241 editor-picked spanish tapas restaurants across 46 cities.
Tapas is the Spanish habit of eating in small plates over drinks, usually moving from bar to bar across an evening. The word comes from 'tapar' (to cover): the original tapa was a slice of bread or ham laid over a glass of sherry to keep the flies out, and 18th-century Andalusian bartenders began offering it free with each drink. The format evolved into a national social ritual that defines how Spanish people eat outside the home.
The cooking is regional and varied: jamon Iberico, manchego, tortilla espanola, gambas al ajillo, croquetas, pulpo a la gallega, patatas bravas, boquerones, pimientos de padron, salmorejo, gazpacho. Each bar has 8-30 small plates listed on a chalkboard or in a glass case. Some are cooked to order; many are pinchos (skewered, ready on the counter) that you grab and pay for by the toothpick at the end.
At the table (or more often the bar), tapas is governed by a rhythm rather than a menu. Order a drink, choose one or two small plates, eat fast, move on. The Spanish tapeo is bar-hopping with food: three or four bars across an evening, one or two tapas at each. Locals do this between 9pm and midnight. Sitting down at a table changes the price and the speed; the bar is where the cheapest, fastest, freshest version of the food lives.
The traditional tapas heartland. Free tapas with each drink in Granada; the cradle of jamon Iberico (from Jabugo and Los Pedroches); fried fish (pescaito frito) in Cadiz and Seville; salmorejo and gazpacho in Cordoba; sherry from Jerez paired with everything.
Pintxos, the Basque variant: small plates speared with a toothpick, displayed on the bar, more inventive and design-conscious than Andalusian tapas. La Cuchara de San Telmo and Bar Nestor in San Sebastian set the modern bar.
The casa de comidas tradition: croquetas, callos a la madrilena (tripe stew), bocadillo de calamares (calamari sandwich), tortilla espanola at the bar. La Latina district is the tapas crawl heartland.
Tapas with a Catalan grammar: pan con tomate, escalivada, bombas (Barceloneta meat-filled potato balls), bikini (toasted ham-and-cheese sandwich), the bodega tradition with vermouth on tap.
Pulpo a la gallega (octopus with paprika and olive oil), empanada gallega, pimientos de Padron, percebes (gooseneck barnacles), Albarino wine.
At a tapas bar, stand at the counter, catch the bartender's eye, order a drink (cana of beer, glass of red, fino sherry, vermut), and choose one or two small plates. Pay at the end (the bartender remembers; do not ask for a check after each dish). At a pintxo bar in San Sebastian, grab pintxos from the counter onto a plate and the bartender counts toothpicks at the end. At a sit-down restaurant, raciones (full-size portions) replace tapas; medias raciones (half-size) are the middle ground.
The rookie mistakes: ordering at a table when the bar is open (the bar is faster, fresher, cheaper), trying to compose a full meal at one bar (the tapeo is moving between bars), and assuming tapas is free everywhere (only Granada, Leon, and a few Andalusian towns include a free tapa with each drink).
Sherry is the traditional tapas drink: fino or manzanilla (dry, salty, with seafood and jamon), amontillado (nutty, with cured meats and aged cheese), oloroso (richer, with stews). Spanish vermouth on tap (vermut de grifo) is the aperitivo standard, especially in Catalonia. Cana (small draught beer) with patatas bravas and croquetas; red Rioja or Ribera del Duero at a sit-down meal; Albarino with Galician seafood; cava (Catalan sparkling) as everyday bubbles. Coffee solo (espresso) at the end of the evening.
Seville for traditional Andalusian tapas (the historic Bodega Santa Cruz, El Rinconcillo, Bar Las Teresas); Granada for the free-tapa tradition; San Sebastian for pintxos (Bar Nestor, La Cuchara de San Telmo, Borda Berri); Madrid for the casa de comidas tradition (Casa Lucio, Bodega de la Ardosa); Barcelona for Catalan tapas (Quimet i Quimet, Bar del Pla). Outside Spain: London (Barrafina, Jose Pizarro), New York (La Vara, Boqueria), and Mexico City all hold serious tapas rooms.
