22 Best Restaurants in Andalusia, Spain

Opposite the city hall, this busy restaurant with swift service has pleasant outdoor seating under orange trees and a modern interior with low lighting. Albores serves innovative, modern dishes with a traditional base. The menu is extensive and changes often, although must-try staples include barriga de atún con salsa de soja y mermelada de tomate (tuna belly with soy sauce and tomato jam) and Retinta beef. Don't miss the crême brûlée with white chocolate and paired sweet wine.

A block east of the Plaza del Potro, this traditional old bodega with high-quality service is the epitome of all that's great about Andalusian cuisine. The dining rooms are in barrel-heavy rustic rooms and leafy traditional patios (take a look at some of the signed barrels—you may recognize a name or two, such as the former U.K. prime minister Tony Blair). Magnificent vintage flamenco posters decorate the walls. Regional dishes include solomillo del Valle de los Pedroches dos salsas y patatas a lo pobre (local pork with two sauces—green and sherry—and creamy potatoes) and pâté de perdiz (partridge pâté) with Pedro Ximénez wine. Vegetables come from the restaurant's own market garden, and it makes its own Montilla. There's also an excellent tapas bar (from €3.50).

Located southeast of Granada's cathedral, this modern hot spot is a world apart from Granada's usual traditional tapas bar. It attracts an eclectic crowd of students, families, and businesspeople with a diverse international menu, including Mexican fajitas, poke bowls, and Thai cod. The good-value lunch menu offers three courses plus a drink for €14. Seating is outside on the pleasant sidewalk overlooking the Botanical Garden or inside in two sizeable dining areas.

Tucked away in the warren of alleyways in a restored Albayzín villa, this lovely restaurant offers what may be the best food in the area. There's a formal dining room, an outside garden with pear and quince trees, and a roof terrace with Alhambra views. House specialties include arroz con jabalí y setas silvestres (rice with wild boar and mushrooms) and arroz negro con habas y chipirones con alioli de genjibre (black rice with broad beans, baby squid, and ginger aioli). Try the tasting menu that has a wine-pairing option. The owner welcomes diners personally and keeps a very close eye on the kitchen.

A block from the cathedral across Gran Vía, this is a delightfully typical Granada bodega with low ceilings and dark wood furniture. In addition to the wines, specialties here are plates of cheese, pâté, and embutidos (cold meats). You can also order a bandeja tradicional that comes with a taste of all traditional Spanish tapas. If you like garlic, don't miss the Spanish tortilla with creamy aioli.

Meals here—one of Úbeda's top restaurants—are served in a train-carriage interior decorated with railway memorabilia, while tapas reign at an outside terrace and at the bar. This distinctive eatery serves tasting menus and always has a guiso del día (stew of the day) as well as creative dishes like milhojas de cordero con boniato (lamb millefeuille with sweet potato). There's also an olive oil tasting menu (€5 per person). 

In the heart of the Judería, this pretty little restaurant serves a modern interpretation of Sephardic cuisine—with organic dishes that are more exotic than the usual Andalusian fare—and a kosher menu. The many vegetarian options include gazpacho with mango and artichoke hearts in saffron sauce; and the siniya (trout baked in vine leaves with pomegranate and mint) is delicious. Try a bottle of kosher wine, and for dessert consider the rose or violet ice cream. The romantic atmosphere is compounded by two violinists playing Sephardic music on the patio on weekends.

Tucked away on the riverfront in Triana next to Puente del Cristo de la Expiración, this modern venue advocates local produce in traditional Andalusian recipes, showcased in a menu that changes on a weekly basis, along with a long wine list of Andalusian wines. The long narrow interior has striking wood-paneled walls with a verdant vertical garden in the middle, while outside dining takes in panoramic views of the river on the intimate terrace.

The name suggests grilled meat, but this restaurant in the heart of the Judería serves much more. In the colorful bar try tapas (from €3.50) such as the berenjenas crujientes con salmorejo (crispy fried eggplant slices with thick gazpacho), while in the restaurant opt for the supremely fresh grilled fish or the steak, which is the best in town, particularly the namesake churrasco ibérico (grilled Iberian pork, served here in a spicy tomato-based sauce). There's alfresco dining on the inner patio or upper-floor terrace when it's warm outside—also the season to try another specialty: gazpacho blanco de piñones con manzanas y pasas (a white gazpacho made with pine nuts, apple, and raisins). Save some room for the leche frita con helado de canela (creamy dessert with cinnamon ice cream).

