In this guide
💡 The Short Version: The bars named by the most of the 52 publishers counted are Los Diamantes (37), Bodegas Castañeda (32), Taberna La Tana (22), Los Manueles (21) and Bar Ávila (20). Los Diamantes takes no reservations, and its Calle Navas bar shuts from 16:00 to 20:00. La Riviera and Bar Poë let you choose the tapa. At Bodegas Castañeda the free tapa comes at the bar, not at a table. The tapa comes free with the drink: free tapas in Granada explains how. Or book a tour: the Walking Food Tour with a Full Mealad is from €71 and the Tapas Crawlad from €69 (GetYourGuide).
📊 The evidence behind this guide. Nothing here is ranked on one visit. This pass read the tapas and restaurant lists of 52 publishers, English-language and Spanish-language, and counts the publishers that name each bar. They include magazines and guides such as Condé Nast Traveller, National Geographic Travel, Lonely Planet and Esquire España, the newspaper Granada Hoy, and blogs such as Andalucía Lovers, Will Fly for Food and Spainist. Tripadvisor, TheFork and other review sites are not counted. A name on a list is not a recommendation: the count shows who is on the shortlist. How the guides are made
⚠️ Queues and gaps. Los Diamantes takes no reservations, and its Calle Navas bar serves from 12:30 to 16:00 and from 20:00 to 23:30. Taberna La Tana is tiny: book through its site or by phone.
The bars named by the most publishers
The count is the number of publishers that name the bar anywhere on a page about Granada’s tapas or restaurants. A publisher with pages in both languages is counted in both columns and once in the total. A bar named by fewer than 9 is left out of this table.
| Bar | Kind | Publishers (of 52) | English | Spanish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Diamantes | Fried fish | 37 | 20 | 18 |
| Bodegas Castañeda | Vermouth and tapas | 32 | 20 | 14 |
| Taberna La Tana | Wine bar, Realejo | 22 | 12 | 11 |
| Los Manueles | Tapas bar and restaurant | 21 | 11 | 11 |
| Bar Ávila | Tapas, roast ham | 20 | 10 | 12 |
| Casa Julio | Fried fish, standing | 17 | 8 | 10 |
| La Riviera | Choose-your-tapa bar | 16 | 7 | 10 |
| Bar Poë | Choose-your-tapa bar | 13 | 9 | 5 |
| La Botillería | Grill restaurant, Realejo | 11 | 8 | 5 |
| Casa Torcuato | Restaurant, Albaicín | 9 | 4 | 6 |
| Cunini | Seafood bar | 9 | 6 | 4 |
The counts show who is on the shortlist. The restaurants with stars are named by far fewer publishers than the tapas bars, and the awards are their evidence: see where to eat in Granada.
The classics
Los Diamantes
Calle Navas 28, with bars in Plaza Nueva and Bib-Rambla · Navas daily 12:30 to 16:00 and 20:00 to 23:30; Plaza Nueva and Bib-Rambla daily 12:00 to 23:30 · no reservations · Named by 37 of 52 publishers · losdiamantes.es
A fried-fish bar. Its site dates the first bar on Calle Navas to 1942 and lists prawns, anchovies, clams, squid and cazón (a small shark). Will Fly for Food ordered fried baby squid with lemon and called it the busiest bar of its Granada crawl. National Geographic Travel found the free tapas at the Bib-Rambla bar all fish except one garlic-mushroom tapa, and picks the clams and prawns with artichokes among the raciones. Expect to stand and to queue.
Cazón en adobo, marinated and fried small shark, served as a tapa in Andalusia. Photo: Tamorlan, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Bodegas Castañeda
Calle Almireceros 1-3, at the corner of Calle Elvira · Named by 32 of 52 publishers
A tavern that Seek Spain says opened in 1927, with ham legs hanging from the ceiling and barrels along the walls. National Geographic Travel has vermouth and moscatel served from the barrel, and plates of salpicón (an octopus, crab-stick and onion salad), habas con jamón and eggs stuffed with tuna. TourMe’s guide says the free tapa comes when you stand at the bar, and that sitting at a table switches you to the paid menu.
Taberna La Tana
Placeta del Agua 3, Realejo · Named by 22 of 52 publishers · bookings by phone or on tabernalatana.com
A wine bar. TourMe lists manchego, blood sausage, anchovy boards and Andalusian tomatoes, and says the tiny room fills by 21:00. Book, or arrive early for a place at the bar.
