La Luz de Candela, Málaga

Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, and Moors were all successively lured by the idyllic site of Málaga, cradled by mountains and embracing the sea. Over the last few decades, despite being the cosmopolitan gateway to the sybaritic beaches of the Costa del Sol, it has forged a dynamic cultural life. La Luz de Candela, tucked away up a steep street a few blocks north of the Picasso Museum, is run by two French brothers, Mathieu (the manager) and Charlie Dusser (the chef). A thousand years ago, this same hillside was grazing ground for the city’s cattle; today it is home to dozens of fashionable watering holes.