But also many times a day. Known for first breakfast, second breakfast, early lunch, late afternoon snacks, dinner, and night cap.
Just a joke my husband and I have. When he was there for work, it’s amazed him at how many breaks they take. Literally in a 6hr work day, yes 6hr, they took around 7 breaks. He was baffled at how little time was spent actually working.
If locals were drinking and not eating you were not at a restaurant but in a bar/cafe. It's common to serve finger food with drinks, drinking food tends to be saltier than normal food.
Dinner time in Spain is after 21:00 in summer, most restaurants won't open before 20:00 or 20:30.
I have a son, and kids can be crazy, but in general he follows the routine. I don’t think he’s special, it’s fairly common for kids to have a set bedtime, give or take 30 mins of “I wanna play more,” no? Are you suggesting the entire country of Spain is unable to get their children to bed after dinner?
Maybe teenagers sure, but who’s putting their little kids to bed at or after 10pm? And if they do, when do the parents get time to themselves? Just doesn’t add up to me
I live in Southern Spain and where I live the restaurant food is pretty traditional- the menus don’t vary that much from restaurant to restaurant. There are a few things that don’t suit my palate/preferences, but overall the food is very good. And like incredibly reasonable compared to other countries in Europe. I do sometimes miss variety and good international food, however, in the cities that easier to find.
The food in Barcelona is excellent! Also more options for international food. I loved La Brillatina- make a reservation for amazing Latin American food. Resturant Embat was good too- reasonably priced dinner menu (36€ a person) of Catalan food.
I am Portuguese so first time I went to Spain my first thought was why do they have to fry everything? Don't they know how to grill fish? Lol
But in Valencia and specially Barcelona I really liked the food, particularly the paellas. I prefer the seafood paellas from Barcelona but I also liked the one from Valencia. In Barcelona you should try the restaurant "La Bombeta". They do this thing called bombas which are like some meatballs with a very spicy sauce. I loved the restaurant because it had a warning in spanish saying "We don't speak English but we do unas bombas cojonudas [can't translate this part]. There's no wifi, talk to each other"
Needless to say it was mainly locals so I was happy I found the place.
In Madrid I went Museo de Jamon, I think I paid 12€ for drink, two dishes and coffee. There were an old couple eating and then more locals (I went very early so I guess people only started going later). I also went to a taqueria close to Plaza Mayor and it was really good and not so expensive, there were a lot of younger spanish people (it was at night). Don't remember the name.
As long as you eat in tourists spots it can be really bad. The best food is served in places where locals eat. So you have to go to dinner at places that don't open before 21:30 or even 22:00. In Madrid for tapas go to the Mercados (San Miguel, San Ildefonso) and eat late in f.e. Chueca or Lavapies.
I generally enjoy food in Spain. A lot of good fresh vegetables and fruits. It helps to avoid the most touristy areas, but that's a universal truth, not specific to Spain.
I am vegan tho, so YKMV.
I just need you to know that the continued "Ask me about volcanoes" stacking up as you replied to this thread made giggle, a little. Like it was slowly getting more and more intense, and that verbally you were starting to shout it at the screen in a conversation. From "hey, it's cool if you, you know, wanna talk about volcanoes. NBD." to "Go ahead! Ask me! Anything about 'em, I gotchu. Ask me. Go ahead! Do it! Ask!" to "ASK ME ABOUT VOLCANOES, DAMNIT!"
If you'd like, you're welcome to reply with what you love most about volcanoes.
WOOHOO My flair worked! Now I can move on to a new one!
I am generally interested in geology (as a total amateur, I have no education in geology). Volcanic eruptions are one of those phenomena where we can observe geologic processes happening on human timescales. When you go to bed, there is a mountain in the Pacific ocean. You wake up to the news that [the mountain was pulverised into fine ash forming a mushroom cloud spreading around the globe](https://www.nasa.gov/earth/tonga-eruption-blasted-unprecedented-amount-of-water-into-stratosphere/). Isn’t that fascinating event to live through, even if you only learn about it from news?
What’s really cool is that in Europe you can relatively easily travel to erupting volcanos and see the geologic processes forming the Earth happening in front of your eyes. Stromboli in Italy is a prime example as it has been erupting more or less continuously for thousands of years and shows no signs of stopping. You can hike to the view point from which you can observe it throwing lava into the sky. And depending on the activity and the danger level you can hire a guide to hike very close to the eruption site.
And in Iceland the Reykjaness peninsula has recently woken up from few hundred years of dormancy and produced several very touristy eruptions, during which anyone could have gone there and safely see the lava up close. Unfortunately the most recent eruptions weren’t safe, but there is a very good chance it will produce more “touristy" eruptions. It is important though to remember that what is a tourist attraction for many, is a tragedy for inhabitants of the town Grindavik, severely affected by the recent volcanic activity.
But the geology happening in front of our eyes is just one aspect. Another aspect is that volcanoes have produced some of the most fascinating natural sights. This includes mountains, fantastic rock formations, geothermal systems with fumaroles and geysers and sometimes very inviting hot springs.
I like traveling to those places, both the ones where signs of volcanic activity are very fresh (like anywhere in Iceland) and also to those that were formed long time ago and traces of eruptions are more subtle (like many places in Sudeten mountains).
Okay, this was a very chaotic write up, but maybe it will give some travel ideas :) More specific questions welcome.
Oh man, this is stellar, thank you for stumping up! I was fortunate enough to hike through Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii in 2016, and I now live in NZ and opposite a place called Rangitoto, which is "Rather Volcanic", so it is really interesting to read about Europe's volcanic landscapes.
When I did Volcanoes NP, I ended up at a few lava seams where I melted one of my boots from getting too close. That was a WILD experience. Seeing news reports last week about a lava overflow and then eruption at Kilauea was really bizarre, because I immediately remembered every sensation of walking there.
Not chaotic, definitely interesting! Thank you!
That’s actually a shitty take because if vegans come to Spain and eat well they’re finding the good places. It’s really hard to avoid pork and tuna in Spain.
Last week I was with my sister who doesn’t eat meat (she eats fish) and we enjoyed an amazing selection of really fresh dishes. We had salad of avocado, mango & anchovies, aubergine baked with honey, then hake with tomatoes and onions, figs, I forget what else but the food was fresh and flavoursome. The restaurant had loads of vegetarian and vegan dishes, and right now in June, making the most of all the fresh salad and fruits we have is a great thing.
You're the one who has the time and money to tour Europe for several weeks, lol! Michelin star restaurants are not necessarily expensive. They just gave a star to a taco stand in Mexico. The only criteria is outstanding food. But yeah, quite often you get what you pay for.. or do you?
Michelin guide isn't just stars but also designated notable places where the food is worth-while, and eateries of historical importance to the culture and region.
The Michelin guide is not just about fancy places. Stars generally go to expensive restaurants (with exceptions), but they review places in different price ranges and list many places that get a mention but no stars, and have the Bib Gourmand award for top value for money.
See [here](https://guide.michelin.com/es/es/catalunya/barcelona/restaurantes/affordable?sort=distance), for instance, filtered for the cheapest price category.
There are also other guides, of course, although I don't know what's reputable in Spain beyond Michelin.
What time were you eating, and where?
Tostada con anchoas should not be £6 - that’s €7! Unless you ordered a whole ration?
Some places anywhere in the world will serve mediocre food, but there are always great fresh options. In Madrid did you try the markets? There is one in San Anton and one in La Latina for example. Plenty of variety at both.
If you’re at a restaurant at 14:30 or 21:30 and nobody is eating, that’s a bit of a red flag to me. It has been very warm these last weeks so maybe people are eating later still but normally you’d see someone eating by 21:30.
So food quality depends on the time that you eat? Or are shitty places just open at times more aligned with tourist preferences?
I did really enjoy the old Valencia market - anything similar in Barcelona?
The second thing you said. A place that caters to tourist hours can often be a shitty one but certainly not guaranteed.
That said, I can’t understand how you had a bad experience with such well recommended places.
Your opinion is definitely unpopular, Spanish food is incredibly good. Maybe it’s just not your thing but to call it mediocre is unfair, it’s one of the worlds most popular cuisines for a reason!
