Tiny corner bar El Champi is renowned for its single tapa — garlicky mushrooms on bread — while Lamaribel Escabechado specialises in age-old pickling techniques to make rich, dense meat stews. Also in this zone is El Plata, hosting comedy, acrobatics and quasi-burlesque performances in a 1920s cabaret hall.

Como un coágulo de autenticidad resistiéndose a ser disuelto por el turbulento corriente sanguíneo del Tubo, El Champi engulle al recién llegado sin preliminares y lo incrusta repentinamente en una gruta tabernera atemporal donde la dimensión espacio-tiempo discurre en otra frecuencia de onda desde hace ya muchos años. Más que un local, este establecimiento es un pasillo con una barra a la izquierda y con mesas altas y taburetes a la derecha donde no cabe ni un alfiler. Solo sirven una única tapa, pero bien hecha: champiñones con aceite, ajo y perejil, y un par de gambitas, sobre un trozo de pan.

Ubicado en la zona de El Tubo, El Champi es toda una institución y uno de los restaurantes en Zaragoza que no puedes perderte si quieres disfrutar de un pintxo inolvidable. Ten en cuenta que este local únicamente sirve este pintxo y suele estar lleno, por lo que si no quieres esperar mucho o hacer cola para poder quedarte en alguna de las zonas que tienen para comerlo, es preferible ir fuera de horas punta. El precio del champi son 2,20 euros y te avisamos, aunque el pintxo está impresionante, comértelo sin mancharte es todo un arte.

Some of the most classic ones are specialists in one kind of tapa that they have been preparing for a very long time, like El Champi which serves grilled mushrooms on bread, Bodegas Almau for “anchoas en salmuera”, Lamaribel Escabechado for marinade tapas, Taberna Doña Casta with its “croquetas” and “huevos rotos” or “El Musti”, nickname of Bar Fenicia, which makes awesome “empanadillas” with its libanese influence. Into the new generation ones we have Uasabi, El Meli del Tubo or 7 Golpes.

In the heart of El Tubo, Zaragoza, is El Champi , a place that stands out for its singular focus on a single product: mini mushroom burgers . Although the essence of the place remains true to its roots, this establishment has evolved over time, offering innovative options. The mini mushroom burgers, served on different colors of buns, are the highlight of any visit, combining the freshness and flavor of grilled mushrooms with a modern and attractive presentation.

As the name suggests, this notable and cozy bar specializes in offering a variety of forest mushroom dishes. Its famous tapa, consisting of tender mushrooms sautéed with Iberian ham and garlic, is simple but sublime. The earthy flavor of the mushrooms perfectly combines with the salty touch of the ham, creating a delicious tapa that blends tradition with exquisite taste.

This bar is famous for one thing, it’s champiniones, or mushrooms. If you are planning to go on a tapas crawl around El Tubo, this is a great place to start. The champi here is a stack of mushrooms that are cooking on a grill and smothered in garlic, parsley, and olive oil and then placed atop a slice of bread that you can use to mop up all that goodness.

The small tapas bar in El Tubo specializes in mushrooms with a herb and garlic sauce. It smells tempting as soon as you walk past. Unfortunately, the restaurant in Zaragoza was still closed when we visited, otherwise I would certainly not have been able to resist the temptation.

Hop from one spot to another and find your favourite, from El Champi, a bar where they only serve garlic mushrooms on bread (seriously, that’s it) to the inventive croquetas on offer in the area, including black rice and aioli and goats cheese and apple.

Also in El Tubo, El Champi is a cheap, no-nonsense tapas bar serving chilled canas (small beers) of local Ambar lager, regional wines and a signature tapas dish: three mushrooms drenched in garlic sauce, topped with a prawn and skewered to a baguette.

It’s rammed with businessmen, though, so I walk 20 yards to El Champi (Libertad 16), where I hoover up its one and only tapa: four mushrooms in a garlicky sauce on bread, served with a glass of wine for €3.35 (£2.85). It’s incredibly moreish.

Across the street, Bar El Champi serves only one dish: a skewer of mushrooms, with or without a prawn on top, pinned to a hunk of fresh baguette and drizzled in a green garlic sauce. Mushrooms will never taste as good again.

Es uno de los que más tiempo lleva en la zona y únicamente sirve champiñones a la plancha apilados sobre una rebanada de pan con otro trozo de pan en la parte superior y con un ajo aceite por encima.

Comenzamos nuestra ruta en la esquina de la calle Libertad con Estébanes con el clásico de los clásicos: El Champi.