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You may not expect to find brilliant taps in Liverpool, but you’d be surprised at just how high-quality Liverpool’s Spanish restaurants really are!
There’s no better way to catch up with friends or enjoy a romantic date than with tapas. I just love the sharing element, which means you’re able to try way more dishes than you’d be able to just by yourself!
Plus, tapas reminds me of my many amazing experiences in Spain.
You may not know this about me, but I actually lived in Spain with a Spanish family for a while whilst I worked as an au pair. I’ve also made countless trips to the country for this travel blog.
That means that I know a thing or two about what makes killer tapas, and trust me – you can find it in Liverpool.
So, enough of my setting the scene: here are the very best tapas restaurants in Liverpool!
Table of Contents
Best Tapas in Liverpool
1. El Gato Negro
This is my absolute favourite tapas restaurant in Liverpool city centre! The restaurant is huge, with plenty of space for romantic dates and huge groups at the same time.
I shared their Manchego cheese (which was amazing), patatas bravas (👌), croquetas (which I can never resist!), Spanish tortilla (I’m salivating just thinking about it), big juicy olives, and scallops.
As you can tell, I very much enjoyed the food here.
Located just off Exchange Flags, the location here is perfect to round off a day of Liverpool sightseeing or just meet up with friends. The decor is gorgeous (and quite girly, which may explain the numerous groups of women on hen dos and birthday parties).
Another explanation for the large groups of women could be their “tipsy tapas” deal – El Gato Negro’s take on bottomless brunch.
Although I recommend booking, especially for Friday and Saturday nights, we managed to waltz in without a reservation on Saturday night and they were able to squeeze us in!
There’s no doubt in my mind – you’ll find the best tapas in Liverpool here.
2. Salt House Tapas
This huge contemporary restaurant is the go-to for charcuterie in Liverpool, and often features on roundups of the best restaurants in the city!
The menu at Salt House Tapas is absolutely massive, and it covers all of the tapas classics, as well as a few delightfully unusual dishes.
A standout here is the service – the staff are super welcoming to everybody, including solo female travellers. I stopped off here for lunch by myself during one of my many solo day trips to Liverpool and was greeted with open arms. This is a big deal when you’re dining solo!
If there’s one dish you need to try here, it’s the slow braised ox cheek with truffle mash and artichoke crisps. Lord, it’s so good it’ll have you wanting to bust out the flamenco moves!
I can also vouch for their Spanish tortilla, which is a very solid choice, and I’ve heard a lot of hype about the sautéed chorizo with honey, which is definitely going to be on my plate next time I visit.
3. La Finca Eivissa
We’re niching down at La Finca Eivissa, where Ibizan-style tapas is the name of the game.
It makes sense since tapas varies so much from region to region in Spain, but I’ll let you into a little secret… I’ve never actually been to Ibiza, so I have no idea how authentic the dishes are here.
They get glowing reviews from people in the know, though, so I’m assuming it’s all good!
I can’t lie – the menu here confuses me a bit.
With dishes like “bao buns with Korean BBQ mushrooms”, “tandoori spiced calamari” and “BBQ pulled pork quesadilla” I don’t get huge ~Spanish~ vibes, but it does cover all the classics too like patatas bravas,
Tapas are all about small portions, but it’s always a little disappointing when you’re really enjoying a dish and it’s gone in two bites. That’s not the case at La Finca Eivissa, where they consistently get praise for their large portions.
Oh – and their menu has a dedicated section full of veggie and vegan options, making this one of the top spots for vegan tapas in Liverpool.
4. BoBo
You’ll find BoBo just around the corner from Mathew Street, one of the best places for live music in the city.
This Spanish and Portuguese wine bar and tapas restaurant is a colourful, welcoming and laid-back spot to sample some of the best tapas in Liverpool.
Want to know why this combo of Portuguese and Spanish cuisine makes this place so great? Three words: Pastel de Nata. I first tried these Portuguese custard tarts in Porto, and they are EPIC, but they can be tricky to find here in Liverpool. BoBo comes to our rescue!
Custard tarts aside, wine is definitely the focus here, and you can even order a tasting flight of wines! The food menu is limited, but every dish hits right.
Spanish omelette is on the menu, of course, as well as Portuguese sandwiches, cheese boards, cured meat boards, and churros with chocolate!
5. Lunya
Just a stone’s throw away from El Gato Negro, Lunya is another contender for the title of the best Spanish restaurant in Liverpool. My friend used to work here, and she hyped it big-time, so I’m desperate to dine here next time I’m in Liverpool!
If you’re a beginner to tapas, this is a great place to start. That’s because they offer two “tapas banquets”, where you’ll receive a hand-picked selection of their best tapas for a set price. It removes the need to make decisions, and is also an easy way to manage the order of a large group – everybody pays the same.
Provided you’re dining with at least one other person, it’s also possible to order a paella of your choosing to share.
If you’d prefer to pick your own dishes, no worries – there are plenty to choose from. In fact, I think Lunya has the biggest menu of all the tapas restaurants in Liverpool!
As well as the classics, you’ll find a fair few more adventurous options – black rice arancini, pork belly cooked in almond milk and herbs, and Catalan Scouse, their signature dish which blends Liverpool’s favourite stew with Catalonian flavours.
If that doesn’t tempt you, I don’t know what will!
