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EAT! Barcelona

8 months ago

There are something like 10,000 restaurants in BCN, with 26 Michelin starred restaurants, so any recommendation list is going to be super subjective. Here are some we like!

CATALAN/SPANISH RESTAURANTS

  • El Nacional – several restaurant concepts under one roof off the Gracia.  Festive don’t miss it.
  • Berbena – It’s super small so they have two set seating times and you must reserve!  Adorable little place with delicious modern Catalan food, open kitchen, super friendly chefs. Casual but excellent.  
  • Casa Madre Taberna – near the Sagrada Familia.  Great for lunch or dinner.  Oh the seafood rice is so so good. 
  • Terraza Martinez – lovely, good food, good service with beautiful views. Ask for a table by the window. Monjuic
  • El Cercle – fun lunch spot in the Gothic area upstairs on a terrace overlooking the hustle and bustle
  • Fismuler – in the Born is lovely food in a festive busy space. Don’t miss the razor clams.  I dream of them. 
  • Tapas 24 – casual but delicious tapas from a michelin starred chef. Try to sit at the bar! There are two locations and either one is good, although the one on Diagonal might be a little easier to get in to.
  • Bar Mut – Another fantastic Catalan tapas place – order fresh seafood off the daily chalkboard menu.  they’ll walk you through it! Also take a minute to check out the “film” on their website. Muy divertido.
  • La Bodega d’en Rafel – old school tapas near the Sant Antoni market.  Check out the amazing Don Quixote tiles, and try the amazing dishes from the mountains. 
  • Can Sole – classic spot serving seafood paella Barceloneta since 1903.
  • Botafumeiro – decadent seafood platters in elegant wood paneled dining room. Go for the oysters!
  • Bicos – wonderful Galician food around the corner from our apartment. 
  • Teatro – fun theater themed gastronomy restaurant, with connected Backstage cocktail bar

NON-SPANISH RESTAURANTS

  • Tragaluz – Gorgeous glass topped restaurant with delicious Italian food and open kitchen.  This restaurant group operates several popular spots around town including the Green Spot, a high end vegetarian spot near the harbor.
  • Checconi’s – very good white tablecloth Italian just by the harbor for lunch or dinner, and they do a fantastic Sunday buffet brunch.   
  • Parking Pizza – great pizza in the excellent ambiance of a former parking garage. Try Parking Pita right next door as well.
  • Lady Dumpling – our go to spot for delicious dumplings. They deliver!!

BRUNCH

Brunch is sort of an all day every day thing at a lot of restaurants around BCN. Here’s is a link to the list we have been keeping BCN Brunch, and here are some of our favorites:

  • Kilele – I NEVER miss a stop at this lovely little brunch spot where I always get the green juice and eggs scrambled in cream.
  • Eat My Trip – festive instagrammable dishes, and don’t miss the disco bathroom!
  • Honest Greens – there are 3 locations around town all great for healthy food and juices, great coffees, lovely atmosphere
  • Miss Simona – lovely brunch and great juices with outdoor seating near the Sagrada Familia
  • Bol – organic smoothies, acai bowls and more
  • Acai and Me, Plaça de la Llana, 19 – cute little spot near the Picasso Museum where you can enjoy your acai bowl in a swing
  • Bristol Cafe – charming spot for brunch, with great quiche and beautiful cakes
  • Gigi Von Tapas – just a couple of blocks from my apartment this little brunch/tapas place is a reliable go to spot for great brunch, and also tapas and cocktails.
  • Little Fern – sweet spot for brunch, avo toast and vegan dishes in the Poble Nou neighborhood

COFFEE

  • If you’re coffee people do a little research because there are some very very good coffee spots to be found throughout town and some are just little kiosks.   Here is our running list of good coffee around town!! – BCN COFFEE

BARS – Details coming soon… consulting fun people.

MARKETS

Many neighborhoods in Barcelona have a local market, many of them housed in beautiful historic structures and featuring spotless produce, exquisitely fresh seafood, cheeses, cured meats, prepared and ready to cook foods, and pretty much any ingredient you could ever need to prepare a beautiful Catalan meal at home. Many also have little cafes inside for tapas, coffee and other bites. Why not patronize one of these treasures and make yourself a picnic to take to Park Gúell or Ciutadella?

  • Boqueria – Everyone should see the Boqueria once.  It is epic. One of the great markets of the world!  However, it is also majorly jammed with tourists, so I recommend going very early when it opens at 8am to beat the SERIOUS crowds.
  • Mercat de Santa Caterina – located in the heart of the Born this is a great market to get a sense of how lucky locals get their beautiful fresh fish, produce and jamon on a daily basis.
  • Mercat de San Antoni – another lovely and recently renovated neighborhood food market in a beautiful 1882 steel framed building, that also features vintage clothing and other housewares.
  • Mercat de la Concepció – this one is my local, and I love it for the great vendors and pretty 19th century interior, but especially for the plant and flower market.

SPECIALTY FOODS

  • Casa Gispert – wonderful source of dried fruits, nuts and other ingredients from one of the oldest food purveyors in the city. Please do not buy the corn nuts. They are my top ten lifetime favorite snack and they sometime run out of them!
  • Perris House Saffron – small but incredible trove of gourmet ingredients, assortment of rices, spices, snacks, nuts, pastas and other ingredients you didn’t even know you needed, but you do – you do!!

TOURS

Food walking tours are one of our favorite ways to learn about a city.  Here are two good ones:

COOKING CLASS

FOODIE RESOURCES

Other recommendation lists if you really want to go down the rabbit hole!!

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