Tag Archives: tapas bar

Taberna de Jam

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The Taberna de Jam, completely renovated earlier this year, occupies a very pleasant spot in a square at the foot of the Realejo. Spacious inside, with a bar area on one side, a substantial dining area on the other, forming a U-shape, and a pleasant terrace in the Plaza. Specializing in grilled meats, there is also a selection of Arturo Sánchez jamón Ibérico in a range of qualities. For about 26€ you can do a tasting of them all.

Although the waiter was friendly and enthusiastic, overall the food and service (considering it wasn’t busy) was only average. Also open for breakfast, when I’m sure a toast and jamón with coffee in the square would make a nice start to the day.

Plaza de los Campos 1
Granada
Tel 958 225 778
€ € €

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Food 6 | Wine 7 | Service 6 | Ambiance 7

chicken with quinoa (complimenary)

big square croqueta filled with goronzola and parmesan

mini pork burgers (complimentary)

stewed pork belly (complimentary)

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Los Diamantes II

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There are now five Los Diamantes in Granada, although only three are in the city centre where you’re likely to find them. This one is probably the most similar to the original in Calle Navas – a fun buzzy place that’s always busy, both the bar area in front, and the dining room at the back. Same emphasis on fried fish and seafood, all of it of good quality, and efficient friendly service. Great value too.

Rosario 12
Granada
Tel 619 787 828
€ € €

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Food 9 | Wine 6 | Service 7 | Ambiance 6

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Bocarambo

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I had no idea this place even existed until some friends from Jerez took us here for lunch during the last Vinoble event. I was definitely impressed. The bar was opened some five years ago, with the conversion of a ground floor flat in a building owned by the family, and everything from the rustic modern decor, with a bar on one side, a little terrace outside, and the Andaluz patio dining room where we ate, to the service, encouraged a relaxed atmosphere for enjoying our meal. We also got a chance to chat with owner Manuel García Tubío as he made his way from table to table, making sure everyone was happy.

The menu is typical Andaluz – Jerezano, with lots of seafood, rice specialities, grilled meats, and an excellent tomato salad. Our friends insisted that we HAD to try the mushrooms with jamón, and well, so do you. I’d also say that the marinated pork liver with cilantro is a must-have. There’s also a good range of sherries (as you’d expect). Definitely recommended if you’re coming to Jerez.

Beato Juan Grande 9
Jerez de la Frontera
Tel 646 966 569
€ € €

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Food 8 | Wine 8 | Service 7 | Ambiance 7

dressed baby gem with anchovies

tomato salad with melva

spinach croquetas

marinated Ibérico pork liver with cilantro and onion

mushrooms with jamón

grilled secreto Ibérico

owner Manuel García Tubío

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Ultramar&Nos

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Opened in the summer of 2015 by the brothers Ruibal and Pancho Jiménez, Ultramar&Nos takes its name via a play on words from the traditional Spanish ultramarinos (corner shop) that previously occupied the site. That corner position and the large windows give the premises plenty of light, and with fairly minimalist decoration that combines an element of rustic with a kind of “industrial chic”, the restaurant seems quite spacious. Service was efficient and friendly enough for a good background to the food.

The menu is of modest size, and combines traditional Spanish and international food in an interesting way. Although enticed by several of the menu descriptions, in the end we only tried two dishes, a starter of housemade beef sausages wrapped in chard instead of the usual intestine casing (very tasty), and the cachopo – a kind of big flat flamenquín with beef, cheese, aubergine and cecina (air-cured beef). The cachopo was so big, in fact, that we were left unable to try anything else. Next time!

Plaza de Mina 1
Cádiz
Tel 856 076 946
€ € € €

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Food 8 | Wine 8 | Service 8 | Ambiance 8

marinated carrots

beef sausages wrapped in chard

inside the sausage

beef and cheese cachopo

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Eboka

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Updated August 2018

After years of working in the family business and attending the prestigious La Cónsula catering school, in 2012 Antonio Fernández opened the excellent wine bar and gourmet food shop Dom Vinos just up the road from his family’s popular Bar Nerva. Then in December 2016 Antonio moved to the centre of Málaga, just a stone’s throw from the Cathedral, and, with the help of new partners, he expanded his enterprise in both size and scope. Eboka is an attractive and comfortable wine bar and restaurant, the staff are well-trained (I’d expect no less) and, as Antonio joked, the kitchen is the same size as the whole of his beloved Dom Vinos. There is also a nice sidewalk terrace.

