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10 of Spain's best cities for food
Travelling to Spain? Our advice: arrive hungry. Home to 17 autonomous regions — and their diverse cookbooks — this isn't just a place where people eat well, but a country where food is at the very heart of daily life, informing community, tradition and identity. From the rich seafood bounty of the wild Atlantic coast to the sun-soaked olive groves of the peninsula's southernmost tip, Spain's natural larder is renowned worldwide. In celebrating it, the Spanish have made dining a ritual: an unhurried communion over clinking glasses and small plates loaded with saffron-packed paella, silken Iberico ham, glossy peppers and slabs of moreish manchego.
Serving up everything from famed temples of gastronomy to hip hole-in-the-wall joints, Spain's cities also have vibrant markets, such as Barcelona's legendary La Boqueria, where stalls are piled high with super-fresh regional produce in every colour of the rainbow. Lesser-known cities like Logroño, on the Camino de Santiago trail, reveal corner spots abuzz with the chatter of locals, the air thick with the aroma of chorizo simmering in cider.
Whether you're looking for a rustic restaurant in the Basque country or an avant-garde tasting menu in Madrid, you'll find something to fit the bill in our pick of Spain's best cities for food.
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Best for Basque country big hits
Wake up your senses at the Ribera market by the river (pictured). Any food lovers who mooch around the stalls gawping at the seafood and vegetables will get an idea of why Basque country cuisine is one of the best in the world. From elaborate pintxos in the lanes of the old town to gastrobars in Bilbao La Vieja, not to mention several Michelin-starred restaurants, the quality is outstanding. Order bacalao a la vizcaina — salt cod in a rich red pepper sauce — with a velvety Rioja Alavesa.
The old quarter's Bilder Boutique Hotel offers 39 elegantly pared-back rooms in what was a shoe shop for almost a century. Dine at restaurant La Palma, where Cantabrian crab salad and Idiazabal cheesecake are among the favourites on the menu.
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Best for Iberico ham tastings
The recipe for happiness? A glistening glass of fino sherry, a few olives and a platter of expertly carved Iberico ham at the counter of a traditional bar in Seville. What more could you want? Actually, quite a lot — there are so many tapas dishes to try in the city's bars that you may well never sit down to a meal during your stay. Start in pretty Santa Cruz, then wander over to the Arenal neighbourhood before crossing the Guadalquivir River to the tiled bars of Triana — and you are still only scratching the surface.
Recharge at Las Casas de la Juderia. Palatial but unstuffy, the hotel's 134 individually designed rooms are arranged across a labyrinthine complex of historic buildings, and there's a fantastic pool and spa.
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Best for old-school tapas bars
One of the stops on the Camino de Santiago, Logroño has built a reputation for itself as a centre for tapas. It's no surprise — around its historic centre there are some 50 hole-in-the-wall joints to try, many of them specialising in just one or two dishes. For variety, you'll have to hop from one place to another. An added attraction is that Logroño is the capital of the Rioja region, which means that bright, fruity reds and robust whites are cheap, abundant and very, very good. Calle del Laurel is at the centre of all this action and will be packed with visitors most evenings. Arrive after nine and make a night of it.
Stay at the Eurostars Fuerte Ruavieja. The hotel's classical façade conceals 54 modern rooms, and there's a sauna, gym and Turkish bath to enjoy between mealtime forays.
Best for cheese
Surrounded by rich, agricultural land, Oviedo is a medieval city at the heart of the often under-appreciated Asturias region. There are two celebrated products here. The first is cheese. More than 40 varieties are produced in the region but the most popular is Cabrales, a creamy blue cheese typically made from a combination of cow, sheep and goat's milk, and aged in the caves of the Picos de Europa. The drink of choice to go with it has to be sidra (cider). Unlike most ciders in the UK, this one is tart and flat, with the drink poured from great heights to aerate it before drinking. It's a flourish best admired in Oviedo's sidrerias, where you don't have to worry about splashing it all over yourself.
A National Monument, the five-star Eurostars Hotel de la Reconquista is steeped in history, and its grand interiors house an impressive set of Asturian artwork. The elegant vibe extends to the La Regenta restaurant, which promises traditional cuisine with avant-garde touches.
Best for reimagined Spanish classics
Madrid is the most dynamic city in Spain for eating and drinking, with a staggering number of restaurants. Roast suckling pig and the chickpea-based cocido madrileñostew are two regional favourites. Bocadillos de calamares (deep-fried squid rings in a roll) are a must too — always scoffed standing up at a busy bar with a beer. Get into the groove with a vermouth at noon in a tiled tavern behind the Plaza Mayor (pictured), then keep moving, with tapas in each place.
