Items to get from grocery/supermarket for a driving trip

I don't know about uniquely Spanish road snacks. But we find about the same stuff in their grocery stores and drive in markets as we have at home.

Here are some of my favorite comfort snacks from Spain:

Marcona almonds - sweet, buttery almonds usually toasted with Rosemary

Manzanilla olives - these stuffed olives are a big thing in Spain, they can be stuffed with either anchovies, peppers, or even blue cheese.

Mini Jamon and Salchichón bites - bite size pieces of various Spanish dried meats from Fuet to Jamón serrano and everything in between.

Spanish Gourmet potato chips - American potato chips have nothing on their Spanish cousins (sorry). In Spain they are just so light and crispy. They come in tastes like Jamon, Truffles, Olive Oil, even Cava! One brand to look out for is called San Nicasio, which comes from Andalucía, specifically the area around Córdoba.

All of these things can be found in most of the larger Spanish supermarkets, like Mercadona or the more pricey El Corte Inglés.

Spanish Gourmet potato chips - American potato chips have nothing on their Spanish cousins (sorry).

yeah right; that is a matter of personal tastes;

also OP consider if people in the party that hate eating meat

yeah right; that is a matter of personal tastes;

@Jazz+Travels, you are right, it is a matter of personal taste. Whenever I eat potato chips in the U.S. I tend to end up feeling sick to the stomach, I am not sure if it's all the added chemicals or 40+ ingredients one can't pronounce.

Here are the ingredients for Patatas Fritas de San Nicasio:
Potatoes, 100% extra virgin olive oil, and salt... that's it, only three ingredients.

Here are the ingredients for Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream Potato Chips:
Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Sunflower, Corn, and/or Canola Oil), Cheddar & Sour Cream Seasoning (Maltodextrin [Made From Corn], Salt, Whey, Cheddar Cheese [Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes], Onion Powder, Corn Oil, Monosodium Glutamate, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Buttermilk, Canola Oil, Sour Cream [Cultured Cream, Skim Milk], Lactose, Butter [Cream, Salt], Sodium Caseinate, Yeast Extract, Citric Acid, Skim Milk, Blue Cheese [Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes], Lactic Acid, Garlic Powder, Artificial Color [Including Yellow 6, Yellow 5], Whey Protein Isolate, Sunflower Oil, and Milk Protein Concentrate)

In the end... aren't all of our recommendations on this travel forum just matters of "personal taste" :)

Who eats Ruffles but kids? They Organic chips here

Thanks everyone!

Carlos, how about drinks? Anything of note?

@rahmis4ri Probably not a beer while driving (maybe after)! lol

Anyway... I would say non-alcoholic drinks are less localized in Spain than the snacks. Coca-Cola and Fanta are popular brands. There is also Aquarius, which is a Japanese soft drink, it was the official drink of the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and has since become popular in Spain.

I would say that the mineral waters in Spain are very good though. One popular brand of bottled mineral water to look out for is called Solan de Cabras, which comes from the famous natural spring of Solan de Cabras in Cuenca. It's sold in all the super markets.

There are several supermarkets close to where you're staying however I've found Lidl to offer the best selection (there's a huge and very good Carrefour further down in Estepona but that's going out of your way if you're driving to Ronda).

There is a good variety of hams, chorizo and cheese although if you want a very good selection of hams and cheese, particularly the whole spectrum of Iberico ham then the Carrefour is the place to go. There are also packs of tortilla which makes good picnic food. Torta de Aceite are a rarity outside of Spain however they're quite crumbly so could be a bit messy in the car.

Crisps/chips I like are Santa Ana, just potatoes, olive oil and salt. You'll find lots of jars of various Spanish antipasto, olives, peppers etc. They have a good selection of fresh baked bread and pastries, empanadas and pizza type rolls.

Drink wise you'll find the usual soda suspects including some Spanish varieties. I'm not one for drinking soda or other sugary drinks so I can't advise you on that topic.

Personally, I would wait until I arrive at Ronda to eat. I'd much rather be hungry and fill myself up on a well cooked meal than fill up on snacks on the drive up. It's not a long drive so for me I would have a simple breakfast of coffee with some cheese and ham and then hit the road to Ronda. It's an hour and a half drive at the most which could have you arriving in time for some churros and chocolate and then explore the town before lunch.

Another shout out for potato chips. And cheese, manchego cheese. Sort of a drink, you can get cartons of gazpacho and the Andalucian version, salmorejo, as well as fruit juices.

The chips/crisps really are very good. I was a skeptic, but I've come around. Spanish potato chips are so good. Crispy, salty. Yum.

Walk through the store and pick up Spanish made products. For drinks, my wife and I enjoy Kas limon (lemon) and naranja (orange).

You can always pre-shop for ideas at a couple websites. These are the sites I can think of off the top of my head.
carrefour.es or elcortesingles.es, then select supermercado from the menu.
mercadona.es is another chain. From the supermercado main page type Marbella where it says ciudad o codigo postal, then hit entrar.