Tapas as a free bite with a drink traces to 18th-century Andalusia, when Alfonso X of Castile decreed that wine should be served with food to slow drunkenness, or where bartenders covered sherry glasses with bread to keep flies out. The format spread nationally in the late 19th century and became a defining Spanish social institution. The Basque pintxo evolved separately in the 1930s-40s and now drives San Sebastian's restaurant scene.
Tapas are small plates ordered from a menu or chalkboard; pintxos are individual servings (often on bread, speared with a toothpick) displayed on the bar to grab. Pintxos are Basque; tapas are national but originate from Andalusia.
Only in Granada, Leon, Almeria, and some Andalusian towns where a free small bite still comes with each drink. Everywhere else (including Madrid, Seville, Barcelona, San Sebastian) tapas are ordered and paid for.
Late. The tapas crawl (tapeo) starts around 9pm and runs to midnight or beyond. Lunch is typically a sit-down meal at 2pm; dinner is the tapeo from 9pm. Tourist hours (7pm dinner) are off-rhythm and shows.
La Cana on Aboulevarden serves Spanish tapas and drinks on a canalside terrace that becomes one of the most animated spots in Aarhus on warm evenings.
Signature: Spanish tapas, Canas on the terrace
Order: The patatas bravas and the jamón croquetas; the house wines by the glass are well-selected.
Tip: Outdoor seating on the canal fills by 18:00 in summer. Walk-ins only at the bar for drinks and small plates.
Canal-side tapas bar with Spanish wines by the glass and a kitchen that stays open late. Located in Midtbyen. Priced at $$. Kitchen leans spanish tapas.
Signature: Patatas bravas, Pan con tomate, Gambas al ajillo
Katie Button and Felix Meana's Cúrate in Asheville opened on Biltmore Avenue in 2011 and won the 2022 James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding.
Signature: Jamón ibérico, Paella Valenciana, Patatas bravas
Order: The jamón ibérico with pan con tomate, plus the paella Valenciana for the table.
Tip: Book on Resy 30 days ahead. Bar seats and the chef's counter take walk-ins from 17:00; arrive at opening.
Katie Button's Cúrate on Biltmore Avenue in Asheville won the 2022 James Beard Outstanding Hospitality award. The Pintxos tasting menu at the chef's counter.
Order: The chef's tasting at the counter, with sherry pairings.
Tip: Counter tasting menu at the long bar requires booking 30 days ahead on Resy. The dining room is à la carte.
Dos Palillos in Barcelona's Raval is Albert Raurich's Asian-tapas counter behind a black curtain inside Casa Camper. Dim sum, yakitori, sushi-bar service.
Signature: Dim sum tasting, Yakitori
Order: The full Asian tasting menu; sit at the counter to watch.
Tip: Closed Sun-Tue. Counter seats book up two weeks ahead; the back dining room is easier.
Mont Bar in Barcelona's Eixample is Iván Castro's tapas-counter-with-a-Michelin-star: tasting plates over a wooden bar with an obsessive natural-wine list.
Signature: Tasting menu, Iberico pluma
Order: Whichever tasting menu they call; the wine pairing is the move.
Tip: Counter seats book 4 weeks ahead. Tue-Sat dinner only. Closed Sun-Mon.
Born tapas bar on Carrer Montcada since 2008, market-driven Catalan plates including ox-tail with foie; natural-leaning Catalan wine list, terrace nearby.
Why locals love it: The chef-trade favourite on Montcada; the bar takes walk-ups and the back room books, but most tourists walk past for El Xampanyet next door.
Tip: Walk in at 22:30; the late dinner shift is open and the kitchen runs until 23:00.
Michelin Guide listed Spanish tapas: pintxos, wood-fired paella, serious house-cured charcuterie. Weekend brunch adds Gazpacho Bloody Maria and brunch paella.
Xukela on Calle del Perro in Bilbao runs the city's most traditional pintxo bar, with candied-rooster-crest mushrooms and a wine list locals know.
Why locals love it: Locals know Calle del Perro for the city's most traditional pintxo bars; tourists rarely leave Plaza Nueva to find Xukela's mushrooms with rooster crests.
Tip: Order the mushrooms with candied rooster crests as a starter; stay for the wine list.
Bar El Globo on Calle Diputacion in Bilbao since 1997 anchors the Indautxu pintxo crawl with the canonical txangurro (spider crab) gratin counter.