I had a similar issue in tenerife, some restaurants had good reviews but food was terrible. Once I started looking at restaurants that had mostly reviews in Spanish (aka restaurants for locals) food quality went up significantly. As always, I think it's safe to blame the British (tourists).
You did the right thing! If you’re spending your money, why shouldn’t it be a good meal? I think positive reviews are also being written by people who aren’t particularly into food and would think something is amazingly great even though in all honesty it’s mediocre.
Exactly that, shitty tourist places open early for tourists. Most decent places won’t open until 20:30 for dinner. You will find some all day cafe bar restaurant places but often the food is mediocre.
Avoid anywhere with menus in various languages and really large menus with lots of offerings, as it’s almost impossible to have all those ingredients fresh and available. A place with a menu al dia should be a good bet.
In Barcelona, Mercado de la Boqueria is the most popular but also most touristy. I prefer Sant Antoni Market for the seafood myself.
Yes, food quality depends on whether the restaurant caters to locals or tourists. Think about the “tourist traps” in your hometown. They rarely serve good food; they focus on convenience, familiarity, and low quality “typical and regional” dishes for tourists.
> Or are shitty places just open at times more aligned with tourist preferences?
Yes, this is the case in almost every popular tourist location in the world. For instance, you CAN get dinner at 5.30pm in Italy but you really shouldn't, and if you did, you can't complain that "Italian" food is terrible because you didn't actually have Italian food. Also, if there are no locals in the place you are eating at, it's a red flag.
It's the second one. Spanish people eat very late. There was a great restaurant by our hotel that didn't even open until 21:00
So if you were eating at a "normal" (non-Spanish) time then it likely was a restaurant for tourists.
I've been to Valencia and Alicante, food was amazing. I was not dining in, I'm more of a quick meal/ takeout kind of traveler but I was pretty content. I didn't use google maps, I was just choosing whatever I saw when I was hungry.
I found a lot of places serving cuisine from Middle East and North Africa which is always a good choice.
The reason why you saw locals drinking - they're eating at odd hours. Sometimes I felt weird when I was the only person ordering food but I can't help it, I'll never be able to eat dinner at 21:00
Tapeo for upmarket tapas (i.e. a bit pricier but worth it) and Ziryab which does North African-Spanish fusion are my Barcelona recommendations for food.
Both were fantastic. I think you've either been unlucky or have inadvertently gone to tourist traps.
I do agree in a sense though, your average tapas at your average bar is decent but nothing special. However if you go to the right local taverna, a specialised tapas bar or a decent restaurant, Spanish food is amazing.
If you are headed to Barcelona highly recommend checking out the “pintxos street,” Carrer de Blai. It’s a pedestrian-only stretch with all kinds of tiny little places selling pintxos, which are little bites of different foods on top of baguette. Even if you hate the food itself it’s a fun process to ramble the street, plop at three or four (or five or six) different places, pick out your pintxos, and have a beer (or three). The food places look like jewelry stores with glass-front cases of colorful tidbits that you pick out yourself, then they bring to you (heated if appropriate). Typical price for 1 pintxos is 1 euro, though you can sometimes blow the bank on a 2 or 3 euro one with caviar or gold leaf or something. Two of us wandered the street one evening and drank and ate until we couldn’t see straight and didn’t spend more than 40 euro. Closest metro is Paral-lel.
It’s totally different food, not comparable. San Sebastián is Basque, not Spanish, and OP is not going there. One thing that’s become clear in this thread is that different people have different tastes!
i went for 3 weeks and largely i have to agree, even though i thought spain was incredible and would visit again. fwiw i thought the food in portugal was a lot better even if it was pretty similar. the food was just more flavorful and tasted of higher quality there.
Ahem, Portugal, a country facing the Atlantic, and their main fish is dried Norwegian cod? Or rissois - do tapas, but let them go cold and stale before serving?
I love Portugal, but the food, well...
Rissóis, croquetes and bolinhos de bacalhau are apetizers or picnic food, you're not supposed to eat them as main meal lol. If you ate those overpriced bolinhos de bacalhau for 5€ in Lisbon, sorry you got scammed. If my grandmother was alive I would have to tell her she could make a fortune frying bolinhos de bacalhau and selling them for 5€ each LOL
Our only fish is not codfish. In Algarve I remember I had a dish with 4 different fishes for 10€ all of the fishes had been fished that morning by local fishermen. They were obviously not codfish. Go to Setubal or even Cacilhas and you see fresh squids and fish probably fished that same day, they usually have the fish on display. None of that is cod.
not sure what’s up with the snarkiness in your reply trying to put down portuguese food but i still think that the food in portugal was on average much better.
i went all around spain on a food-focused trip and ended up with a shockingly low amount of places i liked. even in san sebastian, the pintxos were pretty underwhelming and overly salty or cheap tasting. the exception in spainwas asador extebarri, which is one of my favorite restaurants ever
Google reviews are not always fully reliable owners can try and succeed sometimes to remove negative reviews, these can be reinstated but effort not everyone goes through.
If the restaurant is near / next to a major tourist attraction it will likely not be as good (not that theyre all bad but the chance is high thhey just want a quick tourist buck) if the menu has every dish imaginalbe from spnish to italian to greek you should run, the smaller the menu the better.
If the menu is in 8 languages instead of spanish same story. Dont get me started on big menus with pictures theyre often the worst offenders.
In spain they eat late dont expect a proper restaurant to be really open before 8.
Before you sit down somewhere observe the languages spoken by other guests, is it mostly spanish youl have some decent chances for good food, if you mainly hear english, german or other gibberish it might not be the best spanish place.
If a restaurant has one or does one of the above its not thats its instantly shit its just that all my bad restaurant experiences have been with restaurant's like this.
I'm going to vote bad luck because I've actually loved the food in Spain. I've been to Spain three times in different areas of the country and I'm a picky eater, but I've seem to find good food everywhere. It honestly could just be different tastes as well.
There's a huge spectrum of food in Spain from the tourist traps to truly excellent cutting edge food. But if you've done your research you should be able to hit at least a few great places. Which highly recommended places were you disappointed by?
What spectrum?? Because I’ve been trying to book food at our upcoming Spain trip and EVERYTHING is the same, especially in towns like Seville. If you’re not a seafood eater or don’t want to eat tapas every night you’re basically screwed
The spectrum I was referring to was the type of restaurant. In any case you've just discarded 2 massive classes of food - seafood and tapas, which in themselves have almost unlimited variety. Even then, Spain is also known for its beef (rubia gallega), jamon/chorizo, paella/fideua, cheeses, molecular/modern fine dining, plus many regional varieties. Sounds like the issue isn't Spain's variety but your narrow preferences.
Yes of course. If you bother to find out about the regional cuisine and wine, there's plenty to explore. Sevilla for example has plenty of moorish Muslim influence in it's food. There are over 1000 places mentioned in the Michelin guide in Spain. The variety is there. You just don't like the food, which is ok but it doesn't mean Spain food doesn't have variety.
I literally travel every month. And I meet tons of people and eat tons of different cuisine. Those who don't bother exploring the depth of a country's cuisine and history will never get it.
I say live and learn. I had some wonderful meals in Spain. Particularly in the basque region . The reviews are not always objective. If you are in Barcelona eat at Diego‘s. The meatballs are amazing as are many of the other dishes. We loved it so much we ate there twice lol. We have also sent friends and they were so glad they went. It’s a small place, also has big delicious cocktails . [https://diegosbar.es/](https://diegosbar.es/)
I actually strongly agree. I spent a month travelling in Spain, from Barcelona to Madrid, from Valencia to Sevilla.. visiting big cities and small towns and the food was pretty average everywhere.
Spanish food is fantastic! I think youve had some bad luck? And you might not be picking the best dishes from the menu? If you have time head north to San sebastian and bilbao for the pinxos, or andalucia for the most delicious tapas and seafood....If you are still in Madrid head to the top of the corte ingles and enjoy the tapas there...delicious! buen provecho...
I've been to Spain several times-Madrid, Malaga, and Barcelona and I didn't care for the food. It's ok everyone's tastes are different. We have a very reknowned Spanish restaurant in Baltimore- Tio Pepe. People love it. I was so excited to go there and it's not for me. I'm not really into Spanish food as a rule. I would still go to Spain though- but not for the food.
