XIII Estepona Tapas Route (2024)

The city council has launched the registration period for all those bars and restaurants that are interested in participating in the XIII Ruta de la Tapa de Estepona, a contest where the best tapa prepared by the participating establishments is sought. This is a popular activity in many cities in Spain and an opportunity to enjoy local food, drink and culture.

What is the Estepona Tapas Route?

When will the Ruta de la Tapa 2024 be held?

In Estepona, the XIII Ruta de la Tapa is part of the event “Estepona Vive sus Calles 2024” (Estepona Lives its Streets 2024), which will be held from April 12 to 14. During that weekend a large number of cultural and outdoor leisure activities will be scheduled throughout the municipality.

What is the origin of the cap?

The central element of the Tapa Route, as its name suggests, is the Tapa, a culinary concept of Spanish origin. The tapa is said to have arisen in southern Spain as a way of covering wine glasses to prevent flies and other insects from falling inside. Over time, tapas evolved to include small portions of food, and became a cultural tradition throughout Spain. Today, tapas are a popular way to enjoy food and drink in the company of friends and family in bars and restaurants.

Best tapa 2024″ contest

Enrollment Open until March 15, 2024

The Estepona City Council has announced the official opening of registrations for the expected XIII Ruta de la Tapa, an outstanding event in the framework of ‘Estepona vive sus calles 2024’. This culinary experience will take place from April 12 to 14, giving local establishments the opportunity to stand out in the ‘La Mejor Tapa 2024’ contest.

La Mejor Tapa 2024′ Contest – A Delicious Competition for Local Palates

Bars and restaurants within the Municipality of Estepona are invited to participate in this exciting contest, where the winning tapa will be determined by the customers’ choice during April 12, 13 and 14, 2024. To encourage participation, Frutas & Verduras Acosta will reward each registered establishment with a discount voucher of up to 100 euros on purchases for the creation of their tapa. The winner will receive a prestigious award from the City Council, as well as an attractive cash prize of 1,000 euros.

Enrollment Process and Deadline – Don’t miss the Opportunity

Registrations, available on the official website www.estepona.es, can be submitted duly completed at the General Registry of the City Hall. The deadline for registration is March 15, 2024. Get ready to immerse yourself in the extraordinary gastronomic offer of Estepona in the XIII Ruta de la Tapa!

How to participate in the Ruta de la Tapa as a customer?

People who decide to participate in the Ruta de la Tapa must collect at least five stamps from different participating establishments to be part of the multiple drawings for attractive prizes. In this way, it is encouraged to visit different bars at the same time, achieving a broader view of the participating tapas by tasting most of them.

To accredit the consumption of these five minimum tapas, the organization usually offers a small edited map, with the names and location of the participating bars, facilitating the movement of customers from one place to another. However, in this day and age, there is nothing that cannot be managed by an app, and in this case, there are mobile applications such as Rutappa which incorporates details of the participating venues and tapasby positioning them by geolocation on a map and incorporating a popular voting systemreliable and transparent, with a lot of presence on social networks.

Each participating establishment will have its own stamp to mark on the customer’s accreditation map that the tapa has been consumed in that place. When the established number of five stamps is reached, a draw will be made. To be eligible for the prizes, those who wish to participate in the raffles must deposit the map, stamped and filled in with their personal data, in one of the ballot boxes provided for this purpose.

Explore & Win – Drawing Prizes for Participating Attendees

In addition to tasting local gastronomic delights, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in an exciting raffle. By collecting at least five stamps from different establishments participating in the Route, you will be eligible for attractive prizes that will complement this unique culinary experience.

Tapas in Estepona.

The last edition of the Ruta de la Tapa in Estepona, in 2023, had more than 30 participating establishments.

This type of activity generates different benefits in the municipality where it is organized: it stimulates the local hospitality industry, creates a festive atmosphere and offers citizens a leisure activity that is usually received with enthusiasm.

In addition, there are usually a series of factors that make these gastronomic events always a success: on the one hand, the very purpose of the Ruta de la Tapa is an inherent part of the Spanish citizen’s way of having fun: going out for tapas, that is, eating and drinking in company. On the other hand, the existence of sweepstakes stimulates the change of bars because of the obligation to try different tapas in the contest and thus be able to participate in them. This hustle and bustle of bars is also something usual in the tapeo. And finally, we must also take into account the attraction of tasting tapas that are understood to have been carefully chosen by the participating establishments, well prepared, original and of good quality, with the aim of winning the contest for the best tapa 2024.

Although sometimes, all these factors that seem to be advantages can make the event “die of success”, when we find places overflowing with people that make it difficult to enjoy the time at ease. The absorption, by the bars, of all the demand for tapas in a short space of time and the exhaustion of the tapas or that these do not have the quality that one thought. However, it is still a highly recommended activity to enjoy on a good sunny day and with the best company.