Spain's long and varied history has a lot of influences on its cuisine and it is replete with thousands of flavours and recipes.

Check out our Spain Restaurant Guide below for some great Spanish food and cuisine information. Follow the link to our Malaga Restaurant Guide for some great Malaga local cuisine detail, along with a listing of some of the best Spanish restaurants in the region. Grabbing a quick bite to eat during your Spain shopping spree is easy as restaurants, cafes and bars are often found around Spain's shopping mecca's.

Food & Cuisine in Spain

Cataluna has the reputation of being a gastronomically unique region of Spain. The Catalan cuisine is very creative with sea food, as is seen in a dish called mixed seafood zarzuela which is basically a mixed seafood stew. Poultry and meats are also combined with local fruits.

Valencia is located in the tidal flatlands. Here rice is cooked in different styles. Paella is the most famous dish of this region. Andalucia is located in the south and is an arid and parched region and the climate suits the growth of olive trees and grape vines. Gazpacho, a cold tomato based raw vegetable soup originates from this region.

Tapas

Tapas are appetisers and are used as an accompaniment to alcoholic drinks. This is widely found in Spanish bars. Most bars offer a wide variety of tapas, while some offer just one kind of tapas (such as sea food based). There is a Spanish custom where you go to a bar and have one type of tapa along with a small drink. You then go to the next bar and repeat it with another type of tapa.

Seafood

Since Spain is on the sea coast, fresh seafood is available in plenty and is quite affordable. Spain has maintained a high quality of free range animals and hence the meat products are also of very good quality making them a fine choice while eating out in Spain.

Soups

There are a limited number of soups in restaurants in Spain, but you are bound to get Gazpacho in the menu. Water is served only on request and is usually charged for, unless it is included in your menu del dia or the menu of the day.

Tipping and VAT

Usually service charges are not included in the bill at Spanish restaurants. You can, however, make a small tip and increase it if you wish to do so. The statement ‘VAT is not included' in some restaurants is often a common trick. This is true of mid-budget restaurants which levy a 7% VAT on your bill. Do check if VAT is included in the price list of the menu card (IVA in Spanish).

Menú del día

Several eating places offer the ‘menu del dia' or menu of the day, which is perhaps the most economical way of eating out in Spain. Here the mid-day meal is offered at a fixed price and either wine or water is included in the menu.

Spanish cuisine

Some of the well known Spanish dishes include Paella which originates from the Mediterranean area; Pescaito frito is a delicious fried fish; Mariscos is a dish made from shellfish; and Gambos al ajillo is a dish made from prawns and cooked with garlic and chilli.

Paella by itself comes in different variations and uses either chicken, seafood, rabbit or any other type of meat. Tortilla de patatas is a Spanish egg omelette with potatoes and is perhaps the most popular dish amongst the Spanish people.

You can also find Spanish restaurants serving international cuisine in most cities and these include Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese, etc. In the last few years there has been an increase in Japanese restaurants and Irish pubs.

Tea and Coffee

If there is one thing that Spanish are passionate about, it is the quality, strength and taste of their coffee. You are bound to find freshly brewed coffee almost everywhere. There are various preparations of coffee. Solo coffee is basically pure espresso and is served without any milk. The type of coffee served depends on the amount of milk added. Cortado is solo with a just a dash of milk; con lece is solo with added milk; and manchado is solo with plenty of milk - quite reminiscent of the French café au lait. If you order for caffee latte you may get a coffee with much less milk than you are used to, but it's quite alright to ask for more milk.

Alcohol

You can try the Spanish beer which is not bad at all. The popular brands of beer include San Miguel, Ambar, Mahou, Cruzcampo, Keller, and Estrella Galicia. Cava is a Spanish sparkling wine and nearly 99% of the wine is produced in areas around Barcelona. You can find cider in Asturias, Galicia and the Basque Country. The famous sherry is made in a place called Jerez and has a content of alcohol. Another interesting drink is Sangria, which is made from wine and fruits. Very simple wines are used for this preparation.

Spain has always had a great wine making tradition. Nearly 22% of Europe's wine growing areas are found in Spain. However, wine production is only half of what France produces. The most well known wines come from the Rioja region. A lesser known but an important wine producing region is Ribera del Duero.