A Foodie’s Guide to… Cádiz

To finish off my trio of posts from my holiday to Cádiz, I’m going out with a bang. A new “A Foodie’s Guide To…” post! If you follow me over on Twitter then you might remember me sharing my excitement about writing this post a few weeks or so ago. I’ve recently returned from my trip to Cádiz for my 22nd birthday so of course I’ve got plenty of new food inspiration to share with you. If you aren’t familiar with my A Foodie’s Guide to… series then make sure to catch up on my Malaga and Seville posts (after this one of course!).

Vinos y Tapas, Calle Plocia, 11, 11006

Vinos y Tapas was one of the first restaurants that we spotted in the city simply because it was always full! It took until about halfway through the holiday before we actually managed to get into the restaurant. But let me tell you, the wait was definitely worth it.

The tuna belly with goats cheese was the stand-out dish for me. Combining my two food loves, cheese and fish, my mind was sufficiently blown by this savoury-sweet dish. The cheese was almost foam-like, making the dish lovely and light. A must-try for sure!

Next up was the grilled artichokes with ham. I have to say I don’t use artichokes in cooking anywhere near as much as I should. And I also never would’ve thought about pairing them with ham. But I guess that’s what is so great about travelling – finding food inspiration!

Up last is the aubergine flaky pastry. And, similar to the artichokes, this was a pairing that I wouldn’t have thought of myself. My usual cooking style for aubergine is roasting them with onions and sultanas. But the flaky pasty was absolutely amazing with it.

Le Poeme, Calle Alcalá Galiano, 3, 11004

Now I realise I was in Spain but I just have to give a shout out to this French patisserie. Le Poeme was one of my absolute favourite spots in Cádiz when it came to brunch. Whenever I’m on holiday, I have to admit I’m not a big breakfast person. Normally I’ll opt for a lie in, a coffee and a snack. So when we stumbled across Le Poeme, next to the central market, it was absolutely perfect for a light bite.

I went for the apple tart which was insanely good. And of course a café con leche. There’s just nothing better than sitting outside with great food doing a bit of people watching, is there?

La Cepa Gallega, Calle Plocia, 9, 11006

Before we headed on holiday, this was somewhere that we knew we wanted to visit when we were there. If you’ve checked out my post about Jerez then you’ll remember me mentioning my love of Rick Stein and his Long Weekends series. In preparation for the holiday I watched the episode in Cádiz and noted down a few places I wanted to visit. The first being Jerez’s Bodegas Tradicíon and the second being La Cepa Gallega.

The place itself was small and incredibly Spanish in it’s decor (exactly what you want!). And the idea was to choose one or two cured meats to try and a glass of red wine. The bar staff would then serve your chosen meats on a piece of greased paper and that would be it! I always love discovering places like this because it’s something that you’d never find back in the UK. It was the perfect way to end a night and was ideal for sharing as a little snack.  Tip: If you do visit, order the chicharrones.

The Cabin Beer Bar, Calle Plocia, 29, 11006

If you’ve read my Malaga foodie’s guide then you might remember Central Beers. Well I found Cádiz’s answer to it down the road from where we stayed; The Cabin Beer Bar.

I feel as though finding a craft beer bar has become somewhat of a must-do whenever I travel abroad now. And with a new craft beer bar comes a new favourite flavoured beer. This time I tried Chérie, a Belgian cherry-flavoured wheat beer. I’d definitely recommend it for any flavoured beer lovers like myself!

La Tapería de Columela, Calle Columela, 4, 11001

My final recommendation is actually the first place that we visited when we arrived in Cádiz. La Tapería de Columela which was recommended to us by our Air BnB hosts. So when we stumbled across it I knew we had to check it out.

We ended up visiting the restaurant at about 7 ish and managed to get a seat at the bar straight away. But after about half an hour there were queues outside and down the road. Once we’d tried a few tapas it was obvious why – the food was amazing!

My favourites from the menu were the ensaladilla which was served with king prawns (the stuff of DREAMS), the homemade stew croquettas and the pork cheeks with red wine. Croquettas and ensaladilla were foods that I ate almost everyday while I was away but La Tapería de Columela definitely set the standard for them on day one.

We wanted to return later in the week but it was always so busy that we never had the chance to. If you’re ever planning to visit my advice is definitely get there early before the crowds show up!

So there you have it! Five of my favourite foodie spots within Cádiz. Which ones sound like a bit of you? Let me know in the comments. And if you’ve ever visited the city before, where are your favourite places to eat and drink?

Female Original

Read next: 7 Hours in Jerez.