A former travellers' inn turned slick urban retreat, Posada del Leon de Oro is surrounded by tapas spots. Or there's its in-house restaurant for traditional dishes cooked with flair.
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Best for culinary diversity and cocktails
From old-fashioned taverns in the Gothic Quarter to sleek gourmet palaces in the Eixample, hip cafés in the Raval and the foodie strip along the Parallel, eating in Barcelona is always a cultural as well as a gastronomic experience. For paella and rice dishes, target the Barceloneta neighbourhood by the sea. Spend a morning in La Boqueria (pictured), the city's spectacular market, but don't just look; use all your senses and taste your way around — order a glass of cava at one of the bars and some artichokes with clams, escalivada (roast vegetables), and whatever is on the specials board. And don't miss the city's vibrant craft cocktail bars, many of which top lists of the world's best.
Splash out on a stay at the Gothic Quarter's Ohla Barcelona. Yes, the glass-sided swimming pool is spectacular, but it's the rooftop craft cocktails and Michelin-starred restaurant you're really here for.
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Best for pintxos and txakoli
With a number of Michelin-starred restaurants, elegant San Sebastian ranks among the top gastronomic destinations in the world. But if you're not ready to splash the cash, the city has another offering: its pintxos bars. Found on counters in the Parte Vieja (old town), these tapas-like finger foods are usually morsels of something delicious skewered onto a piece of bread using a toothpick. Each place has its speciality, maybe tempura prawns, slow-cooked beef in red wine or sweetbread ravioli. Cross the river for more gastrobars in Gros and try a glass of txakoli, the local white wine.
The old town's Hotel Atari makes a good base for gastronomic adventures. Its 28 rooms sport brick walls and contemporary floral wallpaper, while its bar and Amama restaurant are destinations in their own right.
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Best for paella in its birthplace
Valencia is the home of paella, so start down by the beach: install yourself at a terrace table and order a traditional paella Valenciana with chicken or rabbit, or a paella de marisco with seafood. Next, head to the exuberant central market, where stained-glass windows and mosaics adorn the ironwork structure, and stalls are piled high with produce from the market gardens around the city. Get a refreshing horchata (tiger nut milk) to drink as you walk around. Then, in the old fishing district of Cabanyal, seek out tiled bodegas that serve up sizzling prawns, bowls of mussels and the local michirones broad beans.
Relax at the centrally located Hospes Palau de la Mar, which occupies an elegant 19th-century residence. All 66 rooms and suites are sumptuous, as is the spa, and restaurant Ampar wows with its creative local cuisine.
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Best for sobrassada stops
The capital of Mallorca has quietly turned into a bit of a gastronomic hotspot. The island's top chefs have gravitated to the city to open gastrobars as well as elegant restaurants along the medieval lanes in the Sa Llotja and Sa Gerreria neighbourhoods. The fishermen's homes in Santa Catalina, behind the port, now house laid-back cafés with shady terraces. Try sobrassada, a soft pork and pimenton sausage, spread on bread with a glass of Mallorcan wine, and look out for tumbet — layers of potato, aubergine and peppers with a tomato sauce.
For a cosseting old town stay, try Es Princep. Set on the site of a medieval tannery, the 68-room hideaway boasts a buzzy rooftop space and the Michelin-starred Zaranda restaurant.
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Best for farm-to-fork fusion
This compact provincial capital showcases a dynamic mix of Moorish, Roman and rural Aragonese flavours. Lying in a valley in the foothills of the Pyrenees, 90 minutes' northeast of Madrid by train, the city's buoyant farm-to-fork scene is best epitomised by its speciality dish, ternasco (tender roast lamb). Get the lay of the land by browsing the fresh produce stalls at the 1895-designed Mercado Central (pictured), then head to the El Tubo tapas district to continue investigations. Bestsellers migas aragonesas (fried breadcrumbs with chorizo), bacalao ajoarriero (salt cod with peppers and garlic), and local ham jamón de Teruel taste even better when paired with a bold red made from the region's Somontano or Garnacha grapes.
The centrally located NH Collection Gran Hotel de Zaragoza was built in the 1920s, but is today characterised by a cool, contemporary design; restaurant La Ontina offers refined Aragonese dishes.
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