La Cosmo
Dani Carnero crowds tuna, confit tomato, anchovy and a spicy pepper onto one skewer here and calls it a gilda, and it takes several bites to finish.
Why go
Carnero trained with Martín Berasategui, Ferran Adrià and Manolo de la Osa, opened La Cosmopolita in the old centre, and took a MICHELIN star for Kaleja in November 2022. La Cosmo is the loose one. Condé Nast Traveller watched him work it: When he's not at Kaleja, diners get a front-row view of the chef directing the flow of dishes, from his own take on ensalada rusa (with hake) to conchas finas (giant clams).
2 It holds a Bib Gourmand again in the 2026 guide.1
Willie Orellana, who cooks at Uvedoble up the hill, takes his lunch here and orders the gilda and the chicken wings.4 Dani García, who held three MICHELIN stars in Marbella, comes for the aperitivo.5 Guía Macarfi puts a meal at about 50 euros a head without drinks.7
Order this / avoid
- Order: the gilda. Lori Zaino:
you can't leave without trying their gildas (they'll take you a few bites to finish), which stuff a few pieces of tuna, confit tomatoes, anchovies, and spicy peppers all onto a small skewer.
3 - Order: the soupy carbonara leek under a cured egg yolk and grated parmesan, or the Iberian pork with gherkin milk and spinach, which is where Zaino sends you after the gilda.3
- Order: the ensaladilla rusa built with hake, and the conchas finas while they are on.2
- Avoid: taking the terrace without thinking about it. Zaino:
sitting inside is where you'll feel the exciting energy of the staff preparing your order in the open kitchen.
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What locals & experts say
- The MICHELIN Guide, 2026 Bib Gourmand, reported by El Español: the chef
is after a more direct and fluid culinary idea here, reclaiming the Málaga tradition and the flavors of the sea.
1 - Guía Macarfi:
It is much more than Kaleja's little brother: there is cooking with intention and technique here, with no unnecessary disguises, alongside a careful selection of natural wines.
7 - Lori Zaino, The Infatuation:
The chef behind La Cosmo is a household name in Málaga, renowned for his stylish restaurants and meticulously prepared meat, fish, and traditional Spanish dishes.
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Good to know
- Booking: take one. The room is small and the counter fills first.
- Price: about 50 euros a head without drinks, read in September 2026.7
- Where: Calle Císter 11, beside the cathedral.
- Two rooms of Carnero's trade under similar names. This is La Cosmo on Císter. La Cosmopolita is the older room, it is a different door, and the Repsol Sol on the 2025 table belongs to it.8
Verdict
should-visit — Dani Carnero holds a MICHELIN star at Kaleja and cooks this room loose, with a Bib Gourmand of its own in the 2026 guide. The gilda is the thing to order, tuna, confit tomato, anchovy and a spicy pepper crowded onto one skewer, and after it the leek carbonara under a cured egg yolk or the giant raw clams. Carnero slips hake into the Russian salad. Sit inside at the counter where the open kitchen is, because the terrace misses the half of the room that is worth watching. Book ahead. There are few seats and the ones at the pass go first.