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Granada - Not only will you find interesting people, cool street art and gypsies living in caves, this is also the city of tapas! Despite having eaten out several times a day we ended up spending the least on food compared to any city we've gone to! The secret is that once you order any alcoholic drink, a meal (called 'tapas') will magically appear before you! Here you can read about other cool quirks and secrets of Granada.
Below is our list of favorite tapas bars in Granada focusing on where to get the most value for money. Enjoy!
1. Babel
Calle De Elvira, 40
Babel simply had to be first on our list. If you want traditional tapas though, this is not the place to go. If you on the other hand want awesome, mixed up, crazy weird tapas with inspiration from all over the world you will love this. Babel is our absolute favorite not only because of the cool tapas and great mojitos but also because it is a large and homey space. It is a great spot for working online too, as they have good WIFI and seating.
Tapas: Crazy flavors and colors. They seem to love to play with all the
flavor profiles e.g. Sweet/sour/spicy etc. Large portions.
Price: Good prices, especially for the great tapas. 2-3 EUR for most common drinks.
Atmosphere: Photos of people from all over the world is the theme of this busy tapas bar. The atmosphere is lively and vibrant and the place attracts a lot of young people, especially in the evenings.
2. Poë
Calle Verónica de la Magdelena, 40
This cozy little bar comes in second mostly thanks to great tapas and service. It is not an ultra budget option, but this place is definitely worth a visit. The tapas is not traditional but extremely interesting involving ingredients like pineapple, rabbit and other alternative flavors. The owner is British and is always up for a chat. Both him and his wife, who is the chef, are passionate and kind people giving the place an extra dash of hominess.
Tapas: Rustic and medium sized portions. Interesting ingredients
leaning towards a Spanish/British/Nordic flavor profile.
Price: Not the budget option but also not expensive. Good price for what you get.
2-3 EUR for most common drinks.
Atmosphere: Tucked down a side street Poë is a small ambient place with a few cozy couches and dimmed light. At night it can get crammed because everyone heard of this British treasure.
2x Tapas - Bar Reina Monica
3. Bar reina Monica
Calle Panaderos, 20
This hidden gem is not very famous or fancy. It is the ultimate budget option for Granada though! On a small street in the old city-part Albaicin we were lured into this place because of the large tapas buffet visible from the street. You get to choose two different tapas from the large buffet with every drink. The selection is very big but the quality is mediocre. If you chose wisely though, you can get a whole plate of good and filling food for less than 2 EUR. We came back every time we were really hungry (and tired of bagel sandwiches… I’ll get back to that later).
Tapas: Large selection and large portions. It is obvious that some of it has been sitting out for a while though, and the ingredients are not the best quality. They do have some amazing options though: our favorite was the deep fried French toast. And you get TWO tapas pr. Drink.
Price: Cheap. Especially considering the amount of tapas. This is one of the places where a ‘sangria’ is a tinto de verano with a lemon though (See funfacts post…) so don’t expect great drinks. Around 2 EUR for a basic drink.
Atmosphere: This big place has yellow paper table cloths and bad pictures on the walls. The mix of cave residents, locals and tourist costumers is interesting though, and the owner has a big smile.
4. Los Diamantes
Calle Navas, 26
This place is always mentioned in the top tapas choices for Granada and with good reason! Fresh fish is delivered here every day from Motril and the bar is famous for having the best seafood tapas in town – usually served as simple small plates of different types of fried fish. The place is crowded from the minute the doors open so be prepared to eat standing up. This is the real thing; the really traditional and local feeling of Granada. Watch out though: there are quite a few ‘los diamantes’ in Granada and the original is the one on Calle Navas. Bonus: Also the cheapest tapas we’ve found!
Tapas: smaller portions of amazing seafood
Price: Very cheap. We paid 1,2 EUR for a tinto de verano.
Atmosphere: Extremely crammed, but this actually adds to the charm of this place.
It feels truly authentic.
5. La Antigualla
Calle Elvira, 1
This is one of the most famous tapas bars in Granada. With two venues and a great location this cheesy looking tapas bar specializes in gigantic tapas. Don’t expect much; you will get a bagel sandwich and some fries both of medium quality, but it is a true full meal for the prize of a drink! Every budget travellers go-to.
Tapas: Big and bold fast-food type tapas, usually bagel sandwiches.
They’re actually really good though... the first 5 times you have them.
Price: Extremely cheap for what you get. A regular drink is around 2-3 EUR and for the price you get a full meal.
Atmosphere: With American pop playing in the background and flashy medieval décor this place easily comes off as cheesy but that is part of the experience.
2x Tapas - La Bella y la Bestia
6. La Bella y la Bestia
Carrera del Darro, 37
Reminding extremely much of La Antigualla this place is the other big budget go-to in Granada. The same rule applies; large portions at cheap prices but a cheesy atmosphere and mediocre quality.
Tapas: The bagel sandwiches here look exactly like they do at la Antigualla but we got a small pasta salad on the side as well. As if the portion wasn’t big enough already. Free food, yay!
Price: Around 2-3 EUR for a regular drink. Extreme good value for money though.
Atmosphere: If you hadn’t looked twice you would have mistaken the theme for the same medieval thing that Antigualla has going on but in fact Bella y Bestia has has "classic castle" for a theme. Still cheesy, still loud and still crowded though. A little more space than in Antigualla.
7. Hostal el Casabel
Calle Elvira, 114
This is not really a great tapas bar. It is cheap but it is not like you get a lot for your moneys worth. Pretty basic tapas. The one thing this place has is WIFI and opening hours! If you ever need a place to chill in the afternoon when everything is closed this little basement bar is a quiet and local place with a calm atmosphere. The perfect hole in the wall mostly overlooked although located on one of the most central streets. Please note: from the outside it looks like this tapas bar just doesn’t have a name, although looking into it it turns out to belong to a hostel. This is not evident from the street.
Tapas: Basic Spanish style. Smaller portions.
Price: Cheap 2-2,5 EUR for basic drinks, but also not worth more as the
accompanying tapas isn’t very noteworthy.
Atmosphere: Dark and ambient. The small bar is usually not very crowded
and it is full of cozy corners. Clients are usually locals hanging out over a drink.
8. Om Khalsoum
Calle Jardines, 17
I have never actually been to this tapas bar. I am determined to put it on the list though, since it is montioned absolutely everywhere. Ee really went out of our way to go there but they turned out to be closed for the summer for the month we were in Granada.
The reason it sounds so appealing is because of the very different tapas with Marrocain influence. It is said to be full every day be 8:45 that’s how famous it is. I walked by on a previous trip to Granada without knowing that it was a must to visit and I truly regret that! I am as so not in a position to rate this place but I want to advice all of your guys out there to not make the same mistake that I did and only walk by!
Ultimately cheapest tapas:
Make your own!
While Alex and I stayed in Granada we got served simple bread with olives / jamon / chorizo / Spanish tortilla as a tapa extremely often. This is after all the most traditional and easy kind of Spanish tapas there is.
Well, a whole baguette costs around 0,30 EUR in the grocery stores. A package of chorizo or jamon i 1 EUR. Basically you can make giant plates of really good tapas for yourself very cheaply!