Here’s a quick tip for a tapas-grazing evening in Spain. Don’t order your food with your very first drinks in a bar. In many bars your beers/wine will arrive with a free tapa, but if you ordered food at the same time, the tapa gets left behind the bar. So, wait and see what you are given for free, then order something from the menu.
The biggest exceptions to this are Granada and San Sebastian. In Granada you get so much free food with your drinks that you simply won’t need to order any food all night! In fact, after your fourth drink you’ll be pleading with the waiter to keep his food behind the bar and leave your bulging waistline in peace!
In San Sebastian it’s a different story. Here the Pinxos (tapas) are exquisite, practically art-forms, and it’s very unlikely they’ll be giving these away for free. So, take what you like off the bar top, and pay up at the end. (Photo: pinxos bar in San Sebastian).
Notes from Spain by Ben Curtis 