53 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.

The recipient of a Michelin star annually since 2013 and maintaining the prized triple star since 2018, Ángel León showcases his creative seafood dishes in this unusual restaurant housed in an 18th-century tidal mill whose decor takes you under the sea with fishtail-back chairs and mermaids. Aponiente serves one tasting menu (€215 , wine pairing €100 extra), and you can expect plenty of gastronomic inventions such as pumpkin tacos with anchovy, cuttlefish with potatoes, and rice with plankton and sea cucumber.

Tables can be reserved only 1–2:15 for lunch and 8–9:15 for dinner, and only via the online booking form.

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).

Cádiz's most quintessentially Andalusian tavern is in the neighborhood of La Viña, named for the vineyard that once grew here. Chacina (Iberian ham or sausage) and chicharrones de Cádiz (cold pork) served on waxed paper and washed down with manzanilla (sherry from Sanlúcar de Barrameda) are standard fare at the low wooden counter that has served bullfighters and flamenco singers, as well as dignitaries from around the world, since 1953. The walls are covered with colorful posters and other memorabilia from the annual Carnival, flamenco shows, and ferias. A few hot dishes are available such as albóndigas (meatballs). This venue is popular, so join the line 30 minutes before opening or try its sister restaurant, Arte Puro, down the block at No. 55.

The city's most veteran Michelin-star restaurant (renewed annually since 2012), El Choco has renowned chef Kisko Garcia at the helm whipping up innovative dishes based on his 10 commandments to preserve good cooking. One of them is that taste always comes first, and that plays out well during a meal at this minimalist restaurant with charcoal-colored walls, glossy parquet floors, and dishes offering new sensations and amazing presentations. You start dinner in the entrance lounge and then move into the kitchen to watch a dish being prepared before you go to your table. Two tasting menus are available (from €120), with plenty of tasty creative surprises. Allow three hours for your meal. Take a cab; El Choco is outside the city center to the east and not easy to find.

The modern wood-paneled dining room and warm lighting form the perfect setting for the creative Andalusian cuisine cooked here by local chef Lola Marín, who learned her trade with some of Spain's top chefs, such as Martín Berasategui. The eight-course tasting menu changes weekly (cold and hot starters, fish, meat, and dessert), and you can opt for wine pairings.

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 codillo asado con salsa de manzanilla (roast pork with dry sherry). The owner welcomes diners personally and keeps a very close eye on the kitchen.

This eatery has a rustic atmosphere with arches, wooden beams, and a fireplace for winter nights. The chef has worked at several top restaurants, and his menu includes traditional grilled meats as well as innovative dishes such as gazpacho with carrots and sardines, and ham croquettes with a curry sauce. He also creates regular themed menus, often based on a sherry or a local winery. Try the menú de degustación (€75): five courses, each accompanied by a different type of sherry. Both the tapas menu and the wine list are excellent.

One of just two triple Michelin-starred venues in Andalusia, noor offers Andalusí cuisine in three tasting menus that explore the ingredients used before the discovery of the New World as well as the fusion of the New World ingredients into Spanish cooking. Local chef Paco Morales and team create in the open kitchen while diners sit at very modern tables under a dramatic Arabian nights ceiling. On arrival, guests wash their hands in orange water and sit for a tasting menu (from €170; wine pairing available). If you go for the full tasting menu, allow 3½ hours for your meal!  Book well ahead.

Offering dining in a dimly lit dining room or on the street-level terrace, this popular Argentinean-owned restaurant near the touristy alcázar has a menu full of surprises. All dishes—which come as tapas, half portions, or full portions (ideal for sharing)—are superb and sophisticated, especially the eggplant stew with tomato, goat cheese, and smoked salmon, and the pork with curried pumpkin and rocket. It can get very crowded and noisy, so it's not always an ideal place for a romantic meal for two.

Slightly off the beaten path but worth seeking, chef Julio Fernández's tasting menu takes you on a journey of the senses featuring seemingly ordinary local produce and traditional recipes elevated with unusual textures and preparations. The menu changes with the seasons, but always has nine dishes (€98) or 12 (€118) as well as extra-virgin-olive-oil menus. The long wine list includes local, Spanish, and international labels, and there are wine-pairing options. The place is relaxed and spacious, with fine crystal and freshly ironed linen on the tables. Booking is essential.

At this adventurous restaurant just off the main street, the chef prepares both Spanish classics, like white shrimp from Huelva and slow-roasted local lamb and goat, as well as innovative dishes like tartar de atún rojo con ajo blanco de kimchi (red tuna with garlic soup) and ensalada de helado de Olavidia (salad with award-winning local cheese). There are also plenty of roast meats. 

Traditional bars don't come more authentic than Bar Juanito, which has been serving local dishes for more than 70 years and pairs everything, of course, with sherry. You can eat standing at the bar or seated in the pleasant patio restaurant, where there's often live music on Saturday. You're spoiled for choice with a long list of tapas on the menu, but house specials are artichoke dishes (in season in early spring), meatballs in oloroso, and berza jerezana (stew made with Swiss chard, chickpeas, and pork).

