I decided to spend a semester in Barcelona, Spain at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. During my time abroad I fell in love with Barcelona but once I leave, I will definitely miss the food the most including tapas.
A tapa is an appetizer in Spanish cuisine but put together can make a full meal. They originated in Andalusia, Spain and some typical tapas include croquettes (my personal favorite), the Spanish omelet, patatas bravas, fried squid, chorizo, and many more. The idea behind it is it is a communal dining experience where everyone is sharing food and socializing. This is why it gained such popularity in Spain is because of the association with spending time with friends and family.
Tapas have been a type of food my roommates and I love to go out and get during the week and you can find tapas restaurants anywhere in Spain but here are some of our personal favorites.
We came across Bar Jai-Ca towards the end of our time in Barcelona, yet still were able to go multiple times because it was so good. It has more traditional tapas and we love to order many things off the menu and all share here because all of the food is amazing, and the prices are inexpensive. It is also close to the beach, so we like to take a walk there after we finish our meal.
Another one we have enjoyed multiple times is Sensi Tapas located in the Gothic quarter, where they have more modern tapas. It is more on the pricier end, so we usually get one main Tapa for ourselves and share a lighter tapa like bread with tomato or patatas bravas for the table and it is always amazing.