Where to have breakfast in Setenil de las Bodegas

Breakfast in Setenil has a special feature: you do it with the rock on top of you, in the Cuevas del Sol or Cuevas de la Sombra.

But before you head down, there’s something you should know.

⚠️ Timetables: that’s the problem

Setenil is a village with a population of 2,700, and many of its shops do not open in the morning, or they are closed on specific days. This is what we have found:

• Bar Frasquito is closed on Tuesdays.
• El Mirador does not serve breakfast: It opens at 1.00 pm and is closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays. It’s highly recommended for breakfast, but you can’t go there.
• The school opens at 10.30, so it’s no good for an early breakfast.
• Terracota is closed on Wednesdays.

If you arrive early on a Tuesday, your options are greatly reduced. Head straight to Sol y Sombra or Trotamundos.

Where to have breakfast, one by one

1. Bar Frasquito — the best known

4.6 out of 3,749 reviews, which is a huge figure for a town of this size. It stands at Cuevas del Sol, 75, beneath the rock ledge.

• Opens at 8.00 am, the earliest of them all. Until 5.00 pm, and on Fridays and Saturdays in the evening as well.
• ⚠️ Closed on Tuesdays.
• Tel. +34 695 63 32 50. Average price.

A note regarding the reviews: They say they serve eggs for breakfast, but sometimes they don’t have any. You can’t go wrong with toast and ham.

Note: it gets busy at lunchtime and operates more like a restaurant – it’s famous for its Iberian ham croquettes and grilled meats – so if you want a quiet breakfast, it’s best to go first thing.

2. Trotamundos Bajo la Roca — the best place for coffee and sweets

This one doesn’t usually feature in guidebooks, but it’s the most practical option for breakfast. It is in Cuevas de la Sombra, 9.

• Open every day, from 10.00 to 18.00. No closing day.
• A coffee and pastry combo for around €2.
• Tel. +34 615 95 74 87. 4.6 out of 85 reviews.

What to order: on olive oil sponge cake with star anise and the short stories, which are a traditional local sweet.

A closer look at the bundle: if you order a cappuccino instead of a black coffee, it may not be included in the offer. Please confirm this when placing your order.

3. LyR Sweets — the best in town

4.9 out of 40 reviews, in Cuevas de la Sombra, 10. It’s a bakery, not a café, although they do serve coffee.

• Santiago cake, carrot cake and cortadillos.
• They have gluten-free options, which isn’t easy to find in a village like this.
• A coffee and a sweet for around €2.

The timetable has not been published, so it’s best not to rely on it as your only option.

4. Terracotta — the one with «breakfast» in its name

It’s in the Jabonería Street, a little way from the caves, and 4.6 out of 397 reviews.

• Open from 9.30 am to 9.00 pm, and on Fridays and Saturdays until midnight.
• ⚠️ Closed on Wednesdays.
• Low prices.

Good for: speciality coffee, frappés and montaditos. It’s the trendiest on the list.

5. Sol y Sombra Café-Bar — with views, but on one condition

At Cuevas de la Sombra, 14with 4.3 out of 758 reviews and the best spot from which to view the whole complex.

⚠️ And here’s the important notice: According to several reviews, They don’t let you sit on the terrace if you’re just having a coffee; it is reserved for meals. This is exactly the opposite of what someone having breakfast is looking for.

• Tel. +34 653 79 53 24. Low prices.
• Their opening hours are not published.

Reviews of the service vary, so it’s worth bearing this in mind beforehand.

6. Bar La Escueva — doesn’t close early

At Cuevas del Sol, 64, right next to Frasquito. 4.1 out of 1,292 reviews.

• Opens at 10.30 am, every day until 5.00 pm.
• Tel. +34 633 74 19 16.

It works better as a lunch than as a breakfast, and the opening hours are irregular. If you go mid-morning, it’s open; at nine o’clock, it isn’t open.

What to have for breakfast

Five breakfasts that really are local:

• Toast with oil and tomato. Rustic bread, extra virgin olive oil, grated tomato and salt. The classic.
• Toast with Serrano ham. The area is known for its excellent Sierra ham.
• Muffin. Soft, fluffy bread, typical of Andalusia, to be topped with whatever you like.
• Red lard. Lard with paprika and spices, spread on toast. Winter, and forceful.
• Churros with chocolate. For a sweet breakfast, although not all places serve them.

And the local sweet treat to look out for: the short stories and the olive oil sponge cake. Now that’s typical of Setenil.

🛍️ What to take home from the village

Lots of people ask this, but hardly anyone answers it. Setenil has its own product:

• Sausages and cured meats from the mountains, which is the most sought-after.
• Artisan sweets: cortadillos and sponge cakes, in the Dulces LyR bakery.
• Olive oil in the region.
• The «7Mil Pasos» wine», which revives the winemaking tradition that gave the village its name. The story is in Interesting facts about Setenil.

After breakfast

You can walk around the village in a couple of hours, downhill from the castle to the river.

• Cuevas del Sol and Cuevas de la Sombra (Caves of the Sun and Caves of the Shadow), the two streets beneath the rock.
• The Keep, dating from the 13th century, with views.
• The Church of the Incarnation, up there.
• The Mirador del Carmen, next to the chapel.
• Plaza de Andalucía, the heart of local life.

Full details at What to see in Setenil de las Bodegas.

Travelling from Málaga

We are a local tour operator based in Málaga with over 50 years’ experience organising trips around Andalusia. Setenil is an hour and a half from Málaga, and the day trip combines this with a visit to Ronda, which is 18 kilometres away:

Spending my free time in the village, enough for breakfast before heading up to Ronda. More about the area at the White Villages Route y What to see in Ronda.

Frequently asked questions

Where can you have breakfast in Setenil de las Bodegas?

Bar Frasquito is the best known and the one that opens earliest, at 8.00, although it’s closed on Tuesdays. For coffee and pastries, Trotamundos Bajo la Roca is open every day from 10.00 to 18.00 and offers a set menu for around 2 euros. Dulces LyR, in Cuevas de la Sombra, is the best-rated café in the village and offers gluten-free options.

Can you have breakfast at the El Mirador restaurant in Setenil?

No. Although it often features on lists of breakfast spots, El Mirador opens at 1.00 pm and is closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays, so it doesn’t serve breakfast. It’s very highly rated — 4.7 — but for lunch or dinner.

Which bars in Setenil are closed on any day of the week?

Bar Frasquito is closed on Tuesdays and Terracota on Wednesdays. El Mirador is closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and is also closed in the mornings. Trotamundos Bajo la Roca and Bar La Escueva are open every day, the latter from 10.30 am. Sol y Sombra and Dulces LyR do not have published opening hours.

What is a typical breakfast in Setenil?

Typical Andalusian fare: toast with olive oil and tomato, toast with Serrano ham, ‘mollete’ bread and, in the colder months, ‘manteca colorá’. For local sweets, do look out for ‘cortadillos’ and olive oil sponge cake with aniseed, which can be found in the village bakeries.

What to buy in Setenil de las Bodegas?

Cured meats and sausages from the mountains, artisan sweets such as «cortadillos», olive oil from the region and the local wine ‘7Mil Pasos’, whose name refers to the origin of the vineyard that gave the village its name.

Can you just have a coffee on the terraces with a view?

Not always. At the Sol y Sombra Café-Bar, which boasts one of the best locations, several reviews suggest that the terrace is reserved for meals and that you’re not allowed to sit there just to have a coffee or dessert. It’s best to ask before sitting down.