Spanish Tapas Restaurants In Melbourne

Originating in Spain, Tapas was originally given free to anyone who bought a drink in a bar but nowadays you will nearly always have to pay for it. It has become popular throughout the world and is a healthy addition to many of the other cuisines available to us today. Served in small manageable portions, tapas is designed for you to eat more than one dish and has been described as ‘the small plate with the big flavour.’ Melbourne tapas restaurants are brimming, and by tapas we do mean actual Spanish Tapas, not just rubbish portions or pizza or Indian food…so head down to one of the following places to eat in Melbourne and bon apetit!

Santiago Tapas

This ambient little tapas bar has a regularly changing menu featuring both modern and traditional tapas styles. The Head Chef is from Malaga in Spain and he uses only the finest seafood, Bomba rice and Spanish spices to make their authentic dishes. It is regarded by many as the best Spanish tapas restaurant in Melbourne and often has a packed crowd because of this. It is the perfect place to stop in for a quick snack or too get some bottles of wine and stay all night, so here at BBM we recommend you check out this particular place to eat in Melbourne.

14 Armstrong Street, Middle Park
Melbourne, 3206

Kanela Flamenco Tapas Bar

Kanela is Melbourne’s only flamenco restaurant-tapas bar that is dedicated to the art of flamenco. It is run by two flamenco artist brothers who not only perform themselves but bring in international touring companies and Australian celebrities for remarkable performances. Along with the visual entertainment is the joy of the mouth-watering tapas itself. Within this Melbourne tapas restaurant, traditional dishes such as paella are served with a wide range of Spanish wines, liquors, sherries, ports and beers. The restaurant is based in Melbourne’s Spanish quarter, otherwise known as Little Spain and one of the best places to go for things to do in Melbourne.

56 Johnston Street, Fitzroy,
Melbourne, 3065

MoVida

MoVida opened its doors in Hosier Lane, a graffiti covered cobbled lane back in 2003. They serve traditional Spanish tapas and shared plates in a down lit room with music playing in the background. The age Good Food Guide 2012 reviewed MoVida as “it’s an enduring expression of the city’s best. The Spanish heritage only seems to make it more marvellously Melbourne.” Due to the success of the Melbourne branch, they have expanded to have four restaurants in Melbourne and a recently
opened new restaurant in Sydney‘s Surry Hills. So check out all of the Spanish tapas restaurants in Melbourne as they’re great places to eat in Melbourne.

1 Hosier Lane
Melbourne CBD
VIC, 3000

Bar Pulpo

MoVida is the driving force behind Bar Pulpo, their airport tapas bar/restaurant in Melbourne. It is colourful and has top quality cooking, exactly what you’d expect from the MoVida chain. They have changed the opinions of many dining in the international airport, proving that airport food doesn’t have to necessarily be bad food. It’s the ideal restaurant for a light meal before a long distance flight and although it is smaller than their other branches, it still exudes the Spanish atmosphere that brightens up the otherwise sterile airport surroundings and gives you a place to eat in Melbourne‘s Spain orientated, food flourishing scene.

Melbourne International Airport,
Melbourne, 3045

La Sangria Bar

This Fitzroy restaurant is one of the best restaurants in Melbourne, which serves nothing but traditional Spanish tapas dishes and has kept its menu the same for years. It may not be the most comprehensive menu, with only 10 or so dishes but what they do, they do well. All dishes are flavoursome with Spanish spices and keep to reasonably good value for money. During the week La Sangria Bar has a quieter feel to it but come Friday and Saturday night, the food is eaten before the dancing begins.

46 Johnston Street, Fitzroy,
Melbourne, 3065

Portello Rosso

Portello Rosso is a small inner-city tapas restaurant’s in Melbourne, in a laneway off Little Bourke Street in Melbourne’s CBD. They pride themselves on both their use of fresh produce and their relaxed atmosphere that it is served in. It may have an Italian name but it is Spanish in what it offers, devoting the menu to purely Spanish food and drink. Their wide-ranging choice of tapas allows diners to mix and match a variety of tastes while digging into their daily tapas specials, which means it certainly should be a must on your ‘thing’s to do in Melbourne’ list. With stuffed calamari, galician octopus, marinated anchovies and barbequed quail, they serve a menu that even the strictest food connoisseur would be happy with.

15 Warburton Lane,
Melbourne CBD, 3000

By Sarah Wilk

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