of four, and were seated on the sheltered terrace overlooking the lake. There is plenty of proper parking along the road in front of the restaurant. The food was fantastic, with the mixed meat tapas and pork mixed grill the highlights. The 'children's menu' food was high quality, and good value. The service was great, and the whole experience to be recommended. Thank you very much.

I hate being this blunt, but I cant help it here. Without a doubt the worst meal we had in Spain. The tuna salad was inedible: big pieces of tasteless iceberg salad, unripe tomato, canned carrots and beetroot and canned tuna + no dressing. Unforgivably low standard for a restaurant. The mushroom croquettes were so oddly gooey that we couldn't eat them. Pick anywhere else if you care the least about food!

What an absolute gem. Between the four of us, we ordered 4 share plates, our favourite being the Aubergine dish. Would highly recommend this bar if you are passing through 😋

We loved the welcoming atmosphere here under the new management(Abbas and Yassi). A highlight was the fantastic brownie with ice cream—absolutely delicious! The staff was also exceptionally friendly and accommodating, making for a wonderful experience.

When we were there they had no coffee, no olive oil and no juices! The food was delicious but quite over-priced, and there wasn't much choice open in the rest of the town. The goats cheese was lovely as was the patatas bravas. Felt quite commercial and touristy

Ate here with my wife We had solomillo with home made chips and salad All excellent 👌

Very good food and amazing price … staff very nice but very very busy !!!!

Memorable dinner with delicious wine and excellent tapas. Tomato salad was the highlight

Absolutely thrilled to leave this glowing 1-star review because sadly, zero stars isn’t an option. Restaurante Los Naranjos in Zahara de la Sierra—wow. What a truly unforgettable experience. Nestled in one of the most charming, postcard-perfect villages in Andalusia, you’d think hospitality would match the setting. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t. I’ve never felt so warmly despised for simply existing. Despite my best attempts at Spanish (which normally gets smiles elsewhere), I was met with dirty looks that could curdle milk. The vibe? Somewhere between “how dare you walk in here” and “please disappear immediately.” Tourists must be the restaurant’s worst nightmare—shame, since the entire town seems to thrive off them. Maybe it’s a new business strategy: extreme unwelcomeness? Do yourself a favor—absolutely visit Zahara (it’s breathtaking), then drive straight across the valley to Algodonales. The people there? Actual human beings who like humans. And yes, the food tastes better without a side of contempt. Buen provecho—just not here.

We had an awful time at this restaurant. We placed our food order, and after waiting for an entire hour, the staff finally admitted they had forgotten about it in the kitchen. To make things worse, we ordered an orange juice, but they told us they couldn’t prepare it because they were too busy. This level of disorganization and poor customer service is unacceptable. Save your time and money—go somewhere else.

Been here twice. First day was told that there was only cheese and toast for breakfast for a vegetarian, but plenty of options for meateaters. They were almost insulted that I didn't want meat. Day two, to see if they were just having a rough morning the day before, but this time there was no cheese, that was too hard, only tomatoes, and for meateaters only Jambon. The service was horrible, we had to almost shout and be rude to order anything at all. My Spanish is horrible, but they didn't appreciate me trying, and they didn't understand anything else. There's a lovely Moroccan restaurant a few minutes walking from there that loves to serve and listen to dietary requirements.

Four of us had a thoroughly enjoyable evening meal. We shared tapas with six dishes between us (which was plenty) including pil pil prawns, pork loin, Russian Salad and roasted peppers. The service was excellent and the young waitress tried her best to explain dishes in English. Including 2 drinks each (beer and wine) the bill came to €66 for 4 people, which we thought was amazing value. Would definitely eat here again when we next visit Zahara.

We had a very disappointing visit. After being seated, we waited for over an hour, but our food never arrived. It became clear that the staff had completely forgotten about our order. Despite our attempts to get their attention, there was no apology or explanation. We eventually left hungry and frustrated. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this restaurant based on our experience.

This place was definitely populated with locals. It's hard to rate the service. The server seemed to despise us, almost throwing coffee at us. We found it entertaining. Coffee and toast. Maybe when she realized we were Canadians, she changed her attitude. She laughed and smiled.

