El Champanico Bistro tasty snacks and group lunches in the historic centre of Cartagena

Sparkling wine, Guinness, tapas and a lesson in Spanish naval history in the Plaza de San Francisco!

El Champañico is the perfect place to stop off for lunch or a snack during a visit to the historic city of Cartagena, located slightly off the main tourist track in the attractive Plaza de San Francisco, a popular square in the daily life of the city, and with an atmosphere calling to mind the importance of Cartagena in Spanish naval history.

At the same time, the dining experience at El Champañico is slightly different, with a hint of Catalunya in the food and drink due to the influence of owner Ramón, who hails from Barcelona. Beers including draught Guinness are available, but the recommended tipple to accompany snacks and meals is a specially produced “cava” wine, and one of the star tapas is patatas a la brava, a typical Catalan dish although it is found all over Spain.

Group menus are available for four people or more at between 20 and 30 euros per person, offering a full five-course meal with wine or beer and a welcoming glass of El Champañico cava, and for those in a hurry to get back out and see more of Cartagena there is a very wide range of tapas and snacks, many of them named after illustrious Spanish navigators and naval officers and sea battles. These famous men are depicted in images on the walls and menus, and although they might not be household names to customers from abroad British visitors will be pleased to note that two of the sandwiches are named after Trafalgar and Horatio Nelson!

The Plaza de San Francisco is right in the heart of the old city of Cartagena, between the Roman Theatre Museum, the Molinete archaeological  park, the Castillo de la Concepción and the military history museum, and with these nautical heroes from Spain’s past featuring so prominently a visit to El Champañico is almost like a continuation of one of the main themes running through the history of Cartagena!

Winters -  Closed Mondays - Tuesdays and Wednesday 09.30 - 17.00, Thursday till Saturday 09.30-17.00 and 20.00 till close.  Sundays 11.00 till 17.00