608 Best Restaurants in Spain

Come up to Tibidabo for the great views, but budget time at the restaurant La Venta on Plaça Doctor Andrea, across the square from where the vistas unfold, for lunch in a charming Moderniste setting. For an unusual appetizer, try the uni (sea urchin) au gratin.

A few minutes’ drive from Costa Adeje lies this oceanfront restaurant overlooking the quaint harbor of La Caleta. Watch the sun set over La Gomera island while you savor fresh local fish and shellfish and Tenerife wines. Specialties on the menu include seared cherne negro (black wreckfish) and lomo de bacalao (cod with piquillo pepper sauce).

More than a bookstore, the café and restaurant here serves an all-day buffet until 9 pm. Readings, concerts, and book presentations round out an ample program of events. The child-friendly and Wi-Fi–equipped librería features a covered roof terrace that's perfect for munching a slice of cake while catching up on email.

Basque chef César Martín has a devoted local following for his hyperseasonal menus that show a sincere dedication to food sustainability. Lakasa may have moved into a bigger, more modern space, but Martín's specialties haven't wavered; be sure to indulge in the Idiazabal fritters, crisp orbs redolent of smoky sheep's cheese.

Find primal pleasure here picking the meat off a hake head served in a cauldron of gingery broth or slurping your weight of wok-charred noodles tossed with chicken and seafood. Stir-fried okra, sweet-and-sour pork ribs, and shrimp soup are other perennial favorites among the mostly Chinese clientele.

Locals flock to this little tavern for tapas and fat juicy steaks served in the boisterous barroom or white-tablecloth dining area, set in a covered arcaded courtyard. There are 14 hotel rooms available, too—simple, endearingly well-worn arrangements at moderate prices.

At this lively restaurant you'll find crowds of Spaniards gobbling up one of the city's finest, most upscale renditions of tortilla española (Spanish omelet) with unconventional add-ins like octopus, potato chips, and truffles. The menu also includes plenty of equally succulent non-egg choices (the rice dishes stand out).

For a country that borders France, Spain has a surprising dearth of good French restaurants, which makes Le Bistroman all the more remarkable—not only is the food good by Spanish standards, it would be a hit in Paris with its homemade everything, from terrines to breads to pastries. Wild game (venison, squab) features prominently on the menu, and other highlights include an old-school cheese cart and throwback desserts like babas au rhum and vanilla bean soufflé.

This no-frills, big-flavor southern-Italian restaurant near the Via Laietana is a favorite with locals for its friendly prices, boisterous atmosphere, and generous portions of burrata, lasagne, ragù, carbonara, and so on, featuring authentic ingredients from the in-store deli. Leave room for the excellent tiramisu.

Two-Michelin-starred chef Fina Puigdevall has made this sprawling 18th-century masía (Catalan farmhouse) a triumph, assisted by her three daughters: Clara, the sommelier, Carlota, the pastry chef, and Martina, the head cook. The cuisine is seasonal and based on locally grown products, such as the extraordinarily flavorful legumes and vegetables produced by the rich, volcanic soil of La Garrotxa. Off the road east to Figueres, the rustic structure is filled with glassed-in halls, intimate gardens, and wrought-iron and steel details. 

If you have time for only one meal in the city, take it at this elegant little restaurant in the heart of historic Tarragona. The menu is bursting with both mountain and Mediterranean fare, and the prix-fixe lunch is a great deal at €25. Start off with the canelons d'auberginia amb ànec (eggplant and duck cannelloni); seafood fans should try the tronc de lluç al forn amb patates (oven-baked hake with potatoes).

Sicilian chef Francesco Ingargiola recreates the bold flavors of his childhood—with plenty of fine-dining flourishes—at this inviting ultramodern trattoria one block from the Gran Vía thoroughfare. Start with an order of crispy artichokes, flavored with lardo and topped with Italian foie gras, before moving on to homemade pastas like linguini with shrimp or Madrid's best carbonara. 

Opened in 1839, Lhardy—with its spiral staircase, varnished leather walls, gleaming chandeliers, and marble fireplaces—is one of Madrid's most treasured restaurants, and it maintains much of its original decor despite being acquired by a local restaurant group in 2021. Meals, as always, begin with hot consommé poured from a silver samovar and spiked with a chispín (sip) of sherry and continue with French-inflected dishes, ranging from duck à l'orange to sole in champagne sauce. Though the kitchen is still ironing out a few kinks, the grand museum-like surroundings more than make up for any foibles, especially if you stick to the cava, charcuterie, and pastries in the downstairs bar.   

This dapper, friendly space attracts a crowd with its excellent wine list and the well-crafted tapas based on classic Catalan and Asturian recipes. Consider the black pudding with grilled squid and fabada (Asturian bean stew). Year-round late-night hours make it a handy option.

For groups larger than two, reservations are a must at this cozy neighborhood bar decorated with books, colorful knickknacks, and fresh flowers. You can count on British chef Scott Preston to provide craveable pub food like craggy-crispy potato skins and oozy baked feta, plus healthier, more Mediterranean options like curried vegetable couscous and flake-apart hake with clams and salsa verde.