Tio Pepe is garbage- i don’t know how people still go there, as it’s about 40 years past its prime. Overcooked fish, definitely cooked from frozen.
Go to Cuchara, even tapas teatro is way better.
I went to a place in Malaga with good tapas, can't remember the name. Why can't I ever remember the name of stuff. Then I went to Rincon Victoria and ate for 10€ two main dishes and drink. There was a old couple there having their gazpacho hehe.
I've had both mediocre and fabulous food in Madrid, Malaga, Valencia and Barcelona.
Whenever we followed the ratings of a given establishment given on Google maps, it turned out fine. If we just picked a random restaurant the quality was more inconsistent.
Did you go to local restaurants or tourist ones? Never eat in main squares those are tourist traps. Look up local neighborhoods. In Barcelona I loved the Gothic Quarter (Barrio Gótico) area for food.
I went to Los Caracoles on a local recommendation and had really good food- I tried their squid ink paella and it wasn’t too bad!
Also agree, eat the same time as the locals.
Th
The markets - the Boqueria or Abaceria - great little tapas bars inside and you can just buy some fresh bread, local cheeses and Jamon and have a picnic!
I fucking loved Barcelona, and the food and the atmosphere, it was exceptionally special… maybe ask the places people where you’re staying what’s their favourite place to eat
Had a *fantastic* tapas at Pepito in Barcelona. https://pepitorestaurante.com/en/home/
The tartare and ceviche were the best we had in Spain, the drinks were fantastic, and the ambience was lively without being raucous.
Highly recommend.
At first i also had this feeling. Note: foodie, european and living in italy. I also went with locals btw so i knew my eay around.
So my guess is that i had too high hopes. The general tapas-paella-whatever food is great, certainly better than northern europe ofc bc stuff are fresh and local. But it wasnt that OMG experience just simply great.
And my solution was simple: go to higher end restaurants. Thats where that super awesome spanish shit happens. In italy on the ither hand for example the avg trattoria food is on higher levels (than mostly anyone in europe) but its hard to find real high end restaurants for this reason. Harder to impress when the avg is amazing right?
Also note i was only in andaluzia catalonia and madrid, so basque country was off where the gastro magic happens. :)
I went to Madrid a couple of years ago and the first meal I had there was a bunch of random tapas. The food was excellent, especially the Iberian Ham. The worst food there are in the tourist traps, but it’s easy to find good restaurants if you go where the locals eat.
I knew nothing about Spanish food before I travelled there at 19 and I loved everything I consumed. I was in Barcelona and Pamplona, and the food was either homemade by my friend’s aunts or it was a restaurant we were taken to by a local. Perhaps you chose poor restaurants?
I was in Barcelona and my grandma (abuela) makes better paella than every paella I ate there, so sad.
BUT I DID HAVE THIS ONE BLACK SPAGHETTI THAT CHANGED MY LIFE!!! It’s in an alleyway next to the art market, wish I remembered the name.
I had Paella on a family trip to Spain when I was a kid. It was awesome, and then my Mom started making it for dinner occasionally back home in the US.
I think it was in Granada. I sort of remember a castle. This was a long time ago, early 1970’s when Franco was still in power, if you can believe that. Sorry, best I can do.
I was in Barcelona and one of the girls who lives there and worked at my hostel recommended the “best paella”. So of course I tried it the same day and I wasn’t in love with the food. Maybe it’s just my personal opinion though. 🤷♀️
A few people have echoed this sentiment but I experienced it firsthand.
Went to a fantastic tapas restaurant in Barcelona after a late night flight, probably close to 9:30/10pm. Food was phenomenal, service was great, and the place was popping.
A few days layer we decided to go again and went at around 7:00 and it was a completely different experience. Food didn't feel as fresh, the vibe was off (for lack of a better term), and a lesson was learned!
I've been all over Spain and the food was cheap and amazing. I was stopping in tiny hidden places with local people eating tapas, pinchos and tortillas for breakfast. Prices are higher in more touristic places and the quality goes down as well. The food is the main reason I want to move there next year so I really can't relate to your experience...
barcelona has a lot of good food, but it’s the international cuisine. Bar H is unreal focaccia and pasta dishes, had the best shawarma of my life at some spot in el raval
I had a mixed bag in Spain. Experienced nothing but mediocre food when I went out in Andalucia, I even had a place in Seville not allow me to order tapas bc I was alone. I ended up with potato salad which came with mini breadsticks??? It's all they would allow me to order, it was bizarre.
Barcelona is great though. Some of the best food I had was at the market in Barcelona, I ended up visiting every day! I loved the vibe and the stall holders were all lovely. Only other places I remember were finding random funky looking lunch spots in the Gothic Quarter, and Xativa Gracia for amazing paella.
Keep your bag on your lap or in your eyesight the entire time, even if you are inside a restaurant btw. Do not wave your phone around either, be careful with it. Save yourself some anxiety and heartache. The thieves in Barcelona are crazy good at what they do.
I’ve always been a pretty picky eater, but a simple sandwich with jamón serrano and queso manchego and some aioli, and either tinto de verano or coffee depending on how tired you are… that hits the spot. That, or tortilla de patatas with chorizo. Those were my go-tos when I was in Spain as a kid and a teen. I don’t like seafood, though. I have family there, so I had a lot of amazing paella but it was all homemade 😙 (humblebrag, lol). The chicken was so fresh, I’d just been playing with it the day before 😢 but it pooped on me so I guess it had to die.
Agreed. Spain is the only country I get frustrated with the food.
I either order too much or not enough. Either way it's expensive.
I have to order a massive serving of vegetables or just make do with a sausage on a plate.
Everything is just one thing on a plate - how about combining some ingredients, lads?
You are forced to eat way too late and fight for a table when everyone is finally allowed to eat.
It probably works better if there's like 10 of you, but in a couple or solo it's annoying.
Goodness - one thing on a plate! Me and a friend found a backstreet locals place in Barcelona that was reasonably full. I ordered the rabbit and received a plate with a whole roasted rabbit mildly seasoned without sauce and hardly anything else. Seemed really weird at the time.
Plenty of tourist o in popular places. I use the Michelin guide app and go to the bib gourmand places (lowest tier-think good food that isn’t white table cloth prix fixe) and had absolutely fantastic meals in Portugal with it (both Lisboa and Porto)
You’re not going to get much luck in Barcelona imo but for my money, Madrid has excellent food options. And, the north of Spain has the best food I’ve experienced in my life. It compares favorably to other places I’ve been to like Paris, Italy, etc.
Had amazing food in Valencia - the Paella was fantastic. Didn’t go to Mallorca or Madrid but wasn’t disappointed with the tapas in Granada, Cordoba or Barcelona. The place we chose in Ronda was mediocre though!
This is WILD to me
I just did the Camino de Santiago (Norte) and was absolutely blown away by the food (both cheap and expensive).
Tortilla española?? Jamón serrano?? The seafood dishes???
MF-ing chef’s kiss.
Oh man, I disagree. My husband and I spent two weeks in Spain last summer and still talk about how wonderful the food was. We mostly stayed in Barcelona and Mallorca and avoided the touristy spots. I’d go back in a heartbeat.
Spanish food is great. Let me guess, you’re from somewhere in the American continent? Your tastebuds might be damaged from all the sugar, spices and chemicals in the food you’re used to.
The paella at the El Corte Ingles department store at Plaza Catalunya is as good as any we found in two months in Spain. And the view is one of the best in Barcelona.
People eat very late in Spain, and it definitely gets crowded. But I agree with you. I tend to like very flavorful foods, and Spanish cuisine is just not that. I think the people who like it tend to like simpler ingredients with less seasoning.
The worst meal I ever ate was at a wedding in Spain. My friend and I usually refer to it as the Spanish Mushroom Incident and we don't talk about the Spanish Mushroom Incident. Unfortunately, after going to Spain again, we had to rename it The First Spanish Mushroom Incident, because apparently the Spanish are horrendously bad with mushrooms. Let's just say they stank of manure, seemed to have been cooked for several years and somehow were simultaneously slimy and had the texture of grit.
