30 editor picks across Spain.
30 spanish tapas restaurants worth the trip across Spain, editor-ranked. All cuisines in Spain.
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.
OrderThe carrillera de ternera braised in red wine; the foie a la plancha with apple compote.
TipNo 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.
OrderThe carrillera de ternera in red wine; foie a la plancha with apple compote; pulpo a la brasa.
TipQueue before 13:00 or after 21:00; the bar is four-deep at peak. No reservations.
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.
OrderEspinacas con garbanzos, the city's canonical tapa, then pavias de bacalao with fino.
TipOpen 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.
OrderMushroom risotto and goat-cheese-and-fig salad.
TipOpen 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.
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.
OrderTortilla de patatas (12 eggs and 3 extra yolks, no onion) cooked to a runny middle.
TipReservations are wise after the 2025 championship win; lunch service from 13:30 is calmer than the dinner sitting.
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.
OrderThe Idiazabal risotto with puntalette pasta; the Basatxerri pork ribs with ras el hanout.
TipClosed Sundays. Cash and card both. Stand outside if the bar is full; food comes out fast.
Borda Berri on Fermin Calbeton in San Sebastian cooks hot made-to-order pintxos off a tight blackboard menu, no counter display, the Idiazabal-cheese risotto.
OrderThe risotto de Idiazabal con puntalette; the carrillera al vino tinto; the Basatxerri pork ribs.
TipWalk in only, closed Sundays. Stand outside if the bar is full; orders come out fast.
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.
OrderEspinacas con garbanzos, the city's canonical tapa, then pavias de bacalao with a glass of fino.
TipOpen daily 13:00-01:30. Squeeze into the standing bar in the front; the dining room behind is a reservation room with full plates.
Bar Casa Ruperto on Avenida Santa Cecilia in Seville's Triana is the city's canonical fried-quail counter since 1970, with marinated codornices fried.
OrderTwo pairs of codorniz frita and a half-racion of espinacas con garbanzos.
TipOpen Tue-Sun 11:30-16:00 and 19:30-24:00, closed Monday. The standing bar is the local way.
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.
OrderThe full Asian tasting menu; sit at the counter to watch.
TipClosed 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.
OrderWhichever tasting menu they call; the wine pairing is the move.
TipCounter seats book 4 weeks ahead. Tue-Sat dinner only. Closed Sun-Mon.
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.
OrderThe pincho de tortilla de patatas (2 euros) and the menu del dia (13 euros weekdays).
TipWalk-in only; arrive before 13:30 or expect a queue. Cash preferred at the bar; card accepted in the dining room.
El Camino is a marble counter on Carrer de Can Brondo in Palma, a wine bar in the Barcelona tapas mould pouring Mallorcan bottles with plates to order.
OrderIberian ham and manchego from the counter, with a glass of Mallorcan Callet red.
TipCounter stools only, and it books out most nights. Come at 13:00 or accept a wait.
Antonio Bar on Bergara in San Sebastian's Centro is the locals' tortilla room, with a 28-egg, deep-caramelised tortilla and a gilda built on two anchovies.
OrderA wedge of the tortilla, the double-anchovy gilda; espresso at the counter to finish.
TipTortilla is finished by 14:30 most days; arrive before then. Cash-friendly; the counter is small and stand-only.
Antonio Bar on Bergara in San Sebastian's Centro is the locals' tortilla room, with a deep-caramelised 28-egg tortilla and the canonical double-anchovy.
OrderA wedge of the tortilla; the double-anchovy gilda; espresso to finish.
TipTortilla finishes by 14:30 most days. Counter is small and stand-only.
Espacio Eslava on Calle Eslava in Seville's San Lorenzo is the modern-tapas room since 1988, with the egg-on-mushroom-cake and the honey-glazed costilla.
OrderThe huevo sobre bizcocho de boletus and the slow-cooked costilla con miel de cana sirope.
TipWalk-in only; queue at 12:30 for lunch or 20:00 for dinner, closed Sunday evening and Monday. Tables come up at the back; bar plates come faster.
Bar Sal Gorda on Calle Alcaiceria de la Loza in Seville is the Cabrera Fernandez brothers' creative-tapas counter, with anemone cones and ox-tail donuts.
OrderThe anemone and plankton cone, then the slow-cooked ox-tail donut on the daily blackboard.
TipOpen Mon-Sat from 12:30; closed Sunday. Walk-in only; tables for two come up fastest at the bar after 14:30.
Casa Cuesta on Calle Castilla in Seville's Triana has cooked menudo (offal stew) since 1880, a tile-and-bullfighting-poster taberna at the foot of the Triana.
OrderThe menudo (the city's canonical tripe-and-chickpea stew) and pavias de bacalao with manzanilla.
TipOpen daily 12:00-16:30 and 19:30-24:00. Lunch on Sunday from 14:00 is the local main event; book the back room a week ahead.
