Where to Eat in Granada: Tapas, Teterías, y Todo

In August of 2020, I spent a week in Granada – a world-renowned gem of Spain’s southern autonomous community, Andalucía – working from a hotel to get in a little summer “fake”-cation trip. Although Granada is no doubt a scorcher in the summer, I really enjoyed my week there! Since I had lots of time to spend and meals to plan, I was able to sample a variety of Granada’s culinary treats, from its famously generous tapas that accompany any beer or wine to pastries at Moorish-style tea houses. Below is my guide for where to eat in Granada – enjoy!

Where to Eat in Granada

Breakfast & Coffee

Plaza de Bib-Rambla

Pictured in the main image above, Plaza de Bib-Rambla is one of Granada’s most picturesque, bustling squares – and a great place for churros and chocolate, a Spanish breakfast staple. This was actually my first time trying proper churros y chocolate in Spain 🙊! There are a few traditional cafes on the plaza that you can pick from to enjoy your churros alongside locals.

Rollo

I enjoyed breakfast – with a view of Granada’s spectacular cathedral – at Rollo, a cute cafe that seems to have a wide-ranging menu, serving breakfast by day and copas by night. I had my favorite traditional Spanish breakfast: café con leche y una tostada con jamón y tomate (coffee with milk and toast with Iberian ham and tomato).

Oteiza Coffee

If you’re looking to mix it up from the traditional Spanish café con leche, stop in for a coffee at Oteiza Coffee. This little nook has a modern, hipster vibe, characteristic of popular coffee shops in the US. We’re talking a variety of coffee beans from around the world, proper iced coffee (not always easy to find in Spain, lol), matcha lattes, vegan pastries, etc. 

Bars for a Drink + Tapita

El Tabernaculo

El Tabernaculo is tucked in the bustling Calle Navas, popular among locals and tourists alike. This bar is the kind of place you can really only find in Spain – or really only in Andalucía – and therefore my kinda place, lol. The bar is covered in paraphernalia of all things Semana Santa (Holy Week) from all over Spain: medals representing various hermandades, the religious “brotherhoods” of Semana Santa, hang from the ceiling and photos of pasos, or floats that carry sculptures of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, adorn the walls. Of course, the renowned Semana Santa sevillana has its place in El Tabernaculo, notably in the form of a photo of the beloved Macarena Virgin in front of the city’s iconic Giralda. 

Rosario Varela

The gastrobar Rosario Varela, located in El Realejo neighborhood, is great for a beer + tapa if you’re in the mood for a snack or light meal. When I ordered my caña, I was served little sandwich buns.

Ibéricos & Alhambra

Calle Marqués de Gerona, the street leading up to the cathedral, is always buzzing with life as people wine and dine outdoors. I chose to sit down at Ibéricos & Alhambra for a little aperitif, and I was rewarded with a tapita of delicious jamón. This place is a good call for a few beers and tapitas, but the menu didn’t seem ideal for a full meal – unless you want a bocadillo.

Taberna del Beso

Coming down from an amazing sunset at the famed Mirador de San Nicolás, I stumbled upon the cozy Taberna del Beso in the Albaicín neighborhood. It seemed like the perfect place to take a little wine break – so I took one. 

Mesón El Yunque

After a trekking up the hilly Albaicín to visit the Palacio de Dar al-Horra – which I highly recommend! – I needed a little rest. Mesón El Yunque, right around the corner from the palace, was a welcome respite. The outdoor terrace was in a pleasant plaza with nice views of the city and mountains in the distance. Although I only ordered a tinto de verano, the food looked good!

Lunch & Dinner

Biloba

When it comes to where to eat in Granada, you gotta hit up Biloba – AND order their signature dish, Biloba con Gambones. This chic restaurant serves a wide variety of food with a modern international flare, so it’ll be a nice counter-balance to the more traditional restaurants on this list. Although Granada is known for its tapas, I recommend ordering the Biloba con Gambones as a main dish. It’ll fill you right up – and you may not want to share, lol. The dish consists of a base of potato purée, topped with shrimp, mushrooms, and poached eggs. There was also a hint of truffle in the dish…so good! I was lucky to receive this recommendation from a friend in Madrid who’s from Granada, so her friend Juan Carlos took good care of me at the restaurant 😊.

Tea Houses & Dessert

Tetería Al-Faguara

Granada was the last stronghold of Moorish-Muslim rule on the Iberian peninsula – and you can tell. Although the city fell to the Catholic Monarchs – Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon – in 1492, the city still preserves a sense of Moorish charm (albeit slightly played up for tourist purposes…). Calle Calderería Nueva is ground zero when it comes to Granada’s famed Moorish-style teterías, or teahouses, and Moorish-influenced souvenirs. Although this street and many of the teterías are undoubtedly touristy, it’s definitely worth the unique experience – stopping into a teahouse is just something you gotta do in Granada! l sat down at Tetería Al-Faguara and ordered a mint tea and a typical pastry. The decor and mint tea were a total throwback to my trip to Morocco!

Ysla

When asked what and where to eat in Granada, locals will say you have to try the city’s traditional pastry, piononos. The name comes from Pope Pius IX, also known as Pío Nono, who notably declared the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary in 1854. A local baker wanted to pay tribute to the pope for this act later in the 19th century, and the pionono was born. What is a pionono, you may ask? It’s a small cylinder of moist cake rolled up with cream and topped with toasted cream. Why does the pionono look like this, you may ask? Because the pastry is inspired by the cream-white robes and mitres of papal garb, of course! Stop into the traditional Ysla Piononos shop for a taste!

Enjoy this guide on where to eat in Granada!