608 Best Restaurants in Spain

Romantic dining at a reasonable price is the main draw at this restaurant with two fixed-price menus offering dozens of dishes to choose from. The cuisine is distinctly Aragonese with a few modern twists (think local venison stewed with dates, plums, and honey), and the wine hails from nearby Somontano. Every meal starts with a flight of olive oils. The small, inviting dining room with arched stone walls make Pardina a cozy choice in winter.

Geared toward a tourist clientele, this place is always packed, noisy, and fun, and there is live Spanish guitar music on the roof terrace most summer nights. Antiques and some wonderful old oil paintings fill this three-floor labyrinth of rooms just around the corner from the mosque, near the Judería. A full selection of tapas (from €6) and house specialties includes cochinillo (crispy suckling pig) and the solidly traditional rabo de toro. The croquetas de jamón are reputedly the best in town. Bookings are taken only through the website.

Don't let the bright pink facade put you off: this is one of the best places to eat in town. Just a short walk south of the Plaza de España, this restored house has a dining area in every room plus a pleasant outside patio. Rice and local dishes take center stage on the menu where fresh fish and seafood feature along with a good choice of hearty desserts. Try the almejas a la marinera (clams) or the artichokes with foie gras before moving on to a dish of octopus or grilled pork steak.

Book a table at this terrace garden restaurant 2 km (1 mile) outside of town toward O Grove for a fine-dining culinary tour of the region. Local crab, razor clams, mullet, and beef are mainstays here, as are traditional Galician cheeses and wines. Though the ingredients are primarily local, they're enlivened with international, nueva cocina touches (think kombu-laced scallops). 

Off the tourist track, this no-frills seafood restaurant with stunning sea views is a favorite with locals. The outdoor terrace seems to hover over the sea. The restaurant's popularity makes it a noisy place at peak mealtimes, so if you want a terrace table, book ahead or arrive early.

The tapas are offal-y good at this pocket-size bar specializing in variety meats like pig ear (served crackly with spicy brava sauce) and zarajos (lamb intestines wrapped around a stick and fried until crisp, an old-school Madrid snack).

True tradition (castizo itself) comes into its own at this busy venue serving regional dishes such as garbanzos con coles (cabbage with chickpeas) alongside more modern plates like the popular berenjena andalusí (eggplant with dried tomato and pistachios), plus daily fish specials and the rice dish of the day. The open kitchen gives you a frontline view of your meal in the making. Sit at the bar for tapas or at a table for larger dishes. Be sure to visit the domino-tiled bathroom.

Carpe Diem Lounge Club is a combination restaurant, chill crash pad, and nightclub, with spectacular views over the beach and a continuously open kitchen from 1 pm until 1 am every day of the year. The cuisine is a hit-and-miss jumble of Asian fusion, with everything from sushi to Kobe beef from Japan to fiery Indian curry. Expect a loud, lively atmosphere and a hefty bill.

This hip neighborhood favorite has around a dozen tables and an extensive eclectic menu geared toward sharing that features game meats, seafood, and cheeses from the mountainous northern region of Cantabria. Organic wines sourced from around the country make for spot-on pairings.

A gem among a crop of modern restaurants putting the razzle back into the run-down Raval, Cera 23 offers a winning combination of great service and robust cooking in a fun, friendly setting; stand at the bar and enjoy a blackberry mojito while you wait for your table. The focus of the dining area is the open kitchen, so guests can watch the cooks create contemporary presentations of traditional Spanish dishes. Try the volcano of black rice, with seafood "rocks" and saffron-flavored "lava," and the slow-cooked pork ribs with honey and soy sauce. The reasonably priced restaurant is popular and usually packed until quite late, but the surrounding area can be intimidating at night; get a taxi to the end of the street.

A bright and booming tapas bar with a few tables outside, this spot is always packed for a reason: good food at reasonable prices. Try the montadito de solomillo y foie, mini-morsels of foie gras-topped tenderloin that will take the edge off your carnivorous appetite without undue damage to your wallet, or the garlicky shrimp.

