608 Best Restaurants in Spain

Contemporary architecture and cuisine in the old part of Girona make for interesting dining at this sleek, streamlined restaurant. Grilled eel and pepper rice and fideuà with shrimp in a seafood emulsion are typical dishes, and there's a frequently changing 5- and 10-course tasting menu.

This bar-restaurant on the Mirador de Tibidabo, with its panoramic view of the city, is a popular late-night hangout, especially after 11:30 when it becomes a disco. The menu is strong on sandwiches and tapas, but includes delicacies like grilled sea bass and cod cheeks with roasted red peppers and garlic mousseline. 

This Bajo de Guía landmark, with a large terrace overlooking the water, serves delicious tuna tartare, chocos (cuttlefish), and exquisite locally caught langostinos de Sanlúcar, particularly recommended when washed down with a glass of local manzanilla. The dining area overlooks the large, busy tapas bar.

Mont Bar's cramped interior belies the size of the flavors delivered from its kitchen. Star-worthy morsels such as an oyster with apple and beetroot, and mochi stuffed with Mallorcan sobrassada (cured sausage) are complemented by an immense wine list. Don't be fooled by the laid-back ambience as the size of the bill will be everything but casual. 

The downstairs bar here serves simple tapas, but it's the upstairs restaurant that makes it worth a visit. The rustic dining room is decorated with wall paintings and hunting trophies, and the kitchen serves regional produce and dishes---try the pimiento de piquillo relleno de jabalí y gurumelos (wild boar and a type of mushroom stuffed red pepper ), lomo de jabalí (boar tenderloin), or the outstanding ham; chestnut stew is the standout for dessert. Vegetarian and organic menus are available.

The columns and skylights of this former high-class jewelry shop now frame a Mediterranean restaurant that emphasizes wholesome, market-fresh produce in dishes such as artichoke hearts and veal carpaccio that comes sizzling from the charcoal grill. Cocktails are served until late in the elegant upstairs bar from Thursday to Saturday.

Opened in 1925 and still decorated with murals of old-time boxers, Mundial no longer packs the punch of years gone by when it served some of the best-value, no-frills tapas in the area. It retains its unfussy charm but inflated prices---especially for seafood---and inconsistent service suggest its best days are behind it. Pop in for a taste of the authentic atmosphere and classic dishes such as thin-sliced aubergines with goats' cheese, but check the prices before you order.

Top-notch coffee and homemade pastries and cakes make this organic café a particularly bustling spot at breakfast. For lunch or a casual dinner, there's a long list of focaccia sandwiches, as well as excellent quiches, pizza served by the slice, and Italian-inspired salads.

This Israeli restaurant specializes in healthy bites like hummus and falafel and more elaborate dishes like the excellent grilled local butterflied fish. It's all served on a breezy patio inside the Bikini Island & Mountain Hotel, overlooking the bay of Sóller.

Even the bread is homemade at this wildly popular Basque restaurant on the Left Bank that's renowned for throwback dishes like goose foie gras with raspberry coulis, dry-aged T-bone steaks, and house-made morcilla (blood sausage). A list of small-production and organic wines rounds out the hyperlocal dining experience.

Hand-rolled pastas, craveable vegetable dishes, and reimagined Italian classics keep Salamanca prepsters pouring in night after night. Wow your date, boss—or simply your hungry self—with dishes like leeks and cockles swimming in saffron cream, tagliatelle tossed in arugula ragù, and crunchy broccoli and beef lasagna. Don't skip dessert: the cocoa-dusted tiramisu orb is the stuff of foodies' dreams (and, shh, Italian nonnas' nightmares).

An Alicante institution, this inviting exposed-brick and wood-lined restaurant is very popular with locals, who come for the excellent-value tapas, market produce, and freshly caught fish, a tribute to the city’s enduring relationship with the sea.

Across from the market, this lively two-floor restaurant has exposed brick walls, wooden tables, and a menu of modern, seasonally driven dishes ranging from oyster croquetas to saucy local beef meatballs, plus an ever-changing variety of seafood preparations.

Attached to the Centro de Arte Contemporáneo, this small restaurant offers a range of Mediterranean dishes and sushi best enjoyed on the riverside terrace. Sharing plates include hummus or Vietnamese rolls with Málaga kid goat; highlights on the main menu are carrillada ibérica (stewed Iberian pork), tuna steak, and a long list of sushi. The terrace is also great for summer evening cocktails.

Chef--owner Miguel Llabrés honed his craft at starred restaurants in Mallorca and opened here in 2014 to local acclaim. He keeps the menu short and focuses on garden-fresh seasonal vegetables and free-range local meats. Try the Ibizan potato salad, served warm in a massive bowl with anchovies, onions, red peppers, green beans, and a main course of Iberian pork shoulder or suckling lamb chops. The building, a former elementary school restored in rustic style, also houses a gourmet shop featuring products from the Can Miquel Guasch olive oil mill, one of the oldest producers on the island.

