El Rancho

A lovely local restaurant a short way from downtown Tarifa. There’s plenty of parking, outdoor seating, WiFi, a good menu, and reasonable prices. The steak was amazing, and they’ll bring a hot plate if you want to cook it further. Definitely worth a visit, with a very nice local feel.

We only found El Rancho because we couldn’t park in Tarifa and searched for the nearest place to eat. It looked deserted, but we gave it a try. The welcome was warm, there were English menus, and although we speak very little Spanish and the waiter spoke only a little English, it wasn’t a problem. All the other customers were Spanish, which felt like a good sign. Our four meals were all excellent and came in big portions: two pork mains, fried calamari, and a steak. That steak may have been the biggest I’ve ever had, cooked medium rare to perfection. We also had two Cokes, three beers, and bread to start. The bill was €64 plus 10%, and we left a €10 tip. Brilliant food and very friendly service. I’ll be talking about that steak forever!

The brothers and their father served us so kindly, and one brother and his mother cooked a beautiful meal. The Jamón Serrano was extraordinary too. This family-run hotel and restaurant gave us a great evening and felt like the most Spanish place I’ve visited in Tarifa so far. I’ll bring all my visitors here.

I’ve been coming back every year since 2009. It’s a classic Andalusian, family-run restaurant, with excellent food served by lovely people in a very Spanish setting. Their wines and beef are excellent, and the fish and seafood are great quality too. Keep cooking with passion, we’ll be back as soon as we can.