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From patatas bravas to paella, these Spanish dishes are a must-try.

Plus, how to eat them like a local.

Making the case for escaping the crowds sailing Europe’s Danube and Rhine rivers and heading to Portugal’s UNESCO-protected Douro Valley instead.

Asheville’s historic strip is buzzing again, with a mix of people and places that bring its remarkable past into the present.

12 writers on the quarandreams they can’t wait to make a reality.

Eat your heart out: AFAR staffers dish on their favorite meals that lived up to the hype.

Your options are endless during harvest season.

The Arctic isn’t necessarily the barren tundra you might imagine.

Where to eat the best tapas in Madrid, Sevilla, Barcelona, and San Sebastián—plus how to order them like the locals do.

Despite being named after the Spanish word for salted cod, the chef at Bacalao focuses on reinventing traditional Newfoundland cuisine. Cod, of course, is a favorite dish, but the locally sourced game is also a popular choice. For brunch, you may want to order a signature dish in the province: toutons, a bread pancake served with molasses, along with local sausages and baked beans.

Expect creative riffs on the classic pintxo at this ultra-modern spot. Everything from the colors to the flavor combinations are unique and draw in crowds from the street. Not everyone is a fan of their style—for instance, the old guard who remain staunchly faithful to tradition—but we had a fantastic selection of small plates. Don’t miss: La Hoguera de Bacalao, a charcoal smoked cod served on individual grills. You’re meant to finish cooking the cod using wooden tweezers, place it atop the herb-cream chip on the side, and down it with one bite. Then, you wash it down with a lettuce chaser served in a test tube. Delicious!

For a true taste of the Faroe Islands, make the 30-minute drive northwest of Tórshavn to this two-Michelin-starred restaurant, which sits in a river valley at the edge of Leynavatn lake. Here, head chef Poul Andrias Ziska and his talented team distill the tastes and smells of the surrounding landscape into exquisite dishes, offering diners an elevated take on traditional fare. Committed to sustainability, they use Faroese products whenever possible, sourcing only as far as other Nordic countries when local ingredients aren’t available. Also employed are ancient practices like salting, smoking, and fermenting, which creates raest—best described as Faroese umami (the team here really understands how the flavor is best developed and incorporated into new dishes, making it slightly easier for foreign palates to stomach).

Arriving at KOKS is like walking into a gourmet fairytale. After parking, you’ll be escorted to the restaurant’s own hajllur (a small, slatted storehouse used for fermenting), where you’ll be treated to traditional snacks like whale blubber and cod chips as well as a beer made exclusively for the restaurant by Danish brewery Mikkeller. Then, you’ll pile into a Jeep for the short drive through the valley to the restaurant—a traditionally Faroese building, painted black with a grass roof. The entire staff greets each group by the door, leading them into the cozy wood interior for a parade of 18 beautiful dishes, from scallops, langoustine, and mahogany clams, to crab with leeks, bacalao with blue mussels, and, of course, fermented lamb. Opt for the wine pairing, and be sure to linger in the lounge after your meal for coffee and various flavored aquavits.

At this modern café and bar in the center of Honningsvåg, you can sample the staples of the modern arctic diet such as deep-fried cod tongue, bacalao (dried cod) and whale-meat dishes. A more traditional (and less adventurous) menu is also available, including stir-fries, salads, steaks, pasta and sandwiches on baguettes. Whatever you choose, expect good-sized portions and friendly service.

Tapas and paella are the big draws at Zuzu, a tiny Spanish-inspired restaurant in downtown Napa. Small-plate portions range in price from $6 to about $15, and feature a variety of local produce—some from Zuzu’s own garden. Fan-favorite tapas include pan-fried Manchego cheese with roasted poblano peppers, Monterey squid and morcilla sausage a la plancha, and bacalao, dried salt cod drizzled with white truffle oil. Paellas are larger, more expensive, and more involved; most take at least 20 minutes to prepare. Choose between the paella of the day with chorizo, shellfish, and sofrito, and the black paella with clams, shrimp, mussels, and calamari. Zuzu also offers an interesting wine and beer list, with a number of imports from Spain. The restaurant doesn’t take reservations, so be sure to go early.