When one thinks of food in Spain, tapas are probably the first thing that comes to mind. Tapas are delicious little appetisers or snacks that are served in bars or in local restaurants in between meals. They are perfect to eat while socialising with friends when drinking beer (caña) or a glass of wine (chato); in fact, some bars in Costa del Sol offer a free Spanish tapa with each order of drinks.

Tasty Tapas

The word ‘tapas’ comes from the Spanish verb tapar, which means ‘to cover’. This was derived from a centuries old concept of placing a slice of bread or meat over the top of a drink to keep fruit flies away. Bartenders and restaurant owners soon began to create a variety of snacks to serve along with drinks based on this. Nowadays, tapas have evolved into an entire cuisine, with various tapas restaurants and bars dotted all over Costa del Sol and the rest of Spain.

It is common for bars or small local restaurants to serve many kinds of tapas. Local Spanish tapas specialities include anchovies soaked in oil and vinegar (Boquerones en vinaigrette), salami-type sausage (Chorizo), deep fried veal or ham (Croquetas), Russian salad (Ensaladilla), garlic and chilli prawns (Gambas al pil pil), liver served in tomato sauce (Higado), potato salad with garlic mayonnaise (Patatas ali-oli), fried potato wedges with spicy chilli sauce (Patatas bravas) and potato omelette (Tortilla). Spanish tapas are often flavoured very strongly with chilli, paprika, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, saffron and olive oil – making them the perfect snack to go alongside drinks. Olives such as Manzanillo or Arbequina are also integrated in tapas.

Served day in and day out, tapas are an inherent part of the culture and social life of Spain. Costa del Sol is renowned for its tapas bars, offering visitors some of the tastiest tapas in Spain, in and around the city centre. Some of the best restaurants for Spanish tapas in Costa del Sol include El Tejar, El Castillo and Ruta de la Plata in Estepona; PuraTapa and La Verandah in Torreguardiaro, Sotogrande; Tomaquet and Tipi Tapa in Fuengirola & Abrasa BBQ and Arco Tapas Bar in Marbella.