This weekend, I invited a few friends over for lunch. I love introducing people to Spanish traditions, and tapas are one of the best ways to do that, because they’re meant to be shared. Cooking is one of my favourite ways to show love, and I wanted to make this meal feel special.

So I asked myself: how could I make a simple tapas lunch more memorable?

That’s how the idea of creating a Tapas App was born: a small digital companion to help guests explore the history of tapas while enjoying them, play games, and learn more about my home country.

The Idea

The concept started from a mix of curiosity and my passion for experimenting with technology.

I thought: if building an app has become so simple, why not use it to surprise people around the table?

The goal was simple:

• Make it fun and engaging.
• Use technology to connect people, not distract them.
• Let everyone learn something new about Spain while enjoying the food.

The Process

I built the app using Lovable, a tool that creates working apps from natural language prompts. I designed it as a small “journey” through Spain’s regions and their most famous tapas.

The app opened with a map of Spain (not the most accurate one geographically, but good enough for a friendly game 😆). Each region could be clicked to reveal the tapas that came from there, like gazpacho from Andalusia or chipirones from the Basque Country.

The idea was to show my friends the dishes they were about to eat, so they could learn where each one came from and some curious facts about them. For example, that gazpacho used to be drunk straight from clay pots by farmers in the fields.

Each tapa came with:

• A photo and short description.
• A fun fact about its origin or tradition.
• A rating system so guests could vote for their favourites.
• A Recipe button so they could try it at home later.

To make the experience more playful, I added several features:

• A Knowledge Quiz: “How much do you know about tapas?” Guests took it right at the beginning to break the ice and set a light, fun mood. We had a lot of laughs.

• A Personality Quiz: “How Spanish Are Your Tastes?” It revealed if you were a “Classic” or “Adventurous” foodie.

• The Tapas Wheel: a random selector that decided which dish to try next.

• Famous Tapas Bars Section: with some of Spain’s most iconic spots, like La Cuchara de San Telmo, with links to Google Maps.

• Leaderboard Screen: showing the “Most Surprising Flavor” or crowd favourites at the end of the lunch.

Note: The app was built in just a couple of hours. It’s far from perfect, but it served its purpose nicely.

The Experience

When my friends arrived, the app became the conversation starter. It made everyone curious and gave them an excuse to joke, guess, and comment about each dish. The quizzes created a sense of friendly competition, and the map helped everyone visualise the diversity of Spanish food.

The atmosphere felt relaxed, playful, and warm, the kind of moment where you’re laughing, learning, and connecting at the same time.

By the end of the day, the app had done exactly what I hoped for: it started conversations, and turned lunch into a shared cultural experience. Everyone left not just with full stomachs but with new stories, fun facts, and a little piece of Spain to remember.

What I Learned

Tech can be delicious too.

It doesn’t always have to be about productivity or innovation, sometimes it’s about bringing a smile to the table.

Link to the app: https://tapas-map-journey.lovable.app