Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned…read more
At El Tabernaculo you can experience religious remorse and sinful gluttony all at the same time. The walls of this tapas bar in Granada are covered from ceiling to floor in an awesomely gaudy display of photos of Semana Santa (Holy Week in Spain) and religious trinkets. A heavy aroma of incense lingers in the air.
Anthony Bourdain describes this bar on an episode of Parts Unknown, "As best as I understand an Easter-Jesus-and-Mary-themed drinking establishment, where between drinks one can ponder the agony of the Christ. But with sausages!"
There was only one other couple at the bar during our visit. The couple, locals from Granada, didn't speak much English, but the husband was kind enough to point out a few of the trinkets in the bar and explain their meaning. The bartender didn't appear to speak English either so the only words we exchanged were "tres vinos roja por favor", "gracias", "de nada", and "uno mas por favor".
We received the traditional plate of free tapas with each glass of "Jesus juice" that we ordered. I'm not sure exactly what some of the items were on the plate, but everything was delicious and freshly cooked on the griddle behind the bar by the bartender. Our first tapas was a piece of ham that was heated on the griddle and served over bread with mayonnaise. The "open face sandwich" was served with kettle chips. When we ordered a second round of wine we received some sort of delicious, hot and garlicky spread over crusty bread and a side of olives.
This tapas bar is a must-see if you are visiting Granada!