Some nights in Granada feel like the city is quietly conspiring in your favor. This was one of those nights—the kind that starts with something simple (a tapa, a photo, an Instagram post) and ends with a full gourmet dinner, perfectly paired beers, and that warm feeling of “I can’t believe this actually happened.”
If you’ve ever visited Granada, you’ll know the tapa culture here isn’t just a casual snack-before-dinner habit. It’s practically a local institution, a social ritual, and (during certain weeks of the year) a full-on gastronomic competition.
Granada de Tapas 2019: a city-wide tapa celebration
From 25 February to 16 March, 70 establishments took part in the XI Concurso Granada de Tapas Luís Oruezábal “Chikito”, also known as Granada de Tapas 2019. It’s one of the most important tapas competitions in the city, organized by the Federación Provincial de Empresas de Hostelería y Turismo de Granada, with the collaboration of Granada City Council and the sponsorship of Cervezas Alhambra.
The goal is clear: to celebrate Granada’s gastronomy and raise the bar for what a “tapa” can be. During those days, you can hop from place to place across the city, tasting each venue’s proposal for the contest—discovering new flavors, new ideas, and sometimes even a new favorite bar.
And then Cervezas Alhambra made it even more fun.
The Instagram raffle that changed my week
Cervezas Alhambra raffled three gourmet dinners, each one designed as a tasting menu paired with their three most popular beers, with music creating a special atmosphere for the evening. The dinners took place at Puesto 43, a restaurant with serious local prestige: it was the winner of the Granada Tapas Contest 2018.
To enter the raffle, you simply had to post on Instagram a photo of a tapa from one of the establishments participating in the Granada de Tapas 2019 contest.
So yes, I did it. And yes…
I was one of the three winners
When I found out, I was genuinely excited—because this wasn’t just “a free meal.” This was a carefully planned experience: a tasting menu, a curated beer pairing, and a chance to try the cooking of a team that had already proven itself at the highest level in Granada’s tapa scene.
I went with friends, and we arrived at Puesto 43 ready to enjoy the night.
Puesto 43: where seafood meets passion and precision
We were welcomed by Miguel and Sandra, the owners of Puesto 43. From the start, the atmosphere felt friendly and personal, the kind of place where people care about what they serve and how they serve it.
Sandra walked us through the menu, explaining each dish with that special mix of confidence and affection that great chefs have when they truly believe in their ingredients. She’s a young chef, and the year before this dinner she won the tapas contest with a bite that, when I tasted it, was so good I almost “died of pleasure” (and I still stand by that dramatic statement).
Puesto 43 is well known in Granada for the quality of its fish, but what really makes it memorable is the way the kitchen connects food to place. The ingredients aren’t generic—they’re local, specific, and fresh.
Sandra goes regularly to the Motril fish market, about an hour from Granada on the way to the Mediterranean coast, and she personally selects the seafood served in her restaurant. That detail matters, because you can taste the difference when the product is truly fresh.
She’s also focused on promoting a treasure from this coastline: Motril’s white shrimp with its blue caviar—an exotic delicacy that can only be found on the coasts of Granada.
The tasting menu + beer pairing (Maridaje)
The dinner was designed as a pairing menu (maridaje), matching each group of dishes with a different Cervezas Alhambra beer:
Pairing with Alhambra Special
- Motril shrimp salad with its own blue caviar
- “Toast of our coast”: shrimp tartar, avocado, mango, and garlic (the winning tapa of the Tapas Contest 2018)
Pairing with Alhambra Reserva 1925
- Gyoza-style Puesto 43
- Cod rock with squid ink and “Lover tomato” chutney
Pairing with Alhambra Reserva Roja
- Seafood cake with Andalusian air
- Bao bread bocatin with chipiron, alioli, and crispy Vietnamese green rice
Each course felt intentional, and the beer pairings didn’t just “go with” the food—they amplified it. Between bites, we talked, compared favorites, and enjoyed the rhythm of a long Spanish dinner: slow, social, and full of little surprises.
A night to remember in Granada
By the end of the evening, we didn’t just feel full—we felt happy. We enjoyed, we learned, and we left grateful: to Sandra and Miguel for their hospitality, and to Cervezas Alhambra for turning a simple Instagram post into such a special night.
If you’re visiting Granada and you want to connect with the city beyond monuments and viewpoints, follow the food. During events like Granada de Tapas, the whole city becomes a tasting route—and sometimes, if you’re lucky, it even becomes a celebration made just for you.
