These are the Costa del Sol chiringuitos that have been crowned winners of the annual sardines on skewers competition

No one who lives permanently on the Costa del Sol is going to ask ‘What is a chiringuito?’ but a tourist or visitor might. Basically a chiringuito is neither a beach bar or a restaurant, it’s a bit of both but with added ambience, a refuge and meeting place for friends and families. The food they offer varies but one dish that isn’t negotiable on the menu is ‘espetos’. A simple preparation of fresh sardines threaded onto skewers and roasted over charcoal, it has become a genuine art form along the Costa del Sol.

To celebrate this emblematic Malaga province dish, a contest to find the best espeto in the province is held every year, organised by Malaga En La Mesa and Diario SUR and sponsored by the Diputación provincial authority and Sabor a Málaga, with the support of Cruzcampo and the Agrupación de Interés Económico Playas de la Costa del Sol (Chiringuitos de Málaga).

This year, from the 42 chiringuitos that took part, the public voted that the sardines from El Espigón de la Cala, in Rincón de la Victoria, were the best while the judges chose the Marina Playa in Torre del Benagalbón as the king of the espetos, for the second year running.