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Don't Make These 10 Food Mistakes in Spain! (How to Eat Like a Local)

Spain Speaks

10,787 views

Coming to Spain and want to eat like a local? Food is a highlight for any trip here, but many tourists fall into common "food traps" that keep them from experiencing the real flavours of Spain. In this video, we dive into 10 more food mistakes to avoid so you can trade average meals for life-changing culinary experiences!

From understanding regional specialties and decoding different plate sizes to the art of "Sobremesa," I'll show you how to navigate Spanish menus and restaurants with confidence. Plus, I share the essential Spanish phrases you need to ask for recommendations and avoid expensive surprises when ordering seafood.

Don't settle for "tourist paella"—learn how to eat your way through Spain the right way!

Key things you'll learn:

Why "Spanish cuisine" doesn't really exist (and why that's a good thing!)
The secret to finding the best restaurants outside the historic centers.
How to order like a pro using "Tapa," "Media Ración," and "Ración."
Why a "Bar" is often your best bet for incredible food.
If you found these tips helpful, give this video a thumbs up and subscribe for more local insights into living and traveling in Spain! 🇪🇸🍴

Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction
01:12 - #1: Ignoring regional diversity (The "Paella" Trap)
03:16 - #2: Sticking only to English menus with photos
04:57 - #3: Overlooking the local Bar
06:23 - #4: Ordering everything at once (Pace yourself!)
08:04 - #5: Misunderstanding plate sizes: Tapa vs. Ración
09:41 - #6: Playing it too safe with the classics
11:00 - #7: Not asking for local recommendations
12:08 - #8: Staying exclusively in the historic center
13:37 - #9: Rushing the meal (The art of Sobremesa)
15:02 - #10: Misinterpreting seafood pricing by weight
16:34 - Final tips for eating like a local in Spain

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20 Comments

@DirkThys 1 month ago

I agree with all your recommendations. Just one caveat: some dishes (especially tapas) have a local name that can lead you astray when you use Google Translate

@glenncris 1 month ago

“Don’t treat your meal like a Formula One pit stop!” Had me chuckling. 😅 too true!

@wolffhenry5751 1 month ago (edited)

I live in the Almería area and some of the best meals that I have had were in small local bars, such as the bar in the Vera bus station. I tend to order tapas and a glass of wine for usually no more than €5 in total!!! My tip, if at a restaurant, is to always ask if there is a tapas area (usually cheaper).

Another tip when in big cities is to go to the food markets (mercados). They have such a great array of food options and you can sample different cuisines.

And finally, my absolute favourite place to eat (anywhere) is San Sebastián in the Basque Country!!! PHENOMENAL!!!

@juststoppingby390 1 month ago

Great topic for a video. I have mostly Spanish neighbours and I like to ask what they are making they are more then happy to share

@stationaryEarthrealm 2 weeks ago

I can tell this person is really experienced in choosing good restaurants.
You remind me of my father (he was from La Rioja) where he would spend 30 min looking for the best restaurant with least tourists.
He would go for the written menus and he would occasionally enter the kitchen to meet the chefs.

Few times he asked for the menu , he just sat there and said bring me the daily recipe for today, what uve got, and a red Rioja wine, while me as a kid had to choose typical fried eggs and potatoes for eg.

In the end , nowadays my friends ask me where to go to eat since ive entered so so so many restaurants in barcelona

My father said, like with the wine : "When u find a restaurant where u can eat with homemade food 3 dishes + dessert + cofee for 15 Euros , stay there, you found the one", usually they are hidden from tourist.
With Wine the same, im half Catalan half Rioja, and since a kid my father gave lots of wine.
Nowadays i can easily tell when a good wine is good.
Never pay more than 10 or 15 euros for a casual diner, my father said, in spain you will never get a bad wine despite beeing cheap as long as it was made here"

And he is right, paying more than 10 or 15 euros for a shows ure looking for the trademark or flex, not the dinner time

@AikoSnoops 1 month ago

My friend’s daughter is married to a Spanish guy from the north of Spain. I’ve eaten his food & it’s delicious but not what I would have thought of as Spanish.

@peterjosefsson6699 1 month ago

I agree with your recommendations. I am quite surprised to see the amount of people eating in “English pubs”, Swedish restaurants “ and so on, in Spain. Avoid all these places and try to find something more local, it is almost allways the best.

@carolbates9057 1 month ago

I once ordered pigs cheek expecting meat only but it came on the bone! Totally unexpected!

@user-bw6fu3rl3p 1 month ago

One can also end up ordering too little food, one time I thought that I knew what I was doing and we ended up with one quail egg between 4, another time in Cadiz I ordered the same way and ended up with enough fritas de camerones to feed the 5000 instead of 4 people. We had a laugh and got on with it. In another place in Orihuela the restaurant staff ended up pissing themselves with laughter, but said that I had tried really hard and didn't charge me.

@kulturfreund6631 1 month ago

The best fish soup I ever had was in Oviedo 1985.

@petek5523 1 month ago (edited)

I tried tripe and pigs ears in Madrid, the tripe was pretty good but the pigs ears were something I didn’t expect 😅. I thought they’d be fried crispy, but instead they were way too undercooked for my liking. I find food tours to be a great way to not only try restaurants that you might not even know exist, but also a great way to explore different neighborhoods that you might pass by. And the menu del dia is usually a great option.

@user-bw6fu3rl3p 1 month ago

OMG I have made so many of those mistakes, good job I have a sense of humour, imagine ordering boquerones for the table and just 4 turn up and conversely ordering cured belly pork for one and being served what felt like half a pig.
I have got better.

@andrewmeasures2312 1 month ago

Excellent advice Stuart. 😀👍

@nigelhamilton815 1 month ago

We are visiting almeria this year and hoping for a more authentic Spanish experience. Fingers crossed but your video s are helping.

@timbrandis1151 1 month ago

Thanks,Stuart,that was invaluable. For me the food experience is the best part of travel. Spain & Portugal never disappoint.

@willw7050 1 month ago

People should try Callos a la Madrileña; it's gelatinous, but 'interesting'.

@henrykennedy-skipton6860 1 month ago

Great topic. I am normally adventurous, but managed to dodge,just, pig snout in Alicante last week😮

@annechamberlain3320 1 month ago

We’ve just come back from the Zaragoza area for the eclipse and enjoyed the speciality ternasco and migas. Aragon is a great area to visit.

@digger360 1 month ago

great video as always but when it comes to food and local preferencies you really do open the minefield of what people will eat and we are talking local cuisines not china :text-green-game-over: