Cafe Central

Did you know that Malaga is the only city in Spain where you can order coffee in 9 different ways!? And all this thanks to one of the most popular and oldest cafes located in Plaza de la Constitucion - Cafe Central.

It all started in 1954, when three cafes, Swiss Cafe, Cafe Central and Cafe Munich merged to form the Cafe Central as we know it today, and its owner D. Jose Prado created an original way of serving coffee, based on a measurement system. He was a finger, because the inhabitants very often ordering coffee used the Andalusian expression "un dedo de café", which verbalized the amount of coffee at the height of one finger. This caused quite a confusion, which inspired D. Jose Prado to standardize the system based on the tastes of his customers and create a unique possibility of ordering coffee. Thanks to this, to this day, according to the instructions displayed, we can drink coffee in a way that is unique anywhere else. The types of coffee can be explained in this video for sure.  

What coffee to order? 

Solo:  black coffee without the addition of milk

Largo:  a glass of coffee with a few drops of milk - super strong

Semi Largo: black coffee plus 1/4 cup milk - strong 

Solo Corto: expresso

Mitad: half a cup of coffee, half of the milk

Entrecorto:  1/4 cup of coffee plus milk 

Corto:  almost half a cup of coffee

Sombra: 20% coffee plus milk

Nube:  o a glass of hot milk and 10% coffee  

Cafe Central is a place worth visiting by every tourist who wants to learn about Spanish customs and history, because the coffee that was drunk 70 years ago has not changed until today, still coming from the same supplier. It is also a good place to taste typical regional dishes (perfect for breakfast, lunch and dinner), because Cafe Central is also a restaurant and a pastry shop.  

The cafe is on the corner of Calle Sta Maria from the Plaza de la Constitucion. Map here.

Thanks to its ideal location, the coffee is enriched with the Malaga atmosphere and views.

What's more, here history is mixed with modernity, because the interior of Cafe Central has been unchanged for years, which allows us to feel like in a given Spain. In addition, just a few days ago, the cafe was enriched with Cafe Express, where we can order our favorite coffee to go. This proves that to this day Cafe Central,  still run by the family of the creator of the original method of serving coffee, it cares about its customers, adapting to their needs.