723 Best Restaurants in Spain

Along with typical coastal Catalan fare like grilled sardines and prawns, this chic beachfront restaurant offers a handful of classic paellas—including a vegetarian option—as well as more creative seasonal dishes like candied artichokes with cuttlefish.

This rollicking wood-paneled dining room serves surprisingly sublime seafood, cooked a la plancha (on the griddle), al horno (in the oven), or folded into a variety of rice dishes. The beer is fresh and cold, and the house wines, largely from Upper Aragón's envelope-pushing Somontano D.O., are big and bold—and dangerously economical.

When Enrico Bosco arrived in Madrid from Italy in the early '90s, he couldn't find a decent Italian restaurant, so he decided to open one. Always bustling and frequented by families and young couples, this trattoria seems like a direct transplant from Naples with its superb fresh pastas, pizzas, and focaccias. 

Chef Roberto Martínez Foronda turns food critics' heads with his Spanish-fusion restaurant hidden inside the Mercado de Vallehermoso, Chamberí's traditional market. The ever-changing tasting menu—a steal at €60—takes cues from chifa (Peruvian-Chinese) and nikkei (Peruvian-Japanese) culinary canons and incorporates fresh ingredients from the market.

Those in the know come here for typical Canarian food, especially the local dayboat fish. The best tables are outside on the pedestrian street, a couple of blocks behind the port, but the interior’s cheap and cheerful wooden tables and fishing nets are nearly as charming. There’s a good-value prix fixe, and fish comes grilled with a side of papas arrugadas.

Fresh, falafel-like balls of meat, fish, and vegetables in unique, mouthwatering combinations are prepared with laser-sharp focus by the Israeli chef helming A Tu Bola. Everything from the harissa (spicy chili paste) to the hummus is made by hand, elevating the standard far beyond that of typical street food in the surrounding Raval. Be prepared to wait for a seat in the small eating area and follow the staff's advice on portion sizes when ordering from the mix-and-match menu.

Ice cream made on the premises with fresh fruit, top-quality chocolate, and all sorts of other add-ins make this corner heladería a neighborhood favorite come summer. 

This newly relocated restaurant with minimalist interiors and white tablecloths serves elevated Riojan specialties like cochinillo asado (roast suckling pig) and pimentón-laced potatoes a la riojana (potato and chorizo stew). La Brasa de Laurel (at Calle Laurel, 16) is run by the same team and centers on high-end grilled meats and fish.

Locals flock to this hole-in-the-wall for what might be the city's best croquetas—choose from jamón (ham), chicken, bacalao, or wild mushroom. The rabas (fried calamari) also stand out for their nongreasy, ultracrisp exterior.

In 2023, Tetsuro Maeda made waves opening this scintillating Japanese-Basque gastro-tavern six minutes down the road from his alma mater, Etxebarri, where over the course of a decade he perfected the art of open-fire cooking. In this renovated century-old caserío (farmhouse), expect an imaginative tasting menu that changes with the seasons featuring dishes such as daikon-stuffed, house-cured anchovies and beef tongue marinated in koji.

This popular, central spot serves fine regional specialties, such as arroz de marisco (rice with seafood), cazuela de rape en salsa de almendras (monkfish stew with almond sauce), and the delicious kokotxas de bacalao en salsa de ostras (cod cheeks in oyster sauce). The surroundings are rustic-yet-elegant Andalusian: whitewashed walls, dark wood, and exposed brick. If you're open to a splurge, go for the lobster. Book ahead to be sure of a table for dinner.

If you’re a vegan, vegetarian, or flexitarian and finding the meat and fish scene in Seville a bit heavy, head for this bar inside the Mercado del Arenal. It started life as Spain’s first vegan bakery in 2009, and since then the menu has grown to encompass breakfast and brunch, plus a long list of 100%-animal-free options to make into burgers, nachos, or wraps. There’s also an excellent value menu del día (€10) at lunchtime, and a choice of pastries and cakes. 

On a river bend between the hamlets of Árchez and Corumbela, this friendly venta offers traditional country cooking at its best. Sit outside on the shady terrace for stunning views of the valley as you dine on generous portions of grilled meats (pork, veal, and chicken) and salads or tapas. Finish with a house dessert such as natillas (custard) or crème caramel. The staff don't speak much English, but their friendliness more than makes up for possible language barriers. Book if you plan to eat here on weekends or go midweek for a quieter lunch. Be sure to check out the Mudejar churches, with their minaret towers in Árchez and Corumbela, before or after your meal. 

This restaurant is slightly off the beaten track but well worth seeking out for traditional Jerez cuisine in a pleasant lively setting. Choose tapas in the bar or à la carte in the spacious and airy dining rooms. The menu comes with a long list of fresh fish and seafood dishes, but specials are local stews. Try the berza jerezana or papas con choco (potatoes with cuttlefish), the ultimate lunchtime comfort food. Always leave room for the tocino de cielo (homemade custard ).

