Hunting Down the Best Tapas Bars in Granada

Sincere congrats and daggers of jealousy: You’ve landed in Granada, and you’re ready to eat and drink your way through town and maybe explore the Alhambra since you are already in town. You’ve heard that this city – unique to Spain in so many ways – is particularly unique when it comes to gastronomic custom: that is, every bar in town dishes out complimentary tapas with each drink purchased.  Pretty sweet, eh? So we are sharing the best Tapas bars in Granada.

So too, being in Andalucía – with the knowledge that there’s not much that isn’t fabulous about this part of the world – you’ve also heard that the tapas here tends to be rather top notch. Indeed, you have heard correctly. In Granada, one wanders the magnetizing heritage streets and alleys with giddy abandon, for there is no shortage of cozy, mouth-watering stop-offs on offer. For those looking for an especially tantalizing time, here are a select few of the city’s well-vetted favorites.

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Best Tapas Bars in Granada

Taberna La Tana

It all begins here: Taberna La Tana, top of the pack and hands down one of the best tapas bars you’ll find – in Granada, and probably the whole of Spain. An indefatigable brother-sister duo, Luisa and Jesus, run this place: the former behind the scenes whipping up delicious tapas in the rear kitchen, the latter (an expert sommelier) pouring the good stuff front of the house. This Taberna was by far the best tapas bar in Granada we found. A delicious and diverse range of wines, crisp cold Cerveza, an array of mouth-watering plates, with atmosphere and passionate service that can’t help but leave you wanting more. Get in at 9 pm to score a hallowed seat at the bar.

Placeta del Agua, 3, 18009 Granada, Spain

 

Bar Los Diamantes

Los Diamantes: a name you’ll see more than a few times around town, with multiple venues near and far. Begin with the one at Plaza Nueva: a slick, well-lit, modern white seafood house known for some of the freshest and tastiest seafood tapas in the country. So enamored we were with this place and its crisp, glasses of vina blanca, subzero canas of cerveza, and round after glorious round of fresh prawns, garlic clams, and shallow fried white fish, that we found ourselves returning again night after night. This is the best place in the city for seafood tapas, with a lively, fast-paced, casual atmosphere to match.

Plaza Nueva, 13, 18009 Granada, Spain

El Tabernaculo

Those seeking something a little different and a bit more ‘holy’ in their choice of venue ought to check out Calle Navas’s El Tabernaculo. Words don’t do justice here. Picture yourself sipping away in a cloistered tavern amidst a few thousand partially menacing images of Christ and the Santa Semana, and you’re more or less there. The gratis tapas here are a bit basic (olives and nuts), but you can order more treats from the menu for purchase, plus the drinks always hit the spot. Ultimately, few other bars on earth nail that elusive fusion of coziness, religious iconography, and Catholic stereo hits. Sinful? You decide, but it deserves its spot on our list of best tapas bars in Granada.

18009, Calle Navas, 27, 18009 Granada, Spain

Bodegas Castañeda

If you are daydreaming about Andalucía, you start to create an idyllic scene in your mind of a really fantastic tapas bar: a kind of historical place – somewhere traditional – where jamon legs dangle from ornate ceiling cornices and locals enjoy delicious wines and food in an atmosphere of convivial warmth that could only possibly exist in Spain somewhere, well… you’ve more or less manifested this place. Tucked away in the center of town along the Calle Almireceros, Bodegas Castañeda is a classic haunt with all the trimmings, well sought after for its sensational home-made Vermouth and wine served from wooden wall-mounted barrels, coupled with delicious, traditional tapas and speedy, respectful service.

Calle Almireceros, 1-3, 18010 Granada, Spain

Bar Aliatar Los Caracoles

Wandering the chilly February night through the narrow medieval strands of Albaycín, we stumbled into a desolate plaza in search of a hearty feed. A friend and former Granada resident had recommended Plaza Aliatar for bona fide traditional fare. A square, that come summer, would no doubt be teeming with life, littered with locals sharing plates and toasts, and flamenco music filtering down from the hills of nearby Sacromonte.

Though a little dead on this night, we took our chances at one of the restaurants: Los Caracoles, unbeknownst to us, the city’s most cherished snail specialist. If the ubiquitous pictures and motifs of snails on the walls surrounding us didn’t indicate this immediately, then the snails-in-curry-sauce tapas, countless plates of snails to come, and the fact that every local in-house was casually slurping away at this unique delicacy certainly did. The snail-averse amongst us might prefer Caracoles’s delicious pulpo, or pork medallions with clams and shrimp instead. They also have a rotating list of delicious specials; all served in the warm hold of a delightfully traditional and relaxed (if not snail-hefty) atmosphere.

18010, Plaza Aliatar, 4, 18010 Granada, Spain

Take all this as your starting bid and discover your own selection of best tapas bars in Granada. Over more wines, delicious plates of fresh, gratis tapas, some additional racions to keep the night satiated, revel in the glory that is Granada. Explore, sleep, wake, and repeat – there’s a good chance you may never want to leave. And if you don’t want to hunt down the best tapas bars in Granada by yourself, we recommend joining a Tapas Walking Tour.

Cam Hassard wrote Best Tapas Bars in Granada for EuropeUpClose.com

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