Tapas restaurants in Spain
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Bar-Restaurante Las Columnas
Beefy men and tasty tapas are brought together at this low-key restaurant, which serves down-to-earth fare such as albóndigas (meatballs).
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13%
At the quieter end of the old town, this L-shaped barn of a place is at once a wine and tapas bar, bistro and delicatessen. Most items are organic and there’s plenty of choice for vegetarians. Wines are displayed on racks (both bar and takeaway prices are quoted, so you know the exact mark-up).
You'll find everything from canapés, salads and carpaccio of smoked ostrich with cranberry jam to fresh sardine fillets in cava. The menú del día is a choice selection of three tapas.
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Bar Bartolo
Bar Bartolo is a good old-town spot for varied tapas and strong, viscous coffee. If it's busy, just elbow your way in.
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Café Bar El Estrecho
This is a good, busy old-town tapas bar.
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La Taberna de Santiago
Blue tiles adorn this refined tapas bar and the blue sea is in view from its terraza, as are the curious sculptures on pedestrian Avenida del Mar. Go for cockles, fried sardines, jamón serrano (mountain-cured ham) or even snails in thyme sauce.
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El Muelle
The place may not look like anything special, but you get well-prepared fish dishes and tapas with none of the pointless frills and spills of more upmarket spots further around the waterfront. It's generally patronised by locals, who also like the bocadillos.
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El Barrigón de Xelini
You never quite know what to expect here, but tapas, more than 50 kinds drawn from all over Spain, are at the core. It has a penchant for mains of lamb too. On summer weekends, there's live jazz.
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G
Bodega San Francisco
With three dining rooms and tables spilling out onto the narrow pedestrian street, this may well be Ronda’s top tapas bar. The menu is vast and should suit the fussiest of families, even vegetarians with nine-plus salad choices. Try the revuelto de patatas (scrambled eggs with potatoes and peppers). House wine is good.
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Café Bar Las Teresas
The hanging hams look as ancient as the bar itself, a sinuous wrap-around affair with just enough room for two stout waiters to pass carrying precariously balanced tapas plates. The atmosphere is dark but not dingy, the food highly traditional, and the crowd an integrated mix of tourists and Santa Cruz locals.
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Cisco y Tierra
All the tapas here come from cans, or are preserved in some other way – but that’s nowhere near as dismal as it sounds. Try the special cheese, a super-aged manchego with a caramel-like richness, or the aged hams. The ceiling is decorated with policemen’s hats, siphon bottles and other knick-knacks, while romantic tunes crackle from a vintage-look radio behind the bar.
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Delorean Bar de Tapas
Makes sense that the cheapest tapas in town are amid the alternative club zone – hipsters have to eat too. It's cheap but tasty; beyond the burgers, there's eggplant in vinaigrette sauce, flamenquín balls (croquettes of rolled ham and cheese), mushroom quesadillas and more. It's a youthful hang-out but it respects one time-honored tradition: free tapas with every beer.
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El Pilayo
A popular traditionally tiled bar and restaurant, famed for its pescaitos fritos (fried fish) and typical local tapas, including wedges of crumbly Manchego cheese, the ideal accompaniment to a glass of hearty Rioja wine.
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Rincon Chinitas
Located on one of Málaga’s most evocative and historic streets (Lorca used to hang out here), this tiny tapas bar dishes up the tastiest berenjenas con miel (fried aubergines with honey) in town. Alternatively, go for that special seafood moment with a plate of gambas (prawns).
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Tapeo de Cervantes
This place has caught on big time which, given its squeeze-in space, can mean a wait. Choose from traditional or more innovative tapas and raciones with delicious combinations and stylish presentation. Think polenta with oyster mushrooms, chorizo and melted cheese or the more conventional tortilla de patatas (potato omelette), spiked with a veg or two. Portions are generous.
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+Cub
This über-central cafe is distinguished by the friendly service, innovative tapas – from black pudding with pistachio to salad with black fig sorbet – fresh fruit juice combos, shakes and Girona’s own La Moska microbrew, as well as numerous other beers from all over Spain.
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El Picoteo de la Jouja
This intimate little bar has earned a loyal following for its concentration on traditional local tapas (try the six tapas for €13.50) and local wines, including some from the nearby Bierzo region. The tapas include cured meats, snails and all manner of León specialties.
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El Yantar
A step up in class from the touristy restaurants clustered around the Roman theatre entrance, this is a place to try high-quality Extremadura hams, patés and cheeses, accompanied by underrated Ribera del Guadiana wines. There's a pleasant terrace, competent service, and a shop to buy anything you liked the taste of.
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La Cocina de Toño
We're yet to hear a bad word about this place and its loyal following owes everything to its creative pinchos (snacks) and half-servings of dishes such as escalope of foie gras with roast apple and passionfruit gelatin. The restaurant serves more traditional fare as befits the decor, but the bar is one of Salamanca's gastronomic stars. Slightly removed from the old city, it draws a predominantly Spanish crowd.
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Mugi
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Taberna El Embrujo
Near the top of the escalator up to the Old Town, this friendly bar has an appealing stone-clad dining area and an outdoor terrace across the street. It does a great line in high-quality deli-style tapas, with tasty tomato salads, delicious foie and toothsome seafood options, all served with a smile.
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La Chata
Behind the lavishly tiled facade, La Chata looks for all the world like a neglected outpost of the past. The decor may be rundown and the bullfighting memorabilia not to everyone’s taste, but this is an essential stop on a tapas tour of La Latina. The dishes are mainstays of the local diet (tripe and plenty of seafood), but don’t come here without ordering a cazuela (stew cooked and served in a ceramic pot, including wild mushrooms with clams).
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El Lateral
El Lateral does terrific pinchos (tapas), which serve as the ideal accompaniment to the fine wines on offer. Tapas are creative without being over the top (wild mushroom croquettes or sirloin with mustard sauce). This being Salamanca, they draw a pretty upmarket crowd, but you’d be surprised how rapidly the ties loosen up after work. Service is restaurant standard, rather than your average tapas-bar brusqueness. They have another branch in Malasaña, with a further bar-restaurant in Huertas.
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Gastromaquia
The exciting reimagining of tapas that would have Hemingway turning in his grave swept through Madrid long ago, but few places have recognised the possibilities of bringing world cuisines (eg couscous) into the mix. The philosophy behind Gastromaquia (the brainchild of renowned chef Ivan Sánchez) is to encourage Spaniards to relearn the art of eating tapas, taking them on a journey into what he calls ‘universal tapas’ – try the braised octopus with potato foam to get you rethinking it all. Gastromaquia nonetheless maintains a base in Spanish cooking (helped by its location in an old Chueca taberna), but the tastes are always fresh and surprising.
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Restaurante Estay
Restaurante Estay is partly a standard Spanish bar, where besuited waiters serve café con leche (it does breakfasts), and one of the best-loved tapas bars in town. The long list of hot and cold tapas concentrates mostly on Spanish staples, with a selection of more adventurous combinations, such as quail with onion and chocolate. Like this last dish, it all seems rather an odd mix, but it somehow works.
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El Bardo
High-calibre tapas, toasts (topped with combinations like cod carpaccio with sundried tomatoes) and a reliable daily menu aimed at the locals make this an excellent choice. It's also a good place to try the local farinato (filled pastries).
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