Spain Tapas Culture

Thanks for asking this!! I'll be doing the exact same thing in 2 weeks. :) Looking forward to seeing the answers.

With a group of five, has anyone found it difficult to just walk in to a restaurant for tapas?

No. But if you can, avoid areas that draws a lot of tourists like the Puerta del Sol area in Madrid or the Ramblas and old town area of Barcelona. I have been all over Spain and the Tapas are an all day thing but less crowded from 15:00 to 19:00.

It may be good to explain what "tapas" really are (and in some places, "were") and what have they´ve turned into now. To start with, a "tapas restaurant" is a very strange concept in most parts of Spain. A real "tapa" is something you get for free in some areas of Spain, not everywhere. You order a drink and the waiter offers something from the counter (chips, meatballs, cheese, chorizo...something small), and it´s complimentary. Those are the real tapas. And now, given the enormous influence of tourism, they´ve turned the "raciones" (much bigger portions) into "tapas", when they really are not the same thing. And then we have the "pintxos" in the Basque Country, a very different concept. The basic idea is that you never (or very rarely) have tapas or pintxos as a meal, always as an appetizer, and most of the time standing by the counter of the bar. So if you can find these places (as I mentioned, rarer and rarer every day in the city centers), do not hesitate and enjoy the real thing, you´ll love it.

I can see how Tapas culture can be a bit intimidating for foreigners, but I hope I can demystify it a bit for you :)

What is a Tapas bar? Tapas bars are places usually located in the more touristy centres of cities in Spain that will have long bar tables with different tapas on top, here you usually make your way to the bar first and talk to the bartender directly to get service or if you want a check, waiters will not come to you here, you have to be more proactive. I've seen many "tapas bars" in foreign countries (cashing in on the tapas brand) but they never come close to the actual tapas experience in Spain.

What is the "rhythm of tapas"? Firstly don't expect that the tapas are all small or cheap, often foreigners are surprised when their tapas order comes and they found they have over ordered and overpaid. Take it slow and pace yourself, order 1-2 tapas at once then if wanting more order another round of 1-2 or move on to the next tapas bar. Also know that there are Tapas and Raciones, Tapas are small plates to share between 1-2 people while Raciones are larger portions of food that are meant to be shared by a group of people.

What is the "architure of tapas"? Usually there will be a bar with a glass cover so you can point to what tapas you want. At the bar there are bar stools so you sit on those while eating, your plates will actually be on the bar table. Don't be "patient", you will have to compete for the bartender's attention with others at the bar, don't be afraid to raise your voice if they are not coming to you, this comes naturally for local Spanish but may be difficult for first timers from abroad. Once you start ordering tapas they will keep an open tap for you until you order the check.

In Barcelona, the better Tapas bars tend to be around El Born and El Poble sec neighborhoods, I can recommend Bar Celta Pulperia and Quimet & Quimet, respectively. But you got to go out and explore, avoid places where they have the menus in English first and all the patrons are foreigners, these days that is hard to do in Barcelona cause of overtourism.

We have been to Spain several times including the cities you mentioned.

Back in the 1980s when you planned to dine in the evening for Supper, most restaurants didn't even open until 10PM, but you could find smaller bars with some seating and eat tapas around 5 to 6PM and make that supper.

We just came back from a tour of Spain and southern France and many Spanish restaurants now offer tapas (not all), but you don't always eat at a bar, you dine at your table. Most restaurants (not tapas rest.) now open earlier, around 8PM for Supper.

Also, there are more Tapas restaurants that just offer that only and you sit at a regular table and order from a menu, some now have pictures. There are still the smaller or modest sized restaurants were there is a bar and you go up and pick out your tapas to someone and they bring them to your table. We were in the Basque region near France and they call them something else there, but they are like tapas and they are great.

In Barcelona there is a great tapas restaurant a short walk from the cathedral that is downtown in the Las Ramblas area. It is a large restaurant and they speak English. In fact, language is usually not a problem.