El Faro – El Puerto de Santa María

Posted on April 29, 2019 by Shawn

The El Faro group (which actually consists of 4 restaurants and a catering company), used to be best known (by me) for the El Faro restaurant in Cádiz, where I’ve stopped for tapas a few times, but there is also an El Faro fine dining restaurant and tapas bar in El Puerto de Santa María which I’ve been wanting to try for ages, and recently I had the opportunity to visit twice.

Restaurante El Faro in El Puerto has been run by chef Fernando Córdoba and his wife Ana Isabel Puerto for over 30 years now. It’s located just outside the old city, not far from the bullring, in an old manor house surrounded by gardens, including the restaurant’s own kitchen herb and seasonal vegetable garden,, and the general appearance and atmosphere is “modern in a traditional style”. There are several dining areas of various sizes, some for private functions, but our interest was in the substantial area in front of the huge wooden bar, which is where tapas are available.

The cuisine itself is generally typical of the region, with lots of fresh fish and seafood, with seasonal variations, especially for fresh vegetables, and the quality is excellent. Very hard to pick a favourite, though on our first visit Chef Fernando let us order the taquitos de urta frito, served in the body of the fish itself, which is usually only available in the dining room. Fabulous presentation and flavour, but I honestly can’t think of a dish we’ve tried here that wasn’t exceptional. Tempura baby leeks from their garden? Almadraba red tuna tartare? Their exquisite tortillitas de camarones? I think it’s safe to say you can’t go wrong here.

We were also fortunate enough to have Fernando show us around the restaurant’s substantial bodega (150 sq metres, with over 400 wines), and talk to us about the joys – and a few pitfalls – of the restaurant business. His genuine enthusiasm and love of food and wine shows itself in every aspect of the experience. I love that he is passionate about sherry wines, and also about working with the abundance of local products that he has available. Fernando is a modest chef, preferring to be behind the scenes, but his food deserves centre stage. El Faro is a “must do” if you are ever lucky enough to be in El Puerto de Santa María.

Avenida de Fuentebravía Km 0.5
El Puerto de Santa María
Tel 956 870 952
€ € € €

Food 9 | Wine 10 | Service 9 | Ambiance 9

tortillita de camarones

zamburiñas with lemon and capers

ruby red almadraba tuna tartare

tempura leeks from their own garden

grilled almadraba tuna with vegetables, quinoa and citrus sauce

Bodeguita El Adobo

Posted on April 28, 2019 by Shawn

This was a delightful “new discovery” during my last visit to Cádiz, thanks to a recommendation by Twitter pal Antonio Colsa @elquillodecadiz. We stopped in on our last evening and already I can’t wait to go back. This is exactly the type of no-nonsense tapas bar I love. Run by Paco Abeijón “Paquito el Adobo”, who took over the spot in 2014 (originally founded in 1987 when it was converted from an abacería to a bar), the menu features market fresh fish and seafood done to perfection, either simply grilled or expertly deep-fried.

The bar is tiny, but there is a sidewalk terrace on the pedestrianised street. We squeezed in at the end of the bar and started with one of the house specialities – boquerones abiertos al limón. They were indeed some of the best I’ve ever tried. The only small “draw-back” is that most dishes are raciones (or media raciones) and so we were already pretty stuffed on fritos when Paquito came out and said we HAD to try the moreno, a local fish, prepared en adobo. We were also told that leaving without trying the tomatoes with melva was almost unheard of, but unfortunately we were given this vital information too late, when we could not eat one more bite. But this will be my first stop next time I am in Cádiz, and those tomatoes will be the first thing I order. Lovely personal and friendly service and some nice local wines too.

Rosario 4
Cádiz
Tel 636 814 675
€ € €

Food 8 | Wine 8 | Service 8 | Ambiance 7

tortillita de camarones

squid ink croquetas

moreno en adobo

boquerones al limón

acedias (small sole)

owner Paquito with daughter Carmen and Alejandro

Peña Bética de Carlos

Posted on April 24, 2017 by Shawn

Peña Betica de Carlos was the top find of our last visit to Sanlúcar, which we only found thanks to a tip from bodega owner José Caireles. Out in the working class neighbourhood in the northeast of town it’s one of those honest, basic fried fish bars with simple, excellent no nonsense food. Stars of the show are the whole fried cuttlefish, but also acedias, pijotas, boquerones and other staples of the genre. And as you might expect in Sanlúcar there’s Manzanilla – served by the glass or in half bottles fresh from the cask.

It’s also a place for fans of the Real Bétis football team, which helps fuel the friendly neighbourhood atmosphere fostered by owner & chef Carlos Juez and his team of two, brothers Manuel and Carmelo (Carlos was impressed when I gave him a big MANQUEPIERDA! 😉 ). All the tables were reserved when we arrived shortly after 1.00 pm, and it seems like these are standing reservations for regulars. But we found a spot at the bar and that turned out to be the best place to be as there is no table service.

