Restaurant in Calahonda, Spain
Serious coastal cooking, easy to book.
El Conjuro is a Michelin Plate-recognised family restaurant in Calahonda serving contemporary cuisine built on quality coastal produce, occasional Asian accents, and a menu that includes signature dishes, offal, and reservation-only rice dishes for two. At €€€ in a quiet Costa Tropical village, it delivers serious cooking without ceremony — the strongest dining option in its immediate area and worth building an itinerary around.
In a coastal village that mostly trades on sea views and direct grills, El Conjuro is something different: a family-run, Michelin Plate-recognised restaurant serving contemporary cuisine that genuinely earns its €€€ price point. If you are on the Costa Tropical looking for cooking that goes beyond the default pescaíto frito, this is where you book. The combination of Michelin recognition, a Google rating of 4.5 across more than 1,190 reviews, and a listing in the Opinionated About Dining Casual Europe 2025 guide confirms this is not just a local favourite — it is a restaurant that holds up against broader scrutiny.
Picture a quiet summer evening on the Granada coast, the kind where most restaurants are running on autopilot, turning tables with fried fish and cold rosé. El Conjuro operates in that same village setting but with a different ambition. The kitchen is driven by the brothers who run it, and the menu they have built is a confident statement about what a casual coastal restaurant can do when it decides not to play it safe.
The food at El Conjuro is contemporary without being theatrical. The kitchen pulls from the leading coastal produce available — fresh fish and seafood sourced locally , but it layers in select meats and occasional Asian condiments in a way that feels considered rather than trend-chasing. The result is a menu with genuine range. House classics include a Kimuchi tuna preparation that blends Korean ferment with Atlantic fish, and a dish of ortiguillas (sea anemones, a Andalusian coastal delicacy), fried egg, and cured yolk that sits somewhere between comfort food and technical cooking. These are not fusion novelties; they are dishes that have earned their place on the menu by working.
Beyond those signatures, the menu divides into a section dedicated to offal and another to rice dishes for two. The rice section is particularly worth noting: most of those dishes are only available on reservation, which means if rice is your priority, you need to flag it when you book. This is the kind of operational detail that separates a good visit from a frustrating one, and it is worth knowing before you arrive.
The format is relaxed , this is not a tasting-menu-only destination, and the room does not have the formality of a destination-dining experience in a major Spanish city. That is a feature, not a compromise. For a special occasion dinner on the Costa Tropical, the combination of serious cooking, an unhurried village setting, and a price point that does not require a €€€€ budget gives El Conjuro a clear advantage over driving to a big-city restaurant for the same quality level. For couples celebrating something meaningful, or small groups who want a meal that actually generates conversation about the food rather than just the scenery, this delivers.
The editorial angle here is casual excellence, and El Conjuro earns that framing honestly. The Michelin Plate designation, maintained across both 2024 and 2025, signals consistent kitchen standards without the ceremony of a starred venue. The OAD Casual Europe listing adds a second independent data point from a guide that specifically tracks restaurants where quality outpaces formality. Together, those two signals tell you what to expect: cooking at a level above what the setting would suggest, served without the performance.
Calahonda is a small village on the Granada coast, quieter than the resort towns further east toward Almería or west toward Málaga. That relative quiet is an asset at El Conjuro , you are not competing with mass tourism infrastructure, and the restaurant retains a local character that makes it feel like a genuine find rather than a tourist trap dressed up in contemporary styling. For travellers making their way along the Costa Tropical, it is worth building an itinerary around rather than treating as an afterthought. See our full Calahonda restaurants guide for broader context on the local dining scene, and check our Calahonda hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide if you are planning a longer stay.
For comparison across Spain's leading end, El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Martin Berasategui in Lasarte-Oria, Quique Dacosta in Dénia, Mugaritz in Errenteria, Ricard Camarena in València, and Atrio in Cáceres represent the country's most decorated kitchens , all operating at a different scale and price bracket. El Conjuro is not competing with that tier, nor should it. It is making a different argument: that serious cooking and a relaxed format are not mutually exclusive, and that you do not need to travel to a major city to eat well in Andalusia.
Booking difficulty at El Conjuro is rated Easy. Calahonda is not a high-footfall destination and the restaurant does not carry the reservation pressure of a starred venue in a major city. That said, if you want to order from the rice section , dishes for two that are among the most considered on the menu , you should flag this at booking, as most rice dishes require advance reservation. For summer visits, booking a few days ahead is sensible given the coastal holiday trade; off-season, same-week availability is likely. No website or phone number is currently listed in our database; check Google or contact the restaurant directly at Av. de los Geranios, 6, 18730 Calahonda, Granada.
Quick reference: €€€ | Michelin Plate 2025 | Easy to book | Rice dishes require advance reservation.
| Restaurant | Cuisine | Price | Booking difficulty | Leading for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aponiente | Progressive Seafood | €€€€ | Hard | Destination seafood tasting menu |
| Arzak | Modern Basque | €€€€ | Hard | Landmark Basque fine dining |
| Azurmendi | Progressive | €€€€ | Moderate | Architectural dining experience |
| Cocina Hermanos Torres | Creative | €€€€ | Moderate | Barcelona special occasion |
| DiverXO | Progressive Asian | €€€€ | Very hard | Madrid's most avant-garde room |
| El Conjuro | Modern Cuisine | €€€ | Easy | Casual excellence on the Costa Tropical |
Yes, for the Costa Tropical context. At €€€, you are paying for Michelin Plate-recognised cooking in a village restaurant , that ratio is strong. The kitchen delivers contemporary cuisine with quality coastal produce and enough technical interest to justify the price tier. For comparison, the Spanish restaurants at €€€€ (Aponiente, Arzak, DiverXO) are a different scale of investment entirely. El Conjuro is the more accessible choice, and it delivers disproportionate quality for what and where it is.
