Nerja's restaurants are dense around the Balcón de Europa and the lanes behind it — a mix of tapas bars, paella restaurants, and trattorias serving the British and northern European visitors who dominate the seasonal trade. For something less touristy, walk a few streets back from the cliffs.
The best places are usually the simple chiringuitos along Playa Burriana — beachfront shacks grilling sardines on bamboo spits over open driftwood fires (espetos). Several of these have been here for decades and remain reliably good. Reserve in high season.