Strewn with nautical gewgaws, Charco Vivo has indoor and outdoor seating with tables overlooking the San Ginés lagoon. Specialties include matrimonio (a "marriage" of squid rings and fish) and clams washed down with local wines. There are more tables across the street at the sister bar, where the bocadillo de calamares (fried squid baguette) tops the menu.

This legendary seaside spot opened in 1913 and spawned the term that’s given to similar bars dotting the Spanish coast. There’s nothing particularly outstanding about the food—typical seafood tapas, much of it fried—but the waterfront terrace is ideal for soaking up the sun and more than a century of history.

Right on the sands at the southwestern end of La Carihuela, this family-run restaurant has been serving up fresh fish and seafood for more than 50 years; not for nothing is it a regular winner of the best espetero (maker of grilled sardines) prize. Sit in the bright and airy interior dining area, furnished in jaunty nautical navy and white, or grab a table outside on the beach to soak up the Mediterranean vibe. Highlights on the menu include any of the grilled fish (ask for daily specials) and a good choice of rice dishes. Finish with a cocktail on the frontline “armchairs” as you watch the waves.

Fresh seafood and crisp fried fish star on the menu at this busy chiringuito (beach restaurant) on the western seafront near the tall chimney. Eat inside in nautically themed decor or outside on the terrace on the sand. Sardines grilled over olive-wood charcoal are the best in town in season (May to August), and barbecued whole fish is also worth trying. There’s a good selection of salads including pipirrana de pulpo (octopus). Desserts aren’t so good, but nearby Marcello and Maiten serve ice cream. Service is always swift and efficient even when the venue is packed. If you like quieter dining, go midweek.

Obsessively local, scrupulously sourced, and masterfully cooked, the dishes of Catalan-Canadian chef Jordi Artal put the spotlight on the region's finest ingredients in an intimate, sophisticated setting. It's hard to believe that this garlanded restaurant is Jordi's first, but there's no arguing with the evidence of your cinc sentits (five senses). There's no à la carte option, only a tasting menu priced at €159 and €189. For your money, you will be taken on a fun run-through of reinterpretations of traditional Catalan dishes using cutting-edge techniques, matched with wines exclusive to the restaurant.

Cinco Jotas ibérico ham is a sight to behold: translucent and shimmering like shards of red stained glass, a shade darker than prosciutto and twice as fragrant. That's because this famous producer uses only 100% purebred, acorn-fed Iberian hogs. Let the master ham cutters at this swanky indoor-outdoor restaurant guide you to porcine nirvana with a gorgeous charcuterie plate paired perfectly with a glass of bone-dry fino sherry.

At the bottom of Rambla de Catalunya, this scaled-up tapas bar draws a throng of mostly international clients and has tables outside on this busy part-pedestrianized street all year- round. The solomillo (miniature beef fillet) is a winner here, as is the broqueta d'escamarlans (brochette of jumbo shrimp). You'll find similar dishes for less elsewhere, but the combination of location and reliable quality here means that the lines for seats are invariably long.

Fancy it ain't, but this jovial tapas bar is where you can devour the freshest catch from the Rúa Pescadería fisherwomen, and it does a roaring lunch trade with Vigo locals. Expect heaping plates of marisco (shellfish) and scallops with roe at market prices, plus fresh and fruity Albariño, its trusty sidekick. Indoors there are round tables covered with paper, while the outdoor terrace is a pleasing place to slurp down some oysters and watch the old town bustle.

The only restaurant with a Michelin star in the city has chef León Griffioen at the helm, placing local produce under the Dutch microscope and creating dishes themed around the history of Cádiz. With just eight tables in minimalist surroundings, the restaurant, decked in black and gray, offers a tasting menu (€105 for 10 dishes, €130 for 12; pairing options available) that comes with several surprises, including an "olive"—it's one explosion of flavor after another on vibrantly presented plates.

Famous among local foodies for being a great restaurant in an area devoid of culinary hype, Contracorrent fulfills its “against the tide” name by conjuring up imaginative dishes (such as potato foam with truffle and egg, or steamed mussels with tapioca) alongside only natural, small-batch wines. Highly recommended if you're near Arc di Triomf or the Estació del Nord bus station, and your stomach is getting vocal.