Yes, particularly for couples or small groups who want a genuine meal rather than a celebratory backdrop. The relaxed setting, serious cooking, and Michelin recognition make it a strong choice for a birthday dinner or anniversary in the region. It does not have the ceremony of a starred restaurant, which for many is an advantage , you get quality without formality. If you want something grander, you would need to travel to a starred venue in Málaga or further afield.
Based on available data, the house classics are the strongest starting point: the Kimuchi tuna and the ortiguillas with fried egg and cured yolk are both cited as signatures. The menu also features an offal section for those who want more depth from the kitchen, and rice dishes for two , the latter require advance reservation, so flag this when you book if that is a priority.
We do not have confirmed details on whether a tasting menu format is currently offered. What the data does confirm is a menu structured around house classics, offal, and rice dishes, with some items requiring reservation. Contact the restaurant directly to confirm current format options before your visit.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy, which means you are unlikely to face the weeks-out pressure of a starred venue. In summer, a few days ahead is a reasonable precaution given coastal holiday traffic. Off-season, same-week booking should be achievable. The one firm planning note: if you want the rice dishes (for two, and mostly reservation-only), mention this at the time of booking regardless of when you call.
The menu structure , particularly the rice dishes for two , makes El Conjuro more suited to pairs and small groups than solo diners. That said, the house classics and offal section are available without the two-person requirement, so a solo visit is workable if you plan around those sections. If solo dining flexibility is a priority, it is worth calling ahead to confirm what is available for one.
We do not have specific dietary policy data for El Conjuro. Given the menu's emphasis on coastal seafood, offal, and rice dishes, the kitchen is not structurally oriented toward plant-based or highly restricted diets. Contact the restaurant directly before booking if you have significant restrictions , no website is currently listed in our database, but the restaurant can be reached at its Calahonda address.
Calahonda is a small village and El Conjuro is the most formally recognised restaurant in the local dining scene. For broader context on what else is available locally, see our full Calahonda restaurants guide. If you are willing to travel within the region, the Costa Tropical and the wider Andalusia area have other options at varying price points, though none with El Conjuro's combination of Michelin recognition and OAD listing in this specific location.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Conjuro | Modern Cuisine | €€€ | Easy |
| Aponiente | Progressive - Seafood, Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Arzak | Modern Basque, Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Azurmendi | Progressive, Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Cocina Hermanos Torres | Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
| DiverXO | Progressive - Asian, Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
Comparing your options in Calahonda for this tier.
Yes, with one caveat: the rice dishes for two require advance reservation and are off the table if you are dining alone. The rest of the menu, including house classics like the kimuchi tuna and the ortiguillas with fried egg and cured yolk, is fully accessible solo. At €€€ pricing in a quiet coastal village, it is a low-pressure environment for a single diner.
At €€€ on the Granada coast, El Conjuro holds up. The Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025 confirms the kitchen is operating above its surroundings, and Opinionated About Dining flagged it in their 2025 Casual Europe list. For the level of cooking on offer — contemporary technique, quality coastal produce, and an offal section that most beach restaurants would never attempt — the price is fair.
No specific dietary policy is documented for El Conjuro. The menu spans seafood, select meats, offal, and Asian-influenced condiments, so it is not a natural fit for vegetarians or anyone avoiding shellfish. check the venue's official channels before booking if restrictions are a concern — the family-run format means they are likely reachable for direct questions.
It works for a low-key special occasion, not a grand-gesture one. Calahonda is a quiet coastal village and El Conjuro is a minimalist family-run room — expect a relaxed, considered dinner rather than a formal celebration setting. The Michelin Plate recognition and the ambition of the cooking give it enough weight for a meaningful meal, but if you need theatre or ceremony, look elsewhere.
The documented house classics are the kimuchi tuna and the ortiguillas with fried egg and cured yolk — both worth ordering. If you are dining as two, book the rice dishes in advance; they are only available upon reservation and represent a distinct part of the menu. The offal section is also worth exploring if that is your format — it is deliberately included and not an afterthought.
There are no credentialed direct alternatives in Calahonda itself — the village is small and El Conjuro is the clear outlier in terms of ambition. For comparable or higher-stakes modern cuisine on the Andalusian coast, Aponiente in El Puerto de Santa María (three Michelin stars) is the regional benchmark, though at a significantly higher price point and booking difficulty.
The menu structure at El Conjuro includes house classics, an offal section, and rice dishes for two rather than a conventional tasting menu format. If you want a structured multi-course progression, note that the rice dishes require advance reservation and are designed for sharing. For a more composed tasting menu experience, DiverXO or Cocina Hermanos Torres are the relevant comparisons — but they operate in an entirely different category.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
