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Granada’s best food & drink

  • Granada, Andalusia, Spain

Last updated: 29 March, 2024

Andalusian cooking is renowned for fresh seafood, olives and olive oil, sun-ripened vegetables, garlic and paprika.

Cooking is simple, letting fresh, delicious ingredients speak for themselves. Much of the preparation in the kitchen is minimal – fish is usually lightly dredged in flour and golden fried in olive oil.

Cold soups star in summer, hearty stews in the winter and melt-in-your-mouth cured ham (jamon serrano) year-round. Many of the desserts, many involving almonds, go back to Arab times.

Sangria, as elsewhere in Spain, is a popular drink, as is sherry.

What to try

Try Andalusia’s famous cold soups: gazpacho, but also ajo blanco, made with garlic, almonds, and bread, and thick creamy tomato salmorejo.

Seafood classics include mixed fish fry (pescado or pescaita frito), bluefin tuna (atun Rojo), and gambas pil pil (garlic and paprika prawns).

Other specialities include carrillada (braised pork or beef cheeks), rabo de toro (bull tail stew) and pringa (slow-cooked beef or pork and sausage).

Also see our round-up of traditional Spanish foods you must try in Spain.

Logistics

Price: Free
Minimum age: 0
Age suitable: 18+
When: All year around
Duration: -

Getting there & doing it

The food markets of Andalusia are often surrounded by tapas bars and traditional restaurants, patronized by the locals. For eating and drinking recommendations, check out the town-by-town restaurant listings at Andalucia.com.

When to do it

Spaniards traditionally eat later than most Europeans, and in the hot summer months, the Andalusians often dine as late as 11pm or midnight when it’s cool enough to sit out on the terraces. Restaurants, however, open much earlier, and there are always tapas to keep hunger at bay. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day, eaten between 1pm and 3pm. In the summer following it with a siesta is strongly recommended.

Who to go with: organised tours

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Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity

  • Granada

On our 3.5 hour Taste of Granada Tour, you’ll have the opportunity to discover Granada’s traditional products, dishes and hidden treasures. Have a stroll through the beautiful city centre, tasting a selection of locally made specialties paired with delicious wines. From local style ham cured in the mountains, to dry fruits and nuts in one of the oldest grocery shops in Spain to traditional Granada tapas in a charming family-owned restaurant you’ll enjoy delectable dishes and drinks as you learn about Granada’s rich history and culture, passing by some of its most emblematic sites and culinary hotspots.

Price €75

Min age 5

Rating 4.90 / 5 [455 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

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  • Granada

We start the tour with delicious local tapas and tastings in the historic centre of Granada. Your Food Sherpa will lead you to some typical businesses in the city. At the first stop we try two contemporary dishes. At this restaurant we dispell some urban myths about Spanish food. Information that will be handy for you over the rest of your stay in Andalucia. At the second stop we taste more traditional food prepared in a hidden restaurant well-loved by locals. Our final stop on the route is a classic restaurant in Granada, trading since 1976. Here we try two dishes and a traditional dessert ending our experience on a sweet note. Then we head to the best flamenco venue in Granada. In a one hour show we get to experience the passion and drama of real flamenco. This intimate tablao has professional dancers, passionate singers and impressive guitarists.

Price €94

Min age 5

Rating 4.71 / 5 [21 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

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  • Granada

Scout out Granada’s top tapas bars which offer the best wines by the hand of a private official guide while learning about the city’s history on a 2.5-hour evening walking tour! Taking place around the Albaicin neighborhood where Granada’s history is etched into the streets, the tour visits four locally loved tapas bars in between sightseeing. See Plaza Nueva, Santa Ana Church and the famous vantage point of Mirador San Nicolás; learn about the Moors who once ruled the city; and savor small plates of delicious tapas alongside a select drink in each bar. Numbers are limited to 15 on this small-group tour, ensuring personalized attention at all times, you can choose a private tour,

Price €110

Min age 0

Rating 4 / 5 [21 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

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  • Granada

Discover the flavors of Granada and the local life on an off-the-beaten-path market tour in the old town of Granada. You can see how locals live and shop and go about their daily lives in a relaxed Spanish way. You would taste your way along different stalls and learn about the most typical and traditional Spanish delights. We will start off with a walk through the old town and cover 2000 years of history all from ancient tribes to Muslims and Christian & pass by the second biggest Cathedral in Spain. To warm up we savor some hot churro and chocolate. Then, we would stop to chat with a family-run shop and taste first quality Iberian ham, local cheese from Trevelez as well as Spanish gourmet products such as Chorizo, the spicy sausage, Lomo, Salsichon. We will drink Alhambra beer or have a glass of wine and try some olives. We will finish the tour with a typical artisanal sweet called Piononos.

Price €149

Min age 0

Rating 5 / 5 [12 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

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