Big fans of the Costa de la Luz and its stunning beaches, we have been driving through the small coastal town of Barbate for over 15 years. Usually, hot tailing it to the more internationally popular Zahara de los Atunes, with its wide sandy beaches; a veritable mecca for tuna lovers. However, this time we reckoned lesser known Barbate (source of that delicious tuna) was worthy of a stay in its own right and we were not disappointed….
All year round, Costa de la Luz basks in a white sunlight. It is a landscape of wide, sandy beaches backed by dunes and pine forests, favoured by surfers and artists, alike. To us, its allure is elemental.
South of Cadiz, is the sea faring town of Barbate aka “la ciudad del atun” or “Tuna town”. It is the 3,000 year old art of the Almadraba; a sustainable system of tuna fishing nets more than a kilometre long, that makes the town famous.
The town is bordered by the natural park of La Breña; famous for being the largest planted pine forest in Europe. These aromatic pines run along the cliffs to the west, as far as Trafalgar (site of that famous battle).
Next to Barbate’s port, the Paseo Maritimo forms the main focus of the town. It is a cheerful promenade, host to a legion of fine restaurants overlooking the white, sandy beach, where you can witness the serious might of the Atlantic rolling in.
We arrived post lunch on a sunny Saturday in October and the Paseo was alive with the buzz of folk enjoying their post prandial copas (long spirits).
As well as the seafront, wandering through the maze of streets of the town you will find the Abastos (covered) market. It’s an atmospheric “under the sea” affair, where you can pick up amazing fish and seafood, including the prized blue fin tuna. There is also a wide array of fine fruit and veg from surrounding fertile land.
The prized local retinto beef is also on offer here. These impressive cattle are raised in the lush pasturelands of the area, where they graze on grass, shrubs and acorns. Yet another gastro highlight of the Cadiz province.
On the outside of the market there is a simple cerveceria, a sound spot for an ice cold pre lunch caña (beer) and just what you need after doing all that shopping!
So what/where did we eat in Barbate? Why, copious amounts of tuna, of course! We tried it at least 15 different ways but there are so many, many more; taki, tataki, usuzukuri etc etc ….
One of our top eatery recommendations was Variopinto. This good looking seafront restaurant was recommended by the friendly lady at the tourist info. It was Sunday lunchtime and we fancied the the traditional lunch of an arroz (rice dish). This was recommended with good reason; here we dined heartily on an excellent seafood arroz, with its rich, unctuous sofritto base and juicy prawns.
A special mention also for the semi mojama (semi dried) tuna with cream of local payoyo cheese – delicious. We idled away a few happy hours here; sampling a variety of great wines (& sherries) by the glass, indulging in the essential Spanish tradition of sobremesa (relaxed post meal chatting) and watching storm Bernardo unfold.
Also on the paseo, we found the more casual Lupulus Cerveceria . We spent a couple of evenings here enjoying all things tapas, most notably, a tasty atun encebollado (a tuna and onion stew) and some great rosemary manchego cheese (Romero) – we think it the same that we used to sell at Andaluz. This place was also ideal as it seemed to always be open (this was out of season, so not the case everywhere).
Bar Al Natural soon became a favourite breakfast stop. It had a simple, pared back charm. The chef presented the breakfast toast with such care and attention, we knew this would be a sound lunch option. One day we returned to enjoy a delicious atun escabeche – a traditional Spanish preparation where the fish is marinaded in vinegar or wine. Highly recommended.
6 Grifos was a friendly spot by the river where we enjoyed a cold beer and a tapa of the local ensaladilla Barbateña (Russian salad with octopus). We returned here several times after a sunset walk along the atmospheric riverbank. We noted that they also offer a Tuna Xperience, or tasting menu, which we will be sure to try on our return.
Barbate is home to a very high end restaurant El Campero. This is somewhat intriguingly located in the middle of a housing estate. We had intended to go for our final evening, but reconsidered this on seeing that the tasting menu was €132. I am sure that there are other plates on offer that were more in keeping with our budget, but lets face it, we are just not fancy restaurant kinda folk…
However, just next to this restaurant we happened upon an interesting bar/bodega Almabrazo, where the owner fixes clocks in between tending the bar and serving a very fine (award winning) tapa of tartar of diced tuna in palo cortado sherry. The place is quirky for sure, but we felt immediately at home…
A visit to “Delicias de Barbate” at the fishing port is to be recommended to stock up on conservas (highest quality tinned fish and seafood) and mojama (air dried tuna) at source. This is also a good spot to learn more about the almadraba fishing method and the numerous cuts of tuna. Regrettably, we only bought a couple of tins, uncertain whether or not Easyjet would permit them in our hand luggage – in the end there was no problem!
Also worth a mention is “La Chanca”, Tuna museum – where you can learn all about the fishing and canning of the tuna. This has been on my to do list for a very long time, but unfortunately, the only tour was at 12.30 on a Sunday, meaning we had to choose between that and lunch…(Oh well, I have been passing it for all these years, so a little longer won’t make any difference…)
Barbate may be a little un-chartered territory for the overseas visitor, but it is laidback, unpretentious and friendly. It is understandably popular with surfers due to the mighty Atlantic that just keeps rolling in. We have also heard it is rammed with local tourists in July and August (Lets face it, the Andalucians always know where the good food and the party is!).
In addition to this, Barbate is host to an annual gastronomic week in mid May. And not forgetting, my own chef hero, José Pizarro has set up home just along the coast and can often be spotted in the abastos market picking up his groceries of a morning…so things are definitely on the “up” here.
Whatever, this place is vital and authentic. It has not been homogenised for the overseas visitor. If, like us, you prefer things a little rough around the edges, with a salty bent– this may be a place for you.
You will certainly not go hungry and I imagine there could be a pretty raucous summer scene here….One thing we know for sure is that we will be certain never to just drive through next time we visit our beloved Costa de la Luz, as we still have much exploration (and eating) to do…
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