Gluttony, or at least the Spanish equivalent of glotonería, is a term that may as well not exist in Cádiz. The culture of this whitewashed Andalusian coastal city is one that thrives on food and drink, where you’re never more than a few metres from an ice-cold glass of beer or a few short steps from a freidurías.
The Freidurías of Cadiz are a linchpin of a Gaditanos gastronomic life. Unpretentious and ubiquitous, these institutions specialise in dishes of fried fish, usually cooked to a crisp in chickpea-and-wheat flour batter before being served on crinkled paper beneath the fluorescent tube lights on a tiled counter. Without exception, thiese small plates of crispy seafood are almost always accompanied by a short tumbler of Cruzcampo.
The regional lager has been brewed and served in Spain since 1904. The glow of the red Cruzcampo logo is visible in the windows of almost all of the region’s restaurants and bars. Even now, in a world that is increasingly hip to the growing trend of microbreweries and small-batch brews, if you were to ask for a beer at any bar in Cádiz, Cruzcampo would probably be the only option.
Then again, Cadiz isn’t necessarily known for its beer. Locals are much more likely to order a glass of straw-coloured manzanilla sherry, made just down the coast in what is known as the ‘Sherry Triangle’- an area encompassing Jerez, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa María, with the slight climactic differences between each city resulting in unique wines.
That doesn’t mean that craft beer is hard to come by in this corner of southern Spain. Andalusia has a decent number of craft breweries, with a few, most notably Cerveza Artesana Destraperl, located just a few miles from Cadiz in Jerez de la Frontera. While only one such brewery can be found on Cadiz’s peninsula, there are enough bars in the city stocking bottles of both Spanish and International craft beer to please even the most discerning beer snob. Here are a few of my favourites.
Cerveza Maier
The only craft brewery to be located in Cadiz itself, Maier has been a staple in the city since the arrival of Carlos Maier in 1867 and the founding of his ‘Factory of Beer, Soft Drinks, Seltz, and Soda Waters’. Over time, the soft drink arms of his company were gradually absorbed by multinationals but the small craft brewery bearing his name can still be found in Cadiz, down an alleyway in the shadow of Torre Tavira. Its lasting legacy with locals is mostly down to the beer’s high-quality ingredients and the traditional methods of brewing that are still used today, 150 years after Carlos mashed his first grains.
Tours of the brewery take place each weekday (reservations need to be made on Saturdays and Sundays) where you will be taken through the production process and offered samples of 4 different beers. The tour costs €15 per person and lasts around an hour and a half.
Where: C. Cuna Vieja
When: Mon to Fri 9 am – 3 pm & 6 pm – 8.30 pm
La Cervecería Del Mercado
First built in 1838, the bustling Mercado Central de Abastos is Spain’s oldest covered market and the lively heart of Cádiz.
Although most visitors come to the Central Market to browse the 150-strong line-up of stalls selling everything from cured meats and cheeses to flavour-packed empanadas and fried fish, it is actually one of the best spots in the city to grab a beer. Quite a few of the small tapas joints here offer up cheap glasses of Cruzcampo and Estrella but the good stuff can be found at stall 118, La Cervecería del Mercado, which offers up a good selection of local craft bottles. So pull up a chair, take a sip of your beer and spend a lazy afternoon people-watching in these splendid 19th-century surroundings.
Where: Pl. de la Libertad
When: Mon to Sat 12 pm – 4 pm & 8 pm – 12 am; Sun 12 pm – 5 pm
The Cabin Beer Bar
Not content with having the only brewery and taproom in the city, the team behind Maier have their own craft beer bar in the centre of Cádiz where they dish up street food and have their own brews on tap.
Where: C. Plocia, 29
When: Daily 1 pm – 12 am
Cervecería La Barra
Located on the beautiful Plaza de San Juan de Dios, La Barra is one of the more recent additions to Cadiz’s craft beer scene. Although the draught beer options are limited to just four keg lines that a normally occupied by a bland selelection of mass-produced beers, the bottle options are always interesting and diverse.
Where: Plaza de San Juan de Dios
When: Daily 12 pm – 2 am
El Teniente Seblon
Hidden away on a backstreet of the Pópulo neighbourhood, not far from the city’s magnificent cathedral, this cosy bohemian bar is known as a meeting spot for the Cadiz’s artists and creators but even if you’re not the artsy type, it is worth stopping by the sample their delicious tapas while working your way through their small but well-curated selection of local craft beers.
Where: C. Posadilla
When: Weds & Thurs 6 pm – 2 am; Fri & Sat 4 pm – 3 am; Sun 4 pm – 1 am
Woodstock Bar
Operating under the motto “music, peace, and beer” Woodstock bar, just a short hop from Plaza de Mina in the centre of Cadiz old town, manages to pull off two of these criteria successfully. As the name suggests, the music leans towards classic American rock with live bands often playing a set or two on Friday evenings (which does make the peace aspect of the bar’s mantra rather dubious) and the wood-panelled interior gives strong US dive bar vibes. They offer up to 100 different craft and international beers and host also a language exchange every Wednesday.
Their other venue, also named ‘Woodstock Bar’, can be found on the Cadiz promenade. While the beer selection here is slightly less expansive than their city-centre bar, there is a snack and cocktail menu, which can be enjoyed on the seafront terrace.
Where: C. Sagasta
When: 6 pm – 12 am
Distopía Cádiz
Although Distopia is a bottleshop rather than a bar, I couldn’t make this list without including them as they have the city’s largest and most diverse selection of craft beer.
Originally starting life as a café bar beside Plaza de Mina dishing up brunch, snacks and coffee alongside their extensive drink menu, the pandemic led them to focus on beer, moving to their current location in José del Toro.
Where: C. José del Toro, 10
When: Daily 10.30 am – 2.30 pm & 5.30 pm – 9 pm