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.

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 or the value menú del día (weekday lunch only; €14).

A couple of blocks west of the cathedral lies one of the city’s best-loved tapas venues, usually jam-packed with locals enjoying an aperitif. Established in 1939 and now in its third generation, the bar is most famous for its meat dishes including the pringá sandwich (slow-cooked pork, chorizo, and black pudding in a bun) and pork cheeks. Cod also stars on the menu—try the carpaccio or crispy fried—along with a good selection of vegetable dishes such as the local spinach with chickpeas. Be sure to order a plate of the house potatoes, marinated in garlic and made by the owner every morning. There’s an excellent choice of wines, and sherry lovers are in for a treat because the list runs long. A warm welcome and service with a smile come guaranteed.

If you fancy treating yourself to some of the best fish in town, head for this modern Michelin-star restaurant just down the road from the Palacio de la Condesa de Lebrija. Seasonal fish and seafood take center stage; you can see the catch of the day displayed in the window. The white-tiled venue has an open kitchen—choose barstool seating for the best view of the action. Look out for the daily specials—the marinated sardines are a must in summer—and staples such as swordfish on toast, shrimp tartare, or squid stuffed with pork or seafood. The wine list offers a good by-the-glass selection, and tasting menus with paired wines (from €110) are also available. For a budget-friendly alternative, head for La Barra de Cañabota two doors away at No. 5. Advance booking is essential.

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). 

Geared toward a tourist clientele, this place is always packed, noisy, and fun, and there is live Spanish guitar music on the roof terrace most summer nights. Antiques and some wonderful old oil paintings fill this three-floor labyrinth of rooms just around the corner from the mosque, near the Judería. A full selection of tapas (from €6) and house specialties includes cochinillo (crispy suckling pig) and the solidly traditional rabo de toro. The croquetas de jamón are reputedly the best in town. Bookings are taken only through the website.

True tradition (castizo itself) comes into its own at this busy venue serving regional dishes such as garbanzos con coles (cabbage with chickpeas) alongside more modern plates like the popular berenjena andalusí (eggplant with dried tomato and pistachios), plus daily fish specials and the rice dish of the day. The open kitchen gives you a frontline view of your meal in the making. Sit at the bar for tapas or at a table for larger dishes. Be sure to visit the domino-tiled bathroom.

The only restaurant with a Michelin star in the city has chef León Griffioen at the helm, placing local produce under the Dutch microscope and creating dishes themed around the history of Cádiz. With just eight tables in minimalist surroundings, the restaurant, decked in black and gray, offers a tasting menu (€105 for 10 dishes, €130 for 12; pairing options available) that comes with several surprises, including an "olive"—it's one explosion of flavor after another on vibrantly presented plates.

The lively Juda Levi Plaza, surrounded by a maze of narrow streets and squares, lies at the heart of the Judería and makes a great spot for indulging in a little people-watching and a well-earned break. Sit outside here with a drink or, better still, an ice cream, sandwich, or snack.

Around the corner from the cathedral, this is one of Granada's longest-established fish restaurants. Catch-of-the-day fish and shellfish, fresh from the boats at Motril, are displayed in the window at the front of the tapas bar, adjacent to the cozy wood-paneled dining room. Fish both frito (fried) and parrillado (grilled) are good choices, and this is the only place in Granada serving angulas (glass eels). If it's chilly, you can warm up with caldereta de arroz, pescado y marisco (rice, fish, and seafood stew). There are tables outdoors overlooking a busy plaza.

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).

Simply but tastily does it is the maxim here, one of the standout venues on the bustling restaurant strip. Julio and his chef have taken traditional recipes and fresh produce to create a menu combining local favorites (such as remojón granadino (cod and orange salad) and plato alpujarreño (meat, potatoes and egg) with Spanish classics like pulpo a la gallega (octopus) and croquettes. Dining is intimate, with fairy lights and trailing bougainvillea, and there’s a small outside terrace.

Founded in 1670, this lovely spot serves a classic selection of dishes, such as the pavía de bacalao (fried breaded cod), a superb salmorejo (a puree consisting of tomato and bread), and espinacas con garbanzos, all in generous portions. The views of Iglesia de Santa Catalina out the front window upstairs are unbeatable, and your bill is chalked up on the wooden counters as you go (tapas are attractively priced from €3). This is a big favorite with locals, so be prepared for the crowds.

Traditional Andalusian cuisine comes in generous portions (tapas and sharing plates) at this popular venue with a small terrace opposite the Basílica de Santa María. Stars on the menu include carrillada al oloroso (pork cheeks), bacalao con crema de guisantes (cod with pea puree), and arroz con leche (rice pudding). Fresh seafood, caught on the nearby Atlantic coast, also features in the daily specials.