The wine list is crazy (in a good way), and if you are lucky enough to find Antonio at the helm, he will take you through a fabulous wine-pairing journey that is hard to beat. Favourite dishes included the mixed croquetas (all of them were delicious) and the tartare of Málaga sausage – outstanding. The presa Ibérica salad is also something I will go back for.

Delightful desserts are by local pastry chef María García ( Candy’s) and crazy good cocktails are creatively prepared by Jesús García Recaj.

Pedro de Toledo, 4
Málaga
Tel 952 12 46 71
€ € € €

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Food 9 | Wine 10 | Service 9 | Ambiance 8

cava on the terrace

bar snack

mixed croquetas: garbanzos, ropa vieja and lomo Ibérico

salchichón de Málaga tartare

presa Ibérica salad with mango and fried cashews

rocket, avocado,octopus salad with emulsion of mustard & sea urchin

baby goat shoulder confit, cream of pumpkin, couscous

grilled abanico Ibérico with churrasco sauce

Antonio (second from right) with my friends

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Venta Esteban

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Founded in 1983 by the five Ballesteros brothers, Venta Estevan moved to its present location just outside Jerez in 2002. It is located in a large chalet-style building with ample parking (if you don’t have a car it’s about a 9€ taxi ride from Jerez). I’d been hearing about this place for years from various foodie friends and so finally did the taxi thing on a recent visit to Jerez, to try it out.

As you walk into the bar area there are displays of jamón, fish and seafood and local wines. There’s also a large terrace and several light, spacious dining rooms. The menu offers classic dishes, with just a few tapas in the bar, so best to go with a group of friends so you can share big plates (raciones). We sat in the bar, which felt a bit less stuffy than the dining area. Of course we had to try the house speciality El Antojo (The Craving) which was a huge plate of chips and fried onions, fried eggs and jamón. Then we tried the breaded artichokes and finished with grilled presa Ibérica (pork shoulder). Everything was very good quality, but perhaps another visit with more people would make it feel more special. And perhaps with someone who knows the staff, because although the service was okay, we felt a bit like we were being given the “tourist treatment”.

Colonia Caulina (Seville-Cádiz motorway)
Jerez de la Frontera
Tel 956 316 067
€ € € €

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Food 8 | Wine 7 | Service 6 | Ambiance 7

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esteban el antojoEl Antojo: fried eggs, fried onions, chips & jamón

esteban artichokesgrilled artichokes

esteban presagrilled presa Ibérica

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Tabanco Las Banderillas

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Updated August 2018

Opened in 2012 by Fernando Lobato and Lucas Soto, Las Banderillas replaced an existing bar-restaurant of the same name. As well as sherry and vermouth from the barrel there are preserves and delicatessen products to eat on the premises or take away, and a good selection of hot tapas. In fact, it has more of a tapas bar than tabanco feel to it. It’s a fun and lively place to stop and is also excellent value for money. Don’t miss the house speciality rabo de toro (slow braised oxtail) and the sizzling gambas al ajillo (garlic prawns). And if you’re feeling a bit decadent, the fried pork ribs or the housemade chicharrones.

Service is a bit frenetic, but super friendly. There’s a good selection of wines, including some excellent sherries. This is my favourite place for traditional tapas in Jerez.

Caballeros 12
Jerez de la Frontera
Tel 619 006 988
€ € €

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Food 9 | Wine 9 | Service 9 | Ambiance 9

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las banderillas (6)queso payoyo

sheep cheese aged in manteca

las banderillas auberginesfried aubergine (eggplant) with salmorejo

las banderillas calamarcalamares a la romana

las banderillas gambas ajillosizzling garlic al ajillo

las banderillas croquetas spinach roqueforte, bulltailcroquetas: spinach & pinenut and oxtail

croquetas ibéricas

chicharrones

las banderillas fried goat cheese with bacon leek saucefried goat cheese with bacon & leek sauce

pisto with fried egg

las banderillas prawns auberginesprawns wrapped in aubergine

chocos fritos

las banderillas hakebreaded hake

puntillitas al ajillo

las banderillas riñoneskidneys in sherry sauce

pork meatballs

fried “broken” pork ribs al limón

carrillada – braised pork cheek

las banderillas presagrilled presa Ibérica (pork shoulder)

las banderillas rabo torocola de toro – braised oxtail

las banderillas (2)

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Updated August 2018

Vinería Cervantes

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vineria cervantes
Just one door over from the “mothership” El Tapeo de Cervantes, the new Vinería is pleasantly light and spacious, with large windows that open onto outdoor seating, and a small dining area at the back. The menu is pretty much the same as at El Tapeo, and there is the same great selection of wines too. The kitchen is open all day from 15.30 – midnight (basically it takes over when El Tapeo closes after lunch and then keeps going), which is especially good for visitors. Looking forward to visiting again soon.

