Cañitas Maite (Malaga): Popular haute cuisine

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Precise technique and measured creativity are the keynote of each dish

Enrique Bellver

Monday, 9 March 2026, 13:20

Cañitas Málaga is one of the most interesting gastronomic establishments of the last few years in the city and it is also the first time that Cañitas de Casas Ibáñez (Albacete) leaves its environment to offer its particular cuisine that has given it so much fame, and even a Michelin star. What was once a roadside bar has turned into a culinary avant-garde destination thanks to the work developed by Javier Sanz and Juan Sahuquillo. These two chefs leapt from the unknown to the front line at Madrid Fusion in 2021 when they won the award for the best croquette and the award for Best New Chef,

These two friends from La Mancha have made the leap to the recently opened new hotel ME Málaga Meliá and are responsible for everything that is eaten and drunk in this spectacular hotel. It is clear that some aspects of their cuisine still need to be polished, adapted in part to the supply of produce in Malaga and also to Malaga tastes, such as the mussels with American sauce where the onion detracts from the flavour of the mollusc or a salad where the acidity of the pickles predominates over the rest of the ingredients, but what is clear is the expectation that this new restaurant is arousing in our city and in the face of a Malaga public.

Cañitas Málaga has broken with the cliché that the public doesn't like to enter the reception of a hotel, take the lift and go up to the top floor where the restaurant in question is located. Here the restaurant is almost always full at midday and in the evening, and the views from the terrace are unforgettable.

Javier and Juan's focus on a cuisine that successfully mixes creativity with popular culinary roots. The choice they offer is a good one: on the one hand there is a menu (55 euros) where we find some of the most characteristic dishes of their cuisine and an à la carte menu so that the customer can choose without having to submit to a pre-established menu.

Another of its qualities is the service and the wine list.

Some proposals

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Croquettes: With this croquette they won the Madrid Fusion Award for the best croquette in 2021. Juicy on the inside, full of flavour and crunchy on the outside. They are accompanied by popcorn with bacon. The ham is very important here.

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Grilled sea bass :

A medium-sized estuary fish perfectly grilled and seasoned with an oil emulsified in parsley. A mild yet delicate sauce made from the fish's own collagen helps to nuance the grilled flavour.

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Ensaladilla with Malaga prawns : Although it is one of the dishes on the tasting menu, it is not a good choice, as apart from the high quality of the prawns, the salad is too acidic.

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Maite's cream flan : I don't usually eat dessert, but it's impossible to resist this creamy flan, which is accompanied by a smooth sheep's milk yoghurt. Juan and Javier have ensured that their flan is a delight to the palate.

Cañitas Maite

• Address: Calle Victoria, 6, Telephone 682108903.