608 Best Restaurants in Spain

This restaurant stands out by offering creative twists on classic dishes at comparatively affordable prices. Traditional favorites such as paella, black rice, and fideuà (a paella-like pasta dish) are reinvigorated, and freshness is assured as ingredients come directly from the lonja fish quay across the street, a lively auction where Barcelona's small fishing fleet sells its wares. The fixed-price lunch menu changes weekly and offers a budget-friendly way to try what's in season. You can't do much better for value and quality in otherwise notoriously overpriced Barceloneta.

Not too far from the Giralda, this family-run restaurant has been making a name for itself with fresh fish dishes for more than two decades. The owners hail from Sanlúcar de Barrameda downriver, and the ingredients come from their hometown and always include swordfish, sea bass, and anchovies. House specials are the sopa de galeras (garlic soup with shrimp), alcachofas con gulas (artichokes with eels), and stuffed squid. There's also a daily stew dish, usually fish-based. Eat inside at the slightly prim tables in one of the dining rooms, outside on the more informal but tiny street terrace, or perch at the bar for a tapa or two (from €3.50).

The average customer age in this time-warpy tavern is pushing 70, which is always a good sign—Madrid's abuelos and abuelas never settle for subpar Spanish cooking. In the snug tile-walled dining room, tuck into disappearing classics like braised squid in ink sauce and stewed baby fava beans (verdinas) with prawns; then satisfy your sweet tooth with a custardy fried torrija (Spanish "French" toast).

Join the locals leaning on wine-barrel tables to watch soccer and snack on Galician cheeses and spicy chorizo, which hangs from ceiling racks above the bar.

Tucked away in the casco antiguo, this small venue with upstairs and downstairs dining offers a taste of Córdoba tapas and Montilla wine in Marbella. There is a good choice of tapas (from €4) and sharing plates, including homemade croquettes, cold cuts, fried fish (the squid is particularly good), and the house pisto (ratatouille) served with a fried egg or pork.

Channeling that Ibiza-boho vibe, La Paloma feels like a refuge for artists and hippies, nestled amid the shady overhang of orange and lemon trees. By day, the eclectic café menu features crunchy salads and Middle Eastern– and North African–inspired dishes; by night, it's all about homemade pasta (the chef is Italian, and many ingredients come directly from Italy). There are also organic wines and refreshing juices. If traveling with children, the knobbly trees and picturesque surroundings are ideal territory for them to go off and play. In winter, dine inside by the fire.

Literally "The Bishop's Belly," this casual spot achieves a rare feat: putting modern international twists on Mediterranean cuisine without ruining it. La Panxa is a bit off the beaten path and thrives on a steady stream of repeat customers, who come for superb tapas and the restaurant's own craft beer on tap.

This sophisticated sea-foam-green dining room is the perfect place to feast on fresh fish while sipping Albariño. Don't miss the mussels with béchamel, a dish that La Penela is locally famous for. If shellfish isn't your speed, the roast veal is also popular. The restaurant occupies a modernist building on a corner of the lively Praza de María Pita. Some tables have views of the harbor, or you can eat in a glassed-in terrace on the square.

Locals regard this bustling, informal restaurant, on the promenade at El Cabanyal beach, as the best in town for seafood paella. Founded in 1898, the walls of the establishment are covered with signed pictures of appreciative visitors, from Ernest Hemingway to King Juan Carlos and the royal family. Try the paella marinera (seafood) topped with shrimp and mussels, or hearty platters of calamares (squid) and langostinos (prawns). Save room for the delectable tarts made with seasonal fruit.

Expect cheap, cheerful, and lively dining at this small venue, a couple of blocks south of the castle and usually packed with locals. On the menu are the usual Córdoba staples including oxtail, but the specialties here are the saquito de boletus (mushroom pastry) and carrillada de cerdo (roast pork cheek).

Tetuán is the unlikely location of this outstanding (and extremely well-priced) Italian restaurant run by a Naples native. Homemade pastas are the star of the show—try the ricotta-stuffed tortellini alla nerano topped with fresh basil and Parmiggiano or the paccheri al ragù swimming in a 10-hour meat sauce.

This friendly, folksy, and romantic chalet was founded in 1891. When the weather cooperates, the terrace is a perfect spot for roast beef, rice with clams, or fabada asturiana. The restaurant is 3 km (2 miles) east of town.

A modern urban interpretation of a traditional pulpería (octopus restaurant), this casual spot specializes in polbo á feira, boiled octopus cut into coins, drizzled with olive oil, and dusted with smoked paprika. Pair it with an icy glass of Albariño and a heap of blistered padrón peppers.

Shaking up Retiro's traditional tapas scene, La Raquetista is known for nueva cocina dishes that vary from night to night, including tuna "pastrami," uni with potato cream, and cider-marinated wild boar tenderloin, all served bar-side or in a snug five-table dining room.

