CASA BALBINO Sanlúcar de Barrameda (or simply Sanlúcar) is a city in the north-west of Cádiz province, part of the autonomous community of Andalucía in southern Spain. Sanlúcar is situated on the left bank of the Guadalquivir River, at its mouth, opposite the Doñana National Park. Sanlúcar de Barrameda is one of Spain’s three best-known sherry-producing towns. (The other two are Jerez de la Frontera, for which sherry is named, and El Puerto de Santa María.) Although a seaside

THE TERRACE TAPAS & WINE BAR During our brief visit to Ilfracombe, we tried what I believe is the only Spanish restaurant in town. We were served surprisingly good tapas, which was somewhat unexpected in North Devon. Clive Chilcott runs the Terrace Tapas & Wine Bar alongside his partner, Dawn Mullen, who is the excellent chef. Together, they have owned this restaurant since 2016, striving to bring a little piece of sunny Spain to Ilfracombe and North Devon. It seems they hav

NOU MANOLÍN Michelin Plate IIO This well-known spot in Alicante’s city centre has two distinct areas. Upstairs is a chic destination restaurant serving consistently excellent, creative seafood dishes. Downstairs, you will find a casual, come-as-you-are type of bar. We r ecommend sitting at the bustling bar counter on the first floor. (It is wise to turn up when they open the doors in the evening. We started with good ostras (oysters), then buñuelos de bacalao (deep-frie

LA CEPA DE CÁDIZ This is a great local bar where you can drink beer, wine, or Manzanilla, accompanied by chicharrones, cheeses, and other products from the Sierra de Cádiz, cold cuts from Extremadura, and a large assortment of tinned preserves. It is a place with a lot of charm, a little piece of Cádiz in Málaga for gaditanos. We settled in and had, Anchoa y leche condensada (tinned anchovy and condensed milk). Chicharrones (Pork belly with spices such as paprika, oregano, an

CASA LABRA It is said history was made at this bar on the 2nd of May 1879 with the formation of the PSOE (Spanish socialist party), and on walking in, it appears you could still be back in 1879 as nothing seems to have changed since then! It is an excellent traditional bar. It is famous for its croquetas de bacalao. Some of the best in Madrid. The tajadas de bacalao are pieces of cod deep-fried in batter until crispy. They are served with wooden cocktail sticks or eaten with

JOSÉ TAPAS & SHERRY BAR Situated on a corner of the now-trendy Bermondsey Street, this cosy little tapas bar serves excellent, authentic tapas. Opened by José Pizarro with his eponymous restaurant, Pizarro, further up Bermondsey Street on the same side of the road. José is a buzzing spot for an atmospheric lunch or dinner. This is not a sit-down restaurant but a Spanish bar where you go to have a drink and some tapas, standing or sitting on stools around a barrel for a tabl

TRAGATÁ TAPAS Chef Benito Gómez, a Catalan with Málaga roots, has been working at Tragatá for 1010 years, having learned the techniques of Ferran Adrià during his stay at the Alquería de la Hacienda Benazuza in Sevilla. He also has the two-Michelin-starred restaurant Bardal in Ronda. The restaurant is informal, lively, and bright, in a space that combines the modern and the Andalucían. The foodis an eclectic mix of traditional Spanish food and international fusion cuisine. T

MARABUNDA FOOD This is an excellent bar on a quiet street in the San Lorenzo area of Sevilla. It has tall stalls at the bar or tables and chairs opposite. The open kitchen allows you to see the food being prepared. The tapas menu is short but well-executed. We have been here three times now. Gilda acostada, anchoa, boquerón, piparra y aceituna kalamata (gilda lying down, salted anchovy, pickled anchovy, piparra and kalamata olives). A must-try is croquetas de pato. Duck croq

UPDATE DECEMBER 2024: This venue has gone through many changes and is now LA MARUJONA CHÁCHARA BAR Calle de Caballeros, 2, 11403 Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz, España +34 618 05 02 82 The venue currently gets good reviews for the food and drink, although we have not been there ourselves. PREVIOUSLY PULPO Y APARTE & LA TAPERÍA MESÓN DEL ASADOR If you are looking for grilled and or octopus in Jerez de la Frontera, this is the place to come. If you like pulpo (octopus), you wi

A day trip from Sevilla to Carmona Carmona is built on a ridge overlooking the central plain of Andalucía. To the north is the Sierra Morena, and to the south is the peak of San Cristobal. The city is known for its thriving trade in wine, olive oil, grain, and cattle, and it holds an annual fair in April. Carmona is among the most historic towns in southern Europe. It is walkable and is a living museum of the civilisations that have conquered it, from the Carthaginians to the