Here below a few of our recommendations for places to visit, see and taste, in Cartagena and around.
Coffee lover places
The best place to buy coffee beans and grinded coffee is just around the corner: Mundo Novo Coffee Shop. The owner is Pedro, he started it in 2022 out of pure passion. It´s not a café or bar, but rather a small shop, although you can order a coffee as well and he has some chairs so you can sit and drink it there, or for take-away. Ask Pedro anything you want to know about coffee. He speaks English. Location: Calle del Aire, 21
The best place to have coffee, and related specialties, including self-made cakes, is Café Lab. They have two locations in Cartagena (and one in Murcia). The atmosphere is fully in style, only for the decoration it is already worth to go. Also you can have good tostadas in the morning for breakfast, several types. Location in the city centre: Calle Intendencia, 8. The other one is near to the Corte Ingles.
For a quick good coffee for take-away in the main shopping area, you could go for Pérez Campo. Location: Puerta de Murcia, 16
For a good coffee and a relaxing, bohemic and historic (the fairy-tale write Hans Christian Andersen was here) atmosphere, visit Soldadito de Plomo at only 1 minute from the house. They have also good deserts, cakes, pancakes, milkshakes, etc. This is our favourite place to meet friends in the afternoon for a relaxing conversation. Location: Calle Príncipe de Vergara, 1
In all these places, and in all cafés and restaurants of Cartagena, you can get the typical local coffee cocktail from Cartagena, called Asiático - very popular here. It consists of coffee with condensed milk and a bit of cognac, a couple of coffee beans, lemon rind, cinnamon, and of course a few drops of Licor 43 (by the way: this well-known licor originates from Cartagena and is produced and exported from here; recommendable is to do a guided tour in the factory, nearby Cartagena). If you like the Asíatico, you can buy related souvenirs here.
Good Spanish restaurants and tapas
For wine and apertivos: cheese, ham and "conservas", you could try Aperitivos el Vinagrillo. Location: Calle Canales, 16. El Apertivo del Pinto is just as nice, or maybe even nicer. Location: Calle Cuatro Santos, 37
A classic in Cartagena, all sort of tapas but also a la carte: La Tapería de Casa Tomás. Location: Calle del Parque, 2
- La Uva Jumillana and la Bodega de la Fuente (on the other side of the street) are very popular for all ages, and drinking a vermút and have some "fast-food" but good tapas. In Bodega de la Fuenta, the sardines are famous. Location: Calle Jara 28
- Luces is our favourite for a good dinner: fusion between Spanish and Russian/Ukranian kitchen. Location: Calle Villamartín, 13
- According to the experts (Michelin) the best restaurante of Cartagena: Magoga. Location: Plaza Doctor Vicente García Marcos 5
- Run by mother and son, best croquetas in town. Try also the "revuelto cartagenero". La Fortaleza. Location, just below the Casa Terma del Teatro in the Calle Cañon
- Another tapas restaurant just below the Casa with nostalgia and history from Cartagena is El Cantón. Owner´s name is Lucio. Location: Cuesta de la Baronesa 1
- Bar el Rincón Manchego: low-priced but very good typical tapas from Castilla la Mancha. Location: Calle Campos, 3