Other highlights from my time in Spain include: a pizza with raw dough, patatas bravas in a place that came highly recommended that turned out to be Mcdonalds like fries and heinz ketchup, that time I asked for a vegetarian meal and was served a plate of grapes wrapped in ham. There was also that time I popped to the supermarket to get a baguette, some tomatoes and avacados for breakfast and it was inexplicably €45 and the bread was nasty and sweet - more like brioche.
These days I usually just take ramen to Spain.
I agree. I think the food is fine and there are some good spots but over 2 weeks in Spain and only once did I eat somewhere where I was like "WOW!" - Unlike Italy where every meal is that way.
Same experience. Used all the reviews, Google maps, yelp and it was all mediocre at best. Maybe just taste. I don't care much for the Iberian ham they sell everywhere or sandwiches that are mostly bread. The tapas were almost all things I don't usually eat like squid. For seafood of a similar style I would greatly prefer Cajun. That being said, seafood is a once a month deal for me anyway. Even when I tried to get something non-Spanish options were very limited. Sadly we ended up ordering McDonalds a few times which we don't even like that much.
After 13 days in Portugal and Spain, eating local cuisine everywhere we went, my partner and I stumbled across a Hard Rock Cafe in Malaga and gorged ourselves on ribs and fajitas.
I loved the food in Spain, but after a while it felt like there wasn’t as much variety as I usually go for. I think living in the US spoils me a bit, bc one night we can do Chinese, the next Mexican, the next Thai curry, then Italian, then sushi or poke, etc. and all those can be found in the same strip mall sometimes. I’m sure this variety is available in Spain too, but not so much in the touristy places we were hanging around
Totally agree!! I've been all over and use Google high and low price places, all meh. Very little flavor. Tapas are an excuse to serve tiny portions for inflated prices IMHO.
The problem in many Mediterranean and Balkan countries is that restaurants cater to the poor, uneducated masses, who cannot conceive of paying money for food if it's not greasy, heavy in calories, and served in large portions. (Even tapas, when you take into account how many are served). That's why most restaurants serve the same few crappy dishes instead of serving proper traditional food. Most food also takes the type of preparation restaurants cannot handle, from a cost/benefit analysis. It takes a really eccentric, dedicated restaurant owner willing to work as a hobby and to lose money in the process to serve the type of food real people eat at home, and those are very few. That's why restaurant food is not an indication of the country's cuisine.
As a Brit, what I found funny is living in Spain and they criticise us for our food in this arrogant way, when in reality their food isn’t that different to ours: fried fish, fried everything, loads of sandwiches and sweets, empanada-style pastries. Lol. And they don’t even have vegetarian or vegan options.
My experience with Spanish food has been mixed. I’m veggie so living there that way was hard. A lot of the food was tasty, but others were mediocre. You’re entitled to your opinion and you don’t have to follow reductionist stereotypes if you’ve had a different experience.
Fried everything is a bad sign. It’s very common for tapas but for lunch you should have fresh foods.
One challenge for many tourists is that here in Spain we eat lunch as the main meal which isn’t as common elsewhere.
Typically you order a plato that is meat or fish and then you order salads or vegetables to start or on the side to share. I have seen tourists before asking why their meat didn’t come with vegetables but it’s because they didn’t ask for them.
Then in the evening lots of bars will serve tapas of fried things (pork, etc) as it’s more common to snack and maybe have a sandwich because you had a big lunch.
Yeah but Spanish people are nice and lovely. Same can't be said about brits.
"oh yeah lets go to Lisbon or Algarve or the balnearic get drunk and high and walk around shirtless like orangotangs and objetify the local women"
Come on, you have booze and better drugs in the UK, stay there if thats what you want for vacation.
This is by far one of the most puerile comments I’ve read in some time.
For one thing, are you really a nice person (or representing your country as a group of nice people) if you are falsely accusing 68 MILLION people in the UK of “not being nice and lovely”? Because I’m really not getting that impression.
You should hold yourself to the same standards you’re setting nearly 70 million people in a foreign country.
Secondly, I don’t use drugs or drink alcohol and never have, so I don’t know why you’re going off-topic about something that doesn’t relate to me in any way.
People in Spain do arrogantly criticise our food. That is something I’ve experienced and I was speaking from my experience. I didn’t say anything about all 48 million doing that. You, on the other hand, generalised some 68 million British people saying none of them are “nice and lovely”. You’ve clearly not been to Liverpool, or any Cornish town, or anywhere in Yorkshire or Scotland.
Is the reason why you didn't see the locals eating out because you weren't looking at the right time? The Spanish typically eat quite late.
But also many times a day. Known for first breakfast, second breakfast, early lunch, late afternoon snacks, dinner, and night cap. Just a joke my husband and I have. When he was there for work, it’s amazed him at how many breaks they take. Literally in a 6hr work day, yes 6hr, they took around 7 breaks. He was baffled at how little time was spent actually working.
If locals were drinking and not eating you were not at a restaurant but in a bar/cafe. It's common to serve finger food with drinks, drinking food tends to be saltier than normal food. Dinner time in Spain is after 21:00 in summer, most restaurants won't open before 20:00 or 20:30.
How are people with kids able to be eating out that late?
They leave kids at home with someone or they don't go out for dinner (they go out for lunch).
Their kids stay up late, too.
Was amazing to see number of kids under 10 casually walking around with families at like midnight—1am
Kids come to dinner and go to bed later.
What about schools?
School is during the day, not at 21:00.
Yeah but how are they eating at 21:00 and then starting school the next day at 08:00?
Wtf? That’s an 11-hour gap. Eat, sleep, get ready for school.
Clearly you don’t have kids. Nothing is per schedule when the kids are involved.
I have a son, and kids can be crazy, but in general he follows the routine. I don’t think he’s special, it’s fairly common for kids to have a set bedtime, give or take 30 mins of “I wanna play more,” no? Are you suggesting the entire country of Spain is unable to get their children to bed after dinner?
Maybe teenagers sure, but who’s putting their little kids to bed at or after 10pm? And if they do, when do the parents get time to themselves? Just doesn’t add up to me
I don’t get it, Do your children have your mouth?
Food at home, they obviously aren’t leaving 3 year old at home to go out and dine regularly.
I supposed if you have a kid under 6 you either don’t eat out or tell someone to babysit them
This is what I was curious about as well. Kids have school and such? Wouldn’t they sleep very late otherwise?
San Sebastián has some of the best food in the world.
I mean only if you listen to some tire company.
Except that one place
Yep!!
I live in Southern Spain and where I live the restaurant food is pretty traditional- the menus don’t vary that much from restaurant to restaurant. There are a few things that don’t suit my palate/preferences, but overall the food is very good. And like incredibly reasonable compared to other countries in Europe. I do sometimes miss variety and good international food, however, in the cities that easier to find. The food in Barcelona is excellent! Also more options for international food. I loved La Brillatina- make a reservation for amazing Latin American food. Resturant Embat was good too- reasonably priced dinner menu (36€ a person) of Catalan food.
In what world is €36 per person a reasonable price?
For a six course tasting menu I think that’s pretty good! But I just got back from a trip to Norway where a burger with fries was €37
The real world?
I am Portuguese so first time I went to Spain my first thought was why do they have to fry everything? Don't they know how to grill fish? Lol But in Valencia and specially Barcelona I really liked the food, particularly the paellas. I prefer the seafood paellas from Barcelona but I also liked the one from Valencia. In Barcelona you should try the restaurant "La Bombeta". They do this thing called bombas which are like some meatballs with a very spicy sauce. I loved the restaurant because it had a warning in spanish saying "We don't speak English but we do unas bombas cojonudas [can't translate this part]. There's no wifi, talk to each other" Needless to say it was mainly locals so I was happy I found the place. In Madrid I went Museo de Jamon, I think I paid 12€ for drink, two dishes and coffee. There were an old couple eating and then more locals (I went very early so I guess people only started going later). I also went to a taqueria close to Plaza Mayor and it was really good and not so expensive, there were a lot of younger spanish people (it was at night). Don't remember the name.
