Eating out in Spain - What You Need To Know

When visiting Spain, one of the highlights of the trip is undoubtedly the incredible culinary experience. Spanish gastronomy is known for its rich flavours, fresh ingredients, and diverse regional specialities.

From tapas to paella, from pintxos to churros, the country offers a wide range of dining options that cater to all tastes and budgets.

Let us take you on a gastronomic journey through Spain, exploring the different possibilities for enjoying Spanish food while immersing yourself in the local culture.

Tapas Culture:

Tapas Bar Spain

One of the most iconic culinary traditions in Spain is tapas. These small, flavourful dishes are perfect for sharing and experiencing a variety of flavours in one meal.

In cities like Madrid, Barcelona, and Seville, you'll find bustling tapas bars offering an array of options such as patatas bravas (spicy potatoes), jamón ibérico (cured ham), gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp), and tortilla española (Spanish omelette).

Explore the streets and try different bars, enjoying the vibrant atmosphere and socializing with locals.

Regional Specialties:

Paella From Valencia

Each region in Spain has its own distinct culinary specialities.

In Catalonia, try the famous seafood paella in Barcelona or indulge in the fresh seafood offerings of Costa Brava.

Head to the Basque Country for pintxos, small bites of deliciousness often served on toothpicks.

In Valencia, savour an authentic paella Valenciana, while in Andalucia, enjoy traditional dishes like gazpacho, salmorejo, and pescaíto frito (fried fish).

Explore the culinary delights of Galicia, Asturias with their outstanding seafood offerings, and other northern regions to discover unique flavours and traditional dishes.

Dining Etiquette:

Barcelona Pintxo Tour

Understanding Spanish dining etiquette can enhance your experience. Spaniards often eat dinner later than in other countries, with restaurants typically opening around 8 or 9 p.m.

It's common to have a light breakfast, a substantial lunch (known as "menu del día"), and a leisurely dinner.

Don't rush through your meal; enjoy the relaxed pace and savour the flavours. Additionally, it's customary to greet restaurant staff with a friendly "¡Hola!" and say "¡Buen provecho!" to fellow diners before starting your meal.

Michelin-Starred Dining:

Restaurant Mugaritz
Restaurant Mugaritz

Spain is home to numerous Michelin-starred restaurants, offering exceptional dining experiences for food enthusiasts.

Restaurants like Restaurant Mugaritz, El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Arzak in San Sebastián, and DiverXO in Madrid have earned international acclaim for their innovative cuisine and culinary artistry.

Make reservations in advance to secure a table at these gastronomic temples and be prepared to embark on an unforgettable culinary journey.

Market Visits:

Mercat de la Boqueria
Mercat de la Boqueria

Visiting local markets is an excellent way to immerse yourself in Spanish gastronomy.

Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid, Mercado de la Boqueria in Barcelona, and Mercado Central in Valencia are popular choices. Explore the vibrant stalls filled with fresh produce, meats, cheeses, and seafood. Engage with the vendors, sample local delicacies, and soak up the lively atmosphere.

Some markets also have tapas bars or small eateries where you can enjoy a meal made from the market's ingredients.

Sweet Delights:

Crema Catalana
Crema Catalana

No culinary journey in Spain is complete without indulging in its sweet treats.

Churros dipped in thick, rich chocolate are a breakfast favourite, especially in Madrid. In Andalucia, try the traditional pastries known as pestiños and torrijas, similar to French toast. The region of Asturias offers delicious apple-based desserts like the famous apple cider and tarta de manzana (apple pie). In Catalonia, don't miss out on the iconic crema catalana, a creamy custard dessert with a caramelized sugar topping.

Throughout Spain, you'll also find a variety of artisanal ice cream shops offering unique flavours like horchata, turrón, and olive oil.

Wine Tasting:

Marbella Wine Tour

Spain is renowned for its world-class wines. From the robust reds of Rioja to the crisp whites of Rías Baixas, wine enthusiasts will find plenty to delight their palates.

Visit wineries and vineyards in regions like La Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Priorat and Jerez for wine tours and tastings.

Don't forget to sample the famous sparkling wine, Cava, in the Penedès region near Barcelona. Pair your wines with local cheeses, olives, and charcuterie for a complete sensory experience.

Seafood Extravaganza:

Lobster Seafood
Lobster Seafood

With its extensive coastline, Spain boasts an abundance of fresh seafood.

Coastal regions like Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, Andalucia, and Catalonia are known for their exquisite seafood offerings. Indulge in Galician octopus (pulpo a la gallega), grilled sardines, or succulent prawns. In Andalusia, try the famous fried fish platter (pescaíto frito) or marinated anchovies (boquerones).

