Restaurants in Andalusia: Tradition and Creation
Andalusia has one of Spain’s richest cuisines due to the quality and variety of local products alongside the unique flavors of the classic Andalusian repertoire. Spain’s southern half has plenty of raw material to work with in the kitchen: fish and seafood from the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts; fruits and vegetables from the rich agricultural land; free-range beef, lamb, goat and pork from mountain grazing lands; and foraged herbs and plants. The recipes of home cooks and traditional restaurants rely almost exclusively on these local ingredients to make dishes that reflect the region’s history and culture, including influences that remain from the Moorish occupation of Spain.
Culinary Innovation in Andalusia
Until recently Andalusian cuisine has been largely invisible on Spain’s fine dining scene. There were few restaurants in Andalusia known outside of the region, and even fewer with Michelin stars. Few cooks or chefs were digging into the archives or working with ingredients left behind in the 20th century. The current generation of talented Andalusian chefs has done much to change that, invigorating the culinary landscape without losing sight of the cuisine’s roots.
Today, Andalusia is becoming an incubator for creative cuisine. Using traditional recipes as springboards chefs are resurrecting cooking methods and reintroducing ingredients that had fallen out of favor, surfacing flavors forgotten sometimes for generations. Fisherman’s stews, wild game, unusual fish from coastal estuaries, lesser cuts of meat, unique combinations of spices and pastries kept alive only in convents have all served as inspiration for contemporary cooks. The renaissance in Andalusia’s cuisine comes from looking back to go forward.
The Tapas Tradition in Andalusia
The cuisine of Andalusia is inseparable from its tapas tradition. The tasting menus of elite restaurants often pay homage to the humble dishes that accompany glasses of wine or sherry in the bars of Cádiz, Sevilla, or Granada. But perhaps unique to Andalusian haute cuisine is the proliferation of fine dining tapas bars. These democratic spots serve modern Andalusian dishes in small plate format and with no frills.
There’s little doubt that Andalusia is the most exciting place to eat in Spain right now. Here are reviews of a selection of the best places to dine in the region, some whose excellence comes from nothing more than the freshest local products, others that are pushing the boundaries on what defines Andalusian cuisine.
See our Andalusia trips: Sevilla, Córdoba, Ronda & Granada: The Heart of Andalusia Trip | The Coast of Light: Cádiz & Vejer de la Frontera Trip | Haciendas & Palaces: Seville & Cádiz Countryside Trip
Where to Eat in Andalusia
Almanaque Casa de Comidas
Cádiz
Opened by two Cádiz natives who worked together at two Michelin star Ricard Camarena restaurant in Valencia, Almanaque Casa de Comidas is dedicated to rediscovering the recipes and ingredients of Cadiz home cooking and bringing them to life with impeccable preparations. The small, cozy space in the heart of Cádiz’s old town features tables and an outside terrace. Sit down and you’ll be greeted by expert staff who will recommend plates from a menu of tapas and shared plates that changes daily. Expect plates based on seasonal vegetables, fish, and meat that allow the incredibly fresh products to shine. You’ll usually find an excellent rice dish on the menu, a specialty picked up in Valencia that’s always a good choice. The wine list features selections from small producers in the region and other parts of Spain that pair great with the dishes, many of them available by the glass. Almanaque has only been open for a few years, but it’s already making a case for itself as the most exciting restaurant in Cádiz.
El Faro de Cádiz
Cádiz
Located in the heart of Cádiz’s La Viña district, and very close to Taberna Casa Manteca, El Faro is the definition of an institution. Since opening in 1964 it has served carefully prepared gaditano cuisine with impeccable classic service. The tapas bar is always full and features a two-sided standing-only bar that was recently redone without losing its character. The bar serves classics such as tortillitas de camarones and pescadito frito alongside creative and updated tapas based on local seafood. The white tablecloth restaurant is connected to the tapas bar; both locales share the kitchen but the restaurant offers an extended menu without the tapas, perfect for long lunches or dinners.
Aponiente
El Puerto de Santa María, Cádiz
Located in an old mill right on the river in El Puerto de Santa María, Aponiente is a temple to the sea. Local chef Ángel León, known as the “chef del mar,” is as happy on a fishing boat in the straits of Gibraltar as in the kitchen, and has garnered 3 Michelin stars here. A nondescript gated entrance leads into the bar area where marine appetizers await. You’ll see the kitchen as you enter the beautiful dining room with views over the river. Dishes include local essentials like tiny camarón shrimp and bluefin tuna, but also unusual ingredients refined by León himself. Aponiente’s focus on local, sustainable cuisine combines perfectly with extremely innovative techniques, such as using local glowing plankton in a dish served in a dark room. The wine list is spectacular and focused on small, local producers of both sherry and still wines, some of whom produce special bottlings for Aponiente. This is one of Spain’s most extraordinary restaurants, where you can have an experience available nowhere else in the world.
