Estepona continues to determine itself as some of the compelling eating locations on the Costa del Sol, with a quieter power than its neighbour, Marbella. Open for the 2026 season is Malva Seaside by Txema Palacio, a seashore restaurant on the sand at Playa de la Rada, with severe culinary ambitions.
Txema Palacio is Bilbao-born, educated in kitchens throughout northern Spain and the south of France, and his cooking displays these influences. The approach, the sauces, the shares and the respect for product come from the Basque Nation. The olive oil, the beneficiant wines, and the charcoal grill come from Andalucía.
Malva seashore is fantastically designed, distinguishing it from a typical chiringuito restaurant on the coast. Elegant wooden furnishings, heat, subtle interiors and day beds and loungers set out on the sand, shaded by palms and parasols. The restaurant sits proper on the Rada seashore, with the Mediterranean because the backdrop to the whole lot.
The menu opens with sharing plates. Txema Palacio’s personal gildas, the Basque anchovy, olive and pepper pintxo. Pil pil prawns from Huelva. Galician mussels with piparras peppers and oloroso sherry French dressing. Carabinero croquettes with prawn tartare. Then a uncooked part with Gillardeau oysters served pure or with ponzu, Bloody Mary or ají amarillo, bluefin tuna sashimi with yellow chilli and ponzu, and a steak tartare ready contemporary with egg yolk, hollandaise and crystal bread.
The grill is central to the kitchen’s identification. Sardines al espeto, crimson prawns from Garrucha, langoustinos from Sanlúcar, sea bass, crimson snapper, turbot, and a matured cowboy steak all cooked over sizzling coals. Hearth offers character and depth, and it is likely one of the defining parts of Palacio’s cooking. Among the many chef’s suggestions, the roasted Málaga goat shoulder with celeriac, artichokes and a Palo Cortado emulsion, and the bacalao al pil pil on a mattress of fried greens each sign the depth of what this kitchen can do.
The wine record is spectacular for a beachfront restaurant, with sturdy illustration from throughout Spain and a very good choice of Andalusian fortified wines, together with Barbadillo Reliquia sherries aged over 100 years. There are champagnes from Dom Pérignon to Cristal, and severe reds from Vega Sicilia Único to Château Margaux. The cocktail record contains classics in addition to home creations just like the Santorini Spritz and Matcha Martini.
A six-course tasting menu can be out there for many who wish to expertise the vary of Palacio’s cooking.
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