Peña Bética was great fun as well as having great food – some of the photos here are of dishes ordered by the couple next to us at the bar, which they insisted on sharing with us. I’m already looking forward to going back.

Callejon de Guia 24
Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Tel +34 645 020 929
€ €

Food 9 | Wine 9 | Bar Service 9 | Ambiance 9

fresh tomato salad

whole fried cuttlefish – the house speciality

calamares

salmonetes

acedias (small sole)

owner & chef Carlos Juez

Manuel with a big plate of fritos variados

tapaculos

crispy hake

big prawns

“dessert”

brothers Carmelo & Manuel

Los Diamantes

Posted on January 31, 2015 by Shawn

Updated August 2018

Los Diamantes is one of Granada’s best known and popular bars, and rightly so. It’s one of those ultra-typical fried fish and seafood bars with a very basic style, but the quality of the food is excellent, and the atmosphere is buzzy and friendly. It’s also one of the places I like best in Granada for the “free” tapa. If you go with 3-4 friends you probably won’t need to order much beyond the complimentary dishes, which are very generous.

This original Los Diamantes in Calle Navas is still my favourite (there are now five locations, including a very similar one just up the street in Calle Rosario). But it can get very crowded, so best to arrive early if you want a seat or a prime place at the bar, otherwise you’ll probably end up in the street outside trying to hold your beer in one hand and eat with the other. Try balancing your plate on top of your glass to recreate the original meaning of the word tapas!

Navas 26
Granada
Tel 958 222 257
€ € €

Food 9 | Wine 6 | Service 7 | Ambiance 6

los diamantes tables

los diamantes coquinas garlicky coquinas (small wedge clams)

los diamantes bread hot buns!

los diamantes arroz seafood rice

boquerones

los diamantes salmoretes fried salmonetes (small red mullet)

los diamantes gambas breaded prawns

los diamantes champi garlicky grilled mushrooms

los diamantes adobo cazón in adobo

los diamantes mixto fritos variados

los diamantes bar

Updated August 2018

Cunini

Posted on January 31, 2015 by Shawn

cunini

One of Granada’s best known fish and seafood bars (actually a bar in front, and a restaurant in the back, with a terrace outside), Cunini is appropriately located behind the cathedral and Plaza Bib Rambla in the old fish market square. It’s been an institution in Granada as long as anyone can remember, and the bar area in particularly is almost always packed and noisy.

We stopped in late after a bit of a tapeo around town and sampled a couple of the complimentary tapas (lukewarm soggy hake and some “okay” croquetas) so when we ordered a final round of drinks I asked the waiter if we could have something a bit nicer. We were promptly brought a big dish of ensaladilla rusa which was promptly taken away again when I said I couldn’t eat mayonnaise (lies, lies…). But then we were pleasantly surprised by the arrival of some fresh tasty prawns from nearby Motril. So, while we weren’t impressed overall, I think Cunini deserves another visit to try out some of the dishes from the menu.

Plaza Pescadería, 14
Tel 958 267 587
€ € € €

Food 6 | Wine 6 | Service 5 | Ambiance 7

cunini bar area bar area

cunini fritos complimentary fried hake

cunini croquetas complimentary seafood croquetas

cunini gambas complimentary gambas from Motril

cunini gamba hola!

cunini seafood display fish and seafood display

cunini bar the bar

cunini dining dining area

cunini sign

La Esquinita

Posted on November 10, 2014 by Shawn

la esquinita (1)
Although it’s only been open since 2011, La Esquinita does a pretty fair impression of a typical fried-fish bar that’s been there forever, right down to the ice-filled model boat for displaying the fresh fish. The food we had was good, a boquerones (anchovies) al limon, fried cuttlefish and puntillitas (tiny squid), washed down with some of the excellent local sherry. If you’re in any of the towns along this stretch of the coast, you’ll end up in a fried-fish bar at some point – this one was pretty good.

Calle Misericordia, 1
El Puerto de Santa María
Tel 676 90 83 29
€ €

Food 7 | Wine 7 | Service 6| Ambiance 6

la esquinita (2)
la esquinita (5) boquerones fritos

la esquinita (6) chocos fritos

la esquinita (7) puntillitas (tiny squid)

la esquinita (3)
la esquinita (4)

Pato Rojo

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Shawn

pato rojo

A stone’s throw from the Cathedral, I would’ve walked right past if it hadn’t come highly recommended by twitter pal @HERMANOPRIMERO, so I was on the lookout for a small “hole-in-the-wall” called Pato Rojo. There’s not much seating, a couple of tables on the sidewalk terrace and a few more in a small room at the far end of the bar. Most people cram into the narrow bar area and cheerfully order up.

This is totally my kind of place. Busy, buzzy ambiance, great food and friendly super-efficient staff. Also absurdly cheap. I went twice during my short visit to Jaén, once with a friend and again on my own. The first night my friend and I spent 12.90€ on drinks (3 beer, 3 wine) and were given about eight complimentary tapas. We were so full we didn’t get around to ordering any of the other mouthwatering dishes we saw coming out of the kitchen, so I took a few pics of them to show you.