Los Manueles
Calle Reyes Católicos 61, and other bars in the centre · daily 12:00 to 24:00, kitchen open throughout · Named by 21 of 52 publishers · losmanueles.es
A restaurant group that dates itself to 1917, with branches on Reyes Católicos, Monjas del Carmen and Bib-Rambla, by the Cathedral and elsewhere in the centre. TourMe sends readers to the Reyes Católicos bar for the croquetas. You can sit down, and the site takes bookings.
Bar Ávila
Calle Verónica de la Virgen 16 · Named by 20 of 52 publishers
A small, busy bar known for its roast ham, which 5sitios, a Spanish listicle site, calls the most famous in Granada. Spanish blogs add meatballs in sauce and say you can choose your tapa from a list. Hazteviajero says there is always a queue for a table.
Casa Julio
Calle Hermosa 5, near Plaza Nueva · Named by 17 of 52 publishers
A tiny standing bar for fried fish. Spainist names fried shark and anchovies, and TourMe adds prawns, squid and cockles, cash preferred. Will Fly for Food’s one round came with a plate of battered fish and slaw. Plan on standing, and on paying in cash.
La Riviera
Calle Cetti Meriem 7 · Named by 16 of 52 publishers
A bar where you choose the tapa from a menu, which Will Fly for Food found rare in Granada. Spanaly describes large portions and a student crowd. Will Fly for Food’s croqueta came with fries and bread, and Spanish blogs list meatballs in sauce and croquetas. It is usually full.
Bar Poë
Calle Verónica de la Magdalena 40 · Named by 13 of 52 publishers
A small bar away from the main shopping streets. TourMe says you choose from a printed menu of 15 to 20 tapas that includes vegetarian dishes, and Spainist lists tapas from round the world, among them spicy chicken liver and a Brazilian pork stew. It is the bar to choose if you do not eat meat.
Cunini
Plaza Pescadería · Named by 9 of 52 publishers · marisqueriacunini.es
A seafood bar and dining room on Plaza Pescadería, in the centre. National Geographic Travel and Esquire España both single out the ensaladilla de gambas, a prawn and potato salad, and National Geographic Travel puts the portions on its marble bar among the most generous in Granada. A Spanish blogger says the bar is always packed and the prices are not low.
A four-stop route
GuruWalk, a free-tour marketplace, suggests a route of two to three hours: Los Diamantes on Calle Navas, Casa Julio, Bodegas Castañeda and Los Manueles. It starts with fried fish at the first two, goes on to Castañeda’s wine and cured meats and ends at Los Manueles, where you can sit. Granada tapas tours compares the guided versions, from €69.
Plan the rest
Free tapas in Granada explains the three ways bars serve the free tapa, and where to eat in Granada covers the restaurants, the Michelin star and the dishes to order. Three days in Granada fits tapas into the plan, the Albaicín is the quarter above Calle Elvira, and where to stay in Granada compares the areas.
Common questions
Which tapas bars do the most guides name in Granada?
Los Diamantes, with 37 of the 52 publishers counted, then Bodegas Castañeda with 32, Taberna La Tana with 22, Los Manueles with 21, Bar Ávila with 20, Casa Julio with 17, La Riviera with 16 and Bar Poë with 13.
Where can I choose my tapa in Granada?
At La Riviera, on Calle Cetti Meriem, and Bar Poë, on Calle Verónica de la Magdalena, where you choose from a menu. Spanish travel blogs say Bar Ávila lets you choose too.
Do I need to book a tapas bar in Granada?
Mostly no. Los Diamantes takes no reservations at its Plaza Nueva, Bib-Rambla and Navas bars. Taberna La Tana takes bookings by phone and on its site, and Los Manueles has a booking page.
What time do the tapas bars open in Granada?
Los Diamantes on Calle Navas serves from 12:30 to 16:00 and from 20:00 to 23:30 every day, and its Plaza Nueva and Bib-Rambla bars from 12:00 to 23:30. Los Manueles serves from 12:00 to 24:00 with the kitchen open throughout.
Where is the fried fish in Granada?
At Los Diamantes, which dates its origin to 1942 and has bars on Calle Navas, Plaza Nueva and Bib-Rambla, and at Casa Julio on Calle Hermosa, a small standing bar.
What is the best street for tapas in Granada?
The City names Calle Navas, by the Town Hall, and the Albaicín streets round Calle Elvira among its tapas areas. Los Diamantes is on Navas, and Bodegas Castañeda is on Calle Almireceros at the corner of Elvira.
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