The coastal town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda is renowned for its langostinos de Sanlúcar, a unique variety of prawns with a distinctive sweet flavour.

Vegetarian and Vegan Options:

Escalivada
Escalivada

While Spanish cuisine is often associated with meat and seafood, there are also plenty of options for vegetarians and vegans.

Many restaurants offer plant-based dishes like gazpacho, escalivada (roasted vegetables), and pisto (a ratatouille-like dish).

In major cities, you'll find vegetarian and vegan restaurants that specialize in innovative plant-based cuisine.

Don't hesitate to ask for vegetarian or vegan options when dining out, as most places are accommodating.

Local Food Festivals:

Mussels Seafood

Spain is known for its lively and vibrant food festivals, where you can experience the local gastronomic traditions.

Explore the festivals dedicated to specific foods like calçots (grilled spring onions) or paella, where you can immerse yourself in the local culture and indulge in delicious food.

Some of the best food festivals held in Spain include the grape Harvest Festival In Lanzarote, The Saffron Rose Festival In Consuegra, Castilla-La Mancha, The Seafood Festival in O Grove´, Galicia, The Olive Festival in Marcos, Jaen, The Cider Festival of Gijón, Asturias, The cheese festival of Trujillo, Octopus festival is Carballiño, Ourense, and the Ibeiro Wine Fair in Ribadavia, Lugo.

Top tips when eating out in Spain

  1. Eat where the locals eat for the best food and prices.
  2. Check the total menu price including extras before sitting down.
  3. Make sure VAT and any service tax is included in the price.
  4. Choose wisely where to sit, terrace seating can be more expensive.
  5. To save time, know what your first drink order is before sitting down.
  6. For best deals check which places offer a free drink with your food.
  7. Some bars will give a free tapa when you order a drink.
  8. Eat-in a group and enjoy a wider variety of food to share.
  9. If you're not happy.. complain.

Breakfast Snacks and Sandwiches

Chocolate & Churros Breakfast

Eating out in Spain starts with a traditional Spanish breakfast such as chocolate con churros – long tubular doughnuts (not for the weak of stomach) served with thick hot and sweet drinking chocolate.

A variety of toasts are always popular such as tostadas (toast) with aceite ( oil ) or con mantequilla  (with butter ) and mermelada  ( jam ), or perhaps with huevos fritos (fried eggs), Tortilla  (potato omelette) or panceta ( grilled bacon ) make for an excellent breakfast.

Coffee and pastries ( pasteles or bollos ) or doughnuts are available at most cafés, too, though for a wider selection of cakes and fresh bread you should head for  pastelerías  ( cake shop ) or panadería ( bread bakery )

Some bars specialise in bocadillos – hearty bread rolls French bread-style sandwiches with a choice of fillings. If you want them wrapped to take away with you, ask for them para llevar.

Tapas Bars

Spanish Tapas Bar

Tapas bars are an integral and important part of Spanish culture, offering a social and gastronomic experience that is unique to the country. These bars come in all shapes and sizes and are typically cozy places with a jolly atmosphere that encourages people to gather, chat, and share plates of delicious tapas.

In most Spanish tapas bars, you'll find a huge array to choose from such as the classics of tortilla de patatas and gambas al ajillo to more innovative and modern creations. The variety of tapas available is one of the things that make these bars so special, as you can sample a wide range of flavors and ingredients in a single sitting.

Most tapas bars have a long bar or counter where customers can stand or sit while they eat and drink. This is often the heart of the bar, where locals gather to catch up on the day's news or watch a football match on the TV.

The bar itself is usually lined with platters of tapas, so you can easily see what's on offer and choose what you want to try.

Cafeterias

Bar Cafeteria

Replacing comedores to some extent are cafeterías, which the local authorities grade from one to three cups.

These can be good value, too, especially the self-service places, but their emphasis is more northern European and the light snack meals tend to be more basic.

Cafeterias are alright for eating out in Spain if you're looking for a quick cheese and ham sandwich or a coffee and pastry.

Food in Spain often comes in the form of a plato combinado – literally a combined plate – which will be something like egg and pork with chips, hamburger and fries or a mixed salad served with bread.

Restaurants

Lasarte Restaurant Barcelona
Lasarte Restaurant

Restaurant dining is offered in many different types of establishments such as comedores, cafetería, marisquería, ventas and bar-restaurantes.

Restaurants at the lower end are often great places to eat out in Spain and generally offer the best value food.

A fixed-price menu of the day ( menu del dia ) is often better value though: generally three courses plus wine and bread for around 8 to 12 Euros.