Don't let the crowds dissuade you from entering this Cava Baja stalwart—tables and barstools open up fast. The nonnegotiable dish to try here is huevos estrellados, "bashed" fried eggs tucked between olive-oil-fried potatoes and topped with optional add-ons like jamón, chistorra sausage, and pisto (Spanish ratatouille). The perfect pairing? A glass of tart, citrusy rosé Cava by one of Catalonia's top producers, Raventós i Blanc.

Los Pinchitos is one of those dying-breed of restaurants where you can eat your fill of pristine seafood without maxing out your credit card. Settle in for a leisurely no-frills feast of octopus, scallops, squid, and whatever other sea creatures were hauled up onto the pier that morning, and wash it all down with a carafe of good house wine.

Named after a much-feared and respected breed of fighting bull, this rustic tavern, located behind La Seo, is dripping with taurine paraphernalia. It offers an elaborate and inventive selection of pinchos and tapas. Jamón ibérico de bellota (acorn-fed Iberian ham), Spain's culinary crown jewel, is a no-brainer, though quail eggs or the tapa de la casa—jamón, foie, and mushrooms, with port sauce—is hard to resist. 

Comfy booth seating and a live paella cooking station, where chefs line up with giant pans of bubbling rice, make this a particularly fun proposition for groups. The tapas starters don’t quite match the high level of the rice-based mains, which excel for their freshness and unexpected flavors, such as chicken, prawn and asparagus, or butifarra sausage and pork rib.

Having received the first Michelin star on the island, the Marc Fosh restaurant packs a punch. Its preorganized lunch and dinner experiences are packed with Mallorcan dishes from all around the island. Each meal is curated to give the eater a unique experience, even better if you elect the wine pairing. The tasting menu runs about €120, and the wine pairing adds another €95. It's completely worth it. It received another Michelin star in 2025.

This hole-in-the-wall, opened in 1940 and run by a third-generation tabernero, serves no-frills Castilian classics like patatas revolconas (mashed potatoes with pork rinds), ham croquettes, and meatballs so good they're often gone before the dinner rush. Go before it closes for good: "The bar dies with me," the owner told El Mundo in 2023. "I give it two or three years."

Opened in 2019 in Mercado de San Martín, Maun is not your typical no-frills "bar de mercado" but rather a gastronomical food counter whose mouthwatering dishes—such as fish stew, squid in ink sauce, and heirloom tomato salad—are made with ultrafresh ingredients sourced steps from your table.

With more than 170 stalls of fresh produce, Cádiz's main market provides an illuminating insight into the types of local fish and seafood, as well as seasonal treats. It also has a rincón gastronómico (gastro-corner) with several stalls serving dishes based on the produce available in the market. Highlights include El Freidor del Mercado, where you can try the city's famous fried fish served in paper cones, and Las Niñas Veganas, with vegan and gluten-free options that include a delicious dish of the day. At all venues, you can perch at the bar or at one of the outside tables.

Perhaps the only worthwhile tapas restaurant on Gran Vía, Madrid's main commercial artery, Mercado de la Reina serves everything from croquetas to grilled vegetables to tossed salads. Enjoy them in the casual bar area, in the slightly more formal dining room, or on the outdoor patio. A downstairs lounge bar with an extensive gin menu accommodates those who want to keep the night rolling.

A hundred meters from the cathedral, this cozy venue has excellent Galician fare and professional service. The bar and adjoining bodega serve plenty of cheap raciones (appetizers). The surtido de quesos gallegos provides generous servings of four local cheeses; ask for some membrillo (quince jelly) to go with them and the brown, crusty cornbread. For dessert, try the filloas con nata y miel (flambéed pancakes with cream and honey). The dining room upstairs has an inexpensive set menu.

Beginning life as an inn in the 18th century, Cándido was declared a national monument in 1941, and today displays photos of famous patrons including Ernest Hemingway, Salvador Dalí, and Princess Grace. The cochinillo is the star; roasted partridge and white bean stew with pig ear are also memorable, especially on cold afternoons. Ask for a table overlooking the aqueduct, just a few feet away, and be sure to book ahead.

According to foodies, this old-timey mesón (traditional tavern-restaurant) serves the most delectable cochinillo in town, but there are plenty of lighter fresher dishes to choose from as well. Expect a boisterous mix of locals and tourists.

Just off the Plaza del Arenal, this rustic meat restaurant is always packed with young locals who crowd around the bar for cheap and generous tapas (from €3). Oxtail stew, fried chorizo, black pudding, and pig's-cheek stew come in huge portions, resulting in an incredibly inexpensive meal. Choose table service to try the excellent oxtail sirloin or other type of meat, barbecued or grilled on hot stones.

The scenic cobblestone street that winds down to La Latina from Mercado de San Miguel is lined with mediocre touristy tapas bars—this, however, isn't one of them. Inside the stone-walled tavern, locals and visitors alike chow down on the house specialty: griddled mushrooms with jamón (dry-cured ham) and garlic-parsley oil. 

This charming little port-side Italian restaurant has just 12 tables inside, softly lit with candles and track lighting. The kitchen prides itself on hard-to-find fresh ingredients flown in from Italy. The linguine with jumbo shrimp, saffron, and zucchini or with bottarga (dried and salted mullet roe from Sardinia) is wonderful. In summer, the seating expands to an interior patio and tables on the sidewalk—and the service can get more than a bit ragged.