30 spanish tapas rooms worth the trip across Spain, editor-ranked. All cuisines in Spain.
La Cuchara de San Telmo ★ 4.8 · San Sebastián
parte-vieja · Calle 31 de Agosto 28, 20003 Donostia-San Sebastian
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.
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 ★ 4.8 · San Sebastián
parte-vieja · Calle 31 de Agosto 28, 20003 Donostia-San Sebastian
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.
Tip: Queue before 13:00 or after 21:00; the bar is four-deep at peak. No reservations.
El Rinconcillo ★ 4.8 · Seville
centro · Calle Gerona 40, 41003 Sevilla
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.
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 ★ 4.8 · Seville
el-arenal · 5 Calle Galera, El Arenal, 41001 Sevilla
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.
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.
La Falda de Chamberi ★ 4.7 · Madrid
chamberi · Calle de Espronceda 17, 28003 Madrid
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.
Tip: Reservations are wise after the 2025 championship win; lunch service from 13:30 is calmer than the dinner sitting.
Borda Berri ★ 4.7 · San Sebastián
parte-vieja · Fermin Calbeton Kalea 12, 20003 Donostia-San Sebastian
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.
Tip: Closed Sundays. Cash and card both. Stand outside if the bar is full; food comes out fast.
Borda Berri ★ 4.7 · San Sebastián
parte-vieja · Fermin Calbeton Kalea 12, 20003 Donostia-San Sebastian
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.
Tip: Walk in only, closed Sundays. Stand outside if the bar is full; orders come out fast.
El Rinconcillo ★ 4.7 · Seville
centro · Calle Gerona 40, 41003 Sevilla
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.
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.
Bar Casa Ruperto ★ 4.7 · Seville
triana · Avenida Santa Cecilia 2, 41010 Sevilla
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.
Tip: Open Tue-Sun 11:30-16:00 and 19:30-24:00, closed Monday. The standing bar is the local way.
Dos Palillos ★ 4.6 · Barcelona
raval · Carrer d'Elisabets 9, 08001 Barcelona
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.
Tip: Closed Sun-Tue. Counter seats book up two weeks ahead; the back dining room is easier.
Mont Bar ★ 4.6 · Barcelona
eixample · Carrer de la Diputació 220, 08011 Barcelona
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.
Tip: Counter seats book 4 weeks ahead. Tue-Sat dinner only. Closed Sun-Mon.
Casa Dani ★ 4.6 · Madrid
salamanca · Calle Ayala 28, 28001 Madrid
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.
Tip: Walk-in only; arrive before 13:30 or expect a queue. Cash preferred at the bar; card accepted in the dining room.
Antonio Bar ★ 4.6 · San Sebastián
centro · Bergara Kalea 3, 20005 Donostia-San Sebastian
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.
Tip: Tortilla is finished by 14:30 most days; arrive before then. Cash-friendly; the counter is small and stand-only.
Antonio Bar ★ 4.6 · San Sebastián
centro · Bergara Kalea 3, 20005 Donostia-San Sebastian
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.
Tip: Tortilla finishes by 14:30 most days. Counter is small and stand-only.
Espacio Eslava ★ 4.6 · Seville
alameda · Calle Eslava 3, 41002 Sevilla
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.
Tip: Walk-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 ★ 4.6 · Seville
centro · Calle Alcaiceria de la Loza 23, 41004 Sevilla
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.
Tip: Open Mon-Sat from 12:30; closed Sunday. Walk-in only; tables for two come up fastest at the bar after 14:30.
Casa Cuesta ★ 4.6 · Seville
triana · Calle Castilla 1, 41010 Sevilla
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.
Tip: Open 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 ★ 4.6 · Seville
el-arenal · Calle Garcia de Vinuesa 11, 41001 Sevilla
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.
Tip: Open Mon-Sat 12:00-16:00 and 20:00-24:00, closed Sunday Walk-ins usually OK.
Bar El Globo ★ 4.5 · Bilbao
abando · Calle Diputacion 8, 48008 Bilbao
Bar El Globo on Calle Diputacion in Bilbao since 1997 anchors the Indautxu pintxo crawl with the canonical txangurro (spider crab) gratin counter.
Tip: The newer Plaza Nueva location keeps later hours; the original Diputacion bar is the bigger room.
Bodegas Castaneda ★ 4.5 · Granada
centro-sagrario · Calle Almireceros 1, 18010 Granada
Bodegas Castaneda in Granada is the 1927 Calle Almireceros tavern that defines free-tapa culture, with house vermut and Alpujarran cured meats.
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.
Taberna La Tana ★ 4.5 · Granada
realejo · Calle Virgen del Rosario 11, 18009 Granada
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.
Tip: Closed Sundays; ask Jesus or Luisa for an Andalusian natural-wine flight if you want the deep cellar.
Casa Labra ★ 4.5 · Madrid
centro · Calle de Tetuan 12, 28013 Madrid
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.
Tip: Walk-in only at the bar; the inside dining room takes reservations for lunch. Cash strongly preferred.
Juana La Loca ★ 4.5 · Madrid
la-latina · Plaza Puerta de Moros 4, 28005 Madrid
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.
Tip: Walk-in for the bar; the dining room books three days ahead. The tortilla is sliced at the counter for the bar crowd.
Gandarias ★ 4.5 · San Sebastián
parte-vieja · Calle 31 de Agosto 23, 20003 Donostia-San Sebastian
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.
Tip: Open 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 ★ 4.5 · San Sebastián
parte-vieja · Fermin Calbeton Kalea 4, 20003 Donostia-San Sebastian
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.
Tip: Stand-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 ★ 4.5 · San Sebastián
gros · General Artetxe Kalea 8, 20002 Donostia-San Sebastian
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.
Tip: Walk 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 ★ 4.5 · San Sebastián
parte-vieja · Fermin Calbeton Kalea 4, 20003 Donostia-San Sebastian
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.
Tip: Stand only; brochette is fired fresh. Open 10:00-16:00 and 18:30-23:30.
Bar Bergara ★ 4.5 · San Sebastián
gros · General Artetxe Kalea 8, 20002 Donostia-San Sebastian
Bar Bergara on General Artetxe in San Sebastian's Gros, since 1950, sets out one of the most decorated miniature-cuisine pintxo counters in the city.
Tip: Walk in at the counter; small street terrace fills first. Closed Wednesdays.
La Brunilda ★ 4.5 · Seville
el-arenal · 5 Calle Galera, El Arenal, 41001 Sevilla
La Brunilda on Calle Galera in Seville's El Arenal quarter is the modern-tapas room that runs a quietly inventive menu of risottos, rices and small plates.
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 if you arrive without booking.
Vineria San Telmo ★ 4.5 · Seville
santa-cruz · Paseo de Catalina de Ribera 4, 41004 Sevilla
Vineria San Telmo on Paseo de Catalina de Ribera in Seville is the Argentine-owned tapas room beside the Alcazar gardens, the pioneer of the modern-tapas.
Tip: Open daily 13:00-16:30 and 20:00-24:00. Book the back garden room a week ahead in spring; bar plates run faster on weeknights.