Los Candiles is a superb restaurant located just outside the village of Alhaurín el Grande in the province of Malaga in southern Spain.
The ample menu consists of traditional Spanish dishes, all made with fresh, local ingredients. The home-made paté is highly recommended, and the prawns are huge, fresh and tasty. When in season the baby lamb and the "cochinillo" (roast suckling pig) are not to be missed.
As is quite usual in many Spanish restaurants, desserts are nothing to shout about, almost entirely consisting of ice creams!
The wine list, however, is exceptionally good, particularly for a country restaurant. White drinkers should try the Marques de Riscal, red fans will find it hard to beat the Protos Crianza. Not the cheapest but well worth a small splurge!
The service is unfailingly professional and friendly, most of the waiters have been there for years. The clientele varies - arriving for an early evening meal, which means 8pm in Andalucia, the diners will be mostly expatriate northern Europeans. The local Spaniards start to arrive just before 10pm.
The restaurant itself is just completing a substantial renovation (as at April 2006)and has an attractive smart rustic decor with an attractive outdoor terrace filled with the scents of jasmine and similar plants.
On warm summer evenings a singer/guitarist discreetly entertains on the terrace, making it ideal for a romantic meal for two. In the winter a large log fire keeps the chill out of the main dining room, creating a warm and cosy atmosphere.
Do try it, you won't be disappointed.