Tapas in Andalucía are legendary—but not all of them deserve the hype. Before you order, read this guide to discover which tapas are absolute must-tries—and which ones you might regret!
By Liza S. | Updated 10 Mar 2025 | Andalucia | Places To Go |
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Ah, tapas—the glorious, bite-sized excuse to order everything on the menu without judgment. Andalucía is the birthplace of this genius dining concept, but let’s be real—not all tapas deserve the hype.
Some are absolute life-changing bites of heaven, while others? More hype than flavor. I’ve eaten my way through Andalucía (a tough job, but someone had to do it), and I’m here to separate the legends from the letdowns.
Get ready for some controversial opinions, a little tapas snobbery, and some very strong feelings about mayo-based salads. If you agree with me? Great taste. If you don’t? Well, more caracoles for you.
I LOVE tapas but not all tapas are gastronomic masterpieces.
Some get way more hype than they deserve, coasting on nostalgia or tradition rather than actual flavour.
Are they terrible? No. But with so many incredible dishes in Andalucía, why waste your time (and stomach space!) on mediocre soup or a suspiciously mayonnaise-heavy salad?
Choose wisely: these are the 5 tapas in Andalucia that I’d skip (you can do better… read on for my recommendations further below!).
Gazpacho gets a lot of love, but let’s be honest—it’s just cold, blended vegetables.
Yes, it’s refreshing, and yes, it’s a Spanish classic, but does it deserve legendary status? In my opinion: not when salmorejo exists, with its creamier texture and richer flavor.
At its worst, gazpacho is thin, watery, and tastes like tomato juice with an identity crisis.
You’ll see tourists sipping it from a glass like some kind of liquid gold, while locals roll their eyes and order literally anything else.
If you must have a cold soup in Andalucía, make it salmorejo—because gazpacho is just a starter that never quite gets going.
Pescaito frito
Fried fish—sounds like a safe bet, right?
In theory, yes.
Andalucía’s famous pescaíto frito is a plate of assorted fish, lightly battered and deep-fried until crispy. But here’s the thing—it’s wildly inconsistent.
At its best, it’s delicately crispy and fresh. At its worst? Greasy, bland, and tasting mostly of oil.
And good luck knowing which fish you’re eating—is it anchovy? Hake? Something else entirely? Who knows.
Sure, it’s a local staple, but compared to other seafood tapas, it’s just… fried fish. Fine for a beachside snack, but not something you’ll be dreaming about later.
Honestly I think it’s still worth trying it either in Malaga or Cadiz (or anywhere along the coast really)... because when it's good, it really is good. But I think there are other dishes that are more worth your time.
This dish sounds promising—eggs baked in a rich tomato sauce with chorizo, peppers, and sometimes peas.
A Spanish shakshuka, perhaps? Not quite.
The problem: it’s often underwhelming.
The sauce can be watery, the eggs rubbery, and the overall dish lacking in punchy flavor. It’s one of those tapas that looks far better in photos than it tastes on the plate.
If you’re in Seville, skip this and go for espinacas con garbanzos instead—a warm, smoky spinach and chickpea dish that actually delivers on depth of flavor.
Ensalada Rusa
How did mayonnaise-covered potato salad earn a spot on Spain’s most beloved tapas list? Genuine question.
I ordered it once to try it but I was kinda confused by it and it didn’t seem to pair well with anything else either.
A mix of potatoes, mayo, tuna, peas, and sometimes boiled eggs, Ensaladilla Rusa is what happens when someone gets carried away with fridge leftovers.
It’s not bad—if you like mayo-heavy dishes, you might even enjoy it. But compared to Spain’s incredible cheeses, melt-in-your-mouth jamón ibérico, and sizzling gambas al ajillo, why are we out here choosing a glorified picnic side dish?
It appears on almost every tapas menu, yet nobody really gets excited about ordering it. Coincidence? I think not.
I get it—eating snails is a cultural experience. And in Seville and Córdoba, caracoles (small land snails in broth) are a local favorite.
But for me, this is a lot of effort for very little reward.
I’m personally okay with eating snails but this dish was a bit underwhelming for me.
The snails are tiny, and eating them requires precision, patience, and zero squeamishness. The broth? Sometimes herby and delicious, sometimes just salty water.
And if you’re new to the concept of sucking critters out of their shells? You’re in for a textural adventure.
If you’re feeling adventurous, go for it—but if you want a great meal, maybe stick with one of the top tapas I’m recommending below instead.
Salmorejo
Some Andalucian tapas aren’t just good—they’re so good they’ll ruin all other food for you.
These are the dishes that Andalucía does better than anywhere else, the ones that make you close your eyes in pure, food-induced bliss. If you leave without trying these, did you even go to Andalucía?
Best Eaten In: Anywhere in Andalucia, especially Cordoba
Like I’ve said before: forget watery gazpacho— salmorejo is its rich, velvety, more sophisticated cousin.
Honestly, the first time I had salmorejo was like a revelation!
This creamy, chilled tomato soup is blended to silky perfection with stale bread, olive oil, and garlic, then topped with shreds of jamón ibérico and crumbled hard-boiled egg.
