9 Spanish Restaurants and Tapas Bars in Paris
Near the big squares, a Spanish restaurant in Paris often means a pan of yellow rice sitting in the window since noon and a pitcher of sangria priced like champagne. The tourists who post those five-star photos never tasted the real thing.
Our list is short on purpose: 9 spots that passed the cross-check of Le Fooding, Time Out and our other sources. Most of them lean Basque or Catalan, with pintxos, txistorra, croquetas and natural wine rather than flamenco kitsch. For more sharing food, open our tapas and small plates pages, or head across the ocean with Latin American food.
Chef Inaki Aizpitarte's contemporary tapas bar where Rem Koolhaas-designed marble interiors meet bold French bistrot cooking and an exceptional natural wine selection.
Fooding Award
TheFork Insider
TimeoutFooding
A vibrant neighborhood bistrot in Belleville serving seasonal, organic cuisine with Catalan influences and an exceptional natural wine selection.
TimeoutFoodingTrès Très Bon
A warm Basque tapas bar in Gambetta serving sharing plates inspired by Navarre, paired with carefully curated Spanish wines.
Fooding
A vibrant Basque-inspired brasserie in the heart of Paris's 2nd arrondissement, where surf culture meets traditional French comfort food under the creative direction of chef Xavier Blanc.
A vibrant Spanish tapas bar and restaurant in Le Marais serving authentic paella, jamón ibérico, and flamenco-inspired ambiance from breakfast through late night.
A beloved Oberkampf institution serving natural wines and European-inspired small plates in a retro 1960s setting that's been drawing crowds for years.
TimeoutFooding
A joyful, eco-conscious guinguette serving Mediterranean tapas in one of Paris's most beautiful parks, where festive vibes meet inclusive community spirit.
A vibrant Basque tapas bar in Tolbiac serving authentic sharing plates and regional wines in a contemporary, festive atmosphere.
A festive floating guinguette on the Seine where Andalusian-inspired bites, wood-fired pizzas, and DJ sets create Paris's most spirited riverside escape.
Finding a good Spanish restaurant in Paris
Spanish food in Paris is mostly about the north: Basque bars, Navarre wine, Catalan bistros. Pick your evening (a long dinner, a quick round of tapas or a party by the water), then filter by neighborhood and price.
Basque and Navarre, plate by plate
Galerna, near Gambetta, cooks tapas inspired by Navarre, like huevos rotos with txistorra and confit pork shoulder, and pours wines from independent Spanish growers. Socoa, in Tolbiac, does croquetas de chorizo, pan con tomate and a glass of txakoli; book for Friday and Saturday nights. Brasserie Rosie Lou, on Boulevard de Bonne Nouvelle, brings Biarritz surf style to 130 seats, with piquillo pintxos and a blueberry Basque cheesecake.
Catalan warmth and natural wine
Paloma, in Belleville, is a bistro by day and a tapas spot by night, with a Catalan accent, organic produce and a €16 three-course lunch. The terrace is one of the best in the neighborhood, so book it in summer; our restaurants with a terrace have more outdoor tables. In Oberkampf, Aux Deux Amis serves clams, langoustines and charcuterie under neon lights with a long natural wine list; see all our wine bars.
A chef's tapas bar
Le Dauphin, next to Belleville, is Iñaki Aizpitarte's marble tapas bar designed by Rem Koolhaas. The small plates are French (bulots mayo, sole meunière, Salers rib steak), but the rhythm is pure tapas. It's a Fooding Award winner, and the lunch menu is the best deal.
Late nights and riverside evenings
In the Marais, Les Piétons serves paella, jamón ibérico and churros from 8am to midnight, and until 2am on weekends; find more among our late-night restaurants. The two Rosa Bonheur guinguettes, one in the Buttes-Chaumont park and one on a barge by the Invalides, pair small plates with a party crowd and take no reservations. Our lively bars have that same energy.
The 11th and the 20th arrondissement have the most addresses, and nearly everything is mid-priced. Open the map, then check each place's must-try dishes and review summary before you go.