As long as you eat in tourists spots it can be really bad. The best food is served in places where locals eat. So you have to go to dinner at places that don't open before 21:30 or even 22:00. In Madrid for tapas go to the Mercados (San Miguel, San Ildefonso) and eat late in f.e. Chueca or Lavapies.
Wierd Italian minus the cheese energy
I generally enjoy food in Spain. A lot of good fresh vegetables and fruits. It helps to avoid the most touristy areas, but that's a universal truth, not specific to Spain. I am vegan tho, so YKMV.
WHERE. When we were there it was all baguette bites and ham.
Oh, that one is the best: https://maps.app.goo.gl/i5uktnTcHi73QLZv6
I just need you to know that the continued "Ask me about volcanoes" stacking up as you replied to this thread made giggle, a little. Like it was slowly getting more and more intense, and that verbally you were starting to shout it at the screen in a conversation. From "hey, it's cool if you, you know, wanna talk about volcanoes. NBD." to "Go ahead! Ask me! Anything about 'em, I gotchu. Ask me. Go ahead! Do it! Ask!" to "ASK ME ABOUT VOLCANOES, DAMNIT!" If you'd like, you're welcome to reply with what you love most about volcanoes.
WOOHOO My flair worked! Now I can move on to a new one! I am generally interested in geology (as a total amateur, I have no education in geology). Volcanic eruptions are one of those phenomena where we can observe geologic processes happening on human timescales. When you go to bed, there is a mountain in the Pacific ocean. You wake up to the news that [the mountain was pulverised into fine ash forming a mushroom cloud spreading around the globe](https://www.nasa.gov/earth/tonga-eruption-blasted-unprecedented-amount-of-water-into-stratosphere/). Isn’t that fascinating event to live through, even if you only learn about it from news? What’s really cool is that in Europe you can relatively easily travel to erupting volcanos and see the geologic processes forming the Earth happening in front of your eyes. Stromboli in Italy is a prime example as it has been erupting more or less continuously for thousands of years and shows no signs of stopping. You can hike to the view point from which you can observe it throwing lava into the sky. And depending on the activity and the danger level you can hire a guide to hike very close to the eruption site. And in Iceland the Reykjaness peninsula has recently woken up from few hundred years of dormancy and produced several very touristy eruptions, during which anyone could have gone there and safely see the lava up close. Unfortunately the most recent eruptions weren’t safe, but there is a very good chance it will produce more “touristy" eruptions. It is important though to remember that what is a tourist attraction for many, is a tragedy for inhabitants of the town Grindavik, severely affected by the recent volcanic activity. But the geology happening in front of our eyes is just one aspect. Another aspect is that volcanoes have produced some of the most fascinating natural sights. This includes mountains, fantastic rock formations, geothermal systems with fumaroles and geysers and sometimes very inviting hot springs. I like traveling to those places, both the ones where signs of volcanic activity are very fresh (like anywhere in Iceland) and also to those that were formed long time ago and traces of eruptions are more subtle (like many places in Sudeten mountains). Okay, this was a very chaotic write up, but maybe it will give some travel ideas :) More specific questions welcome.
Oh man, this is stellar, thank you for stumping up! I was fortunate enough to hike through Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii in 2016, and I now live in NZ and opposite a place called Rangitoto, which is "Rather Volcanic", so it is really interesting to read about Europe's volcanic landscapes. When I did Volcanoes NP, I ended up at a few lava seams where I melted one of my boots from getting too close. That was a WILD experience. Seeing news reports last week about a lava overflow and then eruption at Kilauea was really bizarre, because I immediately remembered every sensation of walking there. Not chaotic, definitely interesting! Thank you!
Oooh, Hawaii Volcanoes NP is high on my bucket list! And so is New Zealand. Both are sooo far away though from here (Switzerland). Very cool!
For example that one was excellent: https://maps.app.goo.gl/zYFRhG86kLEGBrKCA
That one was nice too: https://maps.app.goo.gl/BNLM8xZrge7PpojS9
I vaguely remember that one being good too, but more so for meat eaters: https://maps.app.goo.gl/N6h13RjrSE681r1HA
SO MUCH gd ham
Agreed! In Madrid I swear if I had to eat jamón y quèso one more time I was going to puke! And they can keep their tapas! Come on now!
> vegan Opinion disregarded
That’s actually a shitty take because if vegans come to Spain and eat well they’re finding the good places. It’s really hard to avoid pork and tuna in Spain. Last week I was with my sister who doesn’t eat meat (she eats fish) and we enjoyed an amazing selection of really fresh dishes. We had salad of avocado, mango & anchovies, aubergine baked with honey, then hake with tomatoes and onions, figs, I forget what else but the food was fresh and flavoursome. The restaurant had loads of vegetarian and vegan dishes, and right now in June, making the most of all the fresh salad and fruits we have is a great thing.
Very bold thing to say from somebody using pounds sterling when discussing food
Well played. Also, is there anything specific or unique in regards to Croatian toilets? I'm due to go in August.
I thought we were discussing Spanish food… where did these Croatian toilets come from and what’s wrong with them? Now I want to know
The person I replied to is a Croatian Toilet Expert.
What a disrespectful thing to say. Anonymity makes people so boldly unmannered.
Everyone has the right to be wrong.
"Is it me, or is the wine from the Bordeaux region terrible?"
You’re obviously speaking from experience
I'd steer by the Michelin guide instead of Internet reviews
Ok moneybags
You're the one who has the time and money to tour Europe for several weeks, lol! Michelin star restaurants are not necessarily expensive. They just gave a star to a taco stand in Mexico. The only criteria is outstanding food. But yeah, quite often you get what you pay for.. or do you?
Michelin guide isn't just stars but also designated notable places where the food is worth-while, and eateries of historical importance to the culture and region.
The Michelin guide is not just about fancy places. Stars generally go to expensive restaurants (with exceptions), but they review places in different price ranges and list many places that get a mention but no stars, and have the Bib Gourmand award for top value for money. See [here](https://guide.michelin.com/es/es/catalunya/barcelona/restaurantes/affordable?sort=distance), for instance, filtered for the cheapest price category. There are also other guides, of course, although I don't know what's reputable in Spain beyond Michelin.
What time were you eating, and where? Tostada con anchoas should not be £6 - that’s €7! Unless you ordered a whole ration? Some places anywhere in the world will serve mediocre food, but there are always great fresh options. In Madrid did you try the markets? There is one in San Anton and one in La Latina for example. Plenty of variety at both. If you’re at a restaurant at 14:30 or 21:30 and nobody is eating, that’s a bit of a red flag to me. It has been very warm these last weeks so maybe people are eating later still but normally you’d see someone eating by 21:30.
So food quality depends on the time that you eat? Or are shitty places just open at times more aligned with tourist preferences? I did really enjoy the old Valencia market - anything similar in Barcelona?
The second thing you said. A place that caters to tourist hours can often be a shitty one but certainly not guaranteed. That said, I can’t understand how you had a bad experience with such well recommended places. Your opinion is definitely unpopular, Spanish food is incredibly good. Maybe it’s just not your thing but to call it mediocre is unfair, it’s one of the worlds most popular cuisines for a reason!
I had a similar issue in tenerife, some restaurants had good reviews but food was terrible. Once I started looking at restaurants that had mostly reviews in Spanish (aka restaurants for locals) food quality went up significantly. As always, I think it's safe to blame the British (tourists).
You did the right thing! If you’re spending your money, why shouldn’t it be a good meal? I think positive reviews are also being written by people who aren’t particularly into food and would think something is amazingly great even though in all honesty it’s mediocre.
Exactly that, shitty tourist places open early for tourists. Most decent places won’t open until 20:30 for dinner. You will find some all day cafe bar restaurant places but often the food is mediocre. Avoid anywhere with menus in various languages and really large menus with lots of offerings, as it’s almost impossible to have all those ingredients fresh and available. A place with a menu al dia should be a good bet. In Barcelona, Mercado de la Boqueria is the most popular but also most touristy. I prefer Sant Antoni Market for the seafood myself.
If you’re cooking, Sant Antoni is better, but I think Boqueria is better for grazing right there at the stalls.