Next day I stopped by at lunchtime and found a spot at the jam-packed bar. The barmen remembered me from the night before and started bringing me more “extras” until I told them I really wanted to order some food from the menu, specifically the grilled scallop with seafood. Which was stunning. By this time I was chatting away with the staff and the people on either side of me, and more food kept appearing that we all ended up sharing. What a great way to spend an afternoon. I loved Pato Rojo so much I wanted to take it home with me. There is nothing like this in Sevilla.

Bernabé Soriano, 12
Tel 953 23 40 99
€ € €

Food 9 | Wine 9 | Service 10 | Ambiance 9

pato rojo bar jam-packed bar

pato rojo fritos fritos variados

pato rojo albariño a very nice albariño

pato rojo langostinos langostinos a la plancha (complimentary)

pato rojo anchovy Cantabrian anchovy with evoo (complimentary)

pato rojo boquerones boquerones fritos (complimentary)

pato rojo gambas rebozadas battered prawns (complimentary)

pato rojo jose José pouring beer

pato rojo mojama mojama (cured tuna) with evoo and peanuts (complimentary)

pato rojo rejos fried rejos – baby octopus tentacles (complimentary)

pato rojo Tilapia, a type of sole tilapia, a type of sole, with padrón peppers (complimentary)

pato rojo rosada chocos fritos (complimentary)

pato rojo ricardo manzanilla spray Ricardo using manzanilla spray on fried rosada (complimentary)

pato rojo salmon smoked salmon (complimentary)

pato rojo scallop grilled scallop with barely cooked prawns and salmon

tuna ventresca (not ours)

pato rojo carabineros grilled carabineros (not ours)

pato rojo seafood platter mixed seafood platter (not ours)

pato rojo orujo orujo (complimentary)

pato rojo jose rachel ricardo Dream Team: José, Rachel & Ricardo

pato rojo (17) the red duck

pato rojo busy bar busy buzzy bar

pato rojo dining area dining area

Bar Navarro

Posted on September 14, 2014 by Shawn

navarro

Bar Navarro was recommended by many as an absolute must-go-to fried fish place with the best acedias (small sole) in the universe. Possibly such high praise contributed to a degree of disappointment by raising unrealistic expectations. The bar itself was a rather ordinary neighbourhood bar just outside the old town, and nothing wrong with that per se, but they could at least have cleared away the detritus of earlier meals from the next tables. Also, serving the manzanilla a plastic “jerry-can” might be quaint, but to me it just added to the can’t-be-bothered ambiance. There’s a bar section with a few tall tables along one side of the L-shaped space and a “dining” area in the other. It’s all self-service.

So we had to try the acedias, of course, and they were actually quite good, though not especially special. The chocos were tough and chewy – I would’ve sent them back but didn’t get the sense that the barman cared that much. We also had the tapaculos (a flat fish similar to sole), which were delicioius – I would definitely have again if I came back. Authentic? Yes, I suppose so, whatever exactly that means. Not sure that’s quite enough though.

Menacho 28
Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Tel
€ €

Food 5 | Wine 4 | Service 4 | Ambiance 4

navarro bar the bar

navarro acedias acedias (small sole)

navarro chocos chocos (cuttlefish)

navarro tapaculos tapaculos (curiously translates as “butt plug”)

navarro dining room “dining” area

Bar Arturo

Posted on August 28, 2014 by Shawn

Updated August 2015

Bar Arturo is your typical no-frills, family-run biz, with paper table cloths and kitch decor (intentional or otherwise). It will no doubt be busy when you arrive, with a varied clientele of families, couples and groups of friends.

I have been in love with this place since I was first directed to it last year, and have been back a couple of times since then. But my last visit was marred – in fact ruined – by some of the worst service I’ve ever experienced. We were actually shocked when the manager told us off for politely asking if we’d been given the correct order (still convinced we hadn’t been). And the rudeness continued until we finally gave up and left. Very sad and unfortunate when something like this happens. I won’t be back.

Guita 9
Jerez de la Frontera
Tel 956 33 00 12
€ € €

Food 7 | Wine 6 | Service 1 | Ambiance 7

bar arturo back dining area in front of the bar

bar arturo bar
bar arturo tomatoes
tomatoes with garlic, evoo, salt

bar arturo gambas al ajillo gambas al ajillo

calamares & sea bass

bar arturo mystery fish fried tuna ventresca? with fins attached?

bar arturo fritura fried fish selection: hake, cuttlefish, red mullet, cuttlefish, john dory

fried prawns

bar arturo shells

bar arturo sign

bar arturo front

El Caleño

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Shawn

el caleno playa

Another fabulous seafood restaurant in the old fishing quarter of Málaga, Pedregalejos. Right on the beach you get wonderful food with a view. Best to call ahead and book a table.