A gastronomic guide to La Liga: Pintxos, paella and much more ...

Spain is not just special for its football, but also its food.

The country has 17 autonomous regions and each has its unique gastronomy, from pintxos to paella and much more besides.

I was happy to oblige when The Athletic set me the task of charting where to eat the best local dishes in the 10 of those regions currently represented by La Liga clubs.

This article is the result of countless trips to grounds across the country. The hope is you can refer to it if you’re lucky enough to travel to watch a game in Spain this season.

First, though, an apology: it’s difficult to boil down an entire region to a single dish or a few bars or restaurants. If you think I’ve made the mistake of not mentioning a spot you’ve enjoyed, please don’t hesitate to share the details in the comments.

So, without further ado, let me take you on a gastronomic tour of La Liga 2024-25…

Andalusia: Sevilla and Real Betis

In the country’s south, Andalusia is one of Spain’s most characteristic regions.

All three clubs relegated to the second division last season (Cadiz, Almeria and Granada) were Andalusian. But you can still enjoy some of the best food in Spain if you travel to Seville, home city to its two remaining La Liga teams.

It doesn’t matter if you go to Sevilla’s Sanchez Pizjuan stadium or Real Betis’ Benito Villamarin — you’ll find amazing tapas (the small dishes typical to Spain) in every corner of the city. The most typical of these small plates include fried fish, shrimp omelette, aubergines with honey, white prawns, the creamy tomato soup (served cold) known as salmorejo, a good Iberian sausage or pork rolls called flamenquines.

Then there are montaditos — which you should never confuse with sandwiches. Sevillans use special bread for these and each montadito has its own name. One of the most popular is the mantecaito, with sirloin steak and a whisky sauce. Even more well-known is the serranito, with pork loin, Iberian ham, green peppers, salt and ground pepper.

It’s impossible to list all the great places to eat in Seville, but we’ll give you two special recommendations if you’re in a hurry and need somewhere to eat near either stadium.

Barely a 15-minute walk from the Benito Villamarin, Kiosco La Melva is a small food stall on Calle Cardenal Illundain that serves what is known as Sevillan sushi. Don’t expect a fancy restaurant or lots of chairs, but order a cortadita of Cruzcampo beer (just under half a pint, the standard measure in most Spanish bars) and a melva montadito — an open sandwich made with a tasty fish soaked in its own oil.

In the heart of the Nervion neighbourhood and less than 500m (550 yards) from the Sanchez Pizjuan, the historic Taberna De La Dehesa is a strictly Andalusian place where you can enjoy shrimp, gazpacho (another cold tomato soup), chacinas (pork sausage) and other traditional dishes.

Catalonia: Barcelona, Girona and Espanyol

Catalonia is not just home to Barcelona, one of Spain’s big two clubs, but also to the chef who changed cuisine forever with its internationally famous El Bulli restaurant: Ferran Adria.

More than a decade after El Bulli closed, Catalonia remains a hub for world gastronomy. Barcelona restaurant Disfrutar was named the best in the world this year. Girona’s Celler de Can Roca won the same accolade in the 2010s. Twice.

Elsewhere in Barcelona, seafood restaurant Botafumeiro and Via Veneto, serving Catalan cuisine, receive the most attention from football fans, as they are where Barca’s club executives usually meet with agents and representatives from other teams. But their menus are expensive, so they might not be for everyone.

The Camp Nou remains closed for an extensive revamp, but El Cargolest is a reasonable option nearby, where you can eat snails or creamy roast truffle croquettes, with fish and rice dishes cooked using prawns from the town of Palamos, which are billed as some of the best in the world.

Bar Tomas, in the Sarria neighbourhood, is a place of pilgrimage thanks to its patatas bravas (potatoes in a spicy tomato sauce). You can also try the modestly priced Bodega Montferry, where it’s worth trying the esmorzars de forquilla (literally ‘fork breakfasts’ in Catalan).

Closer to the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, where Barcelona are playing home matches while their iconic stadium is being rebuilt, you can stop for tapas including ensaladilla (a kind of potato salad) at Bodega Amposta. Another option is La Font del Gat, where you can eat pan tumaca (bread with tomato) with Iberian ham and enjoy the views down the hill and across the city.

Castile and Leon: Real Valladolid

Castile is not as popular among tourists as Andalusia or Catalonia, but plenty of gastronomic value can be found here.

Valladolid was the capital of the Spanish Empire from 1601 to 1606 and is known for dishes such as lechazo curro. This is a suckling lamb (fed only on milk in its first 45 days) of the native churra breed. It’s a heavy dish, seen below, but one intended to combat the intense cold that sweeps through this city when winter arrives.

