Ana La Fantástica
When a Galician baker brings her homeland’s traditions to Malaga, something rather special happens.
Ana La Fantástica is an artisan bakery and café in the heart of Malaga that’s winning over customers with its dedication to proper bread-making. Think rustic loaves, flaky pastries and breakfasts that actually set you up for the day.
Artisan bakery in central Malaga
The story behind it involves a Galician woman moving to Andalucía, missing decent bread and deciding to do something about it. After training in professional bakeries back in Galicia, Ana returned to Malaga to open her own place.
As a result, the bakery follows traditional Galician methods, using masa madre (sourdough starter) and Spanish flours to create breads that taste like they should: deeply flavoured, properly fermented and entirely free from additives.
The loaves, baguettes and chapatas (ciabatta-style rolls) are all shaped by hand and baked fresh daily.
Breakfast and brunch options
The café side of things is equally impressive. Toast lovers should make a beeline for the marble bread with feta, watercress and honey, or keep things simple with the classic tomato and Arbequina olive oil number.
There are also cinnamon rolls, beautifully laminated croissants and daily sponge cakes that disappear quickly.
Ana occasionally makes empanadas (savoury pies) as a nod to her Galician roots, with the octopus version being particularly noteworthy.
The brunch options are substantial. The full English comes with scrambled eggs, sausages, beans, mushrooms, grilled tomato and homemade bread.
The vegetarian option, meanwhile, features mushrooms, avocado, two poached eggs and hollandaise sauce on rustic bread.
Traditional baking techniques meet Andalusian café culture
What makes Ana La Fantástica stand out in Malaga’s café scene is the combination of artisan quality and its cosy setting.
This isn’t just somewhere to grab a quick coffee; its Scandi-inspired interior in its central location on Calle Castillo de Sohail, not far from Plaza de la Constitución, is an inviting spot for a catch-up or to take your laptop.
If you fancy something to go, they also have a more takeaway-oriented outlet, close to El Corte Inglés, on Calle Hilera.
Daryl is the co-founder of Malaga Guru. He is a copywriter, editor and translator who moved to Malaga over a decade ago, having first fallen in love with the city on his Erasmus year. After working for many years at local expat newspaper SUR in English, Daryl gained expert knowledge in life from the perspective of foreign residents and decided to co-found this site in 2016.