Tapas

Tapas are one of the best parts about Spain. You can get a full meal plus drink for under 3 Euro! I've been on a personal mission to find the BEST tapas in town and the BIGGEST in town. Mostly so that now I know all the best places to bring the family when they come. Here we go.

Tapas are different for every place you go. Sometimes they are cheaper if you order at the bar and sometimes they have outdoor seating with a different menu. Sometimes you can choose the tapa that you want and other places just have the house tapa that everyone gets. It's luck of the draw really, when you get to choose your tapa you can pick something you like, but usually the house tapas are a crowd pleaser. Also, customer service does not exist in Spain. Or anywhere in Europe really. You have to call over the waiter if you want a drink and you have to ask for the check. Sometimes we'll just sit waiting for 20 minutes until they decide to come over. It's super frustrating.

Best tapas- Still under discussion, but I definitely found the best area. It's actually right outside my door. We live near the college, so between classes all the college kids come out to get tapas which means cheap and good. The best croquetas, pizza, and fish are all in my area. Croquetas are a fried roll filled with usually ham, cheese, and mashed potatoes and I realize that sounds weird but they are so good! They kinda look like a mozzarella stick, but shorter and thicker.

However, there's another place near my plaza called D'Cuadros. You can choose your own tapa and while they aren't super big, they are way good. And most aren't fried so that's a refreshing change.

Croquetas again

I got an empanada, Anna got nachos

With two drinks we were pretty full. The food was great!

There's also these two restaurants called Casa Lopez and Poe. They both speak English as their owners are Swedish and English respectively, but they probably have the best tapas ever. They're pretty small portions and a little more expensive than normal, but they are to die for. Casa Lopez has this ginger beer and I paired it with their curry vegetables and oh my gosh. There are no words. Poe's owners create their own menu so it changes ever once in a while. They have the best spicy food in town, actually, probably the only spicy food since spaniards don't like spicy.

Poe's curry chicken and rice.

Ok now for the most tapas. I have found two that are just blow your mind big. Bella y la Bestía (Beauty and the Beast) was one of the first places Anna and I got tapas. They don't let you choose what you want, but for each drink, there's a new tapa.

The first one- sandwich, fries, AND pasta. It's not a real spanish meal if it's not straight carbs.

The other one is L'Antiguo. We didn't take a picture here but I wish we would have. They gave us a plate the size of a serving platter with a grilled ham and cheese, a mountain of fries, and fritos with ketchup and alioli sauce. Holy moly. We couldn't even order a second drink to see what the next tapa was. We just rolled ourselves home after that one.

Alioli sauce is called 'the poor man's ranch'. It's a white sauce made with mayo, a little mustard, lots of garlic, and of course oil. It's so good. And you can put it with everything- fries, meat, potatoes, croquetas, sandwiches...

Tapas in the 'other' category are the tea houses. We go for tea maybe once a week and if we go at the right time we get a free crépe!

It looks weird, but it's filled with chocolate. Go with it.

I have a running list of the best tapas, most tapas, best mojitos, best tea house, and best chocolate con churros so I'll keep you posted. My family is going to be spoiled with the best in town when they come! I'm also thinking of creating a 'go-to' sheet for them. I'm all for trying new things but if dad just points at something on the menu, he could end up with Morcilla- which is pig blood sausage. And it's exactly as gross as it sounds.