Bar Guerra Marbella: A cuisine with a lot of flavour

Bar Guerra in San Pedro de Alcántara is an institution when it comes to savouring tapas and dishes of popular cuisine, but Bar Guerra in Marbella, located in the city centre, has also become, in a short time, one of the most recommendable places if you want to enjoy authentic traditional cuisine.

The dishes are based on the same menu of specialities that you will find in San Pedro, but come from different hands, those of María del Mar Soriano.

Recognising that comparisons are odious, I should mention that less than a week ago I visited Guerra de San Pedro, a bar that became famous for serving chicken livers as a tapa-a dish that has remained one of the house's most popular offerings for more than 50 years.

The manager of the establishment, David Párraga, admitted to me that these little livers are not as popular in Marbella as they are in San Pedro, but personally if I have to choose between one or the other, I would choose the ones prepared here for their flavour and juiciness, as well as other more classic tapas on the menu, the prawns in overcoats and the anchovies with lemon, where this cook once again demonstrates her mastery of the frying pan.

It's worth noting that Bar Guerra de San Pedro, when María del Mar was leading its kitchen, won the award for best Fritura Malagueña in 2024-competing against 15 other establishments from across Malaga province. Today, this Marbella bar-restaurant continues to serve one of the finest frituras to be found anywhere on the Costa del Sol.

But the cuisine at this establishment goes far beyond fried food. Luis Miguel Menor and César Morales, owners of La Milla - one of the region's most renowned seafood restaurants - wanted to bring much of that culinary excellence to their urban Marbella location. Alongside popular traditional dishes, guests can enjoy delicate boiled prawns, oysters, tuna, and even puntillitas (baby squid) with fried eggs. The restaurant also features a surprisingly diverse wine list at reasonable prices.

Matrimonio Guerrero . A good idea to fuse Russian salad with pickled anchovies, although in this case the dish suffers from two defects: the size of the portion and the strength of the vinegar that prevails over the salad itself.

Langoustines Skill is everything in the kitchen. Gambas or prawns in overcoats are a classic among classics, but the prawns prepared by Maria del Mar are perfectly cooked and juicy.

Chicken livers . This is undoubtedly Bar Guerra's best-remembered and most popular speciality. The recipe, despite the change of ownership, remains unchanged. They are not fried but stewed in the traditional way.

Meatballs in sauce . It's not easy to have meatballs in almond sauce that are both juicy and with smooth, firm meat. The sauce should be, as it is here, a discreet but tasty accompaniment. A sauce to dip bread in and never stop.

Contact: Address: Plaza Altamirano, 1. Telephone: 951 910 010. Web: barguerra.com.

Prices: Patatas arrieras: 12.70€; Chicken livers: 4.70€: Oxtail: 19€

Rating : Cuisine: 7.5; Dining room: 7; Wine list: 7; Rating: 7 / 10