A coffee and cake crawl through Malaga

Malaga has one of the fastest-growing specialty coffee scenes in southern Spain. This walkable crawl starts in Soho, the city's creative quarter west of the old town, and works east through the pedestrianised historic centre before finishing near the Picasso Museum. Six independent stops, each open about the roaster and the machine behind the bar.

1. Santa Coffee

Santa Coffee, formerly Santa Canela, is Malaga's own roastery. The flagship on Calle Tomas Heredia sits in Soho, a neighbourhood of independent galleries, studios and bars that has become the most interesting part of the west side of the city. They roast in-house and have retail bags at the counter. Pick one up before you move on.

2. Mala Leche - Coffee & Bakery

Two minutes from Santa Coffee on Calle Castillo de Sohail, Mala Leche doubles as a brunch spot and bakery-cafe. The kitchen runs vegan options throughout, which makes it more useful than most places in a city where breakfast menus lean heavily on cured meat. Grab a pastry here before crossing into the historic centre.

3. Bun and Coffee

Cross the Alameda and head into the pedestrianised centre. Bun and Coffee on Calle Duque de la Victoria, between the Cathedral and the Picasso Museum, pairs specialty espresso with vegan artisan doughnuts baked in-house. They source Colombia and Ethiopia beans, rotate the menu and the counter display regularly, and are one of the most eye-catching stops on the route.

4. Mia Coffee

Mia Coffee belongs to Leo Linares, a Venezuelan who named the cafe after his wife Maria. He pours Puchero, a respected roaster from Valladolid, alongside Mr Chava from Seville, on a Wega Pegaso. There are homemade baked goods at the counter with vegan and gluten-free options throughout. Plaza de los Martires is a quiet square just north of the Cathedral, and the terrace is a good place to sit for a while.

5. Bertani Cafe

Bertani on Calle San Juan is one of the originals. Laura, the Italian-Argentine owner, opened in 2012 and is widely credited as the person who brought specialty coffee to Malaga. The Dalla Corte EVO2 is still on the bar, and the Fiorenzato EVO grinder has been there since the beginning. Coffee classes run regularly, and the retail shelf stocks single-origin bags for the journey home.

6. Kima Coffee

End the crawl at Kima Coffee on Calle Carreteria, a five-minute walk north from Bertani towards the Picasso Museum. The team started roasting in 2018 and opened the cafe in 2021. In 2022 they won the Spanish Roasters Championship. In 2025 European Coffee Trip named their espresso the best in Europe. By 2026 they were ranked 93rd in the World's 100 Best Coffee Shops. Order a single-origin espresso and take your time.

All six stops sit within the compact Soho district and historic centre. The walk from start to finish takes around forty minutes if you move steadily between them. You won't, which is the point.

Common questions

Is Malaga good for specialty coffee?

Yes. The scene has grown quickly since Bertani opened in 2012, and Malaga now has a cluster of serious independent roasters and cafes concentrated in Soho and the historic centre. Kima Coffee was ranked in the World's 100 Best Coffee Shops in 2026 and won the Spanish Roasters Championship in 2022.

Is the Malaga coffee crawl walkable?

Yes. The six stops lie within the Soho district and the compact historic centre. The whole route is walkable in an afternoon and no stop is more than fifteen minutes from the last.

Do Malaga's specialty cafes serve food as well as coffee?

Several do. Mala Leche runs a full brunch kitchen with vegan options. Mia Coffee has homemade baked goods with vegan and gluten-free options. Bun and Coffee makes artisan doughnuts in-house. The rest focus on coffee but the historic centre is surrounded by good independent places to eat.