In Spain, dinner is usually served between nine and eleven at night. For this reason you'll often find hungry Spaniards "bar hopping", for want of a better description, during the time between finishing work and sitting down for their evening meal, enjoying a quick drink and endulging in a variety of small dishes of food (so as not to ruin their appetite) known as "tapas"!
In Benidorm "Tapas Alley" as the locals like to call it, is the name given to an area in the Old Town that is literally crammed full of bars offering drinks with side orders of "tapas". If you enjoy new eating experiences then you will simply love the atmosphere down there. On offer you'll find a culinary feast comprising hundreds of individual dishes of different flavours and consistencies. Wooden boards of Serrano Ham and Manchego Cheese. Hot plates of spicy potatoes and juicy meat balls. Chunks of fresh bread covered in home-made pate . You name it! And they've got it there for you to try!
Here is a small selection of "tapas" bars in Benidorm, although you will no doubt be able to find many similarly high quality establishments for yourself as you wander around the town during the course of your holiday.
A huge selection of "tapas" to tickle your taste buds!
No matter where you travel in Spain you may never see a wider variety of "tapas" than that on offer at the Cava Aragonesa. This buzzing "tapas" bar is always jam packed full of locals, and depending on how much time you have you can choose to sit down at a table or eat at the bar. This is an excellent choice for anyone who is not familiar with the whole "tapas" concept, as all the dishes are there on display for you to see with your own eyes, and the ingredients are written in both Spanish and English.
A feel of Rustic Spain!
The Bodegon "tapas" restaurant oozes character. It is decked out in dark wood and there are barrels of wine everywhere you turn, giving the whole place a great feel of rustic authenticity. There's great wine and great food to be had on a visit to the Bodegon.
Trying out some local delicacies from other Spanish regions!
The bustling Sidreria Aurrera (Cider House) is extremely popular with locals and tourists alike. The Basque community in particular frequent this restaurant as the resident chefs specialise in the preparation of the fabulous dishes pertaining to the Basque region, such as the infamous cod fish dish - the "Bacalao Pil Pil". This is extremely tasty and even if you're not a fish lover you really should give it a try if you decide to venture to the Cider House.
Great value for money!
This particular bar/restaurant offers great "tapas" dishes, in addition to the more traditional Valencian rice dishes. It is well worth a visit at lunch time especially as a reasonable "menu" price is available.