Casa Bigote
Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Cádiz
The star product of Sanlúcar’s cuisine has to be the local langostino, and Casa Bigote is the place to eat it. This beachfront institution, comprising an outdoor terrace, a popular bar, and several dining rooms, prepares the langostinos caught in the brackish water visible from the restaurant impeccably, offering them cooked quickly in boiling water or grilled. No trip to Casa Bigote is complete without a plate of langostinos, perhaps accompanied by the gamba blanca shrimp from nearby Huelva, and a glass of cold manzanilla sherry, but that’s not all that you can eat here. The menu features the best products from the area, from bluefin tuna to clams to squid to local fish whose names exist only in Sanlúcar.
Despite being a classic Sanlúcar spot, many of the preparations on the menu are innovative, combining interesting flavors together while maintaining an obsession with fresh, quality product. The best match for the menu is Sanlúcar manzanilla, whether filled from one of the barrels inside Casa Bigote or from a special bottle. After your meal, you can take in the Bajo de Guía waterfront, whether from your chair or while strolling down it and reflecting on a meal at one of Andalusia’s great temples to seafood.
Entrebotas
Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Cádiz
This airy restaurant sits between two bodega buildings inside the La Gitana winery, with a large covered patio. Here you’ll find the cuisine of one of Sanlúcar’s most creative chefs, a combination of tapas and plates to share based on local ingredients. Rices are a specialty here, as well as meat and fish grilled in the wood-fired oven. All of this is accompanied by a complete selection of La Gitana sherries by the glass, as well as those of other producers. If you come on a weekend, there are excellent sherry cocktails available.
Restaurante Antonio
Zahara de los Atunes, Cádiz
Away from the center of the village of Zahara lies a whitewashed building surrounded by sand dunes and overlooking the beach: Restaurante Antonio. This seafood temple attracts food lovers from all over Spain. Inside you’ll find a series of elegant dining areas, from the cozy bar to white tablecloth dining rooms and the enormous outdoor terrace with ocean views.
Antonio is most famous for impeccably preparing the local bluefin tuna caught before it passes through the Straits of Gibraltar, but the restaurant cooks fish and shellfish to absolute perfection. To accompany the seafood feast, Antonio has an extensive wine list with particular focus on sherries from nearby Jerez, champagne and cava, and the great white wines of Spain. Sitting on the terrace gazing at the beach after a meal at Antonio is the perfect culmination of a visit to Zahara.
Cataria
Chiclana de la Frontera, Cádiz
Cataria is the Andalusian outpost of the team behind Elkano, the legendary Michelin starred restaurant in the Basque coastal town of Getaria near San Sebastián. Cataria combines Basque grilling technique with local fish and seafood from the Bay of Cádiz and the surrounding coast. Located inside a luxury hotel on the coast of Chiclana de la Frontera, Cataria’s dining room is elegant and comfortable, and there’s the option to dine on the outdoor terrace with views of the Atlantic.
The menu is a reflection of that ocean and the wider province, with starters highlighting local produce, shellfish, and fish; the main dishes consist of grilled whole fish from the local markets. For lovers of crustaceans, there’s also a selection of these done on the grill, from local langostinos or gambones to whole lobsters. You can order à la carte or opt for the tasting menu for a journey of discovery. The wine list at Cataria features exciting wines from the best local producers, both sherry and white wines from the surrounding province, alongside fine wines from Spain, France, and other countries. Cataria offers perhaps the purest focus on the bounty of the sea of any restaurant in the area.
Lú Cocina y Alma
Jerez de la Frontera
Chef Juanlu Fernández spent a decade as the right hand of three Michelin star chef Ángel León just down the road from Jerez before setting out on his own with Lú Cocina y Alma. This small restaurant, with tables surrounding an open kitchen in a cozy dining room, has risen in just a few years to become one of the most respected in southern Spain. Fernández combines traditional Andalusian recipes with French haute cuisine ingredients and techniques to prepare southern Spanish creative cuisine at its most subtle and elegant. His mantra that without the rearguard there is no vanguard sums up his philosophy, where he uses the most classic French methods to allows each ingredient and dish to shine. Lú is also at the cutting edge of Andalusian wine culture, making extensive use of Sherry and white wines from Cádiz province in wine pairings.
