Celebrate World Tapas Day on the 15th of June where many restaurants around Ireland are offering tasty tapas menus and special offers.

Thanks to the Spanish Tourism Board, Ireland is one of thirty countries around the world that will celebrate World Tapas Day. Whether you are a ‘foodie’ or just like an excuse to dine out, there are plenty of restaurants, bars and venues with promotions to help you enjoy Spain’s signature cuisine. Here are some of my favourites:

The Taste of Dublin, Iveagh Gardens, Dublin 2.

The annual Taste of Dublin will celebrate World Tapas Day over it’s four day event. There will be a feature stand from the Spanish Tourism Board, beside the Port House Restaurant. Chefs from Lanzarote will perform culinary demonstrations and there will be lots of tasty tapas and Spanish wines for you to enjoy.

#Worldtapasday @tasteofdublin16 #riojatapas #tapas #foodie #rioja 🍷

A post shared by Sarah Slattery (@the_travel_expert) on Jun 16, 2016 at 6:58am PDT

The Port House, South William Street, Dublin 2.

One of our most popular tapas restaurants will offer Almejas con Jamon (clams with ham and sherry) plus a glass of wine for €10.

No. 5 Vinoteca, Merrion Row, Dublin 2.

The highly rated piano bar has a set menu with 6 tapas and 2 glasses of Cava for €50 for two sharing.

Piglet, Temple Bar, Dublin 1.

The popular Cow’s Lane wine bar will offer two tapas and a glass of wine for €9.50.

Market Bar, Fade Street, Dublin 2.

The large Gastro Bar and tapas restaurant will offer guests a tapas sampler for €15, available from 12-5pm. This will include three tapas, a dessert and a glass of Sangria.

Cava Bodega, Galway.

One of Galway’s best Spanish restaurants will be offering complimentary churros to guests having 5 or more tapas on the day.

As much as I love Spanish cuisine, and tapas in particular, it’s not always about how good they taste. The Spanish tradition of eating tapas brings friends together at mealtimes. There is nothing better than sharing a variety of foods and wine with your friends 🍷 So which ever option you choose, grab a few mates and celebrate World Tapas Day together this year!

Click here for more details on all promotions and activities.

Sarah

I think we all know that Irish holiday makers love Spain, but when Spain celebrates 1 million Irish visitors in just seven months – that’s a lot of love!

The actual figure of 1,245,767 shows a massive increase of 27.4% for the same period in 2015. Although visitors are steady throughout the year over 50% of trips took place during May, June, July and August. The most popular destinations are the Canary Islands, Andalusia, Catalonia, Madrid, Valencia and the Balearic Islands, which in total equate to over 93% of Irish Tourism to Spain. During the same period 5 million overseas trips from were made from Ireland, these levels have not been seen since 2008! After the UK, Spain is our most popular destination!

The ongoing concerns about travel to Egypt, Tunisia and other European countries has meant that Spain is considered a safe and secure destination for tourists. This trend is likely to continue in 2017 so if you are planning a trip to Spain next year  – get booking!

Sarah