23 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, starring local produce, 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).

Run by the same family for more than 50 years and lavishly decorated in the colorful tiles that pay tribute to the neighborhood's potters, Las Golondrinas is a fixture of Triana life. The staff never change, and neither does the menu—the recipes for the punta de solomillo (sliced sirloin), chipirones (fried baby squid), and champiñones con alioli (garlicky mushrooms) have been honed to perfection, and they're served as tapas (from €3.50) or raciones (shareable portions) that keep everyone happy.

Meals here 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 two tasting menus (from €37; prebooking only) 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 choose the orange ice cream. Two tasting menus (€80 or €95 for two) are also available. 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 sharing plates (from €5) 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).

Chef Nuria de la Torre's menu combines local staples with unusual partners. The lasagna has a venison base, asparagus pairs 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 the sights of the Judería on the doorstep, this is a good central spot for a quick bite in a typical Córdoba patio setting that's particularly pretty at night. Tapas and sharing plates make up the menu, where star turns come from the magret de pato (duck breast) and bacalao al carbón (chargrilled cod).

Not too far from the Giralda, this family-run restaurant has been making a name for itself with fresh fish dishes for more than two decades. The owners hail from Sanlúcar de Barrameda downriver, and the ingredients come from their hometown and always include swordfish, sea bass, and anchovies. House specials are the sopa de galeras (garlic soup with shrimp), alcachofas con gulas (artichokes with eels), and stuffed squid. There's also a daily stew dish, usually fish-based. Eat inside at the slightly prim tables in one of the dining rooms, outside on the more informal but tiny street terrace, or perch at the bar for a tapa or two (from €3.50).

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, salmorejo with tomato ice cream, 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.

One of the more sophisticated establishments on Plaza Bibrambla, this restaurant champions Andalusian produce, with the emphasis on seasonal and local goods. They include Pajuna cattle beef and pink tomatoes, in recipes taking the Mediterranean as their theme. You dine under the original wooden beams on comfy moss-green armchairs. The kitchen is open from 1 to 11 pm, and booking is advisable.   

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 €2.50) 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 perdices estofados (braised 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.

Local cooking meets Moroccan cuisine in one of the best fusion menus in the province at this venue with small dining spaces and an Arabian theme. White prawns, tuna croquettes (fig and goat cheese salad), and wild boar with quince sit perfectly next to pastela (game pie), lamb tajine, and chicken dishes. Make your dessert Moroccan with mint tea and traditional sweets. 

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 Spanish omelet with yellow chili, char-grilled avocado with fresh tuna, and grilled meats. There's also an extensive rice menu, including a vegetarian paella. The outermost tables on the terrace have stunning views of the Alhambra and its foothills, particularly at night. 

This cozy restaurant offers an excellent selection of fish and meat dishes. It's renowned for its Almadraba tuna (traditionally hand-lined and caught in Zahara de los Atunes on the Cádiz coast) cooked any which way and always delicious. Particular highlights are the tataki and cured tuna on toast. Other must-tries include the seaweed croquettes with an oloroso sherry sauce, squid burgers with a miso sauce, and the black pudding and pine nut samosas. There’s also an excellent range of rice dishes including the house special, risotto de ortiguillas (sea anemone). Sit inside in the cozy dining room under the signature tuna lamps or outside on the pleasant shady terrace. 

Located one block from the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, this small bar has the best position on the leafy square and a pleasant outside terrace. Despite the tiny kitchen, the menu stretches long and includes glazed artichokes, red tuna tartare, and Iberian pork cuts.

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 or papas con choco (potatoes with cuttlefish), the ultimate lunchtime comfort food. Always leave room for the tocino de cielo (homemade custard ).