206 Best Restaurants in Spain

Run by the same family for more than 50 years and lavishly decorated in the colorful tiles that pay tribute to the neighborhood's potters, Las Golondrinas is a fixture of Triana life. The staff never change, and neither does the menu—the recipes for the punta de solomillo (sliced sirloin), chipirones (fried baby squid), and champiñones con alioli (garlicky mushrooms) have been honed to perfection, and they're served as tapas (from €3.50) or raciones (shareable portions) that keep everyone happy.

Since opening its doors in 1928 (then under a different name), Bar Muy Buenas boasts a modernist design, more than 30 Catalan wines to choose from, and an extensive menu of classic recipes from the region.

One of very few decent spots within a short walk of the Sagrada Família, this "meat bar" doesn't take reservations; instead it offers a walk-in-and-graze tapas menu of items like steak tartare and aged filet mignon in a tiled, industrially chic dining room that doesn't invite lingering but is rarely empty—arrive early for a table. Former Catalan Chef of the Year Dani Lechuga throws in the occasional fine-dining dish to lighten things up. 

Winner of many a miniature cuisine award (don't miss the prawn-filled txalupa tartlet), this Gros neighborhood standby offers outside-the-box takes on traditional tapas and pintxos. It also serves more substantial dishes for sit-down meals.

Set in a charming Moderniste space dating back to 1892, this bar hits the perfect balance of quality, price, service, and ambience. The menu mixes classic dishes like deep-fried calamari and spicy patatas bravas, with house specials like the steak tartare.

Tucked behind the cathedral, this tapas bar specializes in products from El Bierzo, a comarca (subdivision) in Castile-León, either in the animated bar or in one of the stone-walled dining rooms. Visitors stopping in for a drink at the bar can expect a generous portion of free tapas, while the menu has a selection of grilled meats, revueltos (scrambled eggs with a variety of toppings), cold meats, and cheeses.

Halfway up a pleasant pedestrian street in Vegueta, this French café--restaurant with red walls and old photos of Las Palmas specializes in mushroom dishes. Choose from more than 15 preparations, or forgo the fungi and try the gambas al ajillo, creamy croquetas, and hearty revueltos (scrambled eggs with a range of add-ins).

A neo bistro serving creative Mediterranean dishes inspired by classic Middle Eastern recipes. Try their famous lamb shawarma, made with toasted spices, ginger, cardamom, tzatiki, and pita bread, or order a glass of wine from their rotating list of organic wines. 

A short stroll from the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion and CaixaForum, this bustling brick-walled restaurant serves top-notch seasonal Catalan cuisine prepared on the Josper charcoal oven. Order à la carte or go with the multicourse prix-fixe menu, which is a good deal.

Andalusian cuisine meets Basque tradition at this authentic restaurant in the heart of the older part of Fuengirola. Dine on fresh local produce either outside on the pleasant corner terrace or inside the rustic dining room. The menu takes Andalusian cooking as its base but adds Basque traditional dishes in a unique and very tasty north-south fusion. Try the txangurro (Basque-style crab), milhoja de foie con queso, membrillo y manzana (mille-feuille with foie gras, quince, and apple), or the house specialty, duck. There's also the cozy Charolais Tapas bar next door where you can enjoy inexpensive tapas (from €2.50) and sharing plates. The wine list runs very long and staff offer good advice on pairing.

This restaurant has been serving old-school Catalan cuisine to local and loyal customers since 1940 (and under a different name for 50 years before that), and the practice has been made perfect. Standouts include butifarra sausage with spinach and chickpeas, meatballs with squid and shrimp, or veal stew with wild mushrooms. Most dishes are hearty, but there are a few lighter options such as steamed mussels and oven-baked cod.

When this centenary café—one of the oldest in Madrid—shuttered in 2015, ostensibly for good, the public outcry was so great that it inspired a local restaurant group to buy the property and give it a much-needed revamp. In a dining room that combines original elements (huge mirrors, carved wooden columns) with new high-design fixtures, feast on a menu that's a dance between Café Comercial classics, including ham croquetas and tuna-topped ensaladilla rusa (potato salad), and novel creations by chef Pepe Roch.

Pamplona's gentry have been flocking to this ornate, French-style café since 1888, but in 1926 Ernest Hemingway made it part of world literary lore in The Sun Also Rises. You can have a drink with a bronze version of the author in his favorite perch at the far end of the bar, or enjoy views of the plaza from a table on the terrace. Service is spotty; grab a beverage and a tapa here, but don't stick around for a meal.

Slightly hidden in the exclusive yachting marina behind the W hotel, this restaurant only attracts those in-the-know, which might explain why it's largely devoid of tourists. The menu includes healthy starters like salmon tartare and ceviche, and there's a nice selection of seafood-, vegetable- and meat-based paellas.

Half a block in from the town's beach, this hotel restaurant serves house-cooked seafood and upland specialties. The pimientos de piquillos rellenos de brandada (sweet red peppers stuffed with codfish mousse) are first-rate, as are the rice dishes.

Meals here are served in a train-carriage interior decorated with railway memorabilia, while tapas reign at an outside terrace and at the bar. This distinctive eatery serves two tasting menus (from €37; prebooking only) and always has a guiso del día (stew of the day) as well as creative dishes like milhojas de cordero con boniato (lamb millefeuille with sweet potato). There's also an olive oil–tasting menu (€5 per person). 

