Where to eat in Níjar

Níjar is the village of jarapa rugs and pottery, tapas and inland cooking. Here are the village's best-rated restaurants, with a link to each listing and its phone number to book. It's a practical guide: the places are ordered by customer rating.

Níjar is the head of the sierra and you eat differently here than on the coast: inland cooking, stews, migas when the season calls for it, and the local tomato, which here is almost a religion. The square and the streets around it hold the terraces, and the good move is to go from bar to bar tapas-style without much of a plan. If you land on market day the village fills up and it's best not to leave lunch for the last minute. And don't leave without looking at the jarapa: you eat and you buy, because here the two go together.

Venta del Pobre. the roadside classic right off the A-7 (exit 494), at Calle Viajero 1. Open 365 days a year from 7:00 to 23:00, with the kitchen running non-stop from 13:00. Opinions on the set menu are divided: some remember it as very cheap (around 10 euros) and others find it skimpy at 19. A handy stop on the way to the beaches.

La Parada. an old-school café-bar on Calle Lomas del Pilar 2, a meeting point for the village. Breakfasts and tapas at a fair price, no frills. Open 7:00 to 15:30 and 19:30 to 23:00.

El Mirador. it's a pizzeria, but with a broader menu that includes good tapas (dinner runs about 10 to 20 euros). The pizzas are good and the atmosphere is great. In high season the wait can stretch, so bring some patience.