Spanish Bars

Spanish bars are places where people gather to chat, meet friends, have drinks, eat ‘tapas’ or simply spend a little time. Bars are Spaniards´ first choice to spend their leisure time. This importance becomes obvious when one knows that in Spain, at the moment, exist approximately 225,000 bars.

Going to a ‘tapas’ bar is a typically Spanish activity. For decades this custom has consisted of going to a bar to enjoy a glass of beer and some kind of appetizer, named ‘tapa’. Nowadays the tradition of going to ‘tapas’ bars still exist, like decades ago.

Around mid-morning, a few hours before lunch, many people take a little break to drink something: a coffee, a soft drink or a draft beer, accompanied by an appetizer, for example a Spanish omelette tapa.

From regional bars to other more elegant ones, from rustic taverns to stylish design establishments, in Spain, bars are meeting places. Many old people, families or youngsters go to bars to chat, standing at the bar or sitting around a table. In Spanish bars, people usually drink without excess, alternating drinks with food.

Two of the main centres of ‘tapas’ bars in Spain, are the Basque city of San Sebastian, where several specialities like prawn brochettes, anchovies or ‘cocochas’ can be tasted, and Madrid, where the proportion of bars per person surpasses all other big European cities.