• Menu
  • Menu

EAT! Barcelona

March 13, 2024

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. Great for groups, families, kids – fun for all.
  • Berbena – Adorable little place with delicious modern Catalan food, open kitchen, super friendly chefs. Casual but excellent. It’s super small so they have two set seating times and you must reserve well in advance!   
  • Madre Taberna Moderna – perfect little restaurant near the Sagrada Familia.  Great for lunch or dinner.  Oh my oh my the seafood rice is so so good. 
  • Bar Nøe – Our new favorite! dining in this cozy nook of a space feels like you were invited to a casual but fabulous dinner by your best Nordic/Japanese/Catalan cheffy friends. lucky you. try the tasting menu – don’t ask questions…
  • Terraza Martinez – lovely, good food, good service with beautiful views. Ask for a table by the window. Monjuic
  • El Cercle – perfect lunch spot in the Gothic on a second floor terrace overlooking the hustle and bustle below
  • 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. 
  • Asador Aranda – incredible wood fired roast meats in a gorgeous old Catalan mansion at the foot of Mt. Tibidabo. Worth a detour for this!!
  • Colmado Murria – reserve a table in the front room of this beautiful 19th century Modernist grocery store for lovely tapas and excellent local wines. Quintessential Barcelona.
  • Amar – splurgy but worth it elegant dining in the beautiful El Palace Hotel. Pay your respects at the shrine to Keith Richards, and tuck into the basement speakeasy for cocktails and jazz after dinner.
  • Besta – this surprisingly affordable but incredibly inventive and fresh seafood tasting menu is still one of the best meals I’ve had in BCN.
  • Story – can you find it? Tucked away in a little alley in the Born is one of my favorite tiny spots to pop into for bites and vino.
  • Orvay – we just discovered this excellent little tapas and wine stop just across from the Santa Maria del Mar basilica. the food is wonderful and the atmosphere is everything you need it to be.

NON-SPANISH RESTAURANTS

  • Tragaluz – gorgeous glass topped restaurant with delicious Italian food and open kitchen.  This restaurant group operates several popular spots around town
  • 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!!
  • Albe – opt for the tasting menu at this romantic little place, and let the chef guide you through serious eastern Mediterranean deliciousness.
  • Señor Ceviche – excellent little cevicheria in the Born neighborhood for a fresh light lunch!
  • Cuore Nostrum – we are so lucky this fabulous pizzeria/gnoccheria opened just steps from our apartment. I am literally addicted to the airy light gnocchi bolognese…

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:

  • 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
  • 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

The Speakeasy format is all the rage in BCN. Check out some of these fun spots for a nightcap if you have any energy left!

  • Bobby’s Free – finagle your way past the barbershop facade for excellent gin and tonics
  • Dow Jones Bar – cocktail prices fluctuate like the stock market
  • Dr. Stravinsky – delicious experimental cocktails in a beautiful setting. not cheap but really fun.
  • Curtis Audiophile Cafe and Record Store – for the love of all things vinyl
  • On my to drink list – Bankers Bar, Boadas, and the elusive Armario…

MARKETS

Most neighborhoods in Barcelona have a traditional 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!!

Discover more from Tracy Barsotti World

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Related posts