I have been in this village to buy olives and olive oil and I had nice breakfast here, todo de pueblo

Refurbished good fast service from Paola n Frank. New chef great food best burger in town and traditional dishes too

Horrible speed of service, would not recommend. Messed up order and didn’t care

Good place to eat a wide variety of dishes

Chan and Anita run a great place for quick lunch or dinner.

(Translated by Google) A very original tuna restaurant, with a variety of dishes for all tastes. We went for lunch and were impressed by the variety of ways they prepare tuna (steak, burger, ribs, croquettes, etc.). They also serve meat dishes and other options. The staff was very pleasant to us. We found both the food and the service to be excellent. (Original) Un restaurante muy original para comer atún, con variedad de platos, para todos los gustos. Fuimos a comer y nos llamó la atención la variedad de formas en las que preparan el atún (filete, hamburguesa, costillas, croquetas...). También sirven platos de carne y otras opciones. El personal fue muy agradable con nosotros. Tanto la comida como el servicio nos parecieron excelentes.

(Translated by Google) The whole family went to spend the morning at the beach and went to La Roka for lunch. First of all, the service, even though they were packed, was very good and very friendly. You can tell they're in the business. We ordered tuna dishes and everything we ate was delicious: the toast, the dice... I also want to highlight the shrimp salad... And of course, for kids, they have a few off-menu items like nuggets or breaded chicken... In short, a very good experience. (Original) Fuimos toda la familia a pasar la mañana en la playa y fuimos a comer a la Roka, primer de todo el servicio, aunque estén a tope fue muy bueno muy amable. Se nota que son del gremio. Pedimos platos con atún y todo lo que comimos estaba buenísimo, la tosta , los dados... también destacar la ensaladilla de gambas.... Y por supuesto para niños fuera de carta tienen alguna cosilla como nuggets o pollo empanado.... En resumen muy buena experiencia.

(Translated by Google) We're two Catalans passing through Zahara de los Atunes, and we chose La Roka for its great value. And we weren't wrong! 👌 We ordered a salad and salmorejo from the menu, fried anchovies for the main course, and a tuna tako off the menu. Everything was delicious, well presented, and served quickly. The staff was also very friendly. A highly recommended experience, we would definitely return! (Original) Somos dos catalanes de paso por Zahara de los Atunes y elegimos La Roka por la buena relación calidad-precio. ¡Y no nos equivocamos! 👌 Pedimos de menú una ensalada y un salmorejo, de segundo boquerones fritos y, además, un tako de atún fuera de menú. Todo estaba riquísimo, bien presentado y servido rápido. El trato del personal también fue muy bueno. Una experiencia muy recomendable, ¡volveríamos sin dudarlo!

(Translated by Google) The food was very good but the dishes were very small and the service was slow. We went on the Pilar bridge and there was only one waiter for all the tables outside, which weren't many either, 3. There were neither people queuing nor people waiting standing. What stands out most about this place is the small quantity of the dishes, very small clay dishes for the high cost. a shame (Original) La comida muy buena pero los platos muy poca cantidad y el servicio lento. Fuimos en el puente del Pilar y sólo había un camarero para todas las mesas de fuera, que tampoco había muchas, 3. No había ni gente haciendo cola, ni gente esperando de pie. Lo que más resalto de este lugar es la poca cantidad de los platos, fuentes de barro muy pequeñas para el alto coste. Una pena

Nice spot, but we waited almost an hour until we got our food. The ceasar salad was nothing more than a plate full of lettuce with a few pieces of chicken. A shame that the food took so long.

Simple food with simple ingredients. The Iberico was really nice which I ate 👌The fried chicken… well it was fried chicken 🐓 a bit dry dish. it could be more 🤷‍♂️

Great lunch thanks - fresh, tasty salad and local dishes and prompt service. Good value for money. Lovely spot for a drink and bite to eat. Highly recommend. (Ladies toilet could do with a seat and working hand dryer or paper towels)

Cute place, very decent food. Had a lovely salad. Great place to sit with a beer and admire the town

Sat outside enjoying the breeze under the shady umbrellas. The one man “running” the tables was polite and efficient - the tables were all full. It was good to see different choices on the (QR code) menu. We had the Roquefort empanada, the langoustine swizzles, and Tigre (mussel croquettes) - all very tasty. If you’re in Zahara try this café!

I was disappointed that my Caesar Salad was made of head lettuce and not romaine lettuce.

Slow service, a bit touristy food, tables only for eating, which is okay, but we have waited a lot.