In our continuing quest to highlight some of the top restaurants in the country for various regional cuisines, we’ve assembled a few of the top-rated Spanish restaurants in the nation. Each of these establishments have received local recognition for being among the very best, so if it’s Spanish you’re craving, these nine places should not disappoint.
Broward-Palm Beach
Café Seville
Now a quarter-century old, Café Seville is no stranger to our Best Of awards. Forgive what must feel like insistence, but you’d search in vain for another eatery that puts eels, rabbit, and merluza together on one menu. Seville’s famous, five-foot-high specials board has achieved the…More >>
| A plate from Café Seville |
Dallas
Cava
Long before tapas, small plates and shared plates became trendy, the Spanish grabbed simple bites at the bar to tide them over until 10 or 11 p.m., when dinner is served. Cava’s piquillo peppers appetizer is like an homage to that simple tradition. They merely sauté the peppers in olive…More >>
Houston
Oporto
Oporto has a great selection of tapas at very reasonable prices, even when happy hour isn’t in effect. And though the name implies Portugal, the menu reflects the spirit of Spain. Spanish and Portuguese wines pair nicely with a diverse list of meats and cheeses. The small plates here…More >>
Los Angeles
La Española Meats
Sure, you can make your own paella — the Spanish dish that is as much a tribute to Spanish food on a single plate as it is a meal — or order it at any number of the tapas restaurants around town. But why, when you can head down to La Española Meats in Harbor City and have…More >>
Miami
Sra. Martinez
Señorita Juanita, translate the following to English, por favor: La Señora Martinez sirve pequeñas porciones de exquisitas comidas muy gustosas — a continuación de las famosas tapas de Andalucía. Sra. Martinez serves small plates of big-flavored foods… More >>
| The interior of Sra. Martinez |
New York
Boqueria
Some evenings, we lie in bed dreaming of fuet–the damp, small-circumference Catalan sausage. Find it at the tapas bar Boqueria, which is so popular that you have to arrive at obscure hours to get in. More >>
Phoenix
Lola Tapas
A little sangria, a few plates of goodies to share with friends, and a dark, cozy nook to enjoy it all — ah, those Spanish really know how to live, don’t they? We stressed-out Americans could definitely learn a thing or two from our laid-back European friends. Who knows, maybe a little…More >>
Seattle
The Harvest Vine
Bar seating, allowing you to see everything that emerges from the kitchen, is de rigueur at The Harvest Vine, for anticipation is nine parts of pleasure. Joseba Jiménez de Jiménez’s small, Spanish-inspired plates guarantee you don’t get sated too soon–plus, many of them are meant…More >>
| Outside Seattle’s Harvest Vine |
St. Louis
Modesto Tapas Bar & Restaurant
Ever since Spanish-style tapas arrived on the international culinary scene, it seems that every other European cuisine suddenly rediscovered its own version of small-plates dining. Such wee-dish incarnations may well be delicious in their own right, but the Spanish original remains the best. And…More >>
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