Erase una vez

For those people who go to Spain and actually want to eat Spanish food, Benalmádena Costa can be disappointing. Reminiscent of Virginia Beach or the Jersey Shore (for those from the US), the paseo is filled with one restaurant after another, only each one is the same as the next with a different name and logo slapped on the generic menu. The food leaves a lot to be desired and the prices are double what they should be.
Erase Una Vez (Once Upon a Time), however, is one of very few exceptions to this rule. Set back in a tiny plaza between the paseo and Avda Antonio Machado this restaurant also comes with an ambiance upgrade– quiet and casual compared to the street performers, passerby’s, and heckling salesman all over the paseo. The owners are a young couple, a man from Italy and woman from Russia, and both speak English and Spanish perfectly. They are both extremely friendly and remembered us on our second and third return visits, offering tips about nearby cities to visit and tourist attractions.
The menu is not enormous, but was varied enough to keep us happy and trying new items in each of our three visits. All of the food was fresh, prepared perfectly, and full of interesting and delicious flavors. Each meal, we were able to share a bottle of wine, ordered waters, and ate until we could eat no more and our bill was never more than € 35 ($ 40 – 45, depending on the exchange rate). The meal also came with a complementary small bowl of olives, peppers, and garlic to get the taste buds going.
If you want overpriced, watered-​down pseudo-​Spanish food then feel free to stay on the paseo. Anyone who feels like this area of Spain owes them a bit of wining and dining should check this place out!