TABERNA CASA MANTECA Cádiz is one of Western Europe's oldest continuously inhabited cities. The Phoenicians founded it, and archaeological remains date back 3,100 years. During the 18th and 19th centuries, it became a trading port with the Americas. This famous spot in the Casco Antiguo (the older part of Cádiz), which is within the remnants of the city walls and is commonly referred to as the Old Town, is an old-school Restaurant and tapas bar (the name means house of Lard!

BAR SPORT We returned to Bar Sport, which remains somewhat of an insider tip. True to its name, it is particularly popular during sports events, but it offers some beautifully assembled pintxos throughout the week. This authentic bar serves traditional pintxos in a vibrant atmosphere and impresses further with its more than reasonable prices. Popular with locals, it offers a rustic interior and represents a traditional Basque dining experience, perfected by its good selection

GANDARIAS JATETXEA We returned to Casa Gandarias for our regular fill of pintxo de solomillo and red wine! We had a bottle of El Lagar de Isilla Paraje Peñalobos Tinta del Pais 2018 DOC Ribera del Duero . This was a good match with the solomillo. The famous Basque Gildas. Guindilla pepper, green olive and fresh anchovy - named after Rita Haywood (hot, tall and spicy). During this visit, we also had a sit-down lunch with a group at the restaurant. Something not done before a

For this visit to San Sebastian in June 2025, we concentrated on pintxos rather than sit-down meals. We started our pintxo tour in Parte Vieja (the old town). We always prefer hot pintxos, as they are made to order. The pintxos on the bar are not a problem, but you may eat too much bread! We tend to have no more than two pintxos and a glass of wine or beer per bar, so we don't get too full too early. The best time to visit the pintxo bars is 8.30 —10.30 pm. Several pintxo bar

BAR KBZÓN TXIKI On our June 2025 trip, we visited a bar in Old Town that was a first for us. They serve innovative dishes made with familiar ingredients and appear to use the sous vide method in their excellent cooking. We settled in and ordered a couple of glasses of txakoli and also tried the house red. We then picked a few pintxos from the interesting menu. Pulpo gallego con puré de boniato, salsa de tomates verdes y cebola morada encurtida con cilantro. Tender Galician oc

LA CUCHARA DE SAN TELMO We returned to a favourite pintxo bar in San Sebastián's old town. It is down a side alley off 31 de Agosto Kalea at the back of the old city. It is well worth seeking out, and do not be shy about walking in, even if it is busy. Thankfully, we were now free of COVID-19 restrictions, and things were back to normal. The list of pintxos looked very inviting indeed. The small kitchen staff were hard at work, as usual. We headed for the bar and dived into

O CURRO DA PARRA This restaurant is in the old part of town in the historic city of Santiago de Compostela. It is very close to the old market, the Mercado de Abastos de Santiago (from which they stock daily). This trendy and contemporary restaurant has two areas. A casual wine and tapas bar on the ground floor And a more formal, small but cosy dining room on the first floor of this old house The open kitchen offers a new take on Galician dishes. When the weather permits, a s

LA COSMO Michelin Bib Gourmand La Cosma is the younger sibling of Dani Carnero's La Cosmopolita. It has a more modern vibe and setting, but still serves big-flavoured Andalucian cooking without any gimmicks. We enjoyed an excellent early dinner, sitting at the long bar looking into the open kitchen.  We started with some excellent bread. Ostras (oysters) La Gilda atún, tomate, piparra y anchoa (a new take on the Gilda, the iconic pintxo inspired by actress Rita Hayworth, wi

BODEGA BAR EL PIMPI This boisterous bar, right in the historical city centre, next to the Alcazaba, is one of Malaga's most famous. El Pimpi is mentioned in every imaginable tourist guide. Despite its reputation as a tourist hotspot, this restaurant has maintained the quality of its food for which it first became famous. It is also very well-priced. Bodegas Bar El Pimpi is an interesting maze-like building with a series of rooms with many different styles and cultural experie

RESTAURANTE ELKANO One Michelin Star Getaria is the picture-postcard Basque Country fishing village that produced designer Cristóbal Balenciaga, Plácido Domingo's mother, and Juan Sebastián Elcano, the first mariner to circumnavigate the globe. Getaria is a fishing port. You can wander down the old streets to the harbour. Walking past various shops selling their wares. There are a couple of lovely beaches in and around the town. Set on a crossroads above the harbour of G