Home › Food tours › Granada
Food tours in Granada: what to eat and which tour to book
Granada is one of the last Spanish cities where a tapa still comes free with every drink. Order a caña of beer or a glass of wine in most bars and a small plate arrives with it, and the plate often gets bigger with each round, so many locals make a whole evening meal out of three or four bars. The cooking mixes Andalusian mountain food (Trevélez ham, broad beans with ham, the offal-rich tortilla del Sacromonte) with traces of the city's Moorish past: teahouses, Moroccan pastries and spiced lamb in the lanes below the Albaicín.
Use this page to decide where to drink and eat. The areas below tell you which streets have the best free-tapa bars and when to go. The tours are real listings on GetYourGuide and Viator; prices shown are approximate because we could not see them on the listings, so confirm the price, schedule and group size on the booking page before you pay.
What to eat in Granada
| Dish | What it is | Where to eat it | Typical price* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free tapa with a drink tapa gratis | A small plate served free with each alcoholic or soft drink, chosen by the bar or, in some places, from a short list: stews, fried fish, mini burgers, potatoes, cured meat on bread. | Bars on Calle Navas, Calle Elvira, Realejo (around Campo del Príncipe) and the lower Albaicín. | about €2.50–3.50 for a caña or wine with its tapa |
| Broad beans with ham habas con jamón | Young broad beans sautéed with diced cured ham, a classic of the Granada countryside and the Alpujarras. | Traditional bars and taverns in the centre and Realejo, often as a ración (full plate). | roughly €8–12 a ración |
| Sacromonte omelette tortilla del Sacromonte | Egg omelette with lamb brains and sometimes sweetbreads or other offal, ham and peas. An acquired taste, named after the cave quarter. | Old-school taverns in the centre and the Sacromonte/Albaicín area; not on every menu. | roughly €8–12 a ración |
| Fried aubergine with cane honey berenjenas fritas con miel de caña | Thin slices of aubergine fried crisp and drizzled with dark sugar-cane molasses, a dish shared with Málaga and the Andalusian coast. | Tapas bars across the centre; sometimes served as a free tapa. | roughly €7–10 a ración |
| Trevélez ham jamón de Trevélez | Air-dried ham from the high village of Trevélez in the Sierra Nevada, cured in cold mountain air; sold with a protected geographical indication. | Delis and bars in the centre and in the Mercado de San Agustín. | roughly €12–20 for a plate, depending on quality |
| Orange and salt cod salad remojón granadino | Winter salad of orange, salt cod, black olives, onion and olive oil, sometimes with boiled egg. | Traditional bars, mainly in winter. | roughly €7–10 a ración |
| Cream-filled pastry piononos | Small rolled sponge cakes soaked in syrup and topped with toasted cream, from the town of Santa Fe just outside Granada. | Pastry shops in the centre. | about €1.50–2.50 each |
| Mint tea and Moroccan sweets té moruno | Sweet mint tea, Moroccan pastries and crepes served in small teahouses (teterías). | Calle Calderería Nueva and Calle Elvira, below the Albaicín. | about €3–5 for a pot of tea, €2–4 per pastry |
Where to eat: markets and neighbourhoods
Calle Navas
Pedestrian street off Plaza del Carmen lined with tapas bars. Busy with visitors, but still the quickest way to see free-tapa culture; some bars are better than others, so look for locals at the counter.
Realejo and Campo del Príncipe
The old Jewish quarter below the Alhambra, with neighbourhood bars around Campo del Príncipe square and the streets near Plaza de los Lobos; more local and slightly cheaper than the centre.
Calle Elvira and Calderería Nueva
Narrow lanes rising into the Albaicín, with teterías, Moroccan and Middle Eastern restaurants, shawarma shops and bars giving free tapas.
Albaicín
The old Moorish quarter on the hill opposite the Alhambra. Plaza Larga and the small squares inside have local bars; terraces near the Mirador de San Nicolás charge for the view.
Mercado de San Agustín
Central covered market near the cathedral with produce, cured meats, fish and a few bars.
Plaza Bib-Rambla
Square behind the cathedral with cafés known for churros with chocolate.
