Best tapa in Spain??

[sillydoll]

Norman Miller of the Guardian, votes for Logrono as the tapa capital of Spain!

"With so many bars in so little space you might expect fierce competition, but Logroño, on the river Ebro and a stop-off point for pilgrims en route to Santiago de Compostela, has worked out a simple solution - each bar specialises in just two or three dishes. "There are no rivals here," says Lourdes Sainz, as I start a lunchtime progress along Travesia del Laurel at her brightly-coloured Bar Lorenzo, mingling with blokes on a booze-and-a-bite warm-up for a long Spanish lunch."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2009/a ... spain-food

 

[Senyor Pirotecnic]

He's right! I've done the rounds in most Spanish cities and nothing beats Calle Laurel, I had to drag myself away to make the curfew in the albergue.

 

[Canuck]

Excellent indeed!

The best on the Camino? Certainly!

The best in Spain? Debatable!

Buen provecho!
Jean-Marc

 

[Anniesantiago]

Joe's favorite tapas (?) or snack were the batatas bravas! But he's a potato-loving guy!
He'd find them in every city.

Mine were the olives in their various marinades.

My favorite meals were the sardinhas in Porto along the river. OMG! Heaven!
And also the Pilgrim's Plate at the little restaurant in Poblacion had the best pork chops I've eaten in my life!

My favorite beverage was the beer with lemonade - not sure what they call it, but gosh it was refreshing after a long hot walk!

 

[MermaidLilli]

In Logroño the bar I went to called it Shandy. Other places they called it Clara.
Had one this afternoon here in TallyTown.
Indeed it is very refreshing.
I found that tapas are good or plain or excellent anywhere I went. In San Sebastian they were incredible and the price was incredibly high. In Ibiza they were incredible and the price was incredibly low.
Lillian

 

[Rebekah Scott]

The Barrio Humedo in Leon is also right up there in the top 5, in my book.

 

[SuziePepperell]

My favorite beverage was the beer with lemonade - not sure what they call it, but gosh it was refreshing after a long hot walk![/quote]

In England, we call that a shandy - it's very popular! Hugely refreshing!

Two weeks til I get to Spain - can't wait

 

[lynnejohn]

La Taberna in Leon - excellent tapas. The owner, his wife and daughter have walked the camino multiple times and proudly display their compostelas on the wall. They warmly welcome pilgrims. A lovely family and great food!

lynne

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I defer to the Spanish linguists among us, but is there a singular to "tapas" that is "tapa"?

 

[ivar]

I defer to the Spanish linguists among us, but is there a singular to "tapas" that is "tapa"?

Yes, there is one "tapa". But since these are usually small dished you usually get more than one, and I guess that is why it is know as "Tapas".

Saludos,
Ivar

 

[Javier Martin]

Excellent indeed!

The best in Spain? Debatable!

Buen provecho!
Jean-Marc

Absolutely.

The Calle Laurel in Logroño is ¡¡great!! But the same we can say in the old part of Pamplona. And inBilbao and San Sebastian. Of course Barrio Húmedo in Leon and Burgos, around the Cathedral.

Here in Madrid there's a pdf document with all bares and the kind of tapa you can ask for in the city.

And, if you go to the south, Granada is famous, is the same, but ¡¡free tapas!! with your drink. In the north you pay for the tapa, but doesn't matter because it are not expensive.

In my house, I live in front of a park, with a bar inside. When I go there with my daughter, just to see how she plays and enjoy the place with her freidns, I take one beer and, ¡they serve me two tapas with my beer! After two beers, I usually don't take dinner.

Don't forget to enjoy the tapas in Spain.

Buen Camino, always, enjoy our food!!

Javier Martin
Madrid, Spain.

 

[Javier Martin]

In Logroño the bar I went to called it Shandy. Other places they called it Clara.
Had one this afternoon here in TallyTown.
Indeed it is very refreshing.
I found that tapas are good or plain or excellent anywhere I went. In San Sebastian they were incredible and the price was incredibly high. In Ibiza they were incredible and the price was incredibly low.
Lillian

Shandy is the commercial name for the Clara from the Cruzcampo beer producer.