6. Lunyalita
Lunyalita is Lunya’s little sister located on the Albert Dock, so once you’ve finished being a crazy Beatles fan at the Beatles Story, or, you know, just taking a stroll around the dock if you’re not an obsessive Beatlemaniac like me, you can head here for some kick-ass tapas.
Beatles side note: did you know The Beatles recorded a few songs in Spanish??
Anyways! Moving on from The Beatles!
The menu at Lunyalita is exactly the same as that at the main Lunya restaurant, and you can wash all those fabulous dishes down with beer from Madrid and wine from all over the Spanish-speaking world.
The only difference is the setting. This restaurant is smaller and more intimate, and, obviously, set on the beautiful Albert Dock, you can’t argue with its location.
7. Neon Jamon
Outside of Liverpool city centre, you’ll find Neon Jamon on Smithdown Road, open from Wednesday to Sunday. On Sundays, though, you won’t find Spanish tapas here. Neon Jamon transforms into a Sunday Roast restaurant for the day!
The menu at this small and intimate restaurant is simple and classic. Manchego, sardines, croquetas, paella, wild mushroom tostada, and, what I would argue is the star of the show: fried goats cheese balls with orange blossom honey. Yum!
This is the perfect place to order with a group of friends, share a bottle of wine and some small plates, and feel yourself transported from rainy Liverpool to sunny Spain for a few hours.
8. Bacaro
We’re back in the city centre for this next restaurant, which serves up tapas with a twist. You see, Bacaro is all about Spanish and Italian tapas.
It’s run by the same people who operate Salt House Tapas, so you know the food here is going to be out of this world.
In Venice, a bacaro is a working man’s pub that serves small snacks as well as wine. They originally started out as simple places, but these days some of them have become quite upmarket. This bacaro blends the best of both worlds.
The menu highlight, as well as the obvious tapas offerings, is their pizzettas – tiny tapas-sized pizzas, with a variety of toppings. As well as the huge main menu, there’s also a gluten-free menu, perfect if you have dietary restrictions.
This is hailed as one of the top Italian restaurants in Liverpool. The fact that it’s a tapas restaurant is just the icing on the cake!
9. So Salsa Castle Street
Just a few doors down from Moose Coffee, one of my favourite brunch spots, you’ll find the family-run tapas restaurant So Salsa. This is one of the most affordable tapas restaurants in Liverpool thanks to their lunchtime deal of 3 dishes for £18.
This place has a huge outdoor terrace that’s always absolutely rammed on summer weekends, so it’s pretty clear that this place is more than happy for you to linger after your meal enjoying drinks and chatting with your friends – just like the Spanish do.
This is also the go-to spot for sangria in Liverpool, which could have something to do with it!
Spanish tapas is the focus here, but a few dishes from all over the world have made it onto the menu like duck spring rolls and bang bang cauliflower. I admittedly don’t understand why restaurants do this (Spanish tapas is so good on its own!) but clearly it’s working for them so…
One very important thing (to me, at least, haha) that stood out when I was looking at the menu is that they don’t have Spanish omelette on the menu. As someone who can’t get enough of this dish, it would be a dealbreaker!
Spanish omelette is an essential tapas dish for me, but if you’re not as obsessed with it this place could definitely be worth a try.
10. La Parrilla Mexican Tapas Bar
With branches on Bold Street and Lark Lane, La Parilla is the go-to for Mexican tapas in Liverpool.
That’s not hard, given the limited number of Mexican restaurants in Liverpool, but La Parilla doesn’t take that as an invitation to slack.
The food here is very solid indeed, and you’re able to combine a few starters if you’d like to create a tapas spread, or just order main dishes that have huge portion sizes for some very filling Mexican-style grub.
There are authentic Mexican dishes on the menu, but I’d say the selection leans far more into the Tex-Mex side of things.
I spent six weeks backpacking all over Mexico and don’t remember seeing burritos or fajitas on any authentic restaurant’s menu, but who am I to judge?
We all know they’re fan-favourites, and absolutely delicious, so I can understand why they’re on the menu here!
This is the perfect spot to celebrate the Day of the Dead in Liverpool!
11. Revolución de Cuba Liverpool
It’s Cuban tapas’ time to shine, and where else but at Revolución de Cuba?
This Cuban-inspired bar and restaurant is famous for its mega 2-for-1 cocktail deals, but they also have a pretty solid food offering. Located on the Albert Dock, it’s an easy walk to get here from Liverpool One and the city centre.
Somewhat bizarrely, they have a Cuban tapas afternoon tea, which, bizarrely, doesn’t consist of any actual tea, or any normal afternoon tea dishes, but is a great way to sample a tonne of their tapas dishes for an affordable price.
On the menu, you’ll find spiced black beans, chimichurri corn, anchovies, patatas bravas, tacos, empanadas, and a whole lot more!
This place does turn into a party place later on in the evenings, so if you’re planning a quiet meal I recommend getting here for lunch or the early evening.
Final Thoughts: Liverpool Tapas Restaurants
Liverpool has a surprising amount of tapas restaurants and Mediterranean restaurants to choose from, so if you fancy a sangria-filled evening or bring the sun of Seville to your day in Liverpool, you now know exactly where to go.
Need a reminder? No worries – El Gato Negro is my tried-and-tested recommendation, but it does get booked up on weekends.
If you can’t get a table there, I recommend heading to Lunya or Salt House Tapas.
Have an incredible meal!