El Lola - Bar de Tapas y Flamenco — Restaurant in Tarifa

If you ever find yourself in Tarifa, do not miss the chance to visit this incredible tapas bar immersed in the vibrant spirit of flamenco. Even though you might have to wait for a table — and you probably will — it’s absolutely worth it. From the moment you step inside, you can feel the energy: the staff are constantly on the move, working at full speed to serve every guest without a single mistake. Despite the rush, every team member wears a genuine smile, offering help, recommendations, and a warm welcome that makes you feel right at home.

The dishes themselves are outstanding. Every tapa is beautifully presented, bursting with authentic flavors that celebrate the best of Spanish cuisine. You can tell that the kitchen is running like a perfectly tuned machine, driven by a shared passion to create an exceptional dining experience. It’s clear that every person here — from the chefs to the servers — is giving their absolute best, even during the busiest hours.

This place perfectly captures what a true Spanish tapas bar should feel like: lively, friendly, full of flavor, and simply unforgettable. A must-visit in Tarifa! See...

Yet another incredibly overrated place! It’s so busy there’s a waiting list for it, but we got lucky as we were just 2 and were seated right away. None of the waiters could speak English, we ordered the Japanese tuna bbq and the veal loin. The tuna was served first. It was over cooked and full of tendons. The second dish never arrived. After waiting for a while we finally asked the waiter to check on it as my friend was halfway done with the tuna, they apologized saying they thought we wanted it after the tuna!! Finally, the veal arrives! It’s served with chips and grilled vegetables. The chips were cold, I wasn’t asked how I’d like the meat and it was cooked medium rare (blood all over the plate basically), and the vegetables (tiny portion) was just warm and lacked basic seasoning. The place was super busy like I mentioned, so service was horrendous. We constantly had to ask again for our drink, the extra olives, the bill..

I’ll never...

This place is super popular and way too busy. There are equally good choices nearby. As such, the atmosphere with the street full of waiting patrons continually staring at you is a tad annoying. We arrived at 8 and waited 5min. Those that arrived at 8:30 waited till 9:30 to be seated. The highlight is the service. Super fast, not one set waiter for your table, ultra-attentive, and fun/friendly. Food is excellent, but it is also excellent in the mutliple adjacent restaurants. El Lola specializes in tuna; also meat and veggie offerings. Anything heated/cooked is very salty, thus the flavor. The rare tuna was great - no salt but good balance of olive oil and garlic.

Photos are of the Tataki Tuna and the Presa Iberica de Bellota. I do not...