Food tours are my favorite way to explore a city, and in Granada, tapas tours are essential for your Spain palate. In Granada, when you order a round of drinks for your table, it's customary to also get a complimentary tapa. There are hundreds of bars just in Granada, so when we first arrived, it was quite difficult trying to choose which was the best to visit.
We decided to book a private tour with Granada Tapas Tours. We met Gayle, our amazing tour guide, in the heart of the city. She was so welcoming and very excited to meet us! Three hours flew by as we ate, drank, laughed and stopped at four tapas bars, we were completely stuffed! Here are all the places we visited on our tour.
Stop 1 // Más Que Vinos
This bar was full of people enjoying an early lunch! At his taberna, Gayle explained the different types of beer that would be found in most bars. After hearing about the history of them and how they were made, she let us choose a bottle for us to drink! We popped open a Socrarrada and La Roja, a refreshing first drink! While we sipped our beer, she also showed us three Spanish wines and told us what regions they came from. Next, we got to try a spinach, cream and sultana montadito. A creamy spread of golden raisins and spinach on top of a slice of toasted bread, it was delicious! Our second dish was pork meatballs in almond and olive oil sauce. They provided more bread to dip into the sauce as well.
Stop 2 // SECRET (the owner told us to not mention)
This bar is a well-kept secret that the owner asked us to not name the bar on my blog. If you do end up stopping at this place on your tapas tour, you'll love it! Here we got to try Sunday made chicken arroz, a comforting rice dish, and snails in gravy sauce. I was hesitant to eat the snail, but Gayle assured me that all I would taste was the gravy. We poured a glass of vermouth and a Rueda white wine to wash it down. The snail wasn't bad at all, I'm glad ended up trying it, cheers to being adventurous!
Stop 3 // Taberna Granados
Our next stop was this charming little tapas bar with a rich history and full of authenticity. At this bar, we sampled three different beverages. First was the Fino sherry, a dry pale white sherry wine. Then we compared it to the Pedro Ximenez sherry (my fave, a darker sherry that taste like sweet raisins. Next, we tried a Mejorana Wine which sat right in the middle of the two previous drinks. It was a perfect pairing for our tripe dish.
Stop 4 // DPlatos
Our last stop was a more modern tapas bar, inside was a clean black bar top, white walls, and green foliage. To finish up our tour we drank Muñana red wine and a 1925 Alhambra beer while Gayle ordered her favorite tapas for us to try. Our first taste was a guacamole and sardine toast, just like home but with a Spanish twist! Next was a small cup of salmorejo which is cold, tomato soup. This thick soup was super tasty. Then, we tasted a pinchito moruno, a Moroccan spiced meat on a stick. For a tiny bite, we had potatoes, octopus, and quails egg stacked on a slice of bread. Our final dish of the lunch was a creamy mushroom risotto served in a small pot.
All the tapas and beverages were absolutely delicious, but the best part of the tour was Gayle. It truly felt like we were out for lunch with an old friend. She's an amazing storyteller, super knowledgeable about what Granada has to offer, and of course, she has GREAT taste. She customizes each tour according to our likes and preferences, so each tour is unique and always a treat. Without the tour, we probably would not have visited these places listed above, but I'm glad we got to stop by and discover a unique part of Spanish cuisine. Thank you Granada Tapas Tours!