745 Best Restaurants in Spain

With a "short" 10-course tasting menu priced at just €58 (the longer one is €82 for 14 courses) Cruix is the fine-dining restaurant for people who don't want to spend hundreds of euros on a meal. Everything here is laid-back and unpretentious, including the exposed-brick interior, but the quality speaks to the Chef Miquel Pardo's pedigree: he worked under Spanish superstar chefs like Albert Adrià and Jordi Cruz before opening Cruix in 2017. 

The modern wood-paneled dining room and warm lighting form the perfect setting for the creative Andalusian cuisine cooked here by local chef Lola Marín, who learned her trade with some of Spain's top chefs, such as Martín Berasategui. The six-course tasting menu changes weekly (cold and hot starters, fish, meat, and dessert) and you can opt for wine pairings.

For a cool pick-me-up on a hot Barcelona afternoon, you can't beat the seasonal, locally sourced, Italian-style ice cream from DeLaCrem. Expect classics like vanilla, chocolate, and dulce de leche as well as more unconventional combinations like mandarin and orange blossom yogurt, pear and Parmesan, or pumpkin and toasted butter. There are vegan options, too.

One of the buzziest restaurants in Madrid, this modern seafood mecca—with sleek wooden tables and floor-to-ceiling windows—serves rare delicacies from the country's top fishing fleets. On the ever-changing menu, you might find quisquillas de Motril (sweet white shrimp with bright blue roe), precious little elvers, or Basque lobster stew—all accompanied by wines selected by Sergio Otero, of DiverXO fame.

Local culinary wunderkind Santi Taura is using his eponymous restaurant in the El Llorenç Parc de la Mar hotel to explore historical recipes of the island, served in an ultrachic, contemporary setting. Some of the most emblematic dishes include panada de peix de roca—a "Mallorcan dim sum" of rockfish pie, believed to be one of the oldest recipes on the island—and a dish of rabbit with lobster, which combines the sea and the mountains. Try to sit at the counter, where the charismatic chef presents his creations in three languages.

Three former head chefs from the legendary former best restaurant in the world El Bulli combined their considerable talents to create this roller-coaster ride of culinary fun (the word "disfrutar" is Spanish for "to enjoy") spotlighting tasting menus of dazzling inventiveness and good taste. Bowls are swirled to reveal beetroot meringues emerging from sesame-seed "earth" (the seeds are made to look like soil), and jellied truffle-and-egg tempura hit the bull's-eye of pure pleasure; desserts are otherworldly. No wonder, then, that the three chefs now hold their own spot close to the top of the World's 50 Best Restaurants list.

This family-run restaurant and B&B in a former 19th-century residence has a crackling fire in winter and a willow-shaded patio in summer. Prix fixes change seasonally and center on well-executed classics like secreto ibérico con crema de hongos (Iberian pork steak with wild mushroom cream) and txangurro a la Donostiarra (baked crab). Rooms fill up fast in August and public holidays.

A long list of seasonal Mediterranean small plates, ranging from coal-grilled octopus to calamari with green-curry mayo to traditional Catalan sausage stew, is chalked up on the boards each day. Inside, it's casually hip, with exposed brick walls and vintage furniture; there’s a small back patio for alfresco dining as well as tables out front on the Rambla del Poblenou for excellent people-watching.

Locals will point you here for fresh, reasonably priced tapas and mains including croquetas (try the wild mushroom rendition) and secreto ibérico (seared Iberian pork shoulder steak). The weekday lunch menú del día—three courses plus wine—is a steal.

This superb restaurant run by the congenial brothers Jorge and Nacho Rodriguez moved down from the hilltop to a new venue right on the seafront in early 2018. The light and airy dining room has stunning sea views, and there's an outside terrace as well. The dishes, all creatively presented, include traditional options like grilled sardines, oven-baked lamb, and braised oxtail as well as more innovative choices like skate in Champagne sauce, which goes well with the excellent local white wine, Calvente blanco. The desserts are sublime, particularly the cheesecake and the selection of tropical fruit. The three-course menu (€15) offers a particularly good value.

