Do you want 'pulled pork' for breakfast? In these cafes in Puerto de la Torre and El Palo, they're sure about it.

Javier Almellones

Málaga

Shredded marinated meat with a touch of barbecue sauce, in such a generous amount that it's hard to contain it in the bread. This is the starting point ... of one of the most unique breakfasts that can be found in Málaga today. It is designed for those looking for something different, with a lot of flavor and that also satisfies. It is, in short, a genuine 'pulled pork' served early in the day at Piola cafeterias, located in El Palo and Puerto de la Torre. Named 'Mucha-mecha', it is the most striking of the pitufos and vienas created by Federico Espinetti and María Abdemoula, owners of these two businesses located at opposite ends of Málaga.

The idea of offering such special breakfasts arose from the couple's travels outside the province. "We realized that it was impossible to have breakfast like in Málaga," explains María. And it was precisely from there that the intention to create a menu that maintained the classics, but also incorporated more original and substantial proposals, was born.

"We wanted to have a common and healthy part, but also a more powerful one," she comments. In addition, much of their clientele consisted of workers looking for breakfasts capable of sustaining them for a good part of the day. "There were many construction workers or those in physical jobs who needed something strong to last until noon or the afternoon," she adds.

Thus, the special sandwiches of Piola began to emerge. The 'Mucha-mecha' quickly became one of the most demanded, although it is not the only one. Other highlights include the 'Special Chicken', with seasoned chicken, cooked ham, cheese, egg, and aioli; the 'Caprino', with goat cheese, caramelized onion, and bacon; or the 'Cerdito Deluxe', which adds seasoned meat, bacon, egg, cheese, and caramelized onion.

"The specials worked so well that we started to make more mixes and more tests," explains Abdelmoula. "They are a bit like gourmet sandwiches."

In the case of 'Mucha-mecha', the pulled pork is already prepared by a trusted supplier, with the meat cooked and mixed with barbecue sauce. A French omelette is added to it, while the aioli is made in the cafeteria itself. "That is totally ours," she comments on one of the most recognizable sauces of the house.

But Piola does not only move in the field of substantial breakfasts. The menu also incorporates a line of healthier toasts with ingredients such as avocado, cream cheese, chia, nuts, or honey. Among them appear options like the 'Piola', with white cheese, avocado, oil, tomato, and chia; or the 'Capri', with goat cheese, caramelized onion, nuts, and honey.

Alongside these proposals, traditional breakfasts of a lifetime also coexist: mixed, catalanas, pitufos with serrano, butter, oil, or tomato. This coexistence between the classic and the different is precisely one of the hallmarks of the business.

The name is also not casual. 'Piola' is a term widely used in Argentina to define someone who is friendly, pleasant, or with a good vibe, a direct reference to Federico Espinetti and to that cultural mix that both wanted to transfer to the project.

The couple first opened the establishment in Puerto de la Torre and later made the leap to El Palo, thus bringing the same concept to two very different areas of Málaga capital. In addition, the business has been growing little by little and expanding schedules and offerings, also incorporating camperos, burgers, and other proposals beyond breakfast.

All this driven by a young and entrepreneurial couple who have managed to make something as unusual as having pulled pork for breakfast no longer seem strange to many people from Málaga.

Where they are:

Cafetería Bar Piola

Piola cafetería burger

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