Olé! Brisbane’s favourite Spanish restaurants

Olé is all about sharing. Where to start? How about a board of the crustiest bread with tomato, garlic and olive oil. You can add Jamon Serrano and of course you should!

Once your appetite is whet, it’s time to decide if you should continue sharing the delicious tapas plates or move onto the ultimate share dish, paella? Olé has four varieties: seafood; chicken, a blend of both, or vegetarian – all of them are worth your time.

Olé is bright, open and has large tables indoors and out to accommodate large parties and even larger servings. So book one and start the sharing event.

Casual and comfy and that’s just the food. Seriously folks, Alba is all about the atmosphere, oh and the food, oh and did we mention the drinks?

If you’re feeling like a little tasty somethin’ somethin’ but you’re not sure if you’re hungry or thirsty then hit up Alba. It’s kinda Brooklyn meets San Sebastian (according to Alba itself) with a 1990s hip hop soundtrack: Alba is way too cool for its own good.

Kick off with croquettes, because why not, and then move onto the conservas which are available all day: choose from sardines, tuna, squid, jamon or salumi all served with confit garlic, house made bread and butter.

Tapas come in smallish or biggish sizes. There are plenty of vegetarian options (mushroom, tomato, potato, asparagus) and not (steak tartare, kingfish, lamb ribs, sirloin).

What more can we say other than the menu is constantly evolving and it gets hella busy during lunch and dinner times.

Location, location, location – Moda is one of the best places to grab a pre-footy/pre-concert meal as it’s about a 10 minute walk from Suncorp Stadium. And you’ll need the walk to settle some of that fab Spanish food and maybe a sangria or two.

We love the tapas banquet because we can graze through six tapas. No shade thrown if you add the dessert tapas.

Moda is elegant, intimate and celebratory. Come alone or bring friend/s.

Also it’s a good idea to check Moda’s website as they often have banquets and regional flavour specials.

Obviously the specialty is in the name – now the question is: does Paella have Brisbane’s best paella? Certainly it’s won awards.

Let’s cut to the main event: which paella is for you? The traditional Valenciana of rabbit, chicken and beans with snails? Add seafood and that makes it the Senyoret. If chicken is more your thing then choose the Pollo campero. But if you really can’t choose, the Marysol mixes a little of everything. The paella here is enough for three people, or just two if you’re seriously famished.

Can’t believe we’re saying this, but if paella is not your bag then there’s plenty of seafood, empanadillas and other tasty tapas dishes to scoff or share.

Oh and because it’s chic, cool and very award winning, bookings are almost mandatory.

Pata Negra is a fun tapas bar that offers trivia nights, cooking classes and live music as well as great Spanish food. And what does this tell you? It’s a popular busy eatery in Fortitude Valley and that should translate into “book, book, book”.

Absolutely don’t ignore this suggestion: gluten-free pop-up paellas are available Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday lunches – there are limited servings only so get in early or miss out.

The tapas menu changes every fortnight so be prepared for a different version each visit. Expect dishes like albondigas (meatballs cooked in wine with an onion sauce), spicy garlic prawns and lots of chorizo.

Pata has three pages of tapas which translates as something for everyone.