We are not food critics and we don't pretend to be. But we have been in El Cotillo for a while and we have had breakfast in nearly every place. These are the three we return to.
Marameo, on Calle 3 de Abril, right opposite the apartment. Pizza and pasta, yes, but they also do quiet breakfasts on weekdays. The morning terrace, before the heat arrives, is one of the best spots in the village to read for an hour with a coffee.
Restaurante La Vaca Azul, on Calle Requena. More geared towards Canarian cuisine and fish, but they open early and have a bar where you can have a quick, good breakfast. The setting is not beautiful — it is a traditional local bar — but the coffee is among the best in the north of the island.
Piedra Alta, a little further from the centre. Quiet, with a terrace and a more carefully considered breakfast menu than most. For the days when you have time and feel like sitting without rushing.
El Cotillo has no speciality coffee shops or designed brunches. It has village bars with good ingredients and people who have been doing the same thing for years. That, looked at properly, is enough.