Casa Morales on Calle Garcia de Vinuesa in Seville's El Arenal is the bodega since 1850 with vermut pulled from giant wood casks and a cured-meat counter.
OrderSolomillo al whisky and the carrillada en salsa with a copa of vermut from the cask.
TipOpen Mon-Sat 12:00-16:00 and 20:00-24:00, closed Sunday Walk-ins usually OK.
La Cava Aragonesa has run a long tapas bar on Plaza de la Constitución in Benidorm's old town since 1980, known for yescas, pintxos and more than 700 wines.
OrderA tabla of four yescas, toasted bread rubbed with tomato and topped with cured meats or cheese.
TipStand at the bar to choose from the counter; the dining room takes bookings and serves a daily set menu.
La Cava Aragonesa has run a long tapas bar on Plaza de la Constitución in Benidorm's old town since 1980, known for yescas, pintxos and more than 700 wines.
OrderA tabla of four yescas, toasted bread rubbed with tomato and topped with cured meats or cheese.
TipStand at the bar to choose from the counter; the dining room takes bookings and serves a daily set menu.
Bar El Globo on Calle Diputacion in Bilbao since 1997 anchors the Indautxu pintxo crawl with the canonical txangurro (spider crab) gratin counter.
OrderThe txangurro gratin; the gilda alongside.
TipThe newer Plaza Nueva location keeps later hours; the original Diputacion bar is the bigger room.
Bodegas Castaneda in Granada is the 1927 Calle Almireceros tavern that defines free-tapa culture, with house vermut and Alpujarran cured meats.
OrderFree tapa of jamon Trevelez with a cana, then a glass of house vermut.
TipStand at the bar for the free tapas; if you sit at a table you order a la carte and the free system stops.
Taberna La Tana in the Realejo of Granada has been the citys serious natural-wine bar since 1993, with 400-plus references and pairing tapas.
OrderGlass of Andalusian VORS sherry with a queso curado tapa.
TipClosed Sundays; ask Jesus or Luisa for an Andalusian natural-wine flight if you want the deep cellar.
Casa Labra near Puerta del Sol in Madrid has fried the bacalao rebozado in iron pans since 1860; the PSOE was founded upstairs in 1879. Located in Centro.
OrderA pincho of bacalao rebozado (1.30 euros) and a tajada de bacalao (boiled and seasoned salt cod) with a cana.
TipWalk-in only at the bar; the inside dining room takes reservations for lunch. Cash strongly preferred.
Juana La Loca on Plaza Puerta de Moros in Madrid's La Latina serves the city's most-talked-about tortilla de patata with caramelized onion, plus modern tapas.
OrderThe tortilla de patata caramelizada (pincho 4 euros, racion 14).
TipWalk-in for the bar; the dining room books three days ahead. The tortilla is sliced at the counter for the bar crowd.
Gandarias on Calle 31 de Agosto in San Sebastian's Old Town runs one of the longest pintxo display counters in the quarter, with a back dining room.
OrderThe solomillo a la plancha on bread with sea salt and a fried Padron; the jamon iberico from the counter.
TipOpen continuously through siesta, the rare Old Town room that does not shut at 16:00. The counter is busy; the back room takes reservations.
Goiz Argi on Fermin Calbeton in San Sebastian cooks one perfect prawn brochette to order, griddled with red pepper sauce on a slice of bread.
OrderThe brocheta de gambas (prawn skewer) cooked to order; a glass of Txakoli to pair.
TipStand-only at the counter; brochette is fired fresh, expect a 4-minute wait. Open 10:00-16:00 and 18:30-23:30.
Bar Bergara on General Artetxe in San Sebastian's Gros, since 1950, is the award-winning miniature-cuisine counter where Juan Mari Arzak is a regular.
OrderThe Txalupa with prawn-mushroom gratin; the Itxaso monkfish with seafood cream.
TipWalk in only at the counter; small street terrace. The kitchen rotates new pintxos through the year while keeping the prize-winners on the daily list.
Goiz Argi on Fermin Calbeton in San Sebastian cooks a single perfect prawn brochette to order, griddled with a sweet red pepper sauce on bread.
OrderThe brocheta de gambas, cooked to order; chipiron a la plancha; a glass of Txakoli.
TipStand only; brochette is fired fresh. Open 10:00-16:00 and 18:30-23:30.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Visit the best pintxos and wine bars in San Sebastian on an exclusive tour. Discover some of the best local, family-run eateries and hidden gems.
Guided tour · 2.5 hours
Escape the crowds and dive into the authentic flavors of San Sebastian as you taste lesser-known favorites and iconic bites in the Centro neighborhood.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Spend an evening exploring five San Sebastián bars with a Michelin-trained chef. Enjoy 7 to 12 pintxos, txakoli and local drinks, plus dessert, a full dinner with stor...