Signature: Txangurro gratin, Anchovy gilda, Mushroom volcan
Order: The txangurro gratin; the gilda alongside.
Tip: The newer Plaza Nueva location keeps later hours; the original Diputacion bar is the bigger room.
La Vina del Ensanche on Diputacion in Bilbao since 1927 runs three rooms under the third family generation, Joselito Iberian ham the house pintxo.
Signature: Jamon Iberico Joselito, Croquetas de jamon, Bonito
Order: The Joselito ham on crystal bread at the counter; the croquetas de jamon as a second.
Tip: The taller (workshop room) is a more intimate sit-down service; book for the tasting menu. The deli sells the same hams to take away.
The Basque Market Pintxo Hour on Thursday through Saturday is Boise's best small-plates street eating experience, with rotating pintxos and poured Txakoli.
The Basque Market is a daytime pintxos and wine spot on Grove Street, with rotating small bites, Spanish provisions, and paella on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Le Ballion in Bordeaux's Golden Triangle is the resto and dancing bar on Rue Mably, with a three-course lunch formula at €25, an evening tapas card from €8.
Signature: Three-course lunch formula, Sharing tapas board, Plat du jour
Tip: The lunch formula at €25 is the quietest visit; book dinner on Wednesday or Thursday before the weekend DJ sets pack the room.
Casa Gaia in Bordeaux's Saint-Pierre is the leafy Mediterranean tapas spot near the Grosse Cloche, with organic Aquitaine produce, vegetarian-friendly small.
Signature: Vegetarian tapas, Mediterranean salads, Natural wines
Tip: Sit in the courtyard at lunch; the kitchen does a €18 tapas selection that pairs well with the orange wines.
Auberge Espagnole in Bordeaux's Saint-Pierre is the Spanish tapas room near Porte Cailhau, open from Thursday to Saturday until midnight with paella.
Try: Spanish tapas and paella
Order: Paella for two
Tip: Last orders at 23:30; the paella for two arrives in roughly 25 minutes, so order early.
Atelier Flori is a spanish tapas room in T Zand. Book ahead, the room is small and Thu-Sun only. The étagère is the order, a curated platter built for two.
Why locals love it: A fully vegan tapas room and wine bar tucked in a 19th-century painter's studio off the tourist run, with sharing étagères and rotating seasonal menus most day-trippers walk past.
Tip: Book ahead, the room is small and Thu-Sun only. The étagère is the order, a shortlisted platter built for two.
't Nieuw Walnutje on Walplein in Bruges, by the De Halve Maan brewery, has run since 2017 under siblings Glenn and Lynn Vanden Broucke, serving Flemish tapas.
Signature: Flemish tapas, Classic recipes worked modern
Order: A spread of the Flemish tapas; affordable and built for sharing.
Tip: On the Walplein square steps from the brewery, so an easy pairing with a Halve Maan visit.
Estadio in Charleston runs Spanish tapas, vermouth on tap and a sherry programme out of a Spring Street corner spot since 2023. Located in Upper King.
Signature: Tortilla espanola, Pintxos and tapas
Order: The tortilla, jamon plate, and a vermouth on the rocks at 17:00.
Tip: Book on Resy. Bar seats walk-in. The sherry list is the deepest in the city.
Andy Kastanas's Soul Gastrolounge reopened in 2025 on Raleigh Street in NoDa, after losing its Plaza Midwood lease, with the original tapas-cocktail menu.
Signature: Pork-belly tacos, Sushi tapas
Order: The pork-belly tacos and a sushi-tapas combination. Same menu as the Plaza Midwood years.
Tip: DJ sets most nights. Walk-ins only and the queue starts at 17:30.
Soul Gastrolounge on Raleigh Street in NoDa runs the kitchen and DJ-driven cocktail bar until 2am nightly, the Charlotte late-night tapas room reopened.
Try: Pork-belly tacos and sushi tapas
Order: Pork-belly tacos and a sushi tapas plate, plus a house cocktail.
Tip: Walk-ins only. The queue gets long after 22:00.
Cornmarket Street's liveliest late venue, housing Ireland's largest whiskey bar. DJs Thursday to Saturday; open until 02:00 Mon-Thu and 02:30 Fri-Sun daily.
Knox-Henderson anchor with a 400-label Spanish and global wine list, pintxos, jammon iberico, and a marble bar that runs warm from early evening until last.
