Any time of day or night you’ll see Spaniards enjoying small plates of tapas (appetizers) in bars. For me, tapas are the best thing about Spanish cuisine. Tapas are small portions, like appetizers, of seafood, salads, meat-filled pastries, deep-fried tasties, and on and on — normally displayed under glass at the bar.

Most bars push larger portions called raciones (dinner-plate-sized) rather than smaller tapas (saucer-sized). Ask for the smaller tapas portions, or a media-ración (listed as 1/2 ración on a menu), though many bars simply don’t serve anything smaller than a ración.

Eating and drinking at a bar is usually cheapest if you eat or drink at the counter (barra). You may pay a little more to eat sitting at a table (mesa) and still more for an outdoor table (terraza). Locate the price list (often posted in fine type on a wall somewhere) to know the menu options and price tiers. In the right place, a quiet snack and drink on a terrace on the town square is well worth the extra charge. But the cheapest seats sometimes get the best show. Sit at the bar and study your bartender — he’s an artist.

Be assertive or you’ll never be served. Por favor (please) grabs the guy’s attention. Don’t worry about paying until you’re ready to leave (he’s keeping track of your tab). To get the bill ask: “¿La cuenta?” (or la dolorosa — meaning literally “the sadness” — always draws a confused laugh). Bars come with a formidable language barrier. A small working vocabulary is essential for tapas proficiency, and will help you eat better, too (see below).

Chasing down a particular bar for tapas nearly defeats the purpose and spirit of tapas — they are impromptu. Just drop in to any lively place. I look for the noisy spots with piles of napkins and food debris on the floor (go local and toss your trash, too), lots of locals, and the TV blaring. Popular television shows include bullfights and soccer games, American sitcoms, and Spanish interpretations of soaps and silly game shows (you’ll see Vanna Blanco). While tapas are served all day, the real action begins late — 21:00 at the earliest. But for beginners, an earlier start is easier and comes with less commotion.

Get a fun, inexpensive sampler plate. Ask for una tabla de canapés variados to get a plate of various little open-face sandwiches. Or ask for a surtido de (an assortment of…) charcutería (a mixed plate of meat) or queso (cheese). Un surtido de jamón y queso means a plate of different hams and cheeses. That, bread, and two glasses of red wine on the right square — and you’ve got a romantic (and inexpensive) dinner for two.

Tapas Terms

pincho: bite-size portion

pinchito: tiny pincho

tapas: snack-size portions

ración: larger portions (half a meal, occasionally available in a smaller version called a “1/2 ración” (media-ración)

frito: fried

…a la plancha: grilled

Quanto cuesta una tapa?: How much per tapa?
Sandwich Words

canapé: tiny open-faced sandwich

pulguitas: small closed baguette sandwich

montadito: baguette slice with the tapa “mounted” on top

bocadillos: baguette sandwiches, cheap and basic, a tapa on bread

flautas: sandwich made with flute-thin baguette

pepito: yet one more word for a little sandwich
Typical Tapas

aceitunas: olives

almendras: fried almonds

atún: tuna

bacalao: cod

banderilla: small skewer of spicy, pickled veggies — eat all at once for the real punch (it’s named after the spear matadors use to spike the bull)

bombas: fried meat and potatoes ball

boquerones: fresh anchovies

calamares fritos: fried squid rings

caracoles: snails (May-Sept)

cazón en adabo: salty, marinated dogfish

champiñones: mushrooms

croquetas de…: breaded and fried béchamel (made of flour and milk), usually with chunks of jamón (ham)

empanadillas: pastries stuffed with meat or seafood

ensalada rusa: potato salad with lots of mayo, peas, and carrots

espinacas (con garbanzos): spinach (with garbanzo beans)

gambas (a la plancha, al ajillo): shrimp (sauteed, with garlic)

gazpacho: cold soup, made with tomato, bread, garlic, and olive oil

guiso: stew

mejillones: mussels

paella: rice dish with saffron, seafood, meat, and/or chicken

pan: bread

patatas bravas: fried chunks of potato with spicy tomato sauce

pescaditos fritos: assortment of fried little fish

picos: little breadsticks

pimiento (relleno): peppers (stuffed)

pisto: mixed sautéed vegetables

pulpo: octopus

queso: cheese (or a beautiful woman)

queso manchego: sheep-milk cheese

rabas: squid tentacles

rabo de toro: bull-tail stew

revuelto de…: scrambled eggs with…

…setas: …wild mushrooms

tabla serrana: hearty plate of mountain meat and cheese

tortilla española: potato omelet

tortilla de jamon/queso: potato omelet with ham/cheese

variado fritos: typical Andalusian mix of various fried fish
Cured Meats (Charcutería)

salchichon: sausage

jamón ibérico: best ham, from acorn-fed baby pigs

jamón serrano: cured ham

chorizo: spicy sausage

lomo: pork tenderloin
Typical Desserts

flan de huevo: crème caramel

arroz con leche: rice pudding

helados (variados) : ice cream (various flavors)

fruta de la estación: fruit in season

queso: cheese