Carcer 10
Tel 951 43 97 09
€ € €

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Food 7 | Wine 8 | Service 7 | Ambiance 8

vineria cervantes (3)

vineria cervantes (10)cured ham rolls with arugula and sheep cheese

vineria cervantes boqueronesboquerones al vinagre with salmorejo and guacamole

vineria cervantes gambasbattered prawns with cilantro alioli

vineria cervantes empanadasoxtail empanada with sofrito

vineria cervantes (2)

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La Barra del Soho

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la barra soho (1)
I actually hate writing negative reviews, but here we go. Stopped in at this brand new bar in Málaga’s Soho barrio. Inside there are only four tables and three were pushed together with a reserved sign on it. The other had two women sitting at it. So I sat at the “bar” (actually a ledge running along the wall) and asked if I could move to the single table when the women left, and was told I could. I ordered a drink and a tapa from the surly barman and a few minutes later when the table became free I was told I couldn’t sit there because suddenly it was reserved too (though it stayed empty for the whole time I was there). Whatever.  I had a couple more tapas and went to the bar to pay. Surly barman turned out to be the owner, and when I told him it cost nothing to smile he got even surlier. Then when I told him the “service” at this establishment made me feel like not coming back he said… “then don’t come back”.  WTF?

So okay, I won’t go back. And I suggest you don’t bother either. Lots of other great places to eat in Málaga where the owners actually care about their clientelle.

Food was standard gastro-bar fare, by the way. Nothing special.

Tomás Heredia, 4
Málaga
Tel 656 42 02 55
€ € €

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Food 5 | Wine 6 | Service 1 | Ambiance 2

la barra soho (3)where I sat

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la barra soho (9)where I didn’t sit

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Casa Curro Montoya

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curro montoya
I first came here a couple of years ago for a quick couple of tapas and quite liked it; enough to come back and try it again when I was back in Carmona recently, and I’m glad I did. It is in many ways a fairly typical neighbourhood bar, with a little terrace outside, a cosy bar area inside, and a dining room upstairs in a kind of split-level arrangement, with lots of dark wood, deep reds and photos on every available wall surface. But two things really made it stand out from the crowd.

First was the genuinely warm welcome from owners Germán and Bernardi, ably assisted by barman Rafael. Germán, whose grandfather (Curro Montoya) was a famous flamenco singer, moved to Carmona from his home town of Lora del Rio thirteen years to wed Bernardi (born in Carmona) and open the bar. As Bernardi told us with pride, this bar is a story of love. All this contributed to a fun and friendly atmosphere that had us chatting to our hosts, as well as with other customers at the bar.

Second (of course) was the food. That we stayed for six tapas shared between two (we don’t usually eat that much at one sitting) is a tribute in itself, but a couple of tapas deserve special mention. The grilled artichokes with jamón and olive oil were one of the best bites I’ve had in recent memory, and the morcilla de Burgos (black pudding with rice) on little toasts, topped with tomato jam, was superb. Fab grilled meats too. I loved everything about this bar and hope to be back soon.

Santa Maria de Gracia 11
Carmona
Tel 954 196 027
€ € €

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Food 9 | Wine 8 | Service 9 | Ambiance 9

curro montoya (5)

curro montoya artichokes jamongrilled artichokes topped with jamón and drizzled with evoo

curro montoya mojamamojama (cured tuna) and manchego cheese on toast

curro montoya chocossuper crispy and tender chocos (cuttlefish)

curro montoya morcillagrilled morcilla de Burgos with goat cheese and tomato jam

curro montoya presagrilled presa Ibérica

curro montoya secretogrilled secreto Ibérico

curro montoya (16)co-owners Bernardi and Germán, and barman Rafael
(photo of Curro Montoya in the background)

curro montoya (3)

curro montoya (4)

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