Brian from No Debt World Travel nominated us to share three travel secrets in the Trip Base blog tag. We’re picking 3 places where a ready-to-eat food adventure is just waiting for you.

1. The entire city of Granada, Spain

If you like beer and eating (… then we should be friends) you’ll like Granada. At 90% of the restaurants you’ll get a free tapa (mini plate of something tasty) with your drink. We’re not sure of the “official rules,” but a beer, cocktail and even sometimes a coke comes with this tasty reward. Round two features a new, different tapa and so on to infinity, apparently.

If you like the look of a place, go pop in for a thirst-quencher and give their samples a spin, each place is serving up something unique. We found slices of assorted cured meats at one bar, and two-bite portions of stewed veggies in another. If you don’t like it, you’re not down any more than the price of your drink. Hell, make an evening of it — but learn from our mistake and get a glass of water with every beer! The best place to start is the The Albayzín District where lots of tapas locales stand door-to-door: Boabdil and Bodega Castañeda both have great atmosphere.

2. Barranco District. Lima, Peru

Everyone seems to hate Lima. And Lima hasn’t quite figured out that its incessant push of tourists into the Miraflores district is what’s making that happen. Do yourself a favor and check into Barranco Backpackers or The Point and escape the traffic and crush of tourism ground zero. Barranco is a small, romantic and quiet district poised on high cliffs overlooking the ocean. A more bohemian nightlife subtly offers options from high-priced swank to smokey dives.

Canta Rana

Start your morning with ceviche at el Muelle — it opens early to serve up its fresh haul of local seafood (Limeños don’t eat ceviche after lunch). Work up a hunger and for a late meal find the homey Canta Rana (another A+ spot for ceviche). Their dishes are very generous, more than enough for two to share. Seafood Tacu Tacu is the ultimate comfort food: refried beans and rice are combined into a pancake, cooked together and covered with a delicious seafood sauce. Try the Chicha Morada here, if you haven’t yet.

Bodega Bar Juanito

You’ll find the perfect ending to any day at Bodega Bar Juanito. This neighborhood institution draws the whole gamut of crowds for it’s cheap beers and awe-inspiring Jamon Norte sandwiches. 


3. Ghost Street (Gui Jie). Beijing, China

Shockingly omitted from every guidebook we checked is Beijing’s epic answer to hunger pangs. Under a canopy of red lanterns, over 200 restaurants (many 24 hour) line busy Dongzhimen Street. The atmosphere alone will whet your appetite — noise, laughter and shouting show you a carefree side of Beijingers you won’t easily find.

Gui Jie

Cover the 1.4 mile stretch and pick the busiest establishment: you’ll see the flavors of many provinces represented here. Inside, the bustle is the perfect cover for taking a peek at what everyone is eating. Most come to each establishment for a particular dish — if you can spot it, that’s what you want to try. When you’re stuffed and happy, you’ll get another surprise: the bill is 1/3 of what you’ll find in the city center. Beijing may go to bed early — a perfect excuse to go hang out with the ghosts.

Tagged!

Now, it’s our turn to tag 5 bloggers who’ve surely got some good stuff up their sleeves:

• Lauren and Todd at Ephemerratic
• Gillian and Jason from One Giant Step
• Saben and Lin
• Marc, Danielle, Hannah and Olivia of 4 Suitcases
• Geoff the Itinerant Londoner