Order: Txakolina by the glass; jammon iberico plate; pan con tomate
Tip: Bar seating is walk-in and often better than the dining room. Weekend reservations required for table dining.
A relaxed Knox-Henderson tapas bar with a Spanish wine list of over 400 bottles and a patio that fills on warm evenings. Kitchen leans spanish tapas.
Order: Pan con tomate with jamón. The Spanish wine list is one of the largest in the US.
Tip: The patio seats fill early on Fridays and Saturdays. Order the charcuterie and one of the sherries first.
Spanish tapas and one of the most extensive Spanish wine lists in the US in a casual Knox-Henderson patio bar. Priced at $$$. At 5016 Miller Ave.
Order: Pan con tomate with jamón. A poured sherry or one of the Spanish house wines.
Tip: The patio fills early on Fridays. Order the cold dishes and a bottle of Txakoli to start; the hot dishes come out quickly.
Matt Kelly's Spanish tapas room has anchored Durham's fine-dining scene since 2012, with multiple James Beard Best Chef Southeast semifinalist nominations.
Signature: Salt cod croquetas, Jamón Iberico, Wood-grilled octopus
Multiple James Beard Best Chef Southeast semifinalist Matt Kelly built his name here. Mateo is NC's definitive Spanish tapas restaurant, driven by wood-fire.
Cava Bodega in Galway's Latin Quarter is JP McMahon's 2008-founded Spanish tapas room serving 70 regional dishes paired with a Spanish natural-wine list.
Order: The slow-braised pork cheek and seasonal sherry pour by the glass
Tip: Reserve the chef-counter five-stool bar for the kitchen view. Sherry flights are the smart drinks order on weeknights.
Cava Bodega on Middle Street Galway has served regional Spanish tapas since 2008 with over 70 small plates of locally sourced fish, meat and Atlantic produce.
Signature: Spanish regional tapas, Pimientos de padron
Order: Order broadly across the regions; the seafood tapas reflect the local Galway Bay supply chain
Tip: The Spanish-focussed natural wine list is worth exploring with a knowledgeable floor team.
Cava Bodega on Middle Street Galway has served regional Spanish tapas since 2008, with over 70 small plates using Irish-sourced fish and Atlantic meat.
Signature: Regional Spanish tapas, Pimentos de padron, Seafood tapas
Order: The seafood tapas change with what local boats landed; order broadly and share across the table
Tip: Weeknight evenings offer more breathing room; Friday and Saturday fill up fast.
Treinta y Tres in Gdańsk is ARCO's Bib Gourmand sister room on the same 33rd floor of Olivia Star. Spanish tapas, an Ibérico croqueta worth ordering twice.
Casa de las Tapas has been feeding the Patershol cobblestones with Spanish-style small plates for years. The menu runs from jambon iberico to patatas bravas.
Order: Patatas bravas with the house aioli: crunchy outside, fluffy inside, sauce perfectly balanced.
Tip: Closed Wednesdays; kitchen closes at 21:30 so this is an earlier dinner spot than most Patershol restaurants.
Brutti Compadres is a candlelit tapas and cocktail bar hidden in cobbled Virginia Court in Glasgow's Merchant City, set in the old tobacco exchange.
Signature drink: House cocktails and sherry
Food: Mediterranean small plates
Tip: It is tucked down a lane off Virginia Street and easy to miss; look for the courtyard entrance.
Bar Centro serves a Saturday brunch of Spanish-style pintxos, tortilla, pan con tomate and charcuterie alongside a glass of cava or cafe con leche.
Order: ['Pan con tomate', 'Tortilla espanola', 'Cava brunch glass']
Casa Julio is a 1947 standing-room fritura counter declared local monument, hidden off calle elvira on a side alley most travellers walk past.
Why locals love it: A 1947 standing-room fritura counter declared Local Monument, hidden off Calle Elvira on a side alley most travellers walk past.
Tip: No chairs and the door looks closed; push to enter and stand at the marble bar with a cana.
Bodegas Castaneda in Granada is the cheapest dinner in town: order three canas at the bar and you eat free tapas across an hour without paying for food.
Try: Free tapa with every drink
Tip: The free-tapa rotation only works standing at the bar; sit at a table and you start ordering off the carte.