Brunch spots may be ten a penny these days but few can compete with the superb, French-owned Cremat 11, almost hidden down this tiny street behind the Picasso Museum. The dining room is small but cozy, and there is also a shady outdoor patio on what is arguably one of the prettiest squares in the city. The menu is short and to the point: featuring all the brunch staples like pancakes, eggs Benedict, and burgers, although the real show stoppers here are the steak and eggs (served succulent and medium rare) and the mouthwatering foie-gras sausage and fries, not to mention the killer cocktails. 

Epitomizing old-world luxury, Cuenllas (KWEN-yas) is Moncloa's most venerable dining establishment, in business since 1939. After sitting down at the bar or in the dining room for a meal of Spanish bistro fare (think warm salt-cod brandade, Santoña anchovy canapés, and marinated partridge) accompanied by reserva wines, peruse the adjoining gourmet shop for edible souvenirs including caviar, cheeses, wines, and homemade charcuterie.

Around the corner from the cathedral, this is one of Granada's longest-established fish restaurants. Catch-of-the-day fish and shellfish, fresh from the boats at Motril, are displayed in the window at the front of the tapas bar, adjacent to the cozy wood-paneled dining room. Fish both frito (fried) and parrillado (grilled) are good choices, and this is the only place in Granada serving angulas (glass eels). If it's chilly, you can warm up with caldereta de arroz, pescado y marisco (rice, fish, and seafood stew). There are tables outdoors overlooking a busy plaza.

Tucked away on the riverfront in Triana next to Puente del Cristo de la Expiración, this modern venue advocates local produce in traditional Andalusian recipes, showcased in a menu that changes on a weekly basis, along with a long wine list of Andalusian wines. The long narrow interior has striking wood-paneled walls with a verdant vertical garden in the middle, while outside dining takes in panoramic views of the river on the intimate terrace.

For good reason, tables are hard to come by at this busy restaurant in a typical Triana house, whose concise contemporary menu includes truffled gnocchi, baked cod with seasonal vegetables, and steak tartare, a house specialty.

Elevated sharing plates made from locally sourced, seasonal ingredients are the bottom line at this trendy Eixample eatery. The menu features unlikely combos: artichoke salad with Parmesan cream and bottarga, or glazed mackerel with pumpkin—blends that shouldn't work, but yet they really do—along with nods to the most classic of Catalan "grandma" dishes, like the decadently meaty macaroni covered in cheese. The intimate dining room is chic but unfussy, works by local artists adorn the walls, and the small outdoor terrace has four tables for four for diners who prefer to eat alfresco.

Don’t let the cheeky caricature art on the shutters fool you: food is taken very seriously here; ditto the vinous goodness it’s washed down with. The lovably unstuffy atmosphere is typical of its Carrer de Blai location, but the plates—seasonal, adventurous, and served all day—are a cut above the conveyor-belt tapas that the street is famous for.  

Local gourmands pilgrimage to this tiny, unassuming-looking bar on the edge of the famous Boquería market, where Catalan chef Arnau Muñío flexes his culinary chops in full view of the diners at his chef's-table-style counter. There are two tasting menus, one long, one short, both of which showcase Muñío's unique approach to Catalan-Asian fusion food. Think miso scallops with pickled mushrooms and shrimp in green tea kombucha. Capacity is extremely limited and reservations (well in advance) are essential. 

When you ask a Madrileño about a remarkable food experience—something that stirs the senses beyond feeding one's appetite—DiverXO is the first name you'll hear. The take-no-prisoners tasting menu incorporates a dizzying array of international ingredients and chemical processes. Getting a table at this foodie shrine is akin to scoring a ticket for the Super Bowl, stratospheric prices included, so plan ahead—there's an online reservation system that requires that you to pay in full in advance. At the time of writing, it was reported that in 2025 the restaurant would change locations to La Finca, a luxury residential complex on the outskirts of town; check the website for details.