tapa of the week: bar el alcazar, ciudad real

I passed the place at least a handful of times over a few weeks before I finally went in. It was always packed. People inside at the bar. People outside at the walk-up window. More people inside on the little perches on the opposite side of the bar.

I knew that was probably a good sign, but... I just didn't have the nerve to bust up into a narrow, packed bar and be met with open stares of confusion and curiosity. I just wanted a snack. And a beer.

Then one day, I happened to be walking past the place with a Spanish-speaking friend, and I suggested we pop in and check it out.

"Dan comida aqui?" My friend asked of the bartender, who was propped up just inside the walk-up window.

In a gruff voice, the bartender replied, "Aqui damos todo excepto dinero!" eliciting a round of laughter from the bunch of patrons gathered outside,

Bar El Alcazar has a better selection of tapas than most of the other bars in Ciudad Real. There's a wide variety, and the portions are hearty for tapas. My first time out, I really didn't know what many of the things on the menu were, so I just selected something that I thought sounded good: rejos. My friend opted for huevo roto con gulas.

Here's what showed up:

Rejos - or fried octopus tentacles - along with fries

Huevo roto ('up' egg) with gulas (imitation baby eels), served along with fries

The food was perfect. I'm a lover of any kind of fried seafood, so the rejos were right up my alley. I tasted my friend's gulas, and even though the look of them kind of freaked me out, the salty taste with the creamy, runny yolk was right. So right.

Since that day, I've become almost a regular at El Alcazar. I even refer to it as 'my bar'. The gruff bartender? Knows my order before I ask for it now. And though sometimes the quality varies, I still end up there fairly often.

Bar El Alcazar

Calle de Palma, 12, Ciudad Real, Spain 13004

Average Price per Tapa: Free tapa with drink. Drinks range from 1.60 (beer) to 1.80 euro (wine).

My Rating: One of the most popular tapas bars in Ciudad Real for good reason. Repeat visits encouraged.