O CURRO DA PARRA Santiago de Compostela, located in Galicia, northwest Spain, is a historic city famous as the final destination of the Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James) pilgrimage. Known for its stunning UNESCO-listed Old Town and Romanesque Cathedral, which houses the tomb of St. James, it is a major spiritual and cultural hub. O Curro da Parra is located in the old part of town in the historic city centre. It is very close to the old market, the Mercado de Abastos de

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 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 Spanish fo

CASA PUGA There is no more classic bar in all of Almería than this one. It is an old-style bar known for traditional Andalusian tapas steeped in history. It dates back to 1870, undoubtedly one of the oldest in Almería. Overloaded with ancient wine bottles on dusty shelves, tiled walls, a marble bar, an exposed iron grill, and hanging Jamónes, these are key parts of the decoration, as are the several non-stop waiters. All the tapas are excellent but straightforward. Try, Ques

CAFÉ BAR FLOTANTE The mythical Bar Flotante (floating bar) is set on the shore of the stunning Platja de Talamanca, just outside Eivissa (Ibiza Town). Along with its neighbour, Hostal Talamanca, it has been here since the 1960s. Serving locals and tourists alike. You will find nothing fancy here, nor do you need it. The service isn't great or fast, but if you're on vacation and not in a rush, you can enjoy the ambience for as long as you like. The food is basic but decent, w

SABOR One Michelin star Sabor, founded by Nieves Barragan and José Etura, is just off Regent Street in the little foodie enclave of Heddon Street. Sabor means flavour in Spanish. The restaurant has three distinct areas: the bar and counter on the ground floor, and El Asador on the first floor. The first two are walk-in only, and at El Asador, you need to book. Sabor was awarded One Michelin Star in 2018. We arrived at 7 pm on a Saturday and, after a short wait, were given

TABERNA LA NIÑA DEL PISTO This is one of our favourite bars/restaurants in the old town of Marbella. You will find it hidden, down a small, narrow pasaje (passageway), but you won’t if you don’t pay attention to where you are going. This authentic Andalusian tapas bar is always busy with locals and tourists alike and is reputedly the oldest tapas bar in the Marbella area. The bar area inside is very traditional, beautifully decorated, with many photos of bullfighting scenes

CAPOTE Y TOROS HAM & SHERRY BAR We returned to the little offspring of Cambio de Tercio, where you will find this lively little tapas bar specialising in sherry and Jamón and serving other delicious tapas. From the small menu, you can try: The wonderful 5J Cinco Jotas Jabugo Jamón Ibérico de Bellota. The patatas bravas here are served in all three of their restaurants and tapas bars. Tiny new potatoes are topped with a smooth tomato bravas sauce and a luscious dollop of spi

MANERO ALICANTE - MANERO MOLLÁ On our few-day trip to Alicante, we ate on a Monday evening at Bar Manero Alicante—Manero Mollá —which was quite busy for a Monday. This is an elegant and lively tapa bar in the middle of town, not just in style but also in food quality. The deli counter has carefully prepped plates of food above the beautiful mosaic floor. The tapas menu sticks to the standards but is thriving with every one of them. After sitting down, we had an appetiser.

TITAS GASTROBAR This is the second restaurant our friend Howard Goldsmith, who lives in the area, took us to. It was a completely different experience from the first one, which was very traditional, but both were very good in their own way. Titas gastrobar is in the old historic centre of Villena and serves tasty, well-presented food, whether you are vegan, vegetarian or carnivorous. There’s a real buzz about the place, with many locals sharing tapas at the bar. This gastrob

CAL PEP This place has been here since September 1989 and is as much a tapas bar as it is a restaurant. In fact, it is said to be “the best tapas bar in the world” and certainly one of the first of its type. The London restaurant Barrafina is supposedly based on the concept of Cal Pep. There are only twenty of the coveted seats at the bar, so to grab one, you need to queue on most days around twenty minutes before each service, which starts at 1 pm or 7.30 pm. There is also a