An invitingly cozy space awaits behind the ancient stone facade of this restaurant, 200 meters (656 feet) from the main plaza. Part of the house is original, but much has been renovated, providing an attractive combination of traditional mountain design and modern construction. The menu is all well-priced highland comfort food—think leeks in vinaigrette, braised beef tongue, and cocido lebaniego (a boiled dinner of sausage, chickpeas, and vegetables)  The lunch menu is one of the best values in the area.

There’s almost always a line outside this old-school, family-owned tapas bar, a local favorite since its founding in 1940. If you can’t get a table, sidle up to the long wood bar, choose from the display of bite-size, toothpick-speared pintxos and eat them standing, or walk one minute down Carrer d’Angel Vidal to its terrace-restaurant, Els Jardins del Retiro, for an excellent outdoor prix-fixe lunch deal.

Holder of three Michelin stars since 2009, El Celler de Can Roca, helmed by the Roca brothers—Joan, Josep, and Jordi—is a life-changing culinary experience. Its two tasting menus, ranging from 14 to 22 courses and priced between €240 and €280, feature wildly inventive dishes and daring presentations, but remain rooted to local flavors.

This tavern in Segovia's historic Jewish quarter is owned by La Casa Mudéjar Hospedería hotel and has won awards for the region's best tapas. The extensive menu highlights Segovian specialties like cochinillo, as well as traditional Sephardic Jewish cuisine (though it's not a kosher kitchen), plus a variety of well-executed raciones (shared plates).

Chef Andreas Christodoulides' intent here is to recreate the dishes he grew up eating as a kid in Athens but don't expect a setting of clichéd blue and white Greek Island decor. Instead, the setting is bright and casual, allowing the classic food to speak for itself.

Textbook-perfect Basque classics draw a local crowd at this Ensanche restaurant run by a seasoned husband-and-wife team on the cusp of retirement—so visit while you still can! Seasonal Basque delicacies, like earthy perretxico mushrooms, meaty fresh anchovies, and tender white asparagus, round out a perennial menu whose star dishes include squid braised in its own ink and hake in salsa verde.

Just 1½ km (1 mile) north of town, this restaurant—housed within a rather nondescript hotel—has been hailed as the birthplace of modern Catalan cuisine and is a beacon for gourmands. The hyperlocal menu changes with the seasons and features such dishes as eggplant with anchovies from Cadaqués, stewed chicken with morels plucked from the Collserola mountains, and a vanilla tart topped with strawberries from nearby Vilafant.

This low-ceiling dining room filled with plush armchairs, starched white tablecloths, and colorful bouquets is a welcoming spot to feast on refined Asturian dishes like sea urchin gratin, morels stuffed with truffled foie gras, pheasant with braised green beans, and suckling lamb confit. Weather permitting, you can request a patio table to watch Madrid's one percent parade down Calle de Jorge Juan. For power lunches and special-occasion meals, El Paraguas delivers every time.

The drab interiors of this Mérida standby belie a well-executed menu of must-try dishes including migas (fried bread crumbs with bacon), jamón-wrapped melon, gazpacho, and whatever puchero del día (stew of the day) happens to be burbling out back.

Lanzarote sweet potato ensaladilla (salade Olivier), ibérico pork risotto with green mojo aïoli, fermented pineapple "tartare"—these are a few palate-bending dishes you'll find on the menu at El Santo, one of Gran Canaria's most exciting fusion spots. Rustic stone walls give the restaurant an intimate, relaxed feel, while the white tablecloths and professional waiters make it feel like a special occasion.

You can't leave Toledo without indulging in one of El Trébol's famous bombas, fried fist-size spheres of mashed potato stuffed with spiced meat and anointed with aioli. They're best enjoyed on the twinkly outdoor patio with a locally brewed beer in hand.

Tucked away in the warren of alleyways in a restored Albayzín villa, this lovely restaurant offers what may be the best food in the area. There's a formal dining room, an outside garden with pear and quince trees, and a roof terrace with Alhambra views. House specialties include arroz negro con habas y chipirones con alioli de genjibre (black rice with broad beans, baby squid, and ginger aioli). The owner welcomes diners personally and keeps a very close eye on the kitchen.

