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The free tapa is a local custom, not a national one
The single most useful thing in this lesson is geographic. In Granada, and in León, a drink in most bars comes with a free tapa — not a bowl of crisps but a real small plate, and in some places a different one with each round, which makes an evening of drinks into dinner. This is the reason the waitress says aquí sí. In Seville, Madrid, Barcelona and most of the rest of Spain, tapas are individual dishes that you order and pay for. Arriving in Seville expecting Granada's arrangement is a reliable way to be disappointed, and arriving in Granada not knowing about it is a reliable way to over-order. The vocabulary of portion size is the other practical half, and it is where money is saved or wasted. A group that orders five tapas gets five small plates for one person each; a group that orders three raciones eats properly. media ración exists precisely for two people and is the order most visitors never make. Ask ¿es para compartir? and the waiter will tell you straight. Two more pricing facts worth knowing. Standing at the barra is often cheaper than sitting at a mesa, and sitting on the terraza outside is dearest of all — the difference is real and is usually posted. And el menú del día from lesson 58 still applies here: the same kitchen that charges à la carte at night will do two courses, bread and a drink at lunchtime for a fraction of it. On the etiquette, briefly. You order in stages rather than all at once, and you are expected to. You get the barman's attention by being visible rather than by raising a hand or saying excuse me, which feels rude to a newcomer and is simply how a busy Spanish bar works. Paying happens at the end and usually for the whole table — splitting a bill item by item is unusual, and the normal arrangement is either one person pays or the total is divided equally. And tipping is light: rounding up or leaving small change is plenty, and there is no percentage expectation.