Bodegas Castaneda in Granada is the 1927 Calle Almireceros tavern that defines free-tapa culture, with house vermut and Alpujarran cured meats.
Order: Free tapa of jamon Trevelez with a cana, then a glass of house vermut.
Tip: Stand at the bar for the free tapas; if you sit at a table you order a la carte and the free system stops.
The Food Temple is a candlelit vegan tapas room down a mouraria alley you would never find on purpose, with cushions on the front steps for warm nights.
Why locals love it: A candlelit vegan tapas room down a Mouraria alley you would never find on purpose, with cushions on the front steps for warm nights.
Tip: Cash only and dinner-only. Book by Instagram a few days ahead.
TaBar moved into the Rog factory complex in 2024 with chef Jakob Pintar's Slovenian tapas and a 150-kilometre natural wine list. A TableJourney editor pick.
The Hart brothers' walk-up tapas counter on Adelaide Street in Covent Garden London, opened 2014 and Michelin-starred, runs a daily-changing list of Spanish.
Signature: Tortilla de patatas, Pluma Iberica
Order: Tortilla de patatas and a daily specials seafood plate from the blackboard.
Tip: No bookings. Aim for 11:45 to be first in at the lunch open; sit at the counter to watch the plancha.
Jose Pizarro's standing-only tapas bar on Bermondsey Street in London, opened 2011, a Spanish counter that runs Cantabrian anchovies, jamon and croquetas.
Signature: Iberico jamon, Croquetas
Order: A plate of Iberico ham, the croquetas and the daily fish specials at the counter.
Tip: No bookings; squeeze in standing at the bar from 18:00 onwards. Lunch from 12:00 is walk-in friendly all week.
La Falda de Chamberi took over the historic Sylkar space in Madrid in 2024 and now bakes the official 2025 national-champion tortilla de patatas of Spain.
Signature: Tortilla de patatas, Pimientos del padron, Croquetas
Order: Tortilla de patatas (12 eggs and 3 extra yolks, no onion) cooked to a runny middle.
Tip: Reservations are wise after the 2025 championship win; lunch service from 13:30 is calmer than the dinner sitting.
Casa Dani inside Mercado de la Paz in Madrid's Salamanca has cooked the tortilla de patatas (sliced thick, runny in the centre) for 40 years.
Signature: Tortilla de patatas, Croquetas, Menu del dia
Order: The pincho de tortilla de patatas (2 euros) and the menu del dia (13 euros weekdays).
Tip: Walk-in only; arrive before 13:30 or expect a queue. Cash preferred at the bar; card accepted in the dining room.
Casa Dani in Mercado de la Paz in Madrid has cooked the city's most-talked-about tortilla de patatas for 40 years; the pincho runs 2 euros and the menu del.
Try: Pincho de tortilla, menu del dia
Tip: Walk-in only. Closed Sundays. The pincho de tortilla at 2 euros is the cheapest tortilla in Madrid; menu del dia under 13.
Simon Shaw's tapas room landed on King Street in 2016 and held its Bib Gourmand through the 2026 guide. Three floors: bar, counter kitchen, roof terrace.
Signature: Tapas selection, Charcoal-grilled meats
Order: Whatever is grilled over the open coals upstairs; sherry by the copita with it.
Tip: The counter on the first floor faces the kitchen; reserve there.
Simon Shaw's tapas room landed on Manchester's King Street in 2016 and held its Bib Gourmand through the 2026 guide. Three-floor townhouse with roof terrace.
La Caravelle in Marseille's 2e runs the most coveted balcony on the Vieux Port until 2am, jazz Wed and Fri October to May, aperitif tapas and small plates.
Try: Aperitif tapas and Provencal small plates
Tip: Open daily 7am-2am; jazz nights pull a full room from 22:00.
Lung Yai Thai Tapas is a spanish tapas room in Miami. No reservations. Closed Monday. Arrive at 5pm or after 9pm for the kitchen at full pace.
Why locals love it: On the western Little Havana stretch of Calle Ocho rather than the tourist core, this Thai tapas counter quietly carries a Michelin Bib Gourmand 2022 nod.
Tip: No reservations. Closed Monday. Arrive at 5pm or after 9pm for the kitchen at full pace.
