Where to eat in Cartagena — the best local restaurants and tables worth booking, filtered by cuisine and picked for tourists, expats and families.
Cartagena eats like the port city it is — fresh Mediterranean seafood and the rices of the Mar Menor, above all the caldero, the fisherman's rice cooked in fish stock and served with alioli. The old town is thick with tapas: La Pequeña Taberna for market-driven Murcian plates, La Uva Jumillana and Colmao for tapas with local Jumilla wine, and old classics like Bodega La Fuente.
At the top sits Magoga, the city's Michelin-starred table, where chef María Gómez turns the region's produce into refined tasting menus. Along the coast, Cala Cortina has seafood terraces over the water. Look out for the Murcian trio — caldero, michirones (a broad-bean stew) and zarangollo — and finish with a café asiático, the local coffee laced with Licor 43 and brandy.
A classic, well-priced tapas bodega in the centre — honest plates and local wine in an unpretentious old-Cartagena setting.
A seafood restaurant with a terrace over Cala Cortina — fresh sea produce and rice dishes with the water right in front of you.
A characterful tapas bar pairing local Jumilla wines with plates like michirones and pork in Roquefort — good value and full of atmosphere.
A stalwart for traditional Murcian cooking — arroz caldero (the coast's fisherman's rice), michirones and zarangollo done properly, in a warm classic dining room.
A fresh-seafood freiduría and marisquería for fried fish, prawns and the day's catch — simple, generous and dependable.
A much-loved taberna for market-driven Murcian tapas — vegetables, seafood and rice at their best, with a lively buzz. Worth booking at weekends.
A classic old-town tapas-and-wine bar with a charming patio — affordable plates and local Jumilla wine, a favourite for a pre-dinner graze.
Plaza Dr. Vicente García Marcos 5, Cartagena
Cartagena's Michelin-starred restaurant — chef María Gómez's refined, deeply local tasting menus (the region's rice, red prawn and vegetables) with a celebrated wine cellar. Booking essential.
A long-standing seafood restaurant known for its fresh fish, shellfish and its caldero — a Cartagena classic.
Yes — Magoga, chef María Gómez's restaurant, holds a Michelin star for refined tasting menus rooted in Murcian produce (the region's rice, red prawn and vegetables). Booking is essential.
Above all the caldero — a fisherman's rice cooked in fish stock, served in two passes — plus michirones (a spiced broad-bean stew), zarangollo (courgette, onion and egg) and Mar Menor seafood. And café asiático, Cartagena's own coffee with condensed milk, Licor 43 and brandy.
The old town. La Pequeña Taberna is a favourite for market-driven Murcian tapas; La Uva Jumillana (with its patio) and Colmao pair tapas with local Jumilla wine; and Bodega La Fuente is a classic, well-priced bodega.
Techos Bajos and Freiduría-Marisquería La Marina do fresh fish and shellfish and a good caldero, while Bravas Seas has a seafood terrace right over Cala Cortina.