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The lively La Tasca chain caters for parties, children's events and family gatherings in addition to anytime dining. These restaurants capture well the warm and vibrant spirit of Spain, and are best known for their tapas and traditional paellas.

Their star player is tapas, which can be had solo or in tandem with a meal. The calamares andaluza, deep-fried squid rings, served with roasted garlic mayonnaise and lemon, is great for sharing, while the chorizo frito al vino, spicy Spanish sausage flavoured with paprika, garlic and herbs, sautéed in red wine, offers a real treat. Chicken lovers order alitas de pollo, marinated chicken wings, or have skewers of chicken breast and pepper, marinated in paprika.

Valenciana is an interesting paella that combines seafood with chicken, and if you have a taste for trivia, you may be surprised to learn that 'la paella' actually refers to the utensil in which the dish is cooked.

Other than liqueurs and beer, there are wines from Spanish vineyards and sparkling cava. All of these, especially the dry rosé wines combine well with tapas. And you would be really getting into the spirit of things if you rounded off with the crema Catalana, traditional Spanish-style vanilla custard, topped with caramelised sugar.

La Tasca Spanish Tapas Restaurants and Bars today have over sixty outlets across the UK, so it is odds on there is a branch fairly close to your home.

Situated between two of South Bristol's lively communities of Totterdown and Knowle, A Cappella is known to be Bristol's only pizzeria where customers are allowed to carry their own liquor. Owners Jennifer and Paul Stewart along with the friendly staff welcome groups of individuals, friends and families to their charming café and pizzeria.

The atmosphere is relaxed and the air is filled with music and conversation; in fine weather consider dining outside, watching the sun set over an Italian meal. On offer are selections of tapas, twenty handmade and stone baked gourmet pizzas and for those with some room left, there are homemade desserts and locally roasted coffees.

Start with tapas of dolmades, stuffed olives, Pipers crisps, and fresh salads. Follow this with pizzas that range from the popular vegetarian m,argherita with tomato sauce, mozzarella, fresh basil and black pepper, and pastoral with hummus, feta cheese, tomatoes, black olives, green peppers and oregano, to those with smoked Italian ham, pancetta, roast chicken breast, salmon, and anchovies.

A Cappella caters for parties and private functions.

In the sleepy port of Porlock it is possible to forget the passage of time and to shake off current worries in an atmosphere of great natural beauty and calm. Andrew's on the Weir exists to enable this to be done in more comfort and enjoyment than might otherwise be possible. At Andrew's they believe sourcing is the key so that everything that is served except the oil and the butter, it is claimed, are made on the premises. It is only slightly misleading to say that their olives come from their own Grecian olives. The fish, the flesh and the produce all comes from the area around Porlock. It is, perhaps, possible for that particular mantra to be over-exposed, though many will support the view that the more you know about what you are eating the more confident your enjoyment can be.

Amongst the starters look for the fillet of Cornish red mullet nicoise with sauce vierge, and the presse of local duck, pigeon and rabbit with pickled vegetables and red wine reduction. The fillet of local seabass on garlic olive oil potatoes, with confit fennel and bouillabaisse sauce offers an alternative to the roast saddle of Exmoor venison with savoy cabbage and bacon, spiced cranberries and red wine sauce. Puddings are well to the fore of performance and the delice of two chocolates with cherries and kirsch is something of a signature dish. A good wine list, with fair prices, is supplemented by seven house wines between £10.25 and £19.95 or £3.45 to £5.50 by the glass.

Wookey Hole Inn may seem like a conventional pub from the outside but step in and splashes of colour and Mediterranean tastes beckon. The walled garden, with bamboos, grass and herbs, resonates with a festive atmosphere at night with live musicians playing away and sculptures standing calmly in the backdrop.

The seasonal menu is amply supported by regularly changing board specials and the appetisers feature a spread of Thai style fishcakes with rosemary chilli jam and turmeric yogurt, and roasted red pepper and vine tomato soup. Corn-fed supreme of chicken baked over merguez sausages, braised butter beans and sun-dried tomato tapenade could make up the next course, or may be even a slow roasted duck confit. A dessert of strawberry and raspberry cheesecake and pears poached in port and honey could help in rounding things off.

With 8 Belgium beers on draught including Piraat at a mightily rich 10.5%, beer buffs have a reason to celebrate.

A well-established, handsome pub where so many of the attributes that one looks for in a good pub are pulled together in a masterly and business-like way. Whilst bar food is of good quality and well worth the wait if you can't find a table, it is probably the wide range of expertly chosen real beers that mark Hope and Anchor out. For instance Timothy Taylor Landlord makes a regular appearance and the landlord is said to keep a list of regulars and their drinking predilections - that takes dedication and organisation but it sorts out the men from the boys. There is a wide choice of food which is served daily from 11 am to 10.30 pm - oh, the joy of being able to go in after 9 pm and order food instead of being confronted by a po-face behind the bar intoning the dreaded litany, "no food ordered after 9 o'clock". No wonder the place is always heaving, but if that's the price you pay for success, so be it.

The Square at the Berkeley Square Hotel is popular for its elegant candle-lit setting, modern art and chef Mac's talented cooking. It is an all day restaurant that offers British cuisine with the occasional foray into more exotic delicacies. The venue is an ideal spot for fine-dining and romantic dinners and has just been awarded two AA Rosettes.

Try English snails cooked in garlic butter with creamed parsley and rolled fillet of hake, fresh peas and broad beans, chorizo, basil and mint emulsion at breakfast. You could start your lunch with warm salad of beetroot, perl las blue cheese; toasted walnuts with honey dressing and for main course consider char grilled chicken, bacon and French bean open sandwich with paprika dressing. End the meal on a bucolic note with rhubarb and custard tart in strawberry confetti.