Movida on South 2nd Street in Walker's Point is a Spanish tapas room from the Bartolotta group with paella, Iberico ham and a long sherry list since 2018.
Signature: Paella, Iberico ham
Order: Paella for two and a plate of Iberico ham with a glass of fino.
Tip: Sherry happy hour runs 16:00-18:00 weekdays at the bar; reservations on OpenTable.
Casa Lola is a bustling tiled taberna on Málaga's Calle Granada, pouring vermouth on tap alongside croquetas, ajoblanco malagueño and shared montaditos.
Order: Croquetas and gambas a la plancha with a cold vermouth
La Tranca is a chaotic, poster-plastered Málaga tavern on Calle Carretería, pouring vermouth on tap and sending out ensaladilla and tripe from about €1.50.
Try: Homemade tapas and vermouth on tap
Cortijo de Pepe has fed locals on Málaga's Plaza de la Merced since 1971, a no-frills tapas bar of fried aubergine with molasses and cheap house wine.
Order: Berenjenas con miel and a plate of jamón at the bar
Andy Nusser and Mario Batali's Gramercy tapas counter in New York City has held a Michelin star since 2009. Andalusian small plates, deep Spanish wine list.
Signature: Sea urchin panini, Bone marrow with oxtail
Order: Sea urchin panini and the bone marrow with oxtail.
Tip: Counter seats are easier than the dining room. The next-door Bar Jamon takes walk-ins for the same kitchen.
Santiago's Bodega on Virginia Drive in the Mills Park complex is the small-plates wine bar serving Spanish tapas, charcuterie boards and Iberian wines.
Signature: Spanish meat-and-cheese board, Gambas al ajillo
Yves Camdeborde's L'Avant-Comptoir in Paris is the stand-up tapas-bar next to Le Comptoir du Relais. Twenty plates on hanging menus, no seats.
Try: Stand-up tapas-style plates
Tip: Open until 23:30. The grilled pâté en croûte plates run €8; pair with a glass of Beaujolais cru.
Skreid on Laugavegur is a Basque tapas room from the Sagardi Group, a small Reykjavik counter pouring natural wine alongside pintxos and bacalao a few steps.
Signature: Manchego with honey and walnuts, Salted bacalao
Order: Manchego with honey, salted bacalao and a few small plates to share, with a Basque txakoli pour.
Tip: From the brothers behind Spain's Sagardi Group. Tapas-and-wine pace, evenings only into late.
Tapas Barinn on Vesturgata has run Spanish-style tapas on Icelandic ingredients since 2000, best known for its multi-course Icelandic Gourmet Feast.
Signature: Icelandic Gourmet Feast, Tapas
Order: The Icelandic Gourmet Feast, a tasting run through local fish, lamb and skyr.
Tip: The Gourmet Feast even includes adventurous bites like puffin and minke for the curious. Dinner only.
Adarra in Oregon Hill, relocated from Jackson Ward to the former Mamma Zu space in 2024, cooks Basque and northern Spanish dishes from a wood-burning hearth.
Finca on 1500 East at 15th and 15th, Scott Evans' Spanish tapas room reopened in its new home, runs scratch tapas and a Spanish wine list on the ivy patio.
Signature: Tapas, Paella
Order: A spread of tapas plus the paella for the table; pair with sherry by the glass.
Tip: The ivy-covered patio is the seat to ask for in summer. Reserve well ahead; the room is small.
Finca on 1500 East, Scott Evans' Spanish tapas room reopened in its 15th and 15th home, runs scratch tapas and a Spanish wine list on the ivy-covered patio.
Signature: Tapas, Paella
Order: A spread of tapas plus the paella; pair with sherry by the glass.
Tip: The ivy patio is the seat to ask for in summer. Reserve well ahead; the room is small.
Finca on 1500 East at 15th and 15th, Scott Evans' Spanish tapas room reopened in its new home, runs scratch tapas and a Spanish wine list on the ivy patio.
Order: A spread of tapas plus the paella for the table; pair with sherry by the glass.
Tip: The ivy-covered patio is the seat to ask for in summer. Reserve well ahead; the room is small.
La Cuchara de San Telmo on Calle 31 de Agosto in San Sebastian opened in 1999 from chefs trained at Lasarte and El Bulli, cooking made-to-order modern.
