In short
If you like watersports, then this is the place for you. Great beaches, great wind and the town is filled with bars, restaurants and clubs to explore too.
Things to do
This is a European go to destination for kite surfing, wind surfing and wing foiling so get yourself along to Valvequaderos beach and get out on the water. Ion Club were who we took kite surf lessons with and they were amazing. Mooch around the surf shops on the way into town from the beach. Hang at a beach bar. Visit the xx white village on the hill.
Eat
Where we stayed on the edge of town out towards the beach there were so many options for brunch/ lunch. Right next to our hotel was Helena’s Kitchen which quickly became our favourite for brunch/ lunch (it’s only open til 2pm) – they have gluten free waffles, pancakes, sandwiches, toasties as well as alternative milk coffees and both it and the food are delicous – my partner is not gluten free and loved the regular food too.
Next along the road on the way into town you have Element Cafe where they do gluten free sandwiches, keep walking and you have Bernal Eco (xx), then you get to Ecobakery where they have delicious savoury pastries (we had the chicken and pepper), chocolate cream slices (this was delicious), cookies (a bit more like a cake – I’ve had better) and so much more – definitely worth a visit. Also nearby is Surla, wich again have loads of brunch/ lunch options and is a nice place to sit in.
In town, El Faro is an argentinian restaurant and 90% of their menu is gluten free – we loved their steak and fries (separate fryer) and their chimichurri was the best I’ve ever eaten, plus great service and plenty of atmosphere to soak up in the old town.
Da Nico has decent gluten free pizza cooked on a metal tray to avoid contamination in the oven, it was a good base with authentic tomato sauce and mozzarella so would say it’s worth a visit, and they have gluten free beer.
Along the water front about 10 mins walk from the town centre we also ate at Cantina Mexcalito where most of the menu is gluten free, with great nachos, tacos, main dishes, burgers and even gluten free beer. Next door is Brio, a vegetarian restaurant and not something we would normally choose, but it was really nice with xx meatballs, homemade gluten free focaccia and xx options. A couple of doors further along is Papaya which has a nice relaxed vibe – we only had a drink here after dinner but the steak and fries looked delicious and was gluten free. And Bondi Coffee Shop (in town??) can do gluten free sandwiches.
Lobo can accommodate gluten free, we’ve been previously and grilled our own meat – delicious but I remember being very hot! Petit Maison have good options as do Raizes and La Burla (tapas). El Lola (tapas) apparently has a gluten free menu, though we never went.
And of course you can go to any Burger King or Mcdonald’s and you will have reliable options, including the fries, you can even order for delivery on Uber Eats. If you put sin gluten into Uber Eats you will also see other options. In the Mercadona (a supermarket) near us they had gluten free bread, baguettes, crisps, even red lace style sweets (which were a novely as we can’t normally have those), but we couldn’t find any pasta or beer (usually the supermarkets in Spain have these).
Malaga airport – you should be able to get options at xx. We didn’t have time to try anything on our visit but the Burger King will be a safe bet.
Drink
Laze by the pool at the Tarifa Lances hotel with a gluten free Cruzcampo beer or grab a glass of rose at Bibo Beach Club in the day. At night, head to xx.
Sleep
Tarifa Lances by Q Hotels was where we stayed as it was at the right end of town to get out to the beach for kite surfing (only 10 mins drive) and only 20 min walk in the other direction to the old town. They had gluten free options at breakfast with small gluten free rolls (whoch usually came out hot, but there is also a gluten free mini toasting oven. There are also chocolate muffins and chocolate pastries (these were pretty good dunked in coffee). There was also the usual fresh fruit, cheese, ham, bacon etc, along with decaf coffee option and alternative milks including lactofree, soy and almond. The options were fine but I was getting a bit fed up with it by the end of the week. There is also an omelette and pancake station, but both were cooked on the same hot plate so I avoided – they may be able to cook separately. For lunch/ dinner there is chicken and sauteed vegetables, wok rice noodles with chicken (using gf soy sauce) along with other meat and fish options and patatas bravas. The noodles were a lovely option for a change and they had a BBQ one day with gluten free options, but it was disappointing that they couldn’t do burgers or sandwiches at lunch as they said the bread was too small – I suspect if I had persisted though they may be able to do something – my recommendation would be to speak ton the younger waiting staff who tended to have the best English.
La Residencia was our back up option which is in town and also cater for gluten free, as do The Riad but they don’t have a pool. Or if you want beach vibes and windsuerfing right by the hotel, then go for Hurricane Hotel (they can also do gluten free).
Useful phrases
Sin gluten – gluten free
Opciones sin gluten? – gluten free options?
Pane sin gluten – gluten free bread
Per favore – please
Da nada – you’re welcome
Ce pasa? – What’s happening?
Come Stai? – How are you?
Bien, et tu? – I’m good, and you?
Una/ dos Cerveza per favore – one/ two beer(s) please
Vino blanco/ vino tinto/ vino rosado – white wine/ red wine/ rose wine
Per favore – please
Livability (out of 5)
4/5 – depends how much you live for your watersports
Gluten Dodgers 