LA RIOJA - LOGROÑO PINCHO BAR CRAWL On our recent trip to La Rioja, we decided to take a pinchos bar crawl down the famous Calle Laurel in Logroño. These were our favourite bars and bites on this hectic but pleasant November evening. BAR CID Travesía de Laurel, 1, 26001 Logroño, La Rioja It is quite literally a hole in the wall and easy to walk past. The traditional Bar Cid has vines and grapes dangling from the wooden beam ceiling above the same pair of men hanging out at th

JOSÉ PIZARRO @ The Royal Academy of Arts This is José Pizarro's first foray into central London, amazingly ten years after he opened the fabulous José Tapas Bar on Bermondsey Street in South London. He has taken over the Dorfman Senate Room on the first floor of Burlington Gardens. This beautiful, light, and airy space is a sit-down Restaurant with plenty of bar-top dining options. He has opened the Poster Bar downstairs, which is more of a café/tapas bar. It is best to pop

ANDANZA Andanza (luck or fate in Spanish) comes from the same people behind The Rose Gastropub opposite. In its previous incarnation, the Restaurant was a William Hill betting shop for over 30 years, so as everyone says to the owners, "I hope your gamble has paid off!" The chef worked formally in Basque Restaurant Lurra, and the team carver was from Restaurant Brindisa, so they have some of the best food. On a sunny Tuesday evening, we went when most of the customers were eat

Pamplona/Iruña is the historical capital of Navarre/Navara in the former Kingdom of Navarre. It was a medieval Basque kingdom until Castile annexed it in the 16th century. The city is famous worldwide for the running of the bulls during the San Fermín festival, which is held annually from July 6 to 14. This festival was brought to literary renown with the 1926 publication of Ernest Hemingway's novel, The Sun Also Rises. We stayed at, CASA OTANO BAR RESTAURANTE Bajo, Calle de

12 TAPAS Michelin Bib Gourmand The menu at this great little spot, recently awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand, is not very extensive, but the quality is outstanding. The tapas here are reinterpretations of traditional dishes like migas, aioli shrimp montadito, and salmorejo, but with a thoroughly modern touch. We had the 8-course Menú Degustacíon at €35 per person. Foie al Palo Cortado sobre torta de anís y naranja amarga (foie with Palo Cortado on aniseed and bitter orange

TABERNA LA SORPRESA On a short trip to Cádiz, we stopped at Taberna La Sorpresa for a few tapas and a glass of the local sherry wine. This Taberna is a very underrated hidden gem. It is quite particular in that the tapas and platos here highlight fresh fish rather than the mainly fried seafood found in other parts of Cádiz. Go here once you have had enough fried food and want to try something unique to the area. We started with a couple of copas of manzanilla, followed by sar

PALOCORTADO This excellent restaurant is situated outside of the crowded old town area of bars and restaurants and is well worth a visit. We arrived early for Andalucía at 8.15 pm, and it was empty, but when we left at 10.15 pm, it was full to bursting, as is the way in Málaga. It is an excellent spot for an aperitivo; we had a fabulous palocortado cocktail to begin the evening. There is also a superb wine list. Once settled in, we began our meal with G azpachuelo cremoso

EL GATO NEGRO TAPAS Michelin Bib Gourmand Simon Shaw opened El Gato Negro Tapas in an empty former pub in Ripponden in 2005. With a view to good luck and a nod to a favourite old shop in Madrid, he named it El Gato Negro (Spanish for the black cat). Strangely, it later transpired that the pub had been called the Black Cat many years before. El Gato Negro's move from the Pennine village of Ripponden to Manchester has proved a great success story. Simon, whose love of Spanis

LA AZOTEA Michelin Plate IIO UPDATED DECEMBER 2024 The branch in this review is now closed , but they do have two similar, excellent branches here. LA AZOTEA Calle Conde de Barajas 13, 41002 Sevilla +34 955 11 67 48 www.laazoteasevilla.com/es LA AZOTEA VINOS & TAPAS Calle Mateos Gago, 8, 41004 Sevilla, Spain +34 955 69 78 88 www.laazoteasevilla.es @AzoteaSevilla This is a review of the previous venue. A cosy and intimate tapas bar and restaurant just a five-minute walk

RESTAURANTE EL CAMPERO Michelin Plate IIO Barbate, a rather scruffy fishing village on the southern coast of Spain near Cádiz, has been catching bluefin tuna using the same methods for over 3,000 years. This traditional method, almadraba, is famous throughout Spain for catching the country's most popular tuna. The almadraba season runs from May to June. Small fishing boats attached to giant round nets float in an ever-widening circle in the narrow Strait of Gibraltar betw