Best Restaurants In Cadiz, Spain marts 29, 2022 – Posted in: Spain, Travel – Tags: Andalusia, Cadiz, Food, Holiday, Restaurants, Reviews, Spain, Vacation

Find the great restaurants in Gadiz

The ancient maritime city of Cadiz is located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and it is the perfect city for anyone who loves seafood. Most restaurants in Cadiz have at least the local classics on the menu, Tortillita de Camarones, Atún Rojo and Cazón En Adobo, which are just some of the things you should eat when you are in Cadiz.

Although it only takes about 20 minutes to walk across the island in the old town, Cadiz offers a disproportionate number of good places to eat. On our holiday in Cadiz we rented an apartment with a larg kitchen. This time we finally had the chance to go to the food market and try to recreate all the lovely dishes at home. But there are so many great restaurants in Cadiz, and they are quite inexpensive, so instead we ended up eating at a new restaurant every single night.

Tapas – of course!

In Cadiz you eat really well. There are restaurants offering fine dining in the old town, but it’s not where the locals eat. In this post you’ll only find references to tapas bars and taverns.

Many of the dishes on the menu are tapas, which makes it easy to taste more than one thing. Be careful not to order too much food, and preferably only half servings, ½ ration. 2-3 shared tapas or 1,5 racion per. person is a fair amount. And no one will think you are crazy if you ask for the menu again after the first few dishes.

The food prices in the city are generally low, and even though we were two adults and a teenager eating out, the bill almost never ran up to more than €40.

When is dinner time in Cadiz?

Before we go on to talk about the restaurants in Cadiz, it is important just to get the meal times right. Most restaurants in Cadiz don’t open until 8.30 pm – and the locals go out at the earliest from 8.30 – 9 pm and until 11 pm. It makes good sense in a city that is very hot in the summer, so get through the day with a few tapas or some churros and go out for dinner when darkness falls.

The locals are always out in the town and it can be hard to get a table if you arrive at the same time as the locals. If there is a restaurant you really want to eat at, then book a table, both for lunch and dinner. Or do as we do: wait by the door when the restaurant opens, then you are almost always sure to get a seat.

For a foreigner, it can be confusing to keep track of when to actually eat what. But here’s a guide: In the morning everything is closed, except the bakeries which usually opens at 7 am, 8 on the weekend. From 10 o’clock you eat churros, and thereafter it’s time for lunch, which lasts until 4 pm.

From 4 pm until 7 pm the siesta is on. At 7 pm you start dinner with a drink and maybe a snack. Dessert is not really a thing, because in Cadiz you often eat the cake before the meal, which instead is topped off with a sherry.

About the recommendations for good restaurants in Cadiz

Finally, we would also like to explain to you what dining experiences we usually go for – so you can decide if you want to follow our recommendations. We love to eat well and restaurant visits are usually a big part of our vacations. We don’t necessarily eat at expensive restaurants, but always where the locals eat and with local ingredients. We are also always on the hunt for the great dining experiences and prefer to eat something we have never tasted before.

And now, let’s eat!

6 good restaurants in Cadiz

Casa Manteca

Casa Manteca is probably the most famous tapas bar in Cadiz – and well deserved. We visited the place on a cold evening in March. You can’t book a table, and if we hadn’t been waiting by the door, when they opened, we wouldn’t have gotten a seat. The food and also the atmosphere in Casa Manteca is chaotic and fun, and you have to stop by. It’s reasonably priced and the dishes are delicious.

Among other things, we ordrede the chicharrones (especial), a spicy sausage, tuna and cheese, washed down with a sherry from the big barrels up under the ceiling.

Ultramarinos Bar El Veedor

El Veedor is as traditional a tapas bar as it ever gets. Two very old men, who look like they were born at the same time as the bar was built, leads the show with a steady hand. While enjoying your ensaladilla or tuna from one of the many colorful cans, it’s easy to disapperar into a dream about another Cadiz that was once there. What this place must have seen of weather-beaten sailors and fine shipowners through the ages!

You will also find that many tapas bars around the city bear the nickname “Ultramarinos”. It’s just an indication that here are delicious seafood – in tins and cans.

La Candela

La Candela offers an Instagram-friendly fusion between Spanish and Asian cuisine. Spanish food tastes so insanely good, but it’s not always pretty. But at La Candela, all tapas are neatly served in small glass jars and on beautiful clay dishes. It’s so beautiful – and luckily it tastes just as good as it looks.