The interior may look a bit bare, but whatever this fish restaurant lacks in warmth it makes up for with the food. It serves simple but high-quality dishes like grilled mullet, dorado baked in salt, prawns with garlic, and monkfish in saffron sauce. The tapas bar, which is more popular with locals than the dining room, offers classic dishes (from €2.50) like migas (fried bread crumbs), beans with jamón serrano (dry-cured Spanish ham), and tortilla del Sacromonte (tortilla with lamb testicles and brains, as traditionally prepared by the Sacromonte Gypsies). Service is friendly.

The Moroccan tapas at this small and bustling venue make a pleasant change from the traditional local fare. Tagine, couscous, and kefta are all menu staples. You’ll find a selection of Middle Eastern dishes as well, also available in vegetarian versions. Choose your complimentary tapa with your first drink and then go for more tapas (from €2) or sharing plates. The plato de degustación (selection of tapas) gives a good overview of the house best.

In one of the prettiest corners of Altea's old town, this eatery was formerly a cloister and a school. Today, the dining room and terrace gracefully juxtapose the rustic setting with contemporary design, and the restaurant is known for serving polished international cuisine with French flair.

Traveling as a vegan in Madrid is becoming easier thanks to affordable inviting restaurants with palate-popping food like Oveja Negra. Try vegan takes on Spanish classics like sidra-braised soy chorizo, leek-and-squash croquetas, and meatless pâtés.

The name, a pun on para comer algo ("to eat something" with an Andalusian accent), may be only marginally amusing, but the tapas here are no joke, from the classical calamares fritos to the pimientos de Padrón (green peppers, some fiery, from the Galician town of Padrón). Whether at a table, at the counter, or in the private dining room upstairs, this modern space does traditional tapas that reliably hit the spot.

In an aerie above one of Madrid's oldest, most exclusive gentlemen's clubs, the dining room and rooftop terrace of this tasting-menu-only restaurant are decorated with playful, almost circus-like elements such as bright blue pushcarts, checkered floors, and yellow velvet chairs. The cuisine is as thrilling and whimsical as the decor, with dishes ranging from crunchy sardines with ají romesco sauce to spicy ethereal pig ear fritters. This is fine dining for the lighthearted.

Located on the west side of town, about a 10-minute walk from the center, this modern restaurant specializes in rice dishes; there are 13 on the menu, including the signature baked rice with pork and the squid rice with prawns and chickpeas. Fideuá (similar to paella but made with noodles instead of rice) also features on the menu. There's a good choice of sharing plates of croquettes, cold cuts, and seafood, as well as innovative salads. Sit inside in the elegant dining room or outside on the shady terrace on the plaza. 

Located next to the cathedral, this is one of the best restaurants in town, known for its barbecue and roasted dishes. If you’re not too hungry, enjoy tapas in the bar. For a full meal, move into the formal restaurant or, better still, when it’s warm enough, outside on the pleasant terrace.

Hidden in a dark alley with a mysterious facade, this bare and open-concept dining room centers on a long communal table and feels like an honored tribute to the best Galician fare. Dishes are traditional but exceptionally sourced and executed, with changing seafood options daily. Don't miss the partridge in escabeche or the monstrous rotating homemade empanada, which stares at you on the bar counter. Menus are often written in gallego, which may require some Google Translate.  

With a focus on top-notch sourcing and modern takes on traditional Galician fare, this eatery offers creative, seasonal dishes in a contemporary setting. À la carte options are available, but the ample tasting menus are definitely worthwhile, especially if you can get there for lunch on Thursday and Friday for the €45 menú de temporada.

In an intimate little space with wicker chairs and pale mauve walls, this restaurant in the old town serves a bargain Mediterranean three-course prix-fixe dinner, wine included; you can also order à la carte. In summer, dine on the comfortable patio out back. 

Named for the father of modern bullfighting, this restaurant opposite the bullring is packed with bullfight paraphernalia and photos of previous diners who include Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles. Mounted bulls' heads peer down at you as you eat choricitos al vino blanco de Ronda (small sausages in Ronda white wine), rabo de toro Pedro Romero (slow-cooked oxtail stew with herbs), or perdices estofados (braised partridge).

Come here for good local fare and, if you order from the prix-fixe menu, a bargain. The menu lists daily-changing meat, fish, and vegetarian options, with staples such as lasanya de verdures (vegetarian lasagna), generously layered with mushrooms, spinach, carrots, and beans, and tasty pumpkin stuffed with vegetables.

The Madrid outpost of a legendary Vitoria-Gasteiz pintxo bar, Perretxico is known for its cocido doughnut—cocido being Spain's famous boiled dinner of chickpeas, various meats, and sausages. These are blended into a paste, stuffed inside a doughnut, and served alongside a demitasse of umami-packed bone broth for dunking, a wink to the classic doughnut-coffee combo.

One of the best Spanish omelets in town (this one has caramelized onions and aioli on the side), prime Spanish meat (you cook your own on sizzling stone slabs), and a good choice of vegetarian options make this small venue worth seeking out. There’s also a range of organic dishes, including local cheeses and wines. Inside, original beams and wine-lined walls make for a relaxing atmosphere, while the tiny outdoor terrace makes a great spot for a little something and a slice of that omelet.