Growing up in what was a Spanish colony for 300 years, one would think that I would have grown up with ready access to churros con chocolate, but I didn’t. There was one restaurant I knew I could get it (Dulcinea), but other than that, if I craved churros, I had to make it myself, which I did once when I got my first pastry bag and decorating
tips. I deep-fried some curled and etched batter and dusted it with sugar and ate it heartily. There was no time for chocolate.

A week or so ago we were in Malaga, Spain, looking desperately for what was to be our first meal of the day. The first open restaurant we saw that Sunday was still warming up when we ran into a very crowded street cafe. The cobblestones were lined with discarded tissues, wax paper and cigarette butts. To and from the kitchen busy waiters
carried cups of chocolate and plates of gigantic churros and we found ourselves a table to share some treats.

Out came three cups of chocolate and a steel plate of churros which we dipped and ate. The chocolate was thick, rich, and not so sweet. The churros were not sweetened and were simply deep fried large loops of donut dough. We fell in love and wanted to stay there all day but the cafe was closing at noon. With warm bellies we got up from our seats and walked around until we got hungry for our next tapas meal at El Marisquero.

The next morning we woke up with the mission of catching Casa Aranda before it closed. The problem was that we were staying about 40 minutes away, had to find a parking lot, and then the cafe whose exact location nobody remembered. We parked and ran through the Malaga center streets, cutting corners and darting our eyes into each and every alleyway, yelling “Is it this one!?” until finally, we found it.

Panting and sweating underneath our jackets, we sat and ordered our plate. The chocolate was heavenly and the cafe con leche was warm and rich. They brought out espresso in a glass along with a kettle of hot milk which they poured into the glass before your eyes. We were all smiles during our churros adventure, both happy to be there and sad that it would be our last Malaga adventure. I’ve always loved Spain
since our trip to Barcelona five years ago. It’s nice to know that five years later España still loves me back 🙂

Casa Aranda
Calle Herrería del Rey, 1
29005 Málaga, Spain
952 222 812