My Top 5 Non-Tapas Restaurants in Granada

I want to preface this list by making it clear that I LOVE the tapas lifestyle and it will be something I truly miss when I go back to the United States. I will never, ever say “no” to a little snack provided free with my beverage; however, it is true that I do find myself a little bit on the underfed side several nights here in Granada. To fix that, me and some friends tried a bunch of other restaurants in our area that would be filling yet also worth our Euro. Here is the final list that I came up after a semester full of food:

• Comida Wenzhou

  • This was probably my friends and I’s favorite Chinese restaurant in Granada, and this was our final choice after having eaten at least two other Chinese places in the area, so we came to this conclusion not without some dedicated research of the cuisine in the area. Out of the many things I could rave about when it comes to this restaurant, what comes to mind first is the lovely woman who runs the place. She was so sweet and knowledgeable about everything that the restaurant offers and even pulled out her phone to show us items not on the menu that they could make in the back. She was very frank with us about how much we should order and what we would like the best based on our tastes, and I felt like she always knew exactly what we needed to try. The rice dishes she served us actually brought me back to life during finals week, along with the special Chinese tea we ordered that was perfect for both the cold weather and my persistent sore throat.

• Jerusalem Shawarma and Falafel

  • Though this was not the shawarma place closest to my host mom’s house and not even the shawarma place that I frequented most often after a long night out with friends, it was definitely the yummiest shawarma and falafel place that I had tried while in Granada. The vegetables felt so fresh and the spicy sauce was very needed as the food in Spain is generally low on the spice and heavy on the salt. The owners were also major pranksters who would tease and scare us with, for example, very realistic-looking bouncy-ball eggs that they would make us try and catch and laugh when we braced for a splatter of destroyed egg that never came. Silly staff aside, it’s very close to the IES Abroad building, too, so it would be a perfect quick dinner after any late class you may have! 

• Pizzeria El Capo

  • If you’re ever missing sleepovers or pizza nights or need a casual meal to split with friends, this pizza place was perfect. I would gather two or three friends, grab an equal amount of pizzas, and sit at the nearby park up in the Realejo to share warm pizza and chat about anything while looking at the stars. Besides being delicious, it was also pretty cheap and a very filling meal after a long day of classes and assignments.

• Burger Oriental

  • Don’t let the name confuse you, they don’t sell burgers at Burger Oriental, but they DO have some incredible noodles and dumplings. It’s a little bit more on the expensive side in comparison to other restaurants or tapas places, but still less than or around what you would pay for a meal out in a city in the United States and I think you’ll find that the food is worth it. Maybe this could be dinner on a special night for you and friends, or even family if they ever visit the area, and at the end of the meal, they even give you little packaged pieces of gum from the Asian market for a post-meal refresher.

• Om Kalsum

  • So, technically this place mainly does tapas, but their full meals are also so delicious and filling that I just had to add them in as the last restaurant. After returning from our trip to Morocco, I was in desperate need of some couscous and Om Kalsum did not fail to satisfy me. It was just as flavorful, warm, and full of vegetables as the one our host mom made for Friday dinner while we were staying with her, and very cheap if you split it with friends!

I hope these recommendations give you some insight on some yummy new restaurants to try when in Granada as they brought me so much happiness and satisfaction while I was abroad. ¡Buen provecho!