The Best Food I Ate in Spain
on walking, drinking, and eating in Spain.
Kyle and I took a nine day trip to Spain last week, and we pretty much only had plans to eat. Our standard traveling vibe is usually centered around coffee, pastries, drinks, and dinner, and that’s what we went to Spain to do. We dabbled in some sightseeing as well, but the only actual locked-down plans we arrived in Spain with were dinner reservations and tickets to La Sagrada Familia.
I’ll admit - making this list was tricky because basically, everything we ate in Madrid and Barcelona was delicious and extraordinarily affordable. You’ll see a few examples below where I forgot to take a picture before we started to eat because we were hungry and it smelled SO GOOD.
In Barcelona, the abundance of inexpensive seafood dishes was especially remarkable. At Teóric, we enjoyed an astounding ten-course seafood-focused tasting menu that came to 47€ per person. Unthinkable in the US.
I recommend having a snack before reading further if you are hungry…scroll at your own risk.
As a disclaimer, I’m not a food photographer, and many of these photos were taken after and/or during the consumption of wine in not-so-agreeable lighting. I’m just not the type of person who is going to break out an LED light at dinner (power to those who do, but for me, it ruins the vibes!). So, if you like this post, and don’t care about bad pictures, subscribe!
Madrid
Churros con chocolate, Chocolateria San Gines
An incredible, unmatched treat, typically eaten as breakfast by Madrileños after a long night out. I’m sure there are better places in Madrid to get churros, but apparently, San Gines is always popping so you know the churros you are getting are FRESH. Locals and tourists were here alike when we ordered and ate standing at the bar.
Alcachofas a la plancha, Bodega de la Ardosa
Among the enjoyment we had at this classic tapas bar on our first jetlagged night in Madrid (including watching patrons crawling underneath the bar every five minutes to get to the back room), were the grilled artichokes. The beautiful brown caramelization (shout out to the Maillard reaction) combined with the artichokes’ vegetal freshness and the flakiest sea salt showed why the simplest vegetable preparations sometimes work best.
Come a casa (mortadella, pistachio, and fior de latte on fresh bread), Divorare
This sandwich is ~technically~ Italian. Sorry. But it’s worth highlighting for the freshness of the bread, the sliced-to-order mortadella, the creamy fior de latte, and the pistachios as a cherry on top. We entered Divorare tired, hot, and hungry, and left smitten.
Torrija, Manero
We were quite a few glasses of wine into the night, enjoying dinner at a typical Spanish time, and decided to finish with some carbs. And thank god we did, because we ended up eating the best french toast-like dessert I’ve ever had the fortune to consume. Imagine the caramelized sugar on top of creme brulee transplanted to the crust of the most delicious brioche you’ve ever had, topped with the most vanilla-y vanilla ice cream. A huge thank you to
for letting me know that torrija is similar to French toast but uniquely Spanish, and is a common dessert in Spanish restaurants year-round! Also, shout out to the patatas bravas here, they were the best we had on our trip.
Barcelona
Mackerel and carrot, Teóric
Teóric was certainly the best bang for its buck we had on our trip, and this dish was one of the highlights. Raw mackerel sat nestled among pickled and pureed carrots, topped with microgreens. The dish was simultaneously delicate, sweet, briney, and tangy, resulting in a few, well-balanced bites that left me wanting more.
Seafood box, Slow & Low
I don’t think any seafood lover could have this mock-styrofoam cold shipping box placed in front of them and not be excited. Here’s the rundown: uni (sea urchin) with passion fruit, prawn head, Galician clam, shrimp, and razor clam. As a passion fruit lover, the uni was one of the highlights for me, along with the razor clam which sat in one of the most incredible citrusy ceviche-like marinades I’ve tasted. Our meal at Slow & Low was my food highlight from the trip.
Miel y mató, Cheese Market at Monserrat
Now for something a bit more humble. Our (awesome) Catalan guide at Montserrat told us to wander down the road to the nearby group of cheese stands and get miel y mató, a ricotta-like Catalan soft cheese (mató) with honey (miel) drizzled on top. We shared one, and I loved it so much that I got another…just for myself.
Coca de llavaneres de xocolata, La Torna in Mercat de Santa Caterina
As if by the grace of god, we happened to wander by La Torna in Mercat de Santa Caterina on Saturday while picking up some olives to enjoy while picnicking in the park. We saw this pastry in the case and purchased it with little other thought. My picture doesn’t do it justice - imagine the crunchiest tightly layered caramelized puff pastry with semi-sweet chocolate, marzipan, and almonds on top. Little did we know that La Torna only sells this traditional Catalan pastry on Saturdays, and we happened to be in the right place at the right time.
Cheesecake, JonCake
I’ll readily admit that I’m not a cheesecake girl, but I knew I wanted to indulge in some Basque cheesecake while in town. JonCake is trendy and seemingly always has a line. Compound that with my general lack of cheesecake enthusiasm, and you would think I’d say it wasn’t worth it. You’d be wrong. While the classic slice was nothing to write home about, the brie and goat cheese slices were incredible - funky, cheesy, with sweet cracker bases and caramelized tops. I wouldn’t want to eat this all the time, but it’s just something you have to try once purely based on its uniqueness. Think cheese and crackers, in cake form.
Pumpkin, Mandarine, and White Chocolate dessert, Slow & Low
Because our meal at Slow & Low was incredible, I couldn’t just pick one dish. Normally, in the US we think of pumpkin used in dessert preparations with warm spices - pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice lattes, etc. This dish turned that convention on its head. Pumpkin puree was paired with an intensely sour mandarin gelee on a tuille resting on a white chocolate base with more mandarin. I love a fruit-forward dessert (especially after a big meal), and this had it all. It was bright, creamy, and tart, and opened my mind to new pumpkin possibilities.
Thanks for reading! I’m hoping to share some spring cooking stories and another part of my seafood series in the next few weeks. Stay tuned :).
Have thoughts to share on eating in Spain or elsewhere? Leave a comment below!
French toast is not Spanish. But torrija it is. It’s similar but it’s very different. And it’s exactly what you had. And it’s typical in Semana Santa. Many restaurants have torrija all year around for dessert.
I want that cup of chocolate and the churro!!!!