Open for over a century, this Madrid institution is as famous for its callos a la madrileña (Madrid-style tripe) as it is for gallina en pepitoria, an old-school Spanish stew of wine-braised chicken thickened with hard-boiled yolks that's become increasingly hard to find.

If you haven't tried Chinese food in Madrid, you're missing out—the city has some of the best Chinese restaurants in Europe thanks to a vibrant immigrant community. Casa Lafu, with its serene white-tablecloth dining room, stands out for its expertly prepared repertoire of regional dishes, from Sichuan-style málà (spicy) plates to Shanghainese wine-cooked meats and Cantonese dim sum. Well-priced tasting menus and hot pot options round out the offerings. 

In the heart of the Judería, this pretty little restaurant serves a modern interpretation of Sephardic cuisine—with organic dishes that are more exotic than the usual Andalusian fare—and a kosher menu. The many vegetarian options include gazpacho with mango and artichoke hearts in saffron sauce; and the siniya (trout baked in vine leaves with pomegranate and mint) is delicious. Try a bottle of kosher wine, and for dessert choose the orange ice cream. Two tasting menus (€80 or €95 for two) are also available. The romantic atmosphere is compounded by two violinists playing Sephardic music on the patio on weekends.

Madrid's oldest sidrería (cider house) is a grand cathedral-like hall with barrel-lined walls, double-height ceilings, and creaky wooden chairs. The star menu item is roast chicken, hacked up unceremoniously and served in a puddle of cider jus—old-school rib-sticking bar food (the other dishes are nothing to write home about). Casa Mingo is an ideal spot for a nosh after strolling along Madrid Río or visiting Ermita de San Antonio de la Florida, located next door.

Don't let the bright pink facade put you off: this is one of the best places to eat in town. Just a short walk south of the Plaza de España, this restored house has a dining area in every room plus a pleasant outside patio. Rice and local dishes take center stage on the menu where fresh fish and seafood feature along with a good choice of hearty desserts. Try the almejas a la marinera (clams) or the artichokes with foie gras before moving on to a dish of octopus or grilled pork steak.

This hip neighborhood favorite has around a dozen tables and an extensive eclectic menu geared toward sharing that features game meats, seafood, and cheeses from the mountainous northern region of Cantabria. Organic wines sourced from around the country make for spot-on pairings.

A gem among a crop of modern restaurants putting the razzle back into the run-down Raval, Cera 23 offers a winning combination of great service and robust cooking in a fun, friendly setting; stand at the bar and enjoy a blackberry mojito while you wait for your table. The focus of the dining area is the open kitchen, so guests can watch the cooks create contemporary presentations of traditional Spanish dishes. Try the volcano of black rice, with seafood "rocks" and saffron-flavored "lava," and the slow-cooked pork ribs with honey and soy sauce. The reasonably priced restaurant is popular and usually packed until quite late, but the surrounding area can be intimidating at night; get a taxi to the end of the street.

Welcome to mussel mecca—this Ponzano restaurant spotlights the oft-overlooked mollusk in dishes like curried moules frites; fried bechamel-stuffed tigres; and zippy ceviches and escabeches.

Fancy it ain't, but this jovial tapas bar is where you can devour the freshest catch from the Rúa Pescadería fisherwomen, and it does a roaring lunch trade with Vigo locals. Expect heaping plates of marisco (shellfish) and scallops with roe at market prices, plus fresh and fruity Albariño, its trusty sidekick. Indoors there are round tables covered with paper, while the outdoor terrace is a pleasing place to slurp down some oysters and watch the old town bustle.

Tucked away on the riverfront in Triana next to Puente del Cristo de la Expiración, this modern venue advocates local produce in traditional Andalusian recipes, showcased in a menu that changes on a weekly basis, along with a long wine list of Andalusian wines. The long narrow interior has striking wood-paneled walls with a verdant vertical garden in the middle, while outside dining takes in panoramic views of the river on the intimate terrace.

On the edge of the Old Town, this relaxed bilevel restaurant serves enticing dishes in plentiful portions. Downstairs, indulge in tapas and simpler dishes, or head to the fancier dining space upstairs for specialties like roast suckling pig, lamb chops, and sea bass baked in rock salt.

What's not to love about this French-owned oyster, wine and tapas bar with a sunny outdoor terrace hidden in a dreary-looking square on the edge of El Born? In fact, El Casal is so well secreted that most locals don't even know it's here---but once they discover it, they're sure to come back for more. The style of cooking is best described as Normandie-inspired Mediterranean, with star dishes including patatas bravas topped with ragù, a particularly delicious take on pork rillettes served with Dijon mustard, and the fresh oysters, of course.

The name suggests grilled meat, but this restaurant in the heart of the Judería serves much more. In the colorful bar try sharing plates (from €5) such as the berenjenas crujientes con salmorejo (crispy fried eggplant slices with thick gazpacho), while in the restaurant opt for the supremely fresh grilled fish or the steak, which is the best in town, particularly the namesake churrasco ibérico (grilled Iberian pork, served here in a spicy tomato-based sauce). There's alfresco dining on the inner patio or upper-floor terrace when it's warm outside—also the season to try another specialty: gazpacho blanco de piñones con manzanas y pasas (a white gazpacho made with pine nuts, apple, and raisins). Save some room for the leche frita con helado de canela (creamy dessert with cinnamon ice cream).