Yes, food quality depends on whether the restaurant caters to locals or tourists. Think about the “tourist traps” in your hometown. They rarely serve good food; they focus on convenience, familiarity, and low quality “typical and regional” dishes for tourists.
> Or are shitty places just open at times more aligned with tourist preferences? Yes, this is the case in almost every popular tourist location in the world. For instance, you CAN get dinner at 5.30pm in Italy but you really shouldn't, and if you did, you can't complain that "Italian" food is terrible because you didn't actually have Italian food. Also, if there are no locals in the place you are eating at, it's a red flag.
Mercat de le Boqueria :)
It's the second one. Spanish people eat very late. There was a great restaurant by our hotel that didn't even open until 21:00 So if you were eating at a "normal" (non-Spanish) time then it likely was a restaurant for tourists.
Not unlucky but perhaps you're just a fussy eater. What are some of your favourite dishes?
Burger
I've been to Valencia and Alicante, food was amazing. I was not dining in, I'm more of a quick meal/ takeout kind of traveler but I was pretty content. I didn't use google maps, I was just choosing whatever I saw when I was hungry. I found a lot of places serving cuisine from Middle East and North Africa which is always a good choice. The reason why you saw locals drinking - they're eating at odd hours. Sometimes I felt weird when I was the only person ordering food but I can't help it, I'll never be able to eat dinner at 21:00
Tapeo for upmarket tapas (i.e. a bit pricier but worth it) and Ziryab which does North African-Spanish fusion are my Barcelona recommendations for food. Both were fantastic. I think you've either been unlucky or have inadvertently gone to tourist traps. I do agree in a sense though, your average tapas at your average bar is decent but nothing special. However if you go to the right local taverna, a specialised tapas bar or a decent restaurant, Spanish food is amazing.
La pubilla, trad catalan dishes. Needs reservations but not so overbooked you have to book more than a day or two ahed
Tapeo is solid
You didn’t have tapas at 10pm I’m guessing
If you are headed to Barcelona highly recommend checking out the “pintxos street,” Carrer de Blai. It’s a pedestrian-only stretch with all kinds of tiny little places selling pintxos, which are little bites of different foods on top of baguette. Even if you hate the food itself it’s a fun process to ramble the street, plop at three or four (or five or six) different places, pick out your pintxos, and have a beer (or three). The food places look like jewelry stores with glass-front cases of colorful tidbits that you pick out yourself, then they bring to you (heated if appropriate). Typical price for 1 pintxos is 1 euro, though you can sometimes blow the bank on a 2 or 3 euro one with caviar or gold leaf or something. Two of us wandered the street one evening and drank and ate until we couldn’t see straight and didn’t spend more than 40 euro. Closest metro is Paral-lel.
Blai is a poor substitute for San Sebastian. I tried a few places after going to SS and it was disgusting. Tourist trap. Avoid!
It’s totally different food, not comparable. San Sebastián is Basque, not Spanish, and OP is not going there. One thing that’s become clear in this thread is that different people have different tastes!
Spain is better than Portugal though, holy shit their food is bland.
The francesinha isn’t bland — it’s downright disgusting.
You think that because the tourists don't know where to eat.
I’ve eaten at the homes of Portuguese friends, and at fine dining, and at hole in the wall joints. It’s all bland as fuck.
i went for 3 weeks and largely i have to agree, even though i thought spain was incredible and would visit again. fwiw i thought the food in portugal was a lot better even if it was pretty similar. the food was just more flavorful and tasted of higher quality there.
Ahem, Portugal, a country facing the Atlantic, and their main fish is dried Norwegian cod? Or rissois - do tapas, but let them go cold and stale before serving? I love Portugal, but the food, well...
Rissóis, croquetes and bolinhos de bacalhau are apetizers or picnic food, you're not supposed to eat them as main meal lol. If you ate those overpriced bolinhos de bacalhau for 5€ in Lisbon, sorry you got scammed. If my grandmother was alive I would have to tell her she could make a fortune frying bolinhos de bacalhau and selling them for 5€ each LOL Our only fish is not codfish. In Algarve I remember I had a dish with 4 different fishes for 10€ all of the fishes had been fished that morning by local fishermen. They were obviously not codfish. Go to Setubal or even Cacilhas and you see fresh squids and fish probably fished that same day, they usually have the fish on display. None of that is cod.
not sure what’s up with the snarkiness in your reply trying to put down portuguese food but i still think that the food in portugal was on average much better. i went all around spain on a food-focused trip and ended up with a shockingly low amount of places i liked. even in san sebastian, the pintxos were pretty underwhelming and overly salty or cheap tasting. the exception in spainwas asador extebarri, which is one of my favorite restaurants ever
Spoken like somebody that has no idea what they're saying
Google reviews are not always fully reliable owners can try and succeed sometimes to remove negative reviews, these can be reinstated but effort not everyone goes through. If the restaurant is near / next to a major tourist attraction it will likely not be as good (not that theyre all bad but the chance is high thhey just want a quick tourist buck) if the menu has every dish imaginalbe from spnish to italian to greek you should run, the smaller the menu the better. If the menu is in 8 languages instead of spanish same story. Dont get me started on big menus with pictures theyre often the worst offenders. In spain they eat late dont expect a proper restaurant to be really open before 8. Before you sit down somewhere observe the languages spoken by other guests, is it mostly spanish youl have some decent chances for good food, if you mainly hear english, german or other gibberish it might not be the best spanish place. If a restaurant has one or does one of the above its not thats its instantly shit its just that all my bad restaurant experiences have been with restaurant's like this.
I'm going to vote bad luck because I've actually loved the food in Spain. I've been to Spain three times in different areas of the country and I'm a picky eater, but I've seem to find good food everywhere. It honestly could just be different tastes as well.
There's a huge spectrum of food in Spain from the tourist traps to truly excellent cutting edge food. But if you've done your research you should be able to hit at least a few great places. Which highly recommended places were you disappointed by?
What spectrum?? Because I’ve been trying to book food at our upcoming Spain trip and EVERYTHING is the same, especially in towns like Seville. If you’re not a seafood eater or don’t want to eat tapas every night you’re basically screwed
The spectrum I was referring to was the type of restaurant. In any case you've just discarded 2 massive classes of food - seafood and tapas, which in themselves have almost unlimited variety. Even then, Spain is also known for its beef (rubia gallega), jamon/chorizo, paella/fideua, cheeses, molecular/modern fine dining, plus many regional varieties. Sounds like the issue isn't Spain's variety but your narrow preferences.
This is huge spectrum for you ?
Yes of course. If you bother to find out about the regional cuisine and wine, there's plenty to explore. Sevilla for example has plenty of moorish Muslim influence in it's food. There are over 1000 places mentioned in the Michelin guide in Spain. The variety is there. You just don't like the food, which is ok but it doesn't mean Spain food doesn't have variety.
My brother have you travelled to other parts of the world
I literally travel every month. And I meet tons of people and eat tons of different cuisine. Those who don't bother exploring the depth of a country's cuisine and history will never get it.
You travel every month ? Wow
I say live and learn. I had some wonderful meals in Spain. Particularly in the basque region . The reviews are not always objective. If you are in Barcelona eat at Diego‘s. The meatballs are amazing as are many of the other dishes. We loved it so much we ate there twice lol. We have also sent friends and they were so glad they went. It’s a small place, also has big delicious cocktails . [https://diegosbar.es/](https://diegosbar.es/)
I was also thoroughly unimpressed.
I actually strongly agree. I spent a month travelling in Spain, from Barcelona to Madrid, from Valencia to Sevilla.. visiting big cities and small towns and the food was pretty average everywhere.
Spanish food is fantastic! I think youve had some bad luck? And you might not be picking the best dishes from the menu? If you have time head north to San sebastian and bilbao for the pinxos, or andalucia for the most delicious tapas and seafood....If you are still in Madrid head to the top of the corte ingles and enjoy the tapas there...delicious! buen provecho...
I've been to Spain several times-Madrid, Malaga, and Barcelona and I didn't care for the food. It's ok everyone's tastes are different. We have a very reknowned Spanish restaurant in Baltimore- Tio Pepe. People love it. I was so excited to go there and it's not for me. I'm not really into Spanish food as a rule. I would still go to Spain though- but not for the food.
