Cumbres Mayores

Updated March 2019

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Trust me to go to a Spanish coastal city famous for its fabulous seafood and end up loving this place for its amazing MEAT dishes. One of the best known and most popular bars in Cádiz, Cumbres Mayores, just off the Plaza Mina, is traditional in both style and cuisine, but with more meat and less fish than is typical in Cádiz. It’s all about the pig here, and often unusual cuts (see “pig parts” photo below). We stop in as often as possible during our visits to Cádiz and we are never disappointed. In fact, I wish somewhere like Cumbres Mayores existed in Sevilla.

Aside from the cosy tapas bar area that greets you when you walk in, there are also a couple of dining rooms for sit-down meals, but my favourite place is at the bar, preferably in front of the jamón leg beer taps. It’s often super-crowded but just grab a drink and hang around awhile and you’ll usually be rewarded with a couple of bar seats. The tapas are very good and very reasonably priced, and the service is terrific. Favourites included the pork abanico Ibérico in PX sauce, which is honestly worth going to Cádiz for, grilled secreto (you can also get it breaded and deep-fried!) and the presa al ajillo. They also offer a special parrillada para dos (grilled meat for two) but I think it’s more fun to just order the tapas and share them with a friend.