Best Tapas Bar?

Bodegas Castañeda was the first place that Carmen, our proprietor at Hotel de las Puertas de Granada, recommended for tapas in Granada. We had not noticed that Steves also recommends it, but looking back at his review, while it's very positive, it does not do the place justice.

Not real big, a local crowd, we squeezed along the bar. No bartenders work harder than the ones at these tapas bars, especially this one. The kitchen is immediately behind the bar and chefs there can make eye contact with patrons at the bar. (You can almost make out the kitchen behind those shelves next to Liam in the photo above.) It took about 10 minutes to get into the swing of things, but after our first drink order, we were there.

Bodega Castañeda is an old-school tapas bar, meaning that with each drink you order, the bartender prepares a plate of tapas, that are included with the price of the drinks. The first might be something small, like seasoned almonds or olives, but it can include tapas a bit farther up the scale, like patatas bravas. That, plus the tapas you order on your own, make for quite an experience. It also helps when the chef decides to make a personal impression - coming out from the kitchen to talk to you and bring you a tapas plate.

In Madrid we had been at tapas bars with fancier, more intricate tapas. But not one that seemed as authentic. No English in this place, but we definitely communicated. Best Tapas Bar.