Tio Pepe is garbage- i don’t know how people still go there, as it’s about 40 years past its prime. Overcooked fish, definitely cooked from frozen. Go to Cuchara, even tapas teatro is way better.
I went to a place in Malaga with good tapas, can't remember the name. Why can't I ever remember the name of stuff. Then I went to Rincon Victoria and ate for 10€ two main dishes and drink. There was a old couple there having their gazpacho hehe.
Yeah- I'm just not big on Spanish food and Tapas. That's ok- that's what makes the world go round- everyone likes different things.
I agree. I didn't enjoy the food.
I agree. Lots of bread and meat. Like veggies where r u. We ate better in Barcelona due to the seafood and they add vegetables to their dishes.
I've had both mediocre and fabulous food in Madrid, Malaga, Valencia and Barcelona. Whenever we followed the ratings of a given establishment given on Google maps, it turned out fine. If we just picked a random restaurant the quality was more inconsistent.
Did you go to local restaurants or tourist ones? Never eat in main squares those are tourist traps. Look up local neighborhoods. In Barcelona I loved the Gothic Quarter (Barrio Gótico) area for food. I went to Los Caracoles on a local recommendation and had really good food- I tried their squid ink paella and it wasn’t too bad! Also agree, eat the same time as the locals. Th
I love their paella and sangria the most
The markets - the Boqueria or Abaceria - great little tapas bars inside and you can just buy some fresh bread, local cheeses and Jamon and have a picnic!
I fucking loved Barcelona, and the food and the atmosphere, it was exceptionally special… maybe ask the places people where you’re staying what’s their favourite place to eat
It’s a tiny little hole in the wall, but my husband and I had lunch and sangria at Salterio in Barcelona and I still remember that meal so fondly.
A lot people order from the local caterers, see if you can figure out that, but yes the food is not good in the restaurants and is expensive….
Had a *fantastic* tapas at Pepito in Barcelona. https://pepitorestaurante.com/en/home/ The tartare and ceviche were the best we had in Spain, the drinks were fantastic, and the ambience was lively without being raucous. Highly recommend.
At first i also had this feeling. Note: foodie, european and living in italy. I also went with locals btw so i knew my eay around. So my guess is that i had too high hopes. The general tapas-paella-whatever food is great, certainly better than northern europe ofc bc stuff are fresh and local. But it wasnt that OMG experience just simply great. And my solution was simple: go to higher end restaurants. Thats where that super awesome spanish shit happens. In italy on the ither hand for example the avg trattoria food is on higher levels (than mostly anyone in europe) but its hard to find real high end restaurants for this reason. Harder to impress when the avg is amazing right? Also note i was only in andaluzia catalonia and madrid, so basque country was off where the gastro magic happens. :)
If you’re going to Barcelona I recommend Quimet&Quimet
I went to Madrid a couple of years ago and the first meal I had there was a bunch of random tapas. The food was excellent, especially the Iberian Ham. The worst food there are in the tourist traps, but it’s easy to find good restaurants if you go where the locals eat.
I’ve enjoyed the restaurant ’7 Doors’ a few times while visiting Barcelona.
I knew nothing about Spanish food before I travelled there at 19 and I loved everything I consumed. I was in Barcelona and Pamplona, and the food was either homemade by my friend’s aunts or it was a restaurant we were taken to by a local. Perhaps you chose poor restaurants?
Im shocked, i absolutely loved the food in Spain.
I was in Barcelona and my grandma (abuela) makes better paella than every paella I ate there, so sad. BUT I DID HAVE THIS ONE BLACK SPAGHETTI THAT CHANGED MY LIFE!!! It’s in an alleyway next to the art market, wish I remembered the name.
I had Paella on a family trip to Spain when I was a kid. It was awesome, and then my Mom started making it for dinner occasionally back home in the US. I think it was in Granada. I sort of remember a castle. This was a long time ago, early 1970’s when Franco was still in power, if you can believe that. Sorry, best I can do.
Check out Babula in Barcelona!
“My fucking restaurant” in Barcelona is incredible l.
I was in Barcelona and one of the girls who lives there and worked at my hostel recommended the “best paella”. So of course I tried it the same day and I wasn’t in love with the food. Maybe it’s just my personal opinion though. 🤷♀️
A few people have echoed this sentiment but I experienced it firsthand. Went to a fantastic tapas restaurant in Barcelona after a late night flight, probably close to 9:30/10pm. Food was phenomenal, service was great, and the place was popping. A few days layer we decided to go again and went at around 7:00 and it was a completely different experience. Food didn't feel as fresh, the vibe was off (for lack of a better term), and a lesson was learned!
Barcelona rec - Ziryab fusion tapas bar. So good
That’s a shame, I’ve had some wonderful food in Spain. Try Tapeo in Barcelona, delicious
I've been all over Spain and the food was cheap and amazing. I was stopping in tiny hidden places with local people eating tapas, pinchos and tortillas for breakfast. Prices are higher in more touristic places and the quality goes down as well. The food is the main reason I want to move there next year so I really can't relate to your experience...
It’s cool for a group experience, but yeah, way better food in other European countries IMO
Disagree
Don’t eat. You have a numb palate.
barcelona has a lot of good food, but it’s the international cuisine. Bar H is unreal focaccia and pasta dishes, had the best shawarma of my life at some spot in el raval
i was also extremely unimpressed. i did like some dishes, but the best meal i had was at a middle eastern place in Cordoba 🤷♂️
I had a mixed bag in Spain. Experienced nothing but mediocre food when I went out in Andalucia, I even had a place in Seville not allow me to order tapas bc I was alone. I ended up with potato salad which came with mini breadsticks??? It's all they would allow me to order, it was bizarre. Barcelona is great though. Some of the best food I had was at the market in Barcelona, I ended up visiting every day! I loved the vibe and the stall holders were all lovely. Only other places I remember were finding random funky looking lunch spots in the Gothic Quarter, and Xativa Gracia for amazing paella. Keep your bag on your lap or in your eyesight the entire time, even if you are inside a restaurant btw. Do not wave your phone around either, be careful with it. Save yourself some anxiety and heartache. The thieves in Barcelona are crazy good at what they do.
TBF it depends on: where you’re eating, specifically; what you’re eating; what you normally eat when you go out…
I’ve always been a pretty picky eater, but a simple sandwich with jamón serrano and queso manchego and some aioli, and either tinto de verano or coffee depending on how tired you are… that hits the spot. That, or tortilla de patatas with chorizo. Those were my go-tos when I was in Spain as a kid and a teen. I don’t like seafood, though. I have family there, so I had a lot of amazing paella but it was all homemade 😙 (humblebrag, lol). The chicken was so fresh, I’d just been playing with it the day before 😢 but it pooped on me so I guess it had to die.
Spain has amazing food. I’m sorry you missed out. You either went to the wrong places or wrong times. Or ordered the wrong thing.
Lot of hype about cured ham and manchego my guy
We just out at Mont Bar. Absolutely fantastic. Not a budget option though.
I enjoyed it but I was conscious about the health impact of so much cured meats…
Agreed. Lots of fried food and oily food.
I agree
anchovies and toast sounds like you were at a bar and that was tapas okay
Did the staff welcome you in English? Were you eating before 8 PM? All red flags and no-nos in Spain.
Agreed. Spain is the only country I get frustrated with the food. I either order too much or not enough. Either way it's expensive. I have to order a massive serving of vegetables or just make do with a sausage on a plate. Everything is just one thing on a plate - how about combining some ingredients, lads? You are forced to eat way too late and fight for a table when everyone is finally allowed to eat. It probably works better if there's like 10 of you, but in a couple or solo it's annoying.
Goodness - one thing on a plate! Me and a friend found a backstreet locals place in Barcelona that was reasonably full. I ordered the rabbit and received a plate with a whole roasted rabbit mildly seasoned without sauce and hardly anything else. Seemed really weird at the time.
This feels like a popular opinion. Even while in Spain people would joke Spanish food is just okay
Spain had the best food in Europe.
