Tapas menu ideas for tapas night

From crisp croquetas and patatas bravas to tortilla, fiery garlic prawns and jamon, look to the flavours of Spain to create the ultimate tapas night feast at home. Discover our top tapas ideas, with sizzling Spanish recipes and picky bits to try from the Foodhall.

Senior Food Editor

Heather Taylor

What are tapas?

A mainstay of Spanish cuisine, tapas are small, savoury bites. They can include everything from slices of potato tortilla to golden croquetas. Eaten together, they make a flavour-packed Spanish feast. The best bit? You can try a little bit of everything.

Here are some of our favourites:

Tapas night must-haves

What makes a good tapas night?

It’s all about balancing the flavours, from salty and cheesy to refreshing, crunchy and spicy. Serve a variety of dishes, and let everyone help themselves. Don’t feel you have to make it all yourself – we’ve got picky bits galore in the Foodhall to help you host a fuss-free tapas night at home.

Something spicy. Our new Spanish Style Chorizo in Vino Tinto is made with Spanish dry-cured chorizo in a rich tomato and red wine sauce.
Something vibrant. Try our Spanish Style Prawn Pil Pil, a fiery combination of succulent responsibly sourced prawns in smoky paprika oil with shaved garlic and chilli.
Something veggie. Add our new Spanish Style Butter Beans – creamy, extra-large butter beans in a tomato and onion sauce.
Something crunchy. Try our Collection Serrano Ham Crisps, sourced from a family-run producer in Andalusia, served with slices of fresh 12-month-matured Serrano ham on top.

The Home of Picky Bits

Hot picky bits

What to make for tapas night

Whether you’re making it yourself and want some flavour-packed Spanish tapas recipes, or fancy picking up a few fuss-free extras from the Foodhall, see our best tapas food ideas to bring some sunny Spanish flavours home.

Jamón de Bellota Ibérico

A platter of this exceptional Jamón de Bellota Ibérico won’t last long. Exclusive to M&S, it’s air-dried for a minimum of 30 months by Noel, a family-run charcutier, using acorn-fed Iberian pigs, for a nutty sweet flavour that melts in the mouth.

Jamón de Bellota Ibérico

Croquetas

Michelin-starred chef Nandu Jubany is famous for his Spanish croquetas – so who better to help us perfect the recipe for our small-batch, restaurant-quality croquetas, available in the Foodhall. Try our new Chicken and Chorizo Croquetas, with a rich and creamy bechamel sauce, British chicken and Spanish chorizo hand-coated in golden panko breadcrumbs, in store from 23 July. Going veggie? You need our handmade mushroom croquetas, made with rich porcini mushrooms.

Discover croquetas

Pan con tomate

A Spanish breakfast staple, pan con tomate is a welcome addition to your tapas night spread. For a shortcut version, top our Spanish pan de Cristal with our crushed tomato bread topper. Serve with shot glasses of our Green Gazpacho.

More deli bites

Tortilla

A tortilla is a tapas night non-negotiable. Try this homemade version, made with sticky slow-cooked onions and served with pesto aioli, or pick up our ready-made Spanish Roasted Red Pepper Tortilla in the Foodhall and serve warm.

Tortilla recipe

Patatas Bravas

This easy patatas bravas and meatball traybake is a super easy twist on the tapas night classic – it’s made all in one tray and comes with a dollop of our Collection Roasted Garlic Aioli.

Patatas bravas and meatballs recipe

Gazpacho

Make a quick garnish for our Spanish Tomato Gazpacho with finely chopped cucumber, red onions and tomatoes, finishing with a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with warm bread, topped with butter and our Collection Cantabrian Anchovies.

More no-cook tapas ideas

Pan de cristal

Moreish, golden and oozy, our new Spanish Cheese and Serrano Ham Pan de Cristal combines Spanish-made Catalan bread topped with creamy mozzarella, smoked cheese and silky Serrano ham. Simply warm and add to your tapas night spread.

See the Pan de Cristal

Baked rice

Bulk out your feast with this easy one-pot recipe for Spanish-style prawns with roasted red pepper and paprika – put it in the centre of the table and let everyone dig in.

Baked rice recipe

Olives

Don’t forget the olives! Complete your tapas table with a bowl of our smoky grilled Turkish dormat olives, or fiery pimentón-stuffed olives.

See our olives

Tom Kerridge's tapas night recipe

Pile our top-quality Ibérico Bellota onto toasted sourdough with roasted red peppers for an easy-to-make tapas bite. Everyone will be coming back for more.

See Tom's recipe

How to serve tapas

Put everything in the table in a selection of small bowls and serving dishes and let everyone dig in.
Serve something chilled and fruity as an aperitif – bursting with fruity flavours, our White or Red Sangria is just the ticket and a perfect match for tapas.
As the evening wears on, switch to a delicious Spanish wine. Try our White Rioja, a crisp glass of Finca Miguel Cava Brut, or our citrus-forward orange Found Verdil.

The best drinks for tapas night