Signature: Carrillera de ternera al vino tinto, Foie a la plancha, Risotto de Idiazabal
Order: The carrillera de ternera braised in red wine; the foie a la plancha with apple compote.
Tip: No display counter; read the blackboard. Queue early before 13:00 or after 21:00, the bar gets four deep at peak.
La Cuchara de San Telmo on Calle 31 de Agosto in San Sebastian, open since 1999 by El Bulli and Lasarte-trained chefs, cooks made-to-order modern pintxos.
Signature: Carrillera de ternera al vino tinto, Foie a la plancha, Pulpo a la brasa
Order: The carrillera de ternera in red wine; foie a la plancha with apple compote; pulpo a la brasa.
Tip: Queue before 13:00 or after 21:00; the bar is four-deep at peak. No reservations.
Borda Berri on Fermin Calbeton in San Sebastian cooks hot made-to-order pintxos with bold Basque flavours, no counter display, just a tight list of plates.
Signature: Risotto de Idiazabal, Carrillera al vino tinto, Costilla de Basatxerri
Order: The Idiazabal risotto with puntalette pasta; the Basatxerri pork ribs with ras el hanout.
Tip: Closed Sundays. Cash and card both. Stand outside if the bar is full; food comes out fast.
Chef James Campbell Caruso, an eight-time James Beard nominee, opened La Boca in 2006; modern Spanish tapas, an all-Spanish wine list and deep sherries.
Signature: Jamon Iberico de bellota, Patatas bravas, Gambas al ajillo
El Rinconcillo on Calle Gerona in Seville is the city's oldest tapas bar, open since 1670, with the cuenta still chalked on the wooden bar top.
Signature: Espinacas con garbanzos, Pavias de bacalao, Jamon iberico
Order: Espinacas con garbanzos, the city's canonical tapa, then pavias de bacalao with fino.
Tip: Open daily 13:00-01:30. Squeeze into the standing bar in the front; the dining room behind is the reservation room.
La Brunilda on Calle Galera in Seville's El Arenal is the modern-tapas room with risottos, rices and Mediterranean small plates that locals queue.
Signature: Mushroom risotto, Goat-cheese salad, Squid-ink rice
Order: Mushroom risotto and goat-cheese-and-fig salad.
Tip: Open Tue-Sun 13:00-16:00 and 20:30-23:30. Reservations by phone only; queue from 19:30 for a bar seat without booking.
El Rinconcillo on Calle Gerona in Seville is the city's oldest tapas bar, open since 1670 and run by the De Rueda family since 1858, with the cuenta still.
Signature: Espinacas con garbanzos, Pavias de bacalao, Jamon iberico
Order: Espinacas con garbanzos, the city's canonical tapa, then pavias de bacalao with a glass of fino.
Tip: Open daily 13:00-01:30. Squeeze into the standing bar in the front; the dining room behind is a reservation room with full plates.
Singapore's most consistent Spanish tapas bar in a Keong Saik shophouse. Michelin Guide-listed; cold and hot tapas, wood-fired plates, Iberian wines.
Signature: Patatas bravas, Gambas al ajillo, Jamon iberico
Order: The crispy suckling pig when available; the daily special pintxos at the bar
Tip: The ground-floor bar takes walk-ins; arrive before 7pm for counter seats without a wait.
Bar Raval on College Street opened 2015 as Grant van Gameren's pintxos counter, Michelin Bib Gourmand since 2022 with mahogany-carved Partisans interior.
Signature: Pintxos, Conservas, Sherry pours
Order: A round of pintxos at the counter with a glass of vermouth.
Tip: Walk-ins only. Arrive before 17:30 for an easy stool; weekend nights run two hours deep on the lineup outside.
Bar Isabel on College Street has been Grant van Gameren's Spanish-influenced tavern since 2013, Michelin Plate the last three guides and an Iberian wine list.
Signature: Whole grilled octopus, Spanish tapas
Order: The whole grilled octopus and a bottle from the Iberian wine list.
Tip: Reservations on the website, but the bar takes walk-ins from 17:00 weekdays. The kitchen runs late on Friday and Saturday.
Bar Raval on College has poured Spanish wine and sherry from a mahogany Art Nouveau counter since 2015, Grant van Gameren's pintxo bar Michelin Bib Gourmand.
