723 Best Restaurants in Spain

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.

A favorite of Valencia's well-connected and well-to-do since 1982, this family-run restaurant a few steps from the Plaza de la Reina specializes in seafood dishes like anguilas (eels) prepared with all i pebre (garlic and pepper), parrillada de pescado (selection of freshly grilled fish), and traditional paellas. Lunch begins at 2 and not a moment before. The walls are covered with decorative ceramics and the gastronomic awards the restaurant has won over the years.

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.

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.