Food tours in Granada compared
Every tour below is a real listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 2 Oct 2026. Prices move with season and group size, so treat them as a guide and confirm on the booking page.
| Tour | Length | Price* | Group | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granada Tapas and Wine Small Group Tour | about 3.5 hours | price not seen; check the listing | small group (exact size not seen) | First-timers who want an evening that replaces dinner and explains how free tapas work. | Check dates |
| Albayzín: Granada's Albayzín Tour with Food Tasting | 2.5 hours | from €80 per person | max 10 | Visitors interested in the Moorish side of Granada; likely an easier fit for those avoiding pork or alcohol, but confirm with the operator. | Check dates |
| Granada Tapas and wine tour! | — | price not seen; check the listing | — | Wine drinkers looking for an alternative evening slot; read the listing for details before booking. | Check dates |
| Granada: Paella, Sangria, and Dessert Cooking Class | 10 hours | from €78 per person | — | Travellers who want to cook the dishes again at home; easiest option for dietary needs, since you control the ingredients. | Check dates |
| Granada: Walking Food Tour | 3.5 hours | from €71 per person | — | First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide. | Check dates |
| Granada: Tapas Cooking Class with Bottomless Sangria | 10 hours | from €79 per person | — | Travellers who want to cook the dishes again at home; easiest option for dietary needs, since you control the ingredients. | Check dates |
Granada Tapas and Wine Small Group Tour
On Viator
- Length
- about 3.5 hours
- Price
- price not seen; check the listingapprox.
- Group size
- small group (exact size not seen)
- Included
- Tapas, cured ham, dried fruit and wine at several stops; over 1,100 reviews at the time of research.
- Suits
- First-timers who want an evening that replaces dinner and explains how free tapas work.
- Starts
- City centre (check listing)
Albayzín: Granada's Albayzín Tour with Food Tasting
On GetYourGuide · run by Sol Oriens Tours
- Length
- 2.5 hours
- Price
- from €80 per person
- Rating
- 4.9 ★ from 9 reviews (on 2 Oct 2026)
- Group size
- max 10
- Included
- Walking tour of the Albaicín focused on its Arab roots, with Arabic tea at a viewpoint and a finish at an Arab restaurant to taste local Arab cuisine.
- Suits
- Visitors interested in the Moorish side of Granada; likely an easier fit for those avoiding pork or alcohol, but confirm with the operator.
- Starts
- Pl. de Sta. Ana, Granada, España
Granada Tapas and wine tour!
On Viator
- Price
- price not seen; check the listingapprox.
- Included
- Tapas and wine at several bars; detailed inclusions not visible in search results.
- Suits
- Wine drinkers looking for an alternative evening slot; read the listing for details before booking.
Granada: Paella, Sangria, and Dessert Cooking Class
On GetYourGuide · run by Granada Cooking Experience
- Length
- 10 hours
- Price
- from €78 per person
- Rating
- 4.9 ★ from 30 reviews (on 2 Oct 2026)
- Included
- Paella Workshop Sangría Workshop Dessert Workshop Welcome drinks Spanish appetiser tapas Unlimited Sangría Bilingual experience: English & Spanish
- Suits
- Travellers who want to cook the dishes again at home; easiest option for dietary needs, since you control the ingredients.
Granada: Walking Food Tour
On GetYourGuide · run by Spain Food Sherpas
- Length
- 3.5 hours
- Price
- from €71 per person
- Rating
- 4.9 ★ from 596 reviews (on 2 Oct 2026)
- Included
- Food and drinks sufficient for a full lunch or dinner English-speaking food guide Pick up or drop-off Additional drinks Iberian ham tasting on Saturday evenings
- Suits
- First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide.
- Starts
- C. Acera del Casino, 7, Centro, 18009 Granada, España
Granada: Tapas Cooking Class with Bottomless Sangria
On GetYourGuide · run by Granada Cooking Experience
- Length
- 10 hours
- Price
- from €79 per person
- Rating
- 5.0 ★ from 10 reviews (on 2 Oct 2026)
- Included
- Guided Spanish tapas cooking class step by step Chef leading the entire experience Fresh ingredients and all materials needed for cooking Use of kitchen utensils during the activity Unlimited sangria throughout the ex…
- Suits
- Travellers who want to cook the dishes again at home; easiest option for dietary needs, since you control the ingredients.
- Starts
- GRANADA COOKING EXPERIENCE
Some links on this page are partner links. If you book through them TonyPlan earns a small commission — the price you pay is exactly the same.
Street food, sit-down or a cooking class?
Street food
Granada's quick food is the bar counter, not the street: a drink and a free tapa costs about €2.50–3.50, and hopping between three or four bars makes an inexpensive meal. Churros at Plaza Bib-Rambla in the morning and shawarma or Moroccan pastries on Calle Elvira cover the rest.
Sit-down meals
Sit-down meals mean raciones (full plates to share) or a menú del día at lunch, roughly 14:00–16:00. Dinner starts after 21:00. Restaurants with Alhambra views in the Albaicín charge for the setting; for value, eat in Realejo or the centre and go up to the viewpoint afterwards.