The result? A buttery-smooth, tangy, umami-packed spoonful of heaven.
It’s refreshing on a hot day, comforting in winter, and downright addictive year-round. And unlike gazpacho, it’s thick enough to scoop up with bread—which, let’s be honest, is the best part.
One bowl is never enough.
Gambas al Ajillo
Best Eaten In: Coastal areas like like Cadiz & Huelva where the seafood is the fresh
This dish announces itself before it even arrives at your table—the unmistakable sizzle of shrimp hitting scalding-hot olive oil, the aroma of garlic so rich it should be illegal.
Then it lands: plump, juicy prawns swimming in a bubbling sea of golden olive oil, garlic, and chili.
One bite, and you’re done for.
The shrimp are buttery, tender, and infused with pure garlicky goodness, and that oil? Absolute liquid gold. Grab your bread and mop up every last drop—leaving any behind should be considered a crime.
Just don’t make any big social plans afterward… unless garlic breath is your signature scent.
Berenjenas con miel
Best Eaten In: Málaga
This dish sounds like someone got drunk and started throwing ingredients together, but somehow, it’s genius.
Thin slices of eggplant, fried until crisp and golden, then drizzled with thick, sticky molasses-like honey—it shouldn’t make sense, but it’s absolute perfection.
The eggplant is light and crispy on the outside, soft and buttery on the inside, and the honey adds just the right amount of sweetness to balance the salt and crunch.
This is now my favourite way to eat eggplant, it’s THAT good.
It’s like a Spanish tempura with a dessert-like twist, and once you try it, you’ll wonder why the rest of the world hasn’t caught on yet.
Atún de Almadraba
Best Eaten In: Cádiz and along Costa de la Luz
Forget everything you thought you knew about tuna.
This is not the dry, sad tuna from a can—this is silky, melt-in-your-mouth perfection straight from the waters of Cádiz. Caught using the ancient almadraba method (think epic, Roman-style tuna fishing), this bluefin tuna is so fresh and buttery it could be mistaken for wagyu beef.
Served as tartare, seared tataki, or slow-cooked in sherry, every bite is rich, umami-packed, and impossibly smooth. You’ll never look at tuna the same way again.
And if you try it in Zahara de los Atunes (literally, “Zahara of the Tunas”), you might just start googling how to move there permanently.
Jamon Iberico
Best Eaten In: Everywhere in Andalucia; Jabugo & Serón are well-known for producing some of the best jamón ibérico
No contest—this is Spain’s greatest culinary treasure.
Thin, glistening slices of perfectly cured, acorn-fed Jamón Ibérico de Bellota practically melt on your tongue, releasing an explosion of nutty, buttery, umami-rich heaven.
The best comes from Jabugo in Huelva, where pigs roam free, feast on acorns, and live their best lives before becoming Spain’s most exquisite bite of food.
Skip having it in a sandwich—this ham deserves to be savored on its own, ideally with a glass of fino sherry.
One bite, and you’ll understand why Spaniards treat this like gold.
Rabo de toro
Best Eaten In: Everywhere in Andalucia, especially in Cordoba and Ronda
This list wouldn’t be complete with my personal favourite. Rabo de toro—oxtail stew braised to perfection with red wine, garlic, and spices—is Andalucia’s answer to pure comfort food bliss.
If fall-apart-tender, slow-cooked meat swimming in a rich, velvety sauce sounds like your idea of happiness, meet your new obsession (welcome to the club, I’m your president!).
The meat is so tender it practically melts on your fork, the sauce is thick, deep, and packed with slow-cooked intensity, and the whole thing begs to be mopped up with crusty bread.
One bite and you’ll understand why this dish has been around since Roman times—because nothing this good ever goes out of style.
Forget fancy food—this is the kind of meal that warms your soul.
I’ll admit it—I used to be skeptical about food tours. Why pay for something you can just do yourself, right?
But then, a few years ago, I tried my first one in Seville (a city I already knew well), and it completely changed my mind.
Here’s the thing: a great food tour isn’t just about eating (though, let’s be real, that part is fantastic). It’s about:
✅ Finding the hidden gems—the tiny, family-run tapas bars you’d never stumble upon on your own.
✅ Learning the stories behind the dishes—because knowing why a tapa is special makes it taste even better.
✅ Eating like a local—no tourist traps, no overpriced menus, just authentic Andalucian flavours.
✅ Trying things you wouldn’t normally order—sometimes the best dish is the one you didn’t even know existed! (This was me & espinacas con garbanzos)
No matter which Andalucian city you’re in, a food tour takes the guesswork out of eating well—and trust me, once you’ve done one, you’ll never look at tapas the same way again.
Here are my recommended tapas tours & food experiences:
Andalucía is a food lover’s paradise, but as you’ve seen, not all tapas are created equal.
The trick? Eat like a local. Prioritise regional specialties, order a bunch of tapas to share, and don’t be afraid to try something new (except maybe caracoles—consider yourself warned).
And if you really want to experience the best of Andalucía’s food culture? Take a tapas tour—it’s the easiest way to uncover hidden gems, learn the stories behind the dishes, and eat better than you ever thought possible.
Now, go forth and feast—just skip the Ensaladilla Rusa!
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