Eclectic decor and innovative food are on offer at this cozy venue off Plaza Nueva whose chef, Nuria de la Torre, won the local Culinary Masters competition in 2021. Her menu takes seasonal ingredients as its base while dishes combine local staples with unusual partners. The lasagna has a venison base, asparagus partners with smoked sardines, and Iberian pork steak comes with piquant Canary Island mojo picón sauce. The short but sweet dessert menu includes pineapple infused with ginger and cured goat’s cheesecake, plus a daily special. LP vinyls serve as placemats, the menu sits tucked inside Asterix albums, and corks line the walls checkered with cookbooks and Granada memorabilia. Book ahead for a guaranteed table.

With a privileged spot a block north from the Cathedral, this central restaurant offers two dining spaces: the traditional inside patio, where wood, mirrors, and tasteful lighting create an intimate but airy space; or the pleasant terrace outside. The cuisine combines Andalusian dishes with a modern touch, with menu items such as bloody gazpacho, Idiázabal blue cheese risotto, and red tuna tartare. The baked cheesecake is a favorite dessert.

It feels as if you could be outside at this bright venue on the river whose fresh interior comes with miniature wall gardens—there's even an herb garden in the middle. Local produce takes center stage on the short menu, where you'll find a mix of traditional and modern dishes including house specials such as wild sea bass ceviche, suckling pig, and cream of lemon. The wine list is good and the by-the-glass selection runs particularly long. Service from the young staff comes with a smile.

The downstairs bar here serves simple tapas, but it's the upstairs restaurant that makes it worth a visit. The rustic dining room is decorated with wall paintings and hunting trophies, and the kitchen serves regional produce and dishes---try the pimiento de piquillo relleno de jabalí y gurumelos (wild boar and a type of mushroom stuffed red pepper ), lomo de jabalí (boar tenderloin), or the outstanding ham; chestnut stew is the standout for dessert. Vegetarian and organic menus are available.

The interior may look a bit bare, but whatever this fish restaurant lacks in warmth it makes up for with the food. It serves simple but high-quality dishes like grilled mullet, dorado baked in salt, prawns with garlic, and monkfish in saffron sauce. The tapas bar, which is more popular with locals than the dining room, offers classic dishes (from €1.50) like migas (fried bread crumbs), beans with jamón serrano (dry-cured Spanish ham), and tortilla del Sacromonte (tortilla with lamb testicles and brains, as traditionally prepared by the Sacromonte Gypsies). Service is friendly.

Located next to the cathedral, this is one of the best restaurants in town, known for its barbecue and roasted dishes. If you’re not too hungry, enjoy tapas in the bar. For a full meal, move into the formal restaurant or, better still, when it’s warm enough, outside on the pleasant terrace.

Named for the father of modern bullfighting, this restaurant opposite the bullring is packed with bullfight paraphernalia and photos of previous diners who include Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles. Mounted bulls' heads peer down at you as you eat choricitos al vino blanco de Ronda (small sausages in Ronda white wine), rabo de toro Pedro Romero (slow-cooked oxtail stew with herbs), or pâté de perdiz (partridge).

This bar and restaurant, just off Plaza Nueva, is in a 17th-century palace with a stunning patio (complete with original marble columns) and peaceful garden. The menu emphasizes meat dishes such as chuletas de cordero (lamb chops) and the house specialty, braised rabo de toro and giant croquettes known as croquetón. Eat in the lovely downstairs patio or in the elegant restaurant upstairs.

A charming surprise nestled at the foot of the Albayzín by the Darro, this sleek contemporary space in the shadow of the Alhambra offers a selection of specialties. The diverse menu includes tuna tataki (a method of pounding fish in Japanese cuisine) with apple chutney and several different couscous dishes. There are also three tasting menus (from €30). Steel furniture and a black-and-red color scheme contribute to the air of sophistication. The kitchen is open from 1 to 11 pm, or until midnight during the summer.

In the heart of Santa Cruz is one of Seville's surprises—an Italian restaurant in a 12th-century Arab bathhouse where original features such as bath vaults studded with star shapes blend with modern design and fountains provide a soothing backdrop. Specialties include a range of interesting salads, creamy cheese ravioli al pesto, and roasted leg of lamb, and there's an extensive choice of homemade desserts. Service, led by owner Angelo Ramacciotti, is excellent, and many clients are regulars.

Located one block from the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, this small bar has the best position on the leafy square and the pleasant outside terrace is the best place to enjoy the tapas. Despite the tiny kitchen, the menu stretches long and includes glazed artichokes, red tuna tartare, and Iberian pork cuts. There's an impressive wine list, too.

This restaurant is slightly off the beaten track but well worth seeking out for traditional Jerez cuisine in a pleasant lively setting. Choose tapas in the bar or à la carte in the spacious and airy dining rooms. The menu comes with a long list of fresh fish and seafood dishes, but specials are local stews. Try the berza jerezana (chickpea stew with chorizo) or papas con choco (potatoes with cuttlefish), the ultimate lunchtime comfort food. Always leave room for the homemade custard (tocino de cielo).