Eating in Granada is half the reason to come. You eat well, you eat cheap and you eat with the Alhambra in the background, and I’m not just saying that because I’m from here: anyone who has spent an afternoon going bar to bar will tell you the same. Here’s what to eat as a local: the dishes you have to try, how the famous free tapa really works, where to go for tapas, where to eat on a budget and the spots with a view. Each topic has its own guide, and from here I’ll point you to the one you need.
Eating in Granada, at a glance
- The local dishes you should try (I list them right here).
- How the free tapa works and why you barely need dinner.
- Where to go for tapas: the bars and the good areas.
- Eating cheap without eating badly.
- Sit-down restaurants for a proper meal.
- Where to have breakfast and where to have dinner.
- Eating with a view of the Alhambra.
What to eat in Granada: the local dishes
If you want to eat like a local, note down this list. These are the dishes we order here, not the ones on the tourist menu:
- Habas con jamón (broad beans with ham): the star spring tapa, made with the tender beans from the vega. If you come between March and May, don’t leave without trying it.
- Plato alpujarreño: fried egg, pork loin, black pudding, sausage and poor man’s potatoes. It comes from the Alpujarra and it’s for when you’re really hungry.
- Remojón granadino: a salad of orange, salt cod, olives and boiled egg. Sounds odd, tastes great, especially in winter when the oranges are at their best.
- Tortilla del Sacromonte: the most old-school one, with brains and offal. I won’t say more, try it and then we’ll talk.
- Olla de San Antón: the winter stew, with dried beans, fennel and cured pork. Eaten above all in January, around San Antón.
- Choto al ajillo: young kid goat fried with plenty of garlic. One of my favourite hearty dishes.
- Fish from the Costa Tropical: Granada has a coast, and Motril and Almuñécar send up prawns, anchovies and fresh fish that make a wonderful tapa in the centre.
- Piononos from Santa Fe: the sweet I always finish with. A little bite of syrup-soaked sponge with toasted cream, from Santa Fe, just outside Granada.
For bread, look for pan de Alfacar, which even has its own quality mark. And in summer, the custard apple and avocado from the coast, grown right next door and unlike anywhere else.
The free tapa: how it really works
Yes, it’s true and it’s not a myth: you order a drink and they bring you a tapa at no extra cost. In most places you don’t choose, they decide, and it tends to get better as you order the second and third. It’s the most local (and cheapest) way to have dinner: you go from bar to bar and sort out your evening one tapa at a time.
My advice: don’t stay in the first bar, the whole point is to keep moving. I tell you everything (which areas, what to order and where the tapa is one of the good ones) in the guide to tapas in Granada.
Where to go for tapas: the best bars
Granada is full of bars, but not all of them are worth the same. The areas where I’d go for tapas without a second thought: Calle Navas (the best known, packed but good), Calle Elvira and around, the Realejo (my favourite) and the Pescadería. That’s where you’ll find the old-school counters where the tapa is still generous.
The specific bars worth your time, with what to order in each, are in the guide to the best tapas bars in Granada.
Eating cheap without eating badly
Beyond the tapas, Granada is one of the cities where you eat best for the least money. Full set lunch menus, sharing plates and neighbourhood spots where you eat like at home. You don’t need to spend a fortune to eat well here. I go through it street by street in the guide to cheap eats in Granada.
For a sit-down meal: restaurants
When you want a table and tablecloth instead of going bar to bar, there are good places too, and not only in the centre. I’ve put together a selection by area (centre, Albaicín, Realejo), with specific spots for every budget, in the guide to where to eat in Granada. And if the plan is an evening out, I have a separate one on where to have dinner in Granada: what time people eat here, dinner as tapas, with a view or on a budget.
Where to have breakfast
The classic Granada breakfast is toast with olive oil and tomato (or with ham) and a coffee, on a sunny terrace. And if you fancy a treat, freshly made churros. My spots to start the day right are in the guide to where to have breakfast in Granada.
Eating with a view of the Alhambra
Eating while looking at the Alhambra is one of those things that only happen in Granada. In the Albaicín there are cármenes with a terrace and the postcard right in front: Mirador de Morayma and El Huerto de Juan Ranas (just below the San Nicolás viewpoint) are two classics. They cost a bit more and you’ll want to book ahead, but for a special occasion they’re worth it. More spots with a view in the guide to the best viewpoints in Granada.
A local’s tips for eating well
- Avoid the terraces with huge photos of the menu and a waiter at the door calling you in. Almost always a bad sign.
- Where you see locals eating, walk straight in.
- For sit-down restaurants (not the tapas ones), book ahead: they fill up at weekends and in high season.
And if you’re here to eat, you’re here to see the city: take a look at what to see in Granada and where to stay to have it all to hand.
Frequently asked questions
Which typical Granada dish should I try?
If you only try one, the plato alpujarreño. And for something sweet, a pionono from Santa Fe. Habas con jamón if you come in spring, and remojón granadino in winter.
Are tapas really free in Granada?
Yes. You order a drink and they bring you a tapa at no cost. In most bars you don’t choose it, they decide, and it usually gets better with each round.
Which area is best for tapas?
Calle Navas is the most famous, but you’ll also eat very well around Elvira, the Realejo and the Pescadería. The trick is to keep moving from bar to bar.
Can you eat cheap in Granada?
Very cheap. Between the free tapa and the set lunch menus, it’s one of the cities in Spain where you eat best for less.
Do you need to book to eat in Granada?
Not for tapas, you just wander in and out of the bars. For sit-down restaurants it’s worth it, especially at weekends and in high season.