Appropriately named, A Viaxe (a journey) takes diners through the edible landscape of Peru and South America, with especially bright renditions on Peruvian dishes using Galician ingredients. A coveted spot at the bar includes views of the open kitchen and detailed presentations straight from the chef himself.

Set in a Moderniste villa with a lovely turn-of-the-20th-century zinc bar, this restaurant serves typical Catalan and seasonal Mediterranean dishes like arròs a la cassola (deep-dish rice) with shrimp brought fresh off the boats in Palamós, or lobster from Blanes. The terrace is a popular spot just across the road from the beach.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a more romantic restaurant than this snug wine bar with a rotating menu of a dozen or so dishes and eclectic Spanish wines. Antique wooden tables are tucked among bookshelves and wine cabinets, and fresh flowers grace the entryway and wait stations. Dishes that never come off the menu include medallions of house-cured salmon with a pickle vinaigrette and a swoon-worthy hand-chopped steak tartare.

A block or so above Plaça Sarrià, on Major de Sarrià—the village high street—Vivanda is an ideal lunch choice, especially if the weather allows for dining in the tree-shaded garden. There’s no menù del dia (prix-fixe lunch), but à la carte prices are reasonable: standouts include the arròs caldós de sipia i escamarianets (black rice in broth with prawns). 

Carved into a rocky point above Playa Sant Sebastiá, the multilevel Vivero is actually three distinct spaces: a casual, alfresco tapas spot up top; a swankier "beach club" at the bottom; and sandwiched between is a bilevel indoor/outdoor restaurant, with a wide variety of seafood dishes and paellas. Whichever you choose, the real reason to come is for the magnificent views, especially at sunset.

Just off Plaça de Catalunya, this combination eco-market and restaurant serves organic ingredients prepared via healthy techniques and traditions. The beef is ecologically produced, the pastas are all made with ecologically pure flours, while the wines and vegetables are locally grown and carefully identified. There is also, unlike most Barcelona restaurants, a decent selection of delicious vegan and vegetarian options. The sustainability theme continues with the furniture and materials, all made of recycled items, adding to the lively, informal ambience redolent of London's indoor markets.

Of the many restaurants that dot the Barcelona seafront, this is one of the better mid-range options. Seafood is the focus here—raw, grilled, or fried—and there’s also an extensive menu of paellas and fideuàs, any of which are best enjoyed on the breezy terrace, overlooking Bogatell Beach and the Mediterranean.

The main draw at this quirky tavern is the pintxos---imaginative, internationally inflected bites ranging from smoked Cantabrian anchovies to mushroom-foie-gras toasts. The interior feels like a professor's study, with books and magazines scattered about, and there's a sign on the wall that says "This is an Atheist establishment."

Ask the locals which beachfront chiringuito they prefer and El Yate will probably be the answer. Run and owned by an affable cordobés family, the menu holds few surprises, but the seafood is freshly caught, and meat and vegetables are top quality. Have the classic Córdoba salmorejo (thick, garlicky gazpacho, topped with diced egg and ham) as a starter. Then you may be tempted by the barbecued sardines; or choose a freshly grilled fish like dorada (sea bream) or lubina (sea bass), or a more substantial paella. The back terrace with its sea and sand views fills up fast, but the dining room is pleasant too, given its large and light picture windows. Service is friendly and fast, although little or no English is spoken. Desserts are the usual limited choice of crème caramel, rice pudding, and the like, but they're locally made.

Don't be put off by the outdated plating (think sorbet served in martini glasses); book a meal here for contemporary interpretations of Basque classics, such as tempura-battered artichokes and razor clams with yuzu vinaigrette. The tasting menu (€89) changes seasonally; beware there is only one dinner service, on Saturday.

A magnet for vegetarians and vegans, this restaurant has retro decor and a pleasant, shady terrace. Specialties include vegetable woks with tofu, vegan meatballs, and healthy organic breakfasts. There's a great-value daily lunch menu (€12) and soy milk shakes and gluten-free cakes for afternoon tea; brunch, served on weekends, is also popular.

Students, families, and penny-pinching travelers flock to this no-frills juice bar that's famous for its colorful smoothies (made with local fruit), club sandwiches, and filling platos combinados (lunch and dinner combos) served with fries and salad.

Some go to El Escorial for the monastery; others go for Charolés. It's a landmark that attracts a crowd of its own for its noble bearing, with thick stone walls and vaulted ceilings, wooden beams and floors, and stuffy service; its summer terrace a block from the monastery; and its succulent dishes, such as the heavy beans with clams or mushrooms, and the game meats served grilled or in stews. The mammoth, four-course cocido offered on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, tests the endurance of even those with the heartiest appetites.

You may wonder why bland-looking Cisne Azul is crowded with locals in this style-obsessed neighborhood. The reason is simple: wild mushrooms. In Spain there are more than 2,000 different species, and here you can sample the best from the province of León, grilled with a bit of olive oil, and served perhaps with a fried egg yolk, scallops, or foie gras. Elbow up to the bar and order the popular mezcla de setas (mushroom sampler).