Cooking classes
Cooking classes are fewer than in Seville or Valencia, and we did not find a Granada class we could verify for this page. If you want one, check GetYourGuide or Viator for current options and compare what is actually cooked (often paella, which is not a Granada dish).
How much to budget for food
| Style | Per person, per day* |
|---|---|
| Budget (street food, markets) | €20–30 (churros breakfast, menú del día lunch, a free-tapa crawl in the evening) |
| Mid-range (one sit-down meal a day) | €40–60 (sit-down lunch plus an evening of tapas and raciones with wine) |
| Splurge (tasting menus, wine) | €90+ (a dinner with Alhambra views or a tasting menu) |
Vegetarian, halal and gluten-free
Vegetarian & vegan: Workable but needs asking. Free tapas are chosen by the bar and often contain ham, chorizo or meat stew; ask for a vegetarian tapa ('tapa vegetariana') when you order the drink, and many bars will swap. Fried aubergine with cane honey, patatas a lo pobre and salmorejo (minus the ham) are usually meat-free.
Halal: Easier than in most Spanish cities. Granada has a visible Muslim community and several halal restaurants, Moroccan places and shawarma shops around Calle Elvira, Calderería Nueva and the lower Albaicín. Elsewhere, ham and pork appear in many tapas, so ask.
Gluten-free: Spanish restaurants generally understand 'sin gluten', and many plates (ham, cheese, grilled meat, salads) are naturally gluten-free. Free tapas are often served on bread or fried in shared oil, so tell the bar when you order. Churros and piononos contain wheat.
Food scams and tourist traps to avoid
- Women offering a sprig of rosemary near the cathedral, the Alhambra approach and Plaza Nueva, then insisting on a 'palm reading' and demanding money. Do not take the rosemary; say no firmly and keep walking.
- Terraces near the Mirador de San Nicolás and on Plaza Nueva charging high prices for ordinary drinks and food because of the view. Check the menu prices first, or enjoy the viewpoint and eat a few streets away.
- Bars in tourist streets that serve a token free tapa (a few crisps) or charge for tapas that you assumed were free. Watch what locals receive; if the tapa is poor, finish the drink and move on. Ask whether a plate you did not order costs extra.
- Touts on Calle Navas and around the cathedral pulling people into restaurants with picture menus. Choose bars where locals are standing at the counter and ignore anyone waving a menu at you.
Top tours & activities in Granada
Rent a car in Granada
Compare rental cars from local and international companies, with free cancellation on most bookings.
Compare car rentals in GranadaPlan the rest of your Granada trip
Staying near the markets saves time and taxi money — most food tours start in the old centre.
Common questions
Are tapas really free in Granada?
In most bars, yes: each drink (beer, wine or soft drink) comes with a small tapa at no extra charge, usually chosen by the bar. Some bars let you pick from a short list. A drink with tapa typically costs about €2.50–3.50. Full plates (raciones) and items you order from the menu are charged. Tourist-heavy places sometimes give smaller tapas, so follow the locals.
How do I make a meal out of free tapas?
Have one or two drinks in each bar and move on, so you get different dishes; the tapa sometimes gets larger with each round in the same bar. Three or four bars make a full evening meal for most people. Soft drinks and water bottles usually come with a tapa too, so you do not need to drink alcohol. Start from about 20:30.
Which food tour is best for a first visit?
An evening tapas tour in the centre or the Albaicín is the best introduction because it explains how free tapas, raciones and local wine work, and the guide can steer you to bars you can revisit on your own. If you are more interested in Moorish history, a walk through the Albaicín with an Arabic tea and food tasting is a good alternative.
How much should I budget for food per day?
Granada is one of the cheaper Spanish cities to eat in. About €20–30 covers churros or toast for breakfast, a menú del día at lunch and a free-tapa crawl in the evening. A comfortable day with a sit-down lunch and a full evening of tapas and raciones is about €40–60. Dinner with Alhambra views costs noticeably more.
What time do people eat in Granada?
Breakfast is coffee with toast or churros, often taken mid-morning. Lunch runs from about 14:00 to 16:00 and is the main meal; the tapas evening starts around 20:30–21:00 and dinner continues past 23:00, especially in summer. Many bars close one day a week, often Monday or Sunday evening.
Do I need to tip in Granada?
Tipping is not expected in tapas bars, though leaving the small change is common. In sit-down restaurants, around 5–10% is a generous tip for good service but not obligatory. On food tours, guides appreciate around €5–10 per person if you enjoyed it.
* Prices are approximate, gathered on 2 Oct 2026 from menus, markets and the booking pages linked above. They change with season and exchange rates.