Bardal
Ronda
After working in some of Spain’s top kitchens and running the excellent casual restaurant Tragatá in Ronda, chef Benito Gómez decided to dive back into haute cuisine with Bardal in the heart of Ronda. In just a few years Bardal has become one of Andalusia’s most acclaimed restaurants and accumulated two Michelin stars along the way.
Dining at Bardal is comfortable and relaxing, for the space, the cuisine, and the staff transmit Gómez’s philosophy that a restaurant should be about eating and enjoyment, not pretension. The cuisine at Bardal has traditional Andalusian dishes and local ingredients at its heart, but Gómez also uses ingredients and flavors from other parts of Spain, especially his native Catalonia. Expect seasonal dishes that combine flavors and techniques in surprising ways to highlight the essence of star products. The selection of Andalusian cheeses and the desserts made in house are unmissable. The wine cellar is carefully selected, highlighting Andalusian wines from around Ronda and exciting regions like Jerez alongside terroir-focused wines from Spain and around the world. Bardal is a friendly but exceptional leader of new Andalusian cuisine.
Tragatá
Ronda
Benito Gómez helped put Ronda on the culinary map with the two Michelin stars he won for his Bardal restaurant, but it was at Tragatá where he got his start in town. Tragatá offers the chance to try the innovative creations of Gómez in a casual environment through tapas and shared plates. You’ll find local essentials and novel combinations here, all reflecting the seasonal ingredients that are so important in Ronda. Located right near Ronda’s main sights, the restaurant has informal indoor and outdoor dining options and is a perfect choice on a day of visiting the town. You’ll find a wine list which covers every imaginable wine from the area, including rare and limited edition bottles that are impossible to find. Whether you let the staff guide you, or look for a bottle from a familiar or foreign producer yourself, you’re sure to have a great pairing at Tragatá.
Cañabota
Sevilla
Sevilla’s newest Michelin star restaurant, Cañabota is a temple to superb fish and seafood sourced from the Spanish coast. In just a few years, the local team behind this small restaurant in the center of Sevilla has made it the premier destination in Sevilla for seafood.
The brightly lit dining room features an open kitchen and a case displaying the products available that day. Every morning, one of the restaurant partners makes his way through the markets of the coast of Cádiz using his many years of experience with local fish to source the best and most seasonal pieces for Cañabota. Unlike many Michelin star restaurants, Cañabota offers the chance to order à la carte, with a menu that changes based on what products are available featuring creative plates alongside delicious fish and seafood sold by weight. There’s also the option to order a tasting menu, a journey through the best creations of the chefs and the best products found in the market.
The wine cellar, enclosed in glass and visible in the back of the dining room, features an extensive selection from Spain and other countries, with particular focus on sherry wines from nearby Cádiz province and sparkling wines. If you feel like a taste of Cañabota in an even more relaxed environment, La Barra de Cañabota is located next door and offers the same quality in a true tapas bar environment.
Eneko Basque
Sevilla
Eneko Atxa is a legend of Basque cuisine for Azurmendi, his three Michelin star restaurant outside of Bilbao. He recently opened an exciting restaurant in Sevilla, far from the cool shores of the Cantabrian Sea. Eneko Basque brings Atxa’s obsession with product to Andalusia, where he combines Basque and Andalusian ingredients in a menu focused on the grill. Bringing together traditional recipes and avant-garde technique, Atxa is injecting excitement into Sevilla’s restaurant scene.
Noor
Córdoba
Note: Noor received its third Michelin star in 2023, joining Cádiz’s three Michelin star Aponiente as the reigning three stars in Andalucía.
Noor (noor means light in Arabic) is most of all a connection to the past. Hidden away from the center, this small restaurant (2 Michelin stars) works like a time machine back to the days of the Moorish occupation of Al-Andalus. Chef Paco Morales, a Córdoba native with experience at El Bulli and Mugaritz restaurants in Spain, brings the dishes that defined different historical periods of Córdoban and Andalusian cuisine into the present. Each “season” of the restaurant is dedicated to a different era. The unique flavors of these forgotten dishes, which fuse Spanish and Moorish influences and ingredients, are one of a kind. The service, atmosphere, and impeccable preparation combine with the unique concept to make Noor an essential visit for any curious food lover traveling to Spain.