El Tubo, the area surrounding the intersection of Calle Estébanes and Calle Libertad, is tapas central. Try to stick to one tapa per bar so you can sample as many spots as possible. El Champi (Calle Libertad 16) isn't much to look at, but this tiny establishment serves killer griddled mushrooms stacked on bread to soak up the garlic-infused oil. Bodegas Almau (Calle Estébanes 10) has shelves heaving with wine bottles and a bar stacked with gargantuan pinchos, which regulars gobble down in the standing-room-only barroom. The vermut con anchoas (a small plate of anchovies and a serving of house vermouth) is classic. La Republicana (Calle Casto Méndez Núñez 38) is a quaint antique space with a wide selection of tapas and migas (fried breadcrumbs) that rival those of the more famous La Miguería (Calle Estébanes 4), laden with garlic, olive oil, crispy chorizo, and optional lacy fried egg. A few steps away, Taberna Doña Casta (Calle Estébanes 6) fries up a lengthy list of inventive croquettes. Sin Nombre (Calle Libertad 7) serves cheffier tapas than the aforementioned and accompanies them with a varied wine list. 

Ever since Anthony Bourdain waxed poetic about award-winning Elkano's grilled turbot on Parts Unknown, the dish has become something of a holy grail among in-the-know foodies. Order the famous flatfish (ideally at its fatty prime in May and June), and you'll receive what Bourdain called an "anatomy lesson" as the maître d' extols the virtues of each separate cut, culminating with the gelatinous fins---which you're encouraged to suck between your fingers, caveman style.

The sleek white-on-white dining room inside the Hotel Arts sets the tone for chef Pérez's contemporary take on Mediterranean cuisine. Tasting menus present around a dozen courses, most with a seasonal, seafood-centric focus, like a sea cucumber pasta with bone marrow and young artichokes. If your wallet allows, indulge in a wine pairing, which includes some wonderful surprises like a Spanish-made sake. Exemplary service and a posh location make this a true two-Michelin-star experience.

Excellent tapas (try the lamb kebab with dates and couscous), a lively bar, and an extensive wine list await at this restaurant run by the fifth generation of a family of celebrated restaurateurs. The menu focuses on traditional, home-cooked Andalusian dishes, such as cod in a green sauce, pork fillet in whiskey, and cola de toro guisado con salsa de vino tinto (stewed oxtail in red wine sauce). Don't miss the fried eggplant stuffed with prawns or the lamb meatballs. If you want a quiet meal, call to reserve a table in one of the small upstairs rooms.

Just off the main road opposite the Hotel Colón, this small and cozy bar has established itself as one of Ronda's best for tapas, wine, and artisan beer. Local Ronda wines are a specialty here—in fact, they're the only ones available, although with more than 100 on the wine list, you'll be spoiled for choice; ask the waiter for recommendations and which tapas to pair them with. Tapas (from €1.50) include fideos negros con chipirones y alioli (black noodles with baby squid and garlic sauce) and a mini beef burger with foie gras. This atmospheric place with wood-paneled barrel ceiling and wine bottles lining the walls is popular and fills up quickly, so arrive early (1:30 pm or 8 pm) to get a seat.

On a bank overlooking the Garonne, the white-tablecloth, tile-floor Era Coquèla is a Vielha institution, beloved by local families, repeat vacationers, and even truck drivers passing through town. Roast meats, civets (wine-and-game stews), and seasonal vegetable dishes are native-son chef Marc Nus's strongest suits—all are served by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff.

Originally a flour mill, this is the oldest building in the village of Sant Climent, and both the atmosphere and the food are exceptional. Taste seasonal dishes, including prawn carpaccio with cured Mahón cheese and guacamole, black paella with monkfish and squid, and carrilleras de ternera (beef cheeks) with potato. End with some local cheese, ice cream, and figs. In summer, book a table on the terrace. You'll know what to drink with a brewery on the premises, visible behind glass.