The place is extremely popular and you MUST book a table, preferably from home when you book your holiday to Cadiz. Of course we did’nt do that, but luckily we ended up with a seat in the bar from which we could follow the kitchen artist, as you can see in the picture above. For us, he made a salad with goat cheese, ceviche with raw tuna and duck ravioli. Yummy!

Central Abastos Market

The food market Mercado Central is a natural center of the Old Town. This is where the locals get their fresh fish in the morning, and by lunchtime the small food stalls are open. Here you can get tapas and a beer and it is completely unpretentious and very, very delicious.

The food market closes in the siesta, but in the evening it kicks off again, with the street life you know from the other cities by the Mediterranean. The sherry glasses clink, the chefs are busy grilling pluma, the delicious cut from the Iberico pig, and the scent mixes with Spanish wordsand laughter and rises up into the sky full of stars. In other words, the food market is a must and there is something for everyone. Try a few montaditos (open sandwiches), fresh sushi or just a shop with chicharrones traditional, the crispy fried pork cubes.

Freiduria Las Flores I

On a shopping trip in Cadiz, it’s nice to have a little break to refuel on food and drink. At the popular Freiduria Las Flores I, located on the cozy flower square, Plaza de las Flores, they are ready to care for you on your break. At the traditional tapas bar the speciality is deep fried seafood. Do try their cazón en adobo (a small shark) or the pescaíto frito, small, fried fish that are eaten whole with head and tail.

La Terbanita

La Tabernita is located just outside the city center, but is popular with both locals and tourists. It’s a really good tapas bar for beginners on the first night, with an easy to go to menu. Here, all the portions are in tapas size, which means you can taste a bit of everything. The waiter is welcoming and speaks all kinds of languages, and he makes an effort of explaining what to try. Feel free to order their squid rolls in their own ink, salsa verde and all their varieties of croquettas.

And a bit about cake!

In Cadiz you can get churros in many places, but the locals swear by the little brown stall just outside Mercado Central, Churrería la Guapa. The opening hours are not completely obvious, but it is always open in the morning and sometimes even a few hours in the afternoon. The crispy sticks are dipped in the liquid chocolate you buy on the side.

We tried a few different cafes and their lovely croissants and giant donuts. The best, however, were the bakeries Casa Hidalgo and their empenadas and Pastelería Alameda and the Turrón de Cádiz. Pan de Cadiz, as it is also called, is not a bread but a square lump of marzipan with candied fruit.

More tips for your holiday in Cadiz

Find a great hotel in Cadiz

Cadiz is right on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, and no matter where you live in the city, it is not far to the nearest beach. The neighborhood of La Vina in the old town right on the beach of La Caleta is especially popular with the tourists. But further south, you’ll find miles and milis of lovely sandy beaches at Playa Santa María Del Mar and Playa La Victoria – so where do you stay?

On Booking.com you can see the large selection of hotels in Cadiz, and below you can also read our recommendation for the best place to stay in Cadiz. You can also perform your own search on Booking.com  for a great hotel in Cadiz right here:

Booking.com

A apartment in the Old Town in Cadiz

Being a group of two adults and a teenager on vacation, it required an extra room. We ended up finding a really nice apartment right in the middle of La Vina in the Old Town. There was not one but two extra rooms as well as a sofa bed. In addition, two toilets, a large living room with a dining area and a kitchen.

Back home, we had planned all the food we would buy at the food market, which is only a five minute walk from the apartment. That didn’t happen! The Old Town is packed with cheap tapas bars and restaurants and we ended up eating out every single night.

The apartment is also located right on the local beach La Caleta, loved by families and large groups. Still, the best thing about the apartment was the key box. With all the times we had to wait for the owner to show up and let us in, is was excellent to be able to get into the apartment at our arrival. A bottle of wine and a box of chocolates stood waiting for us as we locked ourselves in. We will be back!

Read more about the apartment here: Precioso piso en La Caleta

How do you get to Cadiz?

If you can’t fly out to Jerez, the easiest way to get to Cadiz is by landing at Seville Airport. From Seville Airport, first take the airport bus to Santa Justa Train Station. In March 2022, the airport bus cost €4.

From Santa Justa Train Station in Seville, you can drive on to Cadiz. From Seville and to Cadiz it takes one hour and forty-five minutes by train. At the station you have to buy your tickets at the ticket office (Renfe), where you also have to show a passport before you can board the train. In March 2022, it was €17 from Seville to Cadiz, and the price includes a mandatory seat ticket.

If you want to save time, you can also buy tickets on the Omio app. Note that you still need to enter your passport information in the app.

Read the other articles about Cadiz here!