TABERNA LA SORPRESA On a short trip to Cádiz, we stopped at Taberna La Sorpresa for a few tapas and glasses of local sherry. It is an underrated hidden gem, especially when you have had enough fried fish and want fresh, carefully sourced seafood in a genuinely traditional setting. Founded in 1956 as a traditional wine shop, Taberna La Sorpresa is one of Cádiz’s surviving old-style tabernas. Pepe Terrero ran it from 1959 until his retirement in 2012, preserving its high bar, w

JOSÉ TAPAS & SHERRY BAR José Tapas Bar, Bermondsey Street, opened in 2011 as José Pizarro’s first solo restaurant, following his time as executive chef at Tapas Brindisa near Borough Market. It was designed as a small, informal Spanish bar, inspired by the busy tapas bars of Barcelona and Andalucía, with a changing blackboard menu, sherry by the glass and no reservations. A few months later, Pizarro opened his more substantial restaurant, Pizarro, further along Bermondsey Str

CAPOTE Y TOROS HAM & SHERRY BAR Capote y Toros South Kensington opened in 2011 as part of Abel Lusa’s successful Cambio de Tercio restaurant group. He aimed to recreate the atmosphere of a traditional Andalusian taberna, bringing a little of Cádiz, Jerez de la Frontera, and Sevilla to London’s Old Brompton Road. The intimate bar quickly became known for its remarkable selection of sherries, originally numbering more than 100, alongside an excellent selection of Spanish tapas.

TABERNA MANOLO CATECA Tucked away in a corner alleyway, this hidden gem gives you the feel of being a local. Taberna Manolo Cateca dates back to 1920, when the Escobar family established a small despacho de vinos, a traditional wine shop. In 1952, it became Taberna La Goleta, a popular local bar specialising in wines from Huelva and the Jerez region. In August 2013, Manuel Rodríguez Navarro, better known as Manolo Cateca, took over Taberna Manolo Cateca Sevilla, giving the c

ANTIGUA CASA DE GUARDIA After visiting the Mercado Central de Atarazanas, Málaga’s famous food market, you’re only a short walk from Antigua Casa de Guardia, the city’s oldest wine bar and one of its most atmospheric drinking establishments. This famous local bar was founded in 1840 by José de la Guardia, the business originally operated in Calle Ollerías before moving to its present location on Alameda Principal in 1899. Today, this historic bodega remains wonderfully old-fa

LA VENENCIA The fabulous La Venencia Madrid is like stepping back into an Andalusian sherry bar from the 1920s or ’30s. The bar has a fascinating history; many believe anti-Franco supporters met here during the Spanish Civil War. It is doubtful the place has changed much over the years, with its unassuming sign above the door, dusty old sherry bottles behind the bar, and vintage posters on the walls, all giving it great character. This refreshingly unmodernised, quirky old ba

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), within the remnants of the city walls and commonly referred to as the Old Town, is an old-school restaurant and tapas bar (the name means "house of Lard"!). A few f