The most popular Spanish dishes in Europe, ranked
For every restaurant on the map with a readable menu, we checked which of the 17 classic dishes actually appear on it. This is the resulting league table - what the Spanish diaspora in Europe really serves, dish by dish, with links to our recipes and to the live map filter.
Rankings: best cities for Spanish food · most popular dishes · best restaurants by dish · city price index.
| # | Dish | Menus confirming it | % of menus checked | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | paella | 684 | 24% | map |
| 2 | patatas bravas | 627 | 22% | map |
| 3 | Ibérico/serrano ham | 613 | 21% | map |
| 4 | croquetas | 526 | 18% | map |
| 5 | fried calamari | 504 | 18% | map |
| 6 | garlic prawns (gambas al ajillo) | 465 | 16% | map |
| 7 | chorizo | 444 | 16% | map |
| 8 | Padrón peppers | 395 | 14% | map |
| 9 | albóndigas (meatballs) | 323 | 11% | map |
| 10 | Galician-style octopus (pulpo a la gallega) | 294 | 10% | map |
| 11 | churros | 260 | 9% | map |
| 12 | pan con tomate | 245 | 9% | map |
| 13 | Spanish omelette (tortilla española) | 234 | 8% | map |
| 14 | gazpacho / salmorejo | 120 | 4% | map |
| 15 | ensaladilla rusa | 83 | 3% | map |
| 16 | torrijas | 33 | 1% | map |
| 17 | oxtail stew (rabo de toro) | 30 | 1% | map |
Tortilla and croquetas are the universal calling cards; torrijas and rabo de toro are the rare finds - when a menu confirms them, it is usually a kitchen taking the canon seriously.