Had wonderful tapas y vino right next door to the place we were staying while in Leon. The…read moreproprietor and his staff couldn't have been lovelier. The owner even showed us his dining area where he had a replica of the beautiful window from the Catedral. Tasty tapas, wonderful atmosphere, and great wine.

The area has a few tourist traps. This is not one of them. Great everything, that simple. Make…read moresure you make a reservation and at times the time to sit you down might be a bit in the high side, but other than that it is a great place. The portions are generous so make sure you are hungry if you come for a meal.

Great Poulpo and great price. Fast and good service and close to the center. Minimal deco with…read morebench style sitting.

Located right in Plaza de San Isidoro, this restaurant proved to be a great place to spend some of…read morethe afternoon. We had some wine, watched groups of people come and go, and marvelled in the beauty of the plaza. Be sure to sit on the patio and take it all in.

Located on the square across from the basilica, Boccalino is a gem! We had the "Menu del Dia" in…read morewhich you get to choose from one appetizer, one entrée, and it also includes bread, wine, sangria or beer, plus dessert. Everything that we both had was delicious! Definitely try the sangria, which was the best I ever tasted.

It was Friday night in Leon and we had heard about La Bicha being best place to try out the…read morecelebrated delicacy of Morcilla de León so we decided to check it out. Here's my take on the experience: Quality of food: Excellent. I only tried their Morcilla since that's what you're supposed to get in Leon. It came with toasted buttered bread and a heaping pile of Morcilla which is spanish blood sausage known for its soft spreadable texture. I'm not particularly a fan of blood sausage however, after taking one bite of Morcilla, I was hooked! It can best be described as a really oniony spreadable chili with a hint of dark chocolate. It was seasoned to perfection and went really well with the toasted bread. Décor: non-existent. You eat at the standing room only tables that are outside in front of this little restaurant. Cleanliness: meh. The only person that works there is the owner/chef and he did not clean anything even once. Service: chaotic. I got lucky in that the folks in line behind me spoke perfect english and were able to place the order for me. The owner/chef didn't seem to even want to try to speak anything other than Spanish. Also, I hear that his trademark thing to do is to act annoyed at everything but it's just an act and he's not actually trying to act cold. Price: a bit more than expected. My morcilla was $16 but it could have easily fed two people. While this price seems low for American standards, it's medium to high for Spanish standards. If you're up for some authentic Leonese style Morcilla but don't care much about the service or the state of outside tables then this is a great place to try it. Just beware that YMMV when it comes to engaging with the owner/chef.

How could you visit Spain and not eat morcilla?!?!?!?!?!?!?! These are the best tapas in Leon…read more Hands. Down. Morcilla is blood sausage but don't let the ingredients or the colorway deter you from putting your mouth on this delectable delicacy. Yes, it's black, it's red, it's mushy, it's oily, but smother that bloody goodness on toast and FEAST. La Bicha itself definitely has ATTITUDE. The owner is notorious for giving guests attitude and yelling obscenities. They also have racist news and writings on the wall. The owner is famous. He limits the number of people that can enter his premises. I witnessed people being intimidated once inside and actually were scared to order from him. He doesn't give a ****. When I left, I realized I probably wouldn't be back for a long time since I came all the way from the US. So as I closed the door I yelled "ciao" and he said "ciao bambina" back and I was PLEASANTLY surprised!!!! The neighborhood grinch has a heart afterall.

While on tour of Leon, a bunch of us stopped for an early lunch between extended guided death…read moremarches. We stumbled - yes, literally stumbled - into the patio seating at Bar Altar. Did we like it? Do fish swim in the sea? Everything was Muy fantastico! Most of us had bocadillos: sandwiches on shatteringly crusty rolls. I had Solomillo de Cerdon con Setas y Crema de Valdeon: pork with mushrooms and a creamy cheese. Spousal Unit had Salmon Ahumado, Esparragos y Mahonesa (smoked salmon with white asparagus and mayonnaise). Both were unbelievably good - and 5€, amazing bargains. Ahhhhhhhhhh.

Sometimes in Spain you find a perfect bite! That place has it. they no not take reservations and so…read moreour party of 6 had to wait ten minutes or so. The tables outside are the way to go in summer. The first thing that came out was the free homemade potato chips with spicy paprika...free, of course, because we got drinks. The other dishes were quite good, fried fish and excellent cecina croquetas. The morcilla was also as always--when in León, if your constitution is up for it, get morcilla. But the two dishes that would make me go back today if I could were out of this world. First, the ensalada de altar, oh boy, big ol hunk of burrata. Second, the langostinos abrigados con setas y salsa de cabrales. Out of this world, perfect cheesy sauce with mushrooms on giant bacon wrapped shrimp...just do me a favor and get this dish! The price was also reasonable and worth every euro..

One Star I had an…read moreawful experience at this place. First, my wine was bad--no big deal, but when I mentioned it to the woman at the bar, she rudely responded, "I think not." I politely encouraged her to try it, and she slammed my wine down and turned her back on me. Unbelievable! When the food finally arrived, it was cold and just plain horrible. To top it off, the waiter brought a new glass of wine and sarcastically said, "This was opened 17 minutes ago, will that be okay?" I was amazed at the complete lack of service and professionalism. Avoid this place if you can!

Rude Overpriced Mediocre…read more Don't let the fancy tablecloths fool you... If you want mediocre food served by self entitled wait staff who act like they are doing you a world class favor by deigning to take your order, then you will be right at home at La Trastienda. You will wait 30 minutes or more for your meal but don't complain or that will become 45 minutes or more. If I could give this place zero stars, that would be a more accurate description of its true level.