Signature pour: Manzanilla Sherry from the tap
Wine focus: Spanish, Sherry, Iberian
Food: Pintxos and Spanish snacks
Order: A flight of three sherries plus a round of pintxos.
Tip: Walk-ins only. Arrive before 17:30 for an easy stool; weekend nights run two hours deep on the lineup outside.
Chez Tonton on Place Saint-Pierre is the legendary student bar with tapas from 18:00-22:00 then a late-night crowd that runs to 02:00 on weekends.
Try: Tapas with pastis
Tip: The pastis tonton with anchovy tapas is the canonical late-night order on Saint-Pierre.
Spanish tapas and Rioja-heavy wine list on a canal lane off the Oudegracht. Monthly pintxos evenings on the fourth Saturday. Open from mid-afternoon.
Spanish tapas bar with daily live music on the Mariaplaats. Wood-oven bread, fresh seafood and an all-day programme from noon. Very lively on weekends.
Bar Ricardo in Valencia is a 1947 workers tapas bar in Extramurs long-favored by locals for esgarraet salt-cod salad and grilled sepia off the plancha.
Order: Esgarraet salt-cod salad and the sepia a la plancha, plus a cana.
Why locals love it: 1947 worker's tapas bar in Extramurs that tourists rarely find, established by locals for esgarraet and grilled sepia.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. Lunch counter is packed by 13:30; arrive earlier.
Casa Montana on Carrer de Josep Benlliure in Valencia's Cabanyal fishing quarter has poured wine from oak barrels and served tapas since 1836.
Signature: Esgarraet, Anchoas del Cantabrico, Atun en aceite
Order: The esgarraet (salt-cod with roasted red peppers) and a glass of Utiel-Requena bobal from the barrel.
Tip: Reserve ahead, especially for weekends. Closed Sunday. The wine list runs deep into local Valencian small producers.
Central Bar inside the Mercado Central in Valencia is Ricard Camarena's market-counter project, serving bocadillos and tapas built from the market stalls.
Signature: Bocadillo de calamares, Carrillera iberica, Croquetas
Order: The bocadillo de calamares with squid from the market fishmongers, plus a vermut from the barrel.
Tip: Open during market hours, Mon to Sat 07:30-15:00. Stand at the counter or grab one of the few stools.
Como Taperia on East 7th from chef Daniel Olson since 2019 is a Spanish tapas and sherry bar in the Granville Brewing District, the sherry tap a calling card.
Signature pour: Manzanilla sherry from the cask
Wine focus: Spanish wines, sherry, vermouth
Food: Tapas, pintxos, jamon
Tip: The sherry tap pulls Manzanilla and Fino direct from cask; the bar walks in for a glass and pintxo.
LOLA on Gonzagagasse is the city's Bib Gourmand-listed Spanish tapas room, a shareable plate of pulpo or croquetas under twelve euros at the bar counter.
Try: Spanish tapas plate
Tip: Closed weekends; share three tapas across two people for a sub-thirty-euro dinner.
Jaleo in Washington DC is Jose Andres's 7th Street Spanish tapas room, the kitchen that opened ThinkFoodGroup in 1993 and codified DC's modern small-plates.
Signature: Gambas al ajillo, Paella valenciana
Order: The paella valenciana with rabbit, snail and green bean; ordered table-wide and finished with a torch.
Tip: Lunch is the easier reservation; the sherry list runs deep into Manzanilla pasada that the bartenders will pour by the glass.
Mercado Tapas Bistro on Bogusławskiego in Wrocław runs a Spanish tapas room with a serious sherry list. Located in Stare Miasto. Priced at $$.
Signature: Jamón ibérico, Patatas bravas, Gambas al ajillo
Order: Jamón ibérico de bellota with bread and tomato, then patatas bravas and gambas al ajillo.
Tip: Order off the chalk specials, not the printed card; the kitchen ships Iberian product fresh.
Mercado Tapas Bistro on Bogusławskiego in Wrocław keeps a fast, walk-in friendly Spanish room. Tortilla, jamón, patatas bravas, a long sherry list.
Signature: Jamón ibérico, Patatas bravas, Tortilla española
Order: Tortilla española, patatas bravas, and a glass of fino sherry off the daily chalk.
Tip: Lunch sees the same kitchen at lower prices and a faster turn; arrive before 13:30.
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