The best restaurants Andalusia

Timetable

Spanish hours are different from ours: from 2pm to 4pm for lunch, the most important meal, comida fuerte, and from 9pm for dinner. Restaurants are often closed on Sunday evenings and Mondays. And in August in major cities outside the Costa del Sol.

Budget & Tips

Menu del día, daily specials (between €10 and €15), are offered weekday lunchtimes. It's very common, and even recommended, to take a dish "to share". Most good restaurants have a barra, where you can make the tapeo for less (between €10 and €15/person, drinks included). The provinces of Jaen and Granada still practice the art of the free tapa with any beverage (not water or coffee).

What costs extra

Prices are all-inclusive. But bread and water are not included. No carafe, just bottled water,con gas or sin gas, still or sparkling. And bread is billed at €1 to €1.50, generally presented with cutlery in a basket. If you don't want bread, just say no when asked, or indicate so when ordering. But as far as water is concerned, a new law has come into force. From January¹, 2023, all establishments (bars, hotels or restaurants) must offer free water from the tap. This measure is designed to limit the proliferation of plastic packaging.

The local way

Around midday, and in the late afternoon, Spaniards are very fond of bocadillos (sandwiches with baguette bread) and sandwiches (with sandwich bread), or those little appetizers known as tapas: olives, small cubes of cheese, and all varieties of tortillas (cold omelettes): with ham, chorizo, potatoes.

Spanish cuisine is part of the Mediterranean tradition: olive oil and garlic are the basic ingredients. But these two condiments represent the only stable point in a cuisine characterized above all by its infinite variety. Two dishes can be enjoyed almost anywhere in Spain. For this reason, they are considered the national dishes. These are garlic soup, simply made with bread, garlic, oil and chili powder. And cocido, or rather cocidos, depending on the nuances of each region. The recipe, based on meat (pieces of black pudding, chorizo and ham), pulses and green vegetables, flavoured with bay leaves and thyme, is reminiscent of our pot-au-feu.

Kids

Most restaurants offer children's menus at around €10. They will also be very attentive if you wish to make a modification due to an allergy or other reason. Generally speaking, children are very welcome, and you'll be amazed at the extent to which they are present in the same areas as adults, whatever the time of day. For the very young, some have special chairs, so please ask.

Smokers

All establishments are non-smoking, except on the terrace.

Tourist traps

If you see "hay paella y sangria", there's paella and sangria, go and see if you're there. In very touristy neighborhoods or areas, it's best to avoid establishments that are located very close to the most visited places. With the flow of people, quality is rarely there. Generally speaking, there's little systematic canvassing to get into a restaurant, except on an ad hoc basis and in Costa del Sol destinations.