De nuestros campos de Campos de #CastillayLeón a nuestra mesa

Estas #Navidades consume #LechazoIGP , consume #calidad, consume un #productodenuestratierra #LechazoIGP #Productosdecalidad #CalidadAsegurada #tradición pic.twitter.com/zZmeSIUZuJ

— IGP Lechazo De Castilla Y León (@IgpLechazoCyL) December 21, 2023

Every meal is accompanied by a good wine — there are nine ‘denominaciones de origen’ varieties of wine here, referring to products from the region. The lifestyle is said to be what convinced the former Real Madrid, Barcelona and Brazil striker Ronaldo to become Valladolid’s president in 2018.

If you have time before a game, go to the Figon de Recoleto in the city centre, or enjoy the bodegas in surrounding villages such as Campaspero, Penafiel or Traspinedo. You might even meet Ronaldo himself.

Sweet pastries and bread are also specialities, given the quality of cereals and wheat produced in the fields around Castile.

Community of Madrid: Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Getafe, Rayo Vallecano and Leganes

We arrive in Spain’s capital, home to the record 15-time European Cup/Champions League winners and also the region with the most clubs in the top flight this season.

Madrid’s specialities include the cocido madrileno (a classic chickpea-based stew), callos (a stew made with tripe — aka, the lining of a cow’s stomach; yes, I know, but it’s an increasingly exclusive snack) and the bocata de calamares (fried squid sandwich). While it is far from the sea in the heart of the country, the capital brings together everything that is good about Spain.

Near Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu, you’ll find restaurants that serve northern Spanish cuisine, including the Asador Donostiarra, Meson Txistu and Casa Juan. Any and all are a must for fans coming to see a match in Madrid who want to try out the best meat the capital has to offer. Txistu is also known for being the restaurant where Vicente del Bosque was informed he would not be kept on as Real boss in 2003, despite winning them La Liga that season.

But if you really want to eat like a galactico, you’ll have to pull out your wallet and go to Zalacain, the city’s first restaurant to be awarded three Michelin stars, and where Madrid organise their club meals. It serves traditional dishes such as oxtail, croquettes and tripe, along with more elaborate ones such as pigeon de bresse (baked in a salt crust).

For lighter bites before a game, try Jose Luis, a restaurant with several establishments around the Bernabeu — we recommend the tortilla with beer by the cana (like the Andalucian cortadita) or the larger doble (almost a pint). Casa Puebla is also a good option for its raciones (a portion of tapas) and sandwiches — just make sure you try the cecina, a kind of jerky.

With Atletico’s Metropolitano stadium being on the eastern edge of town, their directors usually have their meals at Capitan Alatriste in the centre, a medieval-style restaurant inspired by the series of novels of the same name by the author Arturo Perez-Reverte — dishes include roast suckling pig and beans with partridge.

Valencian Community: Valencia and Villarreal

It may seem strange to have gone on for this long about Spanish food without mentioning paella, but there’s a reason.

Paella is originally from the Valencian Community and its inhabitants are fiercely proud of it. They say the recipe should have rice, a pinch of paprika, saffron, rabbit, chicken, a flat green bean called bajoqueta, tomato and garrofo butter beans. More and more chefs are choosing to innovate though, with other rice dishes including arroz del senyoret (with peeled seafood), arroz negro con sepia (black rice with cuttlefish), arroz de pato (duck) and arroz de vaca madurada (matured beef ribeye rice).

You can find all of them near Valencia’s stadium, the Mestalla. La Principal and Cremaet are both good options at reasonable prices. If you’re there for a weekend, you’ll want to head down to the seafront and book a table at Casa Navarro, one of the city’s most typical places, where you can eat a variety of rice dishes and fresh fish and seafood.

The alternative to those Valencia staples is the ‘esmorzaret’ — a large lunch consisting of a sandwich of biblical proportions with pork sausages, various other types of meat, fried eggs, giant omelettes and various vegetables. It is usually accompanied by a cold beer, a wine and soda, a good aperitif or picaeta — lighter food that includes pickles, olives and salads.

Galicia: Celta Vigo

Facing the Atlantic Ocean in the northwestern corner of Spain, Galicia is another region renowned for its seafood.

Mussels, scallops, clams and shellfish are typical of this area, along with goose barnacles and sea urchins. There are other options too: octopus ‘a feira’ (cooked with paprika and olive oil), Padron peppers and the Betanzos omelette, which is known for being runny.

Don’t worry if you’re a carnivore: there’s raxo (pork loin), zorza (pieces of spicy pork) and churrasco (grilled pork or beef ribs). Asador Cuesta is next to Celta’s Balaidos stadium — almost an hour away from Vigo’s city centre — and is worth a visit.

