Tapas are less a type of food than a way of eating: small plates shared with friends, often while moving from bar to bar in the early evening. Spain's Mediterranean diet, which tapas culture reflects, is recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage. This guide explains how tapas work in different parts of Spain, the classic dishes to order, and the etiquette that will make you look like a local.

What exactly is a tapa?

A tapa is a small portion of food served with a drink. Popular stories say the word comes from "tapar", to cover, because bartenders once placed a slice of bread or ham over a glass to keep out flies, but historians treat this as legend. In practice, tapas can be anything from a bowl of olives to a slice of tortilla or a small plate of stewed meat. Larger portions are called raciones (a full plate to share) or media raciones (half plates).

How tapas work in different regions

  • Free tapas: in Granada, Jaén, Almería, León and some other cities, a free tapa still comes with every drink you order, often getting more generous with each round. This is the tradition many visitors hope to find.
  • Pintxos in the Basque Country: in San Sebastián and Bilbao, bars line their counters with pintxos — small bites, often on bread and held with a toothpick. You help yourself or order hot pintxos from a board; traditionally, the toothpicks are counted to calculate the bill.
  • Paid tapas elsewhere: in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville and most of Spain, tapas are ordered and paid for, typically €2 to €6 each, although a small snack often still comes with a drink.

Classic tapas to try

  • Tortilla española: a thick potato and egg omelette, with or without onion — a subject of fierce national debate.
  • Patatas bravas: fried potatoes with a spicy tomato-based sauce, sometimes with aioli.
  • Jamón ibérico: cured ham from Iberian pigs; the finest, "de bellota", comes from acorn-fed pigs in the dehesa woodlands of the southwest. Look for the colour-coded labels set under Spain's official quality standard for Iberian products.
  • Gambas al ajillo: prawns sizzled in olive oil with garlic and chilli, served in a small earthenware dish.
  • Pimientos de Padrón: small green peppers from Galicia, fried and salted; most are mild, but occasionally one is fiery.
  • Croquetas: creamy béchamel croquettes with ham, chicken, cod or mushrooms.
  • Pulpo a la gallega: Galician octopus boiled and sliced, dressed with olive oil, paprika and sea salt.
  • Boquerones en vinagre: fresh anchovies marinated in vinegar, garlic and parsley.
  • Albóndigas: meatballs in tomato or almond sauce.
  • Pan con tomate (pa amb tomàquet in Catalan): toasted bread rubbed with ripe tomato, garlic and olive oil.
  • Manchego cheese: sheep's milk cheese from La Mancha, a protected designation of origin.

Regional specialities

  • Andalusia: fried fish (pescaíto frito) in Málaga and Cádiz, salmorejo (a thick cold tomato soup) in Córdoba, and sherry from Jerez.
  • Madrid: bocadillo de calamares (fried squid sandwich), callos (tripe stew) and oreja a la plancha (grilled pig's ear).
  • Catalonia: esqueixada (salt cod salad), bombas (meat-stuffed potato croquettes, from Barcelona's Barceloneta) and cava.
  • Galicia: seafood, octopus, Padrón peppers and Albariño wine.
  • The Basque Country: gildas (skewers of olive, anchovy and pickled chilli), txangurro (spider crab) and cider houses.

What to drink

Tapas are usually accompanied by a small beer (caña), a glass of wine (un vino), vermouth (vermut) at weekend lunchtime, or sherry in Andalusia. In Asturias and the Basque Country, cider is poured from a height to aerate it. Sangría is mainly a tourist drink; locals are more likely to order tinto de verano, red wine with lemon soda.

When to go

Spaniards eat late. Lunch is typically 2pm to 4pm, and dinner rarely starts before 9pm, later in summer and in the south. "Tapeo" — the tapas crawl — often happens between 8pm and 11pm, or on weekend afternoons. Arriving at a bar at 6pm, you may find it empty; by 10pm, it will be packed.

Tapas etiquette

  • Stand at the bar: it is often cheaper than sitting at a table or on the terrace, and it's where the atmosphere is.
  • Order a little at a time, then move on to the next bar. The point is variety.
  • Call the waiter politely with "perdona" and ask for the bill with "la cuenta, por favor".
  • Tipping is modest: rounding up or leaving small change is normal; 10% is generous for a meal.
  • Paper napkins on the floor were once a sign of a popular bar, but most places now provide bins.

Sweets and sobremesa

Tapas meals rarely end with dessert at the bar, but if you sit down, try crema catalana, flan, tarta de Santiago (almond cake from Galicia) or churros with thick hot chocolate. After eating, Spaniards linger at the table for the "sobremesa", the unhurried conversation that follows a meal, which is considered as important as the food itself.

Where to find the best tapas

Granada is the free-tapas capital. San Sebastián's old town has one of the highest concentrations of acclaimed pintxos bars in the world. Madrid's La Latina neighbourhood, especially Calle Cava Baja, is a classic Sunday tapas crawl. Seville's Triana and Santa Cruz areas are full of traditional bars, and Logroño's Calle Laurel in La Rioja combines tapas with the region's wines. Spain's official tourism portal publishes gastronomy routes for each region.

Vegetarian and allergy tips

Traditional tapas bars lean heavily on ham, seafood and cheese, but vegetarian options are easy to find: tortilla, patatas bravas, pimientos de Padrón, pan con tomate, espinacas con garbanzos (spinach with chickpeas) in Seville, and grilled vegetables. Note that some vegetable dishes are cooked with ham or meat stock, so ask "¿lleva carne o jamón?" (does it contain meat or ham?). Allergen information is legally required to be available in EU restaurants, so staff should be able to tell you about gluten, nuts and shellfish.

Tapas at home

Tapas make easy entertaining: a Spanish omelette, a plate of good ham and cheese, marinated olives, garlic prawns and pan con tomate will feed a group. Use good olive oil — Spain is the world's largest producer — and serve everything to share. If you are planning a longer stay in Spain, see our Spain country guide for living costs and visas.