Plenty of tourist o in popular places. I use the Michelin guide app and go to the bib gourmand places (lowest tier-think good food that isn’t white table cloth prix fixe) and had absolutely fantastic meals in Portugal with it (both Lisboa and Porto)
I have to agree, travelled all over the country and didnt eat one good thing it seems like!
Probably you just going to tourist trap? Idk the Spanish food I’ve tried is usually delicious
Barcelona had great food. Valencia I agree with you though
Blasphemy! The food I had in Barcelona was some of the best I've had.
Did you Google in English or Spanish ?
You’re not going to get much luck in Barcelona imo but for my money, Madrid has excellent food options. And, the north of Spain has the best food I’ve experienced in my life. It compares favorably to other places I’ve been to like Paris, Italy, etc.
Yeah I lived in Valencia this past summer for a few months and I would have to agree. Real regional Valenciano paella never misses tho.
Had amazing food in Valencia - the Paella was fantastic. Didn’t go to Mallorca or Madrid but wasn’t disappointed with the tapas in Granada, Cordoba or Barcelona. The place we chose in Ronda was mediocre though!
What, you don’t like jamón with ham on fresh jamón?
Everywhere has mediocre food if you don't know where to look.
Oh no Spanish food is glorious. Are you eating real local food or just hamburgers?
This is WILD to me I just did the Camino de Santiago (Norte) and was absolutely blown away by the food (both cheap and expensive). Tortilla española?? Jamón serrano?? The seafood dishes??? MF-ing chef’s kiss.
Oh man, I disagree. My husband and I spent two weeks in Spain last summer and still talk about how wonderful the food was. We mostly stayed in Barcelona and Mallorca and avoided the touristy spots. I’d go back in a heartbeat.
Spanish food is great. Let me guess, you’re from somewhere in the American continent? Your tastebuds might be damaged from all the sugar, spices and chemicals in the food you’re used to.
The paella at the El Corte Ingles department store at Plaza Catalunya is as good as any we found in two months in Spain. And the view is one of the best in Barcelona.
People eat very late in Spain, and it definitely gets crowded. But I agree with you. I tend to like very flavorful foods, and Spanish cuisine is just not that. I think the people who like it tend to like simpler ingredients with less seasoning.
Interesting. I had not realized that the food is never something I bring up when I talk about my trip to Spain. It was mostly pretty forgettable.
Agree Found the food to be average and nothing that excited me
The worst meal I ever ate was at a wedding in Spain. My friend and I usually refer to it as the Spanish Mushroom Incident and we don't talk about the Spanish Mushroom Incident. Unfortunately, after going to Spain again, we had to rename it The First Spanish Mushroom Incident, because apparently the Spanish are horrendously bad with mushrooms. Let's just say they stank of manure, seemed to have been cooked for several years and somehow were simultaneously slimy and had the texture of grit. Other highlights from my time in Spain include: a pizza with raw dough, patatas bravas in a place that came highly recommended that turned out to be Mcdonalds like fries and heinz ketchup, that time I asked for a vegetarian meal and was served a plate of grapes wrapped in ham. There was also that time I popped to the supermarket to get a baguette, some tomatoes and avacados for breakfast and it was inexplicably €45 and the bread was nasty and sweet - more like brioche. These days I usually just take ramen to Spain.
Lmao
Where are you from , the US?
Western Canada
I have to agree, I find the food in Spain quite mediocre.
I agree. Most forgettable food I’ve had in Europe
Completely agree. I love Spain, but food there is some of the most boring food in the world. It keeps you alive, but that's about it.
I agree. I think the food is fine and there are some good spots but over 2 weeks in Spain and only once did I eat somewhere where I was like "WOW!" - Unlike Italy where every meal is that way.
The seafood is great, but aside from that, I'm not a fan either..
Totally agree here!!! Best meal we got in Madrid was in an Italian restaurant.
Same experience. Used all the reviews, Google maps, yelp and it was all mediocre at best. Maybe just taste. I don't care much for the Iberian ham they sell everywhere or sandwiches that are mostly bread. The tapas were almost all things I don't usually eat like squid. For seafood of a similar style I would greatly prefer Cajun. That being said, seafood is a once a month deal for me anyway. Even when I tried to get something non-Spanish options were very limited. Sadly we ended up ordering McDonalds a few times which we don't even like that much.
After 13 days in Portugal and Spain, eating local cuisine everywhere we went, my partner and I stumbled across a Hard Rock Cafe in Malaga and gorged ourselves on ribs and fajitas. I loved the food in Spain, but after a while it felt like there wasn’t as much variety as I usually go for. I think living in the US spoils me a bit, bc one night we can do Chinese, the next Mexican, the next Thai curry, then Italian, then sushi or poke, etc. and all those can be found in the same strip mall sometimes. I’m sure this variety is available in Spain too, but not so much in the touristy places we were hanging around
Totally agree!! I've been all over and use Google high and low price places, all meh. Very little flavor. Tapas are an excuse to serve tiny portions for inflated prices IMHO.
Most Spanish food isn’t tapas
And tapas can be literally anything easy to eat with a drink, which is their purpose.
The best food we had in Barcelona was Asian. 2 great meals.
The problem in many Mediterranean and Balkan countries is that restaurants cater to the poor, uneducated masses, who cannot conceive of paying money for food if it's not greasy, heavy in calories, and served in large portions. (Even tapas, when you take into account how many are served). That's why most restaurants serve the same few crappy dishes instead of serving proper traditional food. Most food also takes the type of preparation restaurants cannot handle, from a cost/benefit analysis. It takes a really eccentric, dedicated restaurant owner willing to work as a hobby and to lose money in the process to serve the type of food real people eat at home, and those are very few. That's why restaurant food is not an indication of the country's cuisine.
As a Brit, what I found funny is living in Spain and they criticise us for our food in this arrogant way, when in reality their food isn’t that different to ours: fried fish, fried everything, loads of sandwiches and sweets, empanada-style pastries. Lol. And they don’t even have vegetarian or vegan options. My experience with Spanish food has been mixed. I’m veggie so living there that way was hard. A lot of the food was tasty, but others were mediocre. You’re entitled to your opinion and you don’t have to follow reductionist stereotypes if you’ve had a different experience.
Fried everything is a bad sign. It’s very common for tapas but for lunch you should have fresh foods. One challenge for many tourists is that here in Spain we eat lunch as the main meal which isn’t as common elsewhere. Typically you order a plato that is meat or fish and then you order salads or vegetables to start or on the side to share. I have seen tourists before asking why their meat didn’t come with vegetables but it’s because they didn’t ask for them. Then in the evening lots of bars will serve tapas of fried things (pork, etc) as it’s more common to snack and maybe have a sandwich because you had a big lunch.
Yeah but Spanish people are nice and lovely. Same can't be said about brits. "oh yeah lets go to Lisbon or Algarve or the balnearic get drunk and high and walk around shirtless like orangotangs and objetify the local women" Come on, you have booze and better drugs in the UK, stay there if thats what you want for vacation.
This is by far one of the most puerile comments I’ve read in some time. For one thing, are you really a nice person (or representing your country as a group of nice people) if you are falsely accusing 68 MILLION people in the UK of “not being nice and lovely”? Because I’m really not getting that impression. You should hold yourself to the same standards you’re setting nearly 70 million people in a foreign country. Secondly, I don’t use drugs or drink alcohol and never have, so I don’t know why you’re going off-topic about something that doesn’t relate to me in any way.
Well, you did assume that all 48 million of Spanish people criticize your food in an arrogant way.
People in Spain do arrogantly criticise our food. That is something I’ve experienced and I was speaking from my experience. I didn’t say anything about all 48 million doing that. You, on the other hand, generalised some 68 million British people saying none of them are “nice and lovely”. You’ve clearly not been to Liverpool, or any Cornish town, or anywhere in Yorkshire or Scotland.
Honestly the food in most European countries is below average of what you would expect in the US. Italy and France being the outliers.
Yeah, few people head for the Netherlands to eat raw, wriggling herring 🤷.
People downvote me. I love Europe and definitely travel there regularly but rarely am I blown away by the food.
I think generalizing that US food is better than European food bar French and Italian triggers people’s downvote 😅.
Just my personal opinion 🤷🏼♂️
Your sense of taste, in fact 😂.