For local delicacies such as empanada (the Galician version is a kind of pie, rather than resembling a pasty) or calamares (breaded fried squid), you can try Taberna Da Curuxa or Taperia Petit Rojo. Your meal will invariably be accompanied by an Estrella Galicia beer, which has practically become a religion here — otherwise, it’s the Albarino white wine native to Galicia.

Canary Islands: Las Palmas

Las Palmas is as far south as Morocco and has the furthest La Liga team from the Spanish mainland, but the trip is justifiable.

The Canary Islands’ capital is a lively metropolis with a unique identity and its own range of ingredients. The most famous neighbourhoods are Triana and Vegueta. The latter is home to a historic market where you can buy traditional sheep’s cheese.

Try fresh fish and papas arrugadas with mojo — a local dish with boiled potatoes and a sauce made of red or green peppers. But the most characteristic option is sancocho — fish that is prepared by being soaked in brine for two days and salt for a further five.

Una receta emblemática de las Islas Canarias. Las papas arrugadas con mojo picón, quizás el plato más conocido de las Islas…https://t.co/rScxkIFenW @canarias_es#DiaDeLasIslasCanarias #DiaDeCanarias #Gastronomia #papas #receta#VisitSpain #IslasCanarias pic.twitter.com/HPVgrGukD4

— Spain (@spain) May 30, 2018

We also recommend ropa vieja (seasoned and fried shredded beef, served with rice and salad) and carne de cabra (goat stew). Allende Triana, La Travesia de Triana and the Bodegon de Lagunetas are all worth your custom.

Balearic Islands: Real Mallorca

Mallorca is one of Spain’s most popular islands in the summer and is also a haven for Spanish gastronomy: try the arroz brut (a typical local rice dish with meat) and cocas (a pizza-like pastry with vegetables) before finishing with a good ensaimada (a spiral-shaped puff pastry).

Ca n’Eduardo by the port in capital Palma is well-known for rice and lobster while Tast Club is right in the city centre and serves cocas. Another well-known restaurant in Palma is Mia, where the Spanish royal family usually go when holidaying on the island.

Navarre: Osasuna

Osasuna are from the city of Pamplona, known for the San Fermin festival each July, when the controversial Running of the Bulls takes place. It’s also home to, you may have guessed it, some great steakhouses.

Humid weather and the region’s fertile farmland mean the vegetables here are some of the best in Spain — artichokes, piquillo peppers and white asparagus stand out. Txistorra sausage usually comes next, followed by white fish or meat such as a chuleta (steak). Asador Olaverri and Restaurante Alhambra are both great options.

For visitors who don’t want such a heavy meal or are just looking to save some money, it’s worth following the same route through the city taken by those bulls during San Fermin and trying pintxos — essentially tapas from the north of Spain.

One of the most special places is Bar Gaucho, next to the central Plaza del Castillo, where you can eat anything from txistorra croquettes to truffled egg or an excellent foie gras pintxo. It’s not expensive and will make you feel like you’re in a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Basque Country: Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad and Alaves

People from the Basque Country — a region including some of northern Spain and areas just across the border in France that share linguistic, historical and cultural ties — are as competitive in football as they are in the kitchen. So it’s no surprise Spain’s most successful Michelin-starred chef is from here: San Sebastian’s own Martin Berasategui has no fewer than 12. Also, the restaurant voted second best in the world, Asador Etxebarri, is in the Basque province of Biscay.

For football fans going to a game at Athletic Bilbao’s San Mames stadium, the first port of call should be the Calle Licenciado Pozas. This is a long street where Athletic fans congregate before and after matches to eat pintxos with a few ‘zuritos’ (small beers).

El Globo is a great place for pintxos in the city centre, while if you are really hungry, Amaren serves some of the best meat you’ll find anywhere.

It’s not just Bilbao: San Sebastian, an hour’s drive to the east and home to Real Sociedad, is also full of culinary delights. Borda Berri is a bar in the city’s old quarter with a sensational risotto, and Gandarias serves some great mini burgers. Casa Vergara is another institution for pintxos lovers and Bar Nestor is the best place for meat from the north of Spain. Then there’s Xanti, the closest bar to La Real’s Anoeta stadium, where you can enjoy a great tortilla de bacalao (cod omelette).

Further inland, Vitoria is home to Alaves and is another vibrant Basque city. The typical food here is mushrooms and artichokes with idiazabal, a sheep’s cheese from the province with a deep and irresistible flavour.

(Top photos: Getty Images; design: Kelsea Petersen)