227 Best Restaurants in Spain

Not only does Vinodiario offer all their wines by the glass, but the list focuses on natural bottles and local producers. A handful of wines are actually made by the restaurant's own winery; take a few home with you at a discount. Dishes are just as refreshing in the otherwise hearty cuisine, particularly daily salad specials and smoky garbanzos stewed with apricots. 

Specializing in Catalan bar food and local, organic, biodynamic, and natural wine, this sometimes-rowdy bar may not look like much from the outside but the hordes of people waiting to be seated give it away. Top choices include the mushroom carpaccio with wasabi vinaigrette and strawberries, the black squid-ink croquettes and the spicy patatas bravas.

Rest your legs at this third-wave coffeehouse that uses a sleek La Marzocco machine and is furnished with cushy armchairs and floor lamps. There are also small-production vermouths and local craft beers to try alongside soups, sandwiches, and other snacks.

If you can't make it to the windmill-dotted planes of Don Quixote's La Mancha, you can at least get a taste of that region's flavorful, rib-sticking cuisine at this beloved neighborhood bar within walking distance from the Matadero. Beyond the Manchegan classics—atascaburras (potato-bacalao mash), machacón (mashed fresh tomato-pepper salad), and asadillo (cumin-scented roasted red peppers)—there's a long ever-changing list of Spanish craft beers.

Located southeast of Granada's cathedral, this modern hot spot is a world apart from Granada's usual traditional tapas bar. It attracts an eclectic crowd of students, families, and businesspeople with a diverse international menu, including Mexican fajitas, Vietnamese nems, and Greek souvlaki. Seating is outside on the pleasant sidewalk overlooking the Botanical Garden or inside in two sizable dining areas.

This historical Bilbao haunt (est. 1903) in the Ensanche's most popular garden and square has azulejo-lined walls, dreamy murals of rural scenes, and a painted artesonado ceiling. Stick to tried-and-true classics like Basque steak frites or bacalao al pil pil. The room overlooking the square is the place to be—if they try to stuff you in the back dining room, resist or come back another time.

One of the Canaries' few great specialty coffee shops (think single-origin beans, seasoned baristas, and Chemex pour-overs), Caracolillo is a trendy hangout in the Centro district.

Casa Dani is a legendary bar in Mercado de la Paz whose tortilla de patata (potato omelet) is easily the best in town, and perhaps the country (if first place in a recent National Spanish Omelet Championship is any indication). Each hefty wedge is packed with caramelized onions and served hot and slightly runny. Adventurous eaters should opt for the con callos version, topped with spicy tripe.

Carabanchel's best-known bar, Los Minutejos, is synonymous with distressingly inhalable griddled sandwiches of crispy pig ear doused in fiery brava sauce. Tamer tapas are available for the squeamish. To drink? An ice-cold Mahou, of course.

Tinajas, huge clay vessels once filled to the brim with bulk wine (but now defunct), sit behind the bar at this raucous no-frills 1895 bodega specializing in Spanish cheese and charcuterie. Ask the waiters what they've been drinking and eating lately, and order precisely that. The washed-rind cheeses from Extremadura (Torta del Casar or similar) are always a safe—and pleasantly putrescent—bet.

This gourmet shop (established 1931) doubles as a cozy bar where you can sample most of the stuff on the shelves, including canned asparagus, charcuterie, anchovies, and a varied well-priced selection of Spanish cheeses and wines. It also serves good inexpensive breakfasts.

Cádiz's most quintessentially Andalusian tavern is in the neighborhood of La Viña, named for the vineyard that once grew here. Chacina (Iberian ham or sausage) and chicharrones de Cádiz (cold pork) served on waxed paper and washed down with manzanilla (sherry from Sanlúcar de Barrameda) are standard fare at the low wooden counter that has served bullfighters and flamenco singers, as well as dignitaries from around the world, since 1953. The walls are covered with colorful posters and other memorabilia from the annual Carnival, flamenco shows, and ferias. A few hot dishes are available such as albóndigas (meatballs). This venue is popular, so join the line 30 minutes before opening or try its sister restaurant, Arte Puro, down the block at No. 55.

Crackly fried pig ear, fat wedges of tortilla de patata (potato omelet), and garlicky rabbit al ajillo are a few of the many old-school standbys that have kept this cubbyhole bar in business since 1934.

A favorite with visiting gourmands, this often overcrowded little counter serves some of the best beer and tapas in town. The house-brewed artisanal draft beer—named after the Fort family who owns and runs the bar—is drawn and served with loving care by veteran, epauletted waiters who have it down to a fine art.

Always crisp and never greasy—that's the mark of a well-made churro, and Madrid Chocolat's piping-hot baskets of fried dough always hit the spot.

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.

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

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.

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 artisanal 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).

The crowds gathered outside this local favorite off the Alameda de Hercules may be off-putting at first, but the creative inexpensive tapas (from €4) are well worth the wait—and so is the house specialty, the Basque dessert sokoa. Try delicacies like the cigarro para Bécquer (cuttlefish in a filo pastry cigar) and yema sobre bizcocho de boletus (egg atop a mushroom sponge). Tables at the tapas bar can't be booked (a call will get you a reservation at the next-door Eslava restaurant); to help avoid a wait, visit between 12:30 and 1:30 pm or between 5 and 8 pm.

This legendary tavern (established 1968), which remains surprisingly calm even during San Fermín, serves some of the city's best tapas. Choose between classics like garlicky mushroom brochettes and jamón-flecked croquetas, or spring for more modern creations such as seared goose liver toasts or almond-encrusted morcilla. It opens at 9 am.

If you're looking to freshen up after a long, sweaty day of sightseeing, this artisanal Italian-owned gelateria is just the ticket. In addition to a broad range of dairy-based flavors, there are plant-based options and fresh-fruit sorbets, plus gluten-free cones. The vegan dark chocolate flavor, laced with olive oil and salt is a particular favorite. Open every night until midnight.

This cheery yellow-tiled café serving Middle Eastern-inflected sandwiches and pastries is packed from breakfast to lunch, when neighborhood-dwellers show up for falafel, shakshuka, and spinach pie. At 8:30 pm, Golda morphs into "Golfa," its boozier late-night alter ego serving tapas and natural wine. 

This superb café, bakery, and pastry school has set a new standard for sweet treats in the city. The glazed cinnamon rolls are a standout, as is the to-die-for brioche filled with red berries and mascarpone, while the fresh croissant cone overflowing with soft-serve ice cream, praline, and salted caramel is a rare thing of great beauty. Stop in for breakfast or grab something to go.

Also known simply as Casa de Vinos (Wine House), this place, up a pedestrian street just behind Plaza Nueva, is a must for Spanish wine lovers. The cozy interior is reminiscent of a ship's cabin, with wood paneling lining the walls along with more than 200 bottles of Spanish wines. A different wine is featured each week, and vermouth and sherries are on tap in barrels behind the counter. Choose from tapas (€4.50–€7) or cold meats, cheeses, and pâtés, served on 11 different types and sizes of boards (€10–€25). The house board includes three cold meats, goat cheese, and two pâtés.

This homey, sun-drenched restaurant serves honest Extremaduran fare at an excellent price. What sets it apart from other local spots is the kitchen's careful attention to presentation and ingredient quality—evident in the not-too-greasy migas, wonderfully juicy Iberian pork dishes, and refreshing tomato salads.

Under the gilt-edged ceiling at Seville's most celebrated pastry outlet (founded in 1885), you can enjoy the flanlike tocino de cielo, or "heavenly bacon." For breakfast, enjoy a traditional feed of toasted bread with tomato and a strong coffee, served at a standing bar. Prices are reasonable despite its popularity.

There's no glitz, no glamour, and not even a sign outside, but the battered wooden doors of this old, family-owned tavern hide a tapas bar to be treasured. Loyal customers and hordes of tourists queue for the fresh-as-it-gets seafood, served from a furiously busy kitchen.