The clara is, just half beer with "gaseosa" or lemonade. Very popular in Spain in summer.

Buen Camino,

Javier Martin
Madrid, Spain.

 

[anniethenurse]

Tapas in Pamplona in a restaurant called Basseri were delicious! Adress c/San Nicholas. Two little examples shown in the picture under here, and a cold cerveza San Miguel right before the bedtime after a long days walk in the hot sun in Navarra is something to long for! They have excellent meals and reasonable prices... annie

 

[TheLostPhotographer]

On all caminos I have walked One city stands out as being by far the best for tapas - Salamanca. San Sebastian was great for tasty seafood snacks, but there are Two bars virtually next to each other in Salamanca that serve delicious, substantial tapas that makes all others look pathetic.

From Plaza Mayor walk towards Almeda Palace and then turn right. Almost opposite Parque Alamedilla are Two bars with home cooked, traditional tapas good enough to satisfy even the hungriest Via de la Plata pilgrim.

 

[oursonpolaire]

My favourite was Logroño as well, but I cannot quite recall the name of the place where, in order to horrify a young German engineer, I ordered a tapa of angulas, which looked a lot like white worms on toast. It was quite nice.

 

[Javier Martin]

From long times ago, there was usual to serve you something to eat when you ask for a glass of wine or a beer.

It was served in a little dish, enough to contain that few cuantity of meal.

And, this dish was placed over the glass, to avoid that flies felt down the wine or beer.

In spanish, "tapar", or a "tapa" means "to cover" something, because you really were covering the glass because the flies.

And, that's the reason for that name.

Buen Camino, enjoying always your tapas.

Javier Martin
Madrid, Spain.

 

[crackmrmac]

From today's Irish Times: "El Gato Negro, Rua da Raina, Santiago de Compostella. This is not a place for fine dining, but it might be one of the most pleasant tapas experiences you will get in northern Spain."

 

[TheLostPhotographer]

From long times ago, there was usual to serve you something to eat when you ask for a glass of wine or a beer.

It was served in a little dish, enough to contain that few cuantity of meal.

And, this dish was placed over the glass, to avoid that flies felt down the wine or beer.

In spanish, "tapar", or a "tapa" means "to cover" something, because you really were covering the glass because the flies.

And, that's the reason for that name.

Buen Camino, enjoying always your tapas.

Javier Martin
Madrid, Spain.

That's One theory.

The most believable explanantion I've ever been given is that the 'cover' refers to a tax on drink. The tapas was provided with the drink to avoid paying tax. You didn't pay for the drink - you paid for the token food and got the drink for free, hence no tax. Very believable because such systems still exist in Spain today. The mobile fiesta bands that tour villages throughout the summer make their money from the bar they run. You have to buy a voucher to exchange for a drink at the bar. Easy way around local licencing rules.

 

[DesertRain]

Norman Miller of the Guardian, votes for Logrono as the tapa capital of Spain!

Here is a guide to the specialty of each bar on Calle Laurel. It is from the wonderful new book, "The Wine Region of Rioja" (http://www.amazon.com/dp/1402754035/?tag=casaivar02-20).

 

[Rebekah Scott]

If you find yourself in Valladolid, head for Calle Passión, just off the Plaza Mayor. Some of the tapas there are downright architectural, but still delicious! And who can resist a walk down Passion Street?

 

[jastrace]

Shandy is the commercial name for the Clara from the Cruzcampo beer producer.

The clara is, just half beer with "gaseosa" or lemonade. Very popular in Spain in summer.

Buen Camino,

Javier Martin
Madrid, Spain.

Classic... In Australia a 'shandy' is the generic name for a beer and lemonade mix. It is typically enjoyed by women and politicians that wear budgy smugglers. :lol:

Jason

 

[Dsavid Keyte]

The Barrio Humedo in Leon is also right up there in the top 5, in my book.

Without a doubt León is the best, good Tapas in most bars and free, after all the Tapa is aLeón invention

 

[The Austrian]

El Gaucho in Pamplona. Foie Tapa
And a very innovative bar in Logrono, Umm, No Solo Tapas.
November 2018 can't arrive soon enough.