If you're jonesing for a burger, this laid-back, Venezuelan-owned fast-food spot is the place to go. The burgers are great, of course, but so are sides like deep-fried cheese sticks (tequeños) with sweet chili sauce. The burger options on the menu are mainly based on your cheese preference, so choose between cheddar, Brie, raclette, or Parmesan and don't be afraid to get your fingers messy. La Real has two locations: in Eixample and in Poble Nou. 

It feels as if you could be outside at this bright venue on the river whose fresh interior comes with miniature wall gardens—there's even an herb garden in the middle. Local produce takes center stage on the short menu, where you'll find a mix of traditional and modern dishes including house specials such as wild sea bass ceviche, salmorejo with tomato ice cream, and cream of lemon. The wine list is good, and the by-the-glass selection runs particularly long. Service from the young staff comes with a smile.

This family-owned spot serves basic Catalan comfort food­—sausages, smoked cod, croquetas—in a cozy, rustic space with arched ceilings, wood tables, and stone walls. The terrace is a treat, abutting the beautiful 12th-century church of St. Peter.

Make a beeline to this gastro bar on the ground floor of the eponymous mercado to satisfy your Basque food cravings after you've ogled all the shimmering fresh fish, plump jamones ibéricos (Iberian hams), and sweet-smelling fruit. The menú del día is usually a good deal, and the highbrow pintxos are consistently tasty.

Most budget prix fixes in Madrid are limited to lunch, but La Sanabresa offers a budget three-course dinner as well. Choose from more than 20 appetizers and 40 entrées that comprise a highlight reel of grandmotherly Spanish cuisine: gazpacho, ensaladilla rusa, fried anchovies, chicken cutlets, and on and on. Service is old-school and no-nonsense, just like the decor (think white paper tablecloths and wooden straight-back chairs).

This thoroughly modern but comfortable restaurant in the Institut Valencià d'Art Modern is likely to put a serious dent in your budget, but it's unlikely you'll sample better venison carpaccio anywhere else, or partake of any finer an arroz caldoso de bogavante (soupy rice with lobster). The dinner menu is prix-fixe (€70). A great choice for lunch is the informal downstairs eatery, on the museum terrace, where the €12.50 prix-fixe lunch gets you a three-course feast.

Behind the Atlantic Sol shopping mall, this well-established restaurant is one of the oldest in town and has been under the same management since 1989. As you might expect from the name, its interior has wooden furniture, beamed ceilings, and cozy lighting. House specialties include paella, goat stew, and steak. Book ahead or arrive early to shore up a table.

This wine bar and restaurant in the heart of the casco antiguo (old town) earns high marks from locals and international visitors alike. There's a wide selection of montaditos (sandwiches), paella, and fresh seafood tapas—oysters, mussels, razor clams—complemented by a well-chosen list of Spanish wines.

This tiny taberna, which serves some of the best tapas in town, is always packed with locals. Order a few tostas (open-faced sandwiches on crusty peasant bread) and raciones (shared plates), and pair them with Extremaduran wines.

Cheap and cheerful sums up this small bar-restaurant at the north end of Maspalomas. It's usually packed with locals, who flock here for good and inexpensive Spanish classics, including revuelto de papas con jamón serrano (scrambled eggs with potatoes and Iberian ham) and bacalao con tomate (cod in tomato sauce), and tapas. The daily set menu, which has two courses, is about €10. Expect generous portions, and if you want to be sure to get in, arrive early—before 2 pm for lunch and before 9 for dinner.

One of the best tapas bars in town, La Tasca de Ana is boisterous and filled with locals. With only a handful of tables and standing room by the bar, it's not the setting for a quiet romantic dinner, but it's a fine place to kick-start the evening with local wine and tapas like rodolfitos (battered prawns) and pork paté and eggplant toasts.

La Tasquería, which moved to Chamberí from Salamanca in 2024, draws restaurant industry pros and food writers with its bold menu revolving around off-cuts like liver, kidneys, tripe, and tongue—onetime staples of the Spanish diet that fell out of favor but are now getting a modern makeover. Even the squeamish will be won over by delectable dishes like ravioli filled with lamb sweetbreads, and cod tripe fideuà (pasta "paella").

One of the more sophisticated establishments on Plaza Bibrambla, this restaurant champions Andalusian produce, with the emphasis on seasonal and local goods. They include Pajuna cattle beef and pink tomatoes, in recipes taking the Mediterranean as their theme. You dine under the original wooden beams on comfy moss-green armchairs. The kitchen is open from 1 to 11 pm, and booking is advisable.   

This budget-friendly bar—specializing in hot stuffed bread rolls (called casis) and flavored hard cider—has an industrial vibe, thanks to exposed pipes, high ceilings, and a semi-open kitchen. The best part, however, is the under-the-radar courtyard with room for spreading out.