1. Cunini's
Pescadería 14, Granada
Cunini's, which has been a Granada institution for 50 years, is located near the central market area right next to the cathedral. The tapas are good quality and their excellent seafoods include delicious prawns and fried squid, as well as a particularly good old Moorish dish of lightly battered aubergines, deep fried and then drizzled with miel de caña. The menu during the day diff ers from that of the evening, when their famed potato croquettes give way to equally famous hamand- bean dishes. It's a great deal more fun to eat tapas standing at the bar than primly sitting at a table.
2. Bar Rody
Chapinería 1, Jerez
Situated in a typical Spanish square next to a medieval church, you gain a real sense of the real Jerez at Bar Rody. Must-trys include the classic home-made and perfectly crispy croquetas (which are made from the leftovers of puchero, an Andalusian stew of ham hock, chicken and pig fat), and Rody's locally famous stuffed squid.
3. Casablanca
Calle Zaragoza, Seville
The most famous tapas bar in Seville. Locals love Casablanca, which is always a good sign that you're in the right place. This can become quite a crowded venue, but the scrum is well worth it. The service, particularly in the restaurant area for which tables must be reserved, can't be faulted. Seafood is a speciality - try breaded prawns, hake with clams - or the traditional, but impeccably executed, staples of manchego with quince paste.
4. El Gorrión
Calle Arco del Consuelo, Jaén
One of the best places to eat tapas in the small and very Iberian city of Jaén, El Gorrión has been dishing up authentic tapas in rustic surroundings near the cathedral since 1888. The focus here is on sourcing top-quality local produce (which, in this area, includes amazing olives) to make its wonderful home-cooked foods, and this is an excellent place to try local dishes such as ajilimoje, an olive oil, vinegar, potato and red pepper mixture served on thick chunks of freshly made bread.
5. Cal Pep
Plaça de les Olles 8, Barcelona
Cal Pep is somewhat of an institution in Barcelona and a specialist when it comes to seafood - its trifásico, a mixture of fried, lightly battered whitebait, squid rings and shrimp, is sublime. The place, which is part tapas bar/part restaurant, is always packed but inthe- know locals arrive early and take a seat at the front for a little more space, though the cosy room at the back has its own charm. You may have to queue, but that's half the fun, and you can drink while you wait. It's a convivial place so if you don't start chatting to the others queuing, you'll probably end up doing so when you squeeze inside.
Once you get there, if you don't speak Spanish just make it clear you want to try everything, and they'll keep it coming for as long as you can still eat. The popularity of Cal Pep is mainly due to the high quality of the food. Try the miniature clams in broth, then follow up botifarra sausage and beans with a shot glass of dessert foam, which channels the style of the great Spanish chef Ferrán Adría.
The menu is also full of more traditional off erings - there's morcilla (blood sausage) served with chickpeas and spinach, 'baby' sardines, fluffy tortillas, fiery pimentos and wild mushrooms. All of which should be washed down with plenty of their very fine Cava.
Cunini's, Pescadería 14, Granada, 00 34 958 25 07 77
Bar Rody, Chapinería 1, Jerez, 00 34 956 33 27 49
Casablanca, Calle Zaragoza 50, Seville, 00 34 954 22 46 98
El Gorrión, Calle Arco del Consuelo 7, Jaén, 00 34 953 23 20 00
Cal Pep, Plaça de les Olles 8, Barcelona, 00 34 933 10 79 61
