Restaurants in Barcelona
Top-end, mid-range, budget
Graze your way around Barcelona's tapas bars where delicious morsels accompany fizzy glasses of cava flowing late into the night. Steaming dishes of paella are found in beach-front Barceloneta while the twisted lanes of the Barrí Gòtic ooze with Catalan flavours like salt dried cod, crisp fried artichokes and rich chorizo sausage. Wait until 9pm or 10pm to dine with the locals and beware your favourite haunts might close in August. Tip 5-10%.
Els Quatre Gats
Artful dining
A Barcelona legend since 1897, Els Quatre Gats ("The Four
Cats" Catalan slang for "just a few people") was a
favourite of Picasso who once hung his work here. This turn-of-the-century
tiled café in Barrí Gòtic nurtured poets,
intellectuals and the moderniste movement. Try the fixed-price meal
for good value, homespun Catalan cooking.
E-mail this item
Opening Hours
Daily 9am-2am
Address
3, Carrer Montsio, Barcelona 08002
Telephone
+34 93 317 40 33
Agua
Food with a view
Agua in Villa Olimpica, is the ultimate in cool, beach-front dining. A table
on the shady terrace offers sea views and people watching, and the modern
Spanish menu includes popular dishes such as char-grilled fