Granada · Spain
La Riviera
A practical guide to La Riviera in Granada: the bar where you pick your free tapa from a menu, which Granada dishes to order, what a tapas lunch costs and what time to arrive.
It's no locals-only secret, but it does its thing very well: you choose the tapa, and with two or three rounds you have a full Granada lunch.
La Riviera is one of the few bars in Granada where you choose your free tapa from a printed menu instead of getting whatever the kitchen sends out. It’s on Calle Cetti Meriem, a short street packed with bars between the center and the foot of the Albaicín. It’s family-run and loud, with tavern decor, and the tapas are the size of a small plate.
Our experience
We got there at 12:50 on Thursday, May 21, by taxi from the Alhambra hill, after the tour and the Carmen de los Mártires. We chose it for one specific reason: with the menu we could go straight to the Granada dishes without leaving it to luck. The plan was berenjenas con miel, fava beans with Trevélez ham and, if they had it, tortilla del Sacromonte, with two or three rounds of drinks. At 13:50 we walked to the Corral del Carbón. See our Alhambra day.
A bit of history
The bar’s origin is family memory more than a press date: it has been on Cetti Meriem for decades and shows up in reviews since at least 2010. Its reputation rests on two things: honoring the free tapa with every drink, and putting out a menu so you can choose it.
The dishes tell Granada’s story. Eggplant arrived with the Arabs, and cane molasses comes from the sugarcane they planted on the coast. Trevélez ham is cured in the Alpujarra, above 1,200 meters. The tortilla del Sacromonte is tied to the Roma neighborhood and to the feast of San Cecilio, the city’s patron saint.
The honest take
It’s not a hidden bar: it has more than a decade of reviews, the staff speaks English and you hear three languages at the tables. The complaints are the noise and the wait at peak hours. For a quick lunch of hand-picked Granada dishes, it’s a good choice.
What to see, in order
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The tapas menu
Ask for it with your first round: "¿Nos das la carta de tapas, por favor?". It has 10 to 14 options.
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Berenjenas con miel
Fried eggplant with cane molasses, which isn't bee honey. Crisp outside, soft inside. It's Granada's dish of Andalusi heritage.
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Habas con jamón de Trevélez
Fresh fava beans from the Vega with ham from the Alpujarra. In May they're in season.
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Tortilla del Sacromonte
Granada's omelet of lamb brains and testicles with peas and peppers. It's not available every day: ask "si tienen".
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Homemade croquettes
Ham and béchamel, large. They're the yardstick for home cooking in Granada.
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The dining room
Wooden beams, hanging hams and yellow light. Loud and packed at lunchtime.
Tips we wish we’d known
Tips
- A pint (pinta) brings a bigger tapa than a small beer (caña). Wine gets the standard tapa and mixed drinks usually a smaller one.
- When you ask for the check, make sure the number of drinks matches the number of tapas.
- It's open every day from midday and doesn't close for siesta, so it works for a late lunch.
- At any bar in Granada, the tapa with each drink is free. If they tell you "that one wasn't free," it's a tourist bar.
Do
- Pick Granada dishes: eggplant, fava beans, tortilla del Sacromonte.
- Greet with a "buenas" and order the drinks first, then the tapas.
- Try a tinto de verano or an Alhambra beer, which is brewed in Granada.
Don’t
- Don't waste a tapa on patatas bravas or sandwiches: they're fine, but that's not why you came.
- Don't come looking for a quiet corner to talk: it's a loud bar.
- Don't confuse it with similarly named bars near Plaza Nueva: if there's no printed tapas menu and no tavern-style room, it's not La Riviera.
Frequently asked questions
How does the tapa work at La Riviera?
Every drink, even a soft drink, comes with a free tapa you choose from a printed menu. At most bars in Granada the kitchen chooses.
Do you need a reservation at La Riviera?
No, it's walk-in only. Before 13:15 there's usually room.
How much does a tapas meal at La Riviera cost?
Between €10 and €15 per person with two or three rounds.
Is it open at midday and on Sundays?
According to its 2025 and 2026 listings it's open seven days, from midday with no afternoon break. Some older guides say it closed on Sundays.