What was your favorite restaurants/ tapa bars in Barcelona, Granada, Seville, Madrid?

The ‘Spain Revealed’ YouTube channel has great food guides for Spanish cities. (He was a founder of Devour Tours.)

In Madrid eating at Botin is an experience. It claims to be the oldest continuous restaurant in Europe. You can also do the Botin Experience which includes a tour before the restaurant opens with the history of the place, choice of seating, a lovely meal including wine, tapas, entree, and dessert, and a parting gift. You can book this on their website.

There are typically 4 kinds of restaurants (not including fast food) in Spain:

Bar-Restaurante - these low-key establishments are frequented most by locals during the weekdays. They usually serve a 'Menú del día', an excellent seasonal three course lunch. Here one usually sits one's self on the outside sitting unless there is a reserved placard on the table. The waiter then comes over to see what you want if just drinks or food as well. The waiters will check in on you from time to time, but can be considered slow compared to American standards. These are usually only for lunch.

Restaurantes - more upscale affairs with table cloths, wine menus etc.. Here there is typically someone you talk to first to get seated (like a host in the USA), they usually will be standing near the entrance. This is most similar to the US in terms of service. These are usually for dinner, starting after 9:00 pm.

Tapas bars - these places are usually located in the more touristy centres of cities and will have long bar tables with different tapas on top, here you usually make your way to the bar first and talk to the bar tender directly to get service or if you want a check, waiters will not come to you here, you have to be more proactive. Don't expect Tapas to be cheap eats, they can get quite expensive as you add them up.

Gastronomic food markets - these are where local restaurants have food stalls located in the main market, that sell street food to eat on site. These newer types of food markets have become quite popular in Spain in recent years, especially for those looking for a quick drink and a bite to eat. You just order what you want at the counter then sit down at any empty table then pick up the food order when its ready and eat at your table.

We eat dinner after 9:00 pm in Spain, so probably your best bet to find something open earlier would be a Tapas Bar, you don't need a reservation for most tapas bars if you're eating at the bar, eating at a table will sometimes be more expensive and more difficult to secure seats. Over the years I've learned that "going for tapas" is sometimes confusing and intimidating for foreigners in Spain.

My first piece of advice, 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.

Usually there will be a bar with a glass cover so you can point to what tapas you want. At the bar are bar stools so you sit on those while eating, your plates will actually be on the bar table, you are not balancing anything. 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 in those. In Granada I suggest the historic Bar Provincias, still popular with locals.

Thanks everyone for the great recommendations! I added them to my lists to check out.

Special thanks to Carlos for sharing the valuable tips on etiquettes/ expectations about Spanish cuisine. So informative and helpful knowledge that I couldn’t easily find elsewhere on travel guides!

Cheers!

In Granada, I absolutely fell in love with Bodegas Castañeda. My daughter and I squeezed through to the bar 3 of our 4 nights. By the second night, the staff knew us and each night we met other customers: either local residents or tourists from other parts of Spain. They have a rotation of 4 free tapas - one comes free with each drink. If you keep ordering a drink, they start over. Nights 2 & 3, the cooks were sending out free food, too. 🤣

Just know that if you sit down (and they do have an adjacent restaurant, as well as tables in the bar) or if you order from the menu (even if it’s just a different tapas item), there’s a transition from free tapas with your drink to being a restaurant-type customer.

The waiters miraculously stay up with what you ordered and you pay when you finish and are ready to leave.

I have only been to the 4 cities you mention, plus Toledo and Segovia - but Granada remains my favorite.

Edit: How could I forget to mention Tabernacle Coloniales in Seville? Simple and good food, but it fills up immediately upon opening for dinner at 8:30 and stays full and not with American tourists.

1. Of those visited the last few years...

Madrid: While popular, these three are located together, and still do a great job for tapas, which are more Raciones, or appetizer sized orders. Casa Toni, the place for offal, the sweetbreads are divine, but also the fried baby squid are great, the potatoes bravas, chorizo, and lots more. La Oreja de Jaime, for the pigs ears, plus more. La Casa del Abuelo for the garlic shrimp. In most places, though not shown on the menu, you can order a half-racione, or half order, great if you want to sample.

There are tons of other options, I second the recommendation to watch the many James Blick videos on YouTube (Spain Revealed), lots and lots on Madrid, a couple on Seville, a few on Barcelona, and one on Granada. He covers some sit down type places, but mainly tapas. There are lots of other blogs on YouTube for ideas, and Time Out, Devour, and Eater are usually solid resources for food.

For Markets, of course stop into Mercato San Miguel, but it will be crowded. Great for a vermouth, sherry or wine, maybe a nibble, but some of the food is a bit disappointing. A better bet would be the humble Mercato San Anton, not as flashy, a bit smaller, but better if you want to actually sit and have a few things from different stalls.

Seville: We liked Casa Pepe Hillo for tapas, right across from the bull ring, and then Los Golondrinas over in Triana. Of course there were a half dozen more, but those two rose to the top.

Granada: Again, lots of places, but Bar la Riviera we kept going back to. True tapas, order a drink, you get a healthy size tapa for free, plus you get to choose from the decent list of tapas.

Second: Covered that above

Third: Reservations are only needed for the nicer, sit down places, if even then, maybe stop by earlier in the day or the day before and inquire.

Fourth. Try to adjust your eating habits. Typical is only coffee and something light right away in the morning, maybe something more at 9 or 10. Then the main meal is really at 1 or 2 in the afternoon. A proper, sit down meal at night is not until 9 to 11 at night, and is usually lighter than what you might eat for "supper". Point is, if you want a nice meal, featuring local food, in a better restaurant, eat that meal in early afternoon, that is when the restaurants will be open. Many eat a big buffet breakfast at their hotel, all but skip lunch, then are disappointed at the options in early evening. There will of course be places open earlier, serving tapas and raciones, options other than "Spanish" food like Italian, and those places serving the tourist trade will be open.

In Granada, another vote for Bodegas Castaneda. Also enjoyed Taberna La Tana. We got in there without a reservation but were exceptionally lucky.

In Seville, Bendala Braseria for lunch; Bar El Comercio for breakfast churros; Casa Moreno for authentic tapas.

Happy eating!