Move above two forks, however, or find yourself in one of the more fancy marisquerías (as opposed to a basic seafront fish-fry place ), and prices can escalate rapidly.

Most of the top restaurants offer an upmarket menu ( menu de degustacion ) a sampler meal, usually including wine, which is good value and will allow you to try many of the house specialities in one sitting.

Highstreet Food Chains

La Surena Restaurant Chain
La Surena Restaurant Chain

Restaurant chains such as La Surena have sprung up around Spain over the last five years or so and offer excellent value for money dining.

One of the best things is that a number of these restaurants offer 2 for 1 night and are a great way to eat out on the cheap.

Spaniards generally eat very late, so many places serve food from around 1 until 4 pm and from 8 pm to midnight.

When eating out in higher-end eateries it's best to check to see if VAT ( IVA) is included in the price, that way you won't get any unwanted surprises at the end of your meal.

Many restaurants close on Sunday or Monday evenings.

Alcoholic Drinks

Popular Cruzcampo Beer Bucket
Popular Cruzcampo Beer Bucket

 

Beer  ( Cerveza ) is usally sold in 300-ml bottles ( botellines ) or, for about the same price, on tap – a cana of draught beer is a small glass, a caña doble is larger, and asking for un tubo (a tubular glass) gets you about half a pint.

Mahou, Cruz Campo, San Miguel, Victoria, Estrella de Galicia or Alhambra are all very decent Spanish lager beers

Spain is blessed with a huge selection of wine ( vino ) superb red, white and rose wines which start from as little as £2.5 a bottle.

For a full report on fine wines from Spain see our guide to Spanish wine.

Sangria
Sangria

 

Equally refreshing, though often deceptively strong, is sangria, a wine-and-fruit punch which you’ll come across at fiestas and in tourist bars.

Tinto de verano is a similar red wine and soda or lemonade combination which is a great refresher in high temperatures.

In mid-afternoon – or even at breakfast – many Spaniards like a small liqueur with their coffee. The most popular is anis (like Pernod) or cheaper local brandy such as Magno or Soberano.

Most brandies are produced by the great sherry houses of Jerez, but an equally good one that isn’t is Mascaro, produced in Catalonia and resembling an Armagnac.

In bars, spirits are ordered by brand name since there are generally less expensive Spanish equivalents for standard imports.

Larios gin from Malaga, for instance, is about half the price of Gordon’s.

Specify the national brand when ordering will avoid getting an expensive bill at the end of the evening.

Spirits can be very expensive at the trendier bars; however, wherever they are served, they tend to be staggeringly generous – the bar staff pouring from the bottle until you suggest they stop.

Mixed drinks are universally known as Copa or Cubata, though strictly speaking the latter is rum and Coke.

Other popular mixers include orange juice ( zumo de Naranja ) lemon, limon and tonic tonica.

Soft Drinks

Spanish Coffee - Cafe Solo

Coffee is one of Spain's most popular drinks and is sold in many different ways.

Popular ways of drinking coffee include express ( espresso ) slightly bitter, with milk ( cafe con leche ) or served black ( cafe solo ).

If you want a coffee with little milk ask for a cafe cortado. For a large cup of weaker coffee ask for an americano.

Coffee is also frequently mixed with brandy, cognac or whisky, all such concoctions being called carajillo.

Iced coffee is cafe con hielo, another great high summer refresher: a cafe solo is served with a glass of ice cubes.

Tea (Te) is also available at most bars, although bear in mind that Spaniards usually drink it black. If you want milk it’s safest to ask for it afterwards, since ordering te con leche might well get you a glass of milk with a tea bag floating on top.

Perhaps a better bet would be herbal teas and most bars keep these: manzanilla (camomile, not to be confused with the sherry of the same name), menta poleo (mint tea) and hierba luisa (lemon verbena) are all popular herbal infusions.

Hot chocolate  ( Chocolate Caliente ) can be quite thick and sweet and is a popular early-morning drink after a long night on the town.

If you’d prefer a normal hot chocolate drink ask for ask for a brand name, like Cola Cao.

Local soft drinks include granizado (an icy slush) or horchata (a milky drink made from tiger nuts or almonds).  You can get these drinks from horchaterías and from heladerías ( ice cream – helados – parlours ), or in Catalonia from the wonderful milk bars known as Granjas.

Although you can drink the water almost everywhere it usually tastes better out of the bottle. Mineral water comes either sparkling ( con gas ) or still ( sin gas ).

When you are eating out in Spain it is quite normal to ask for a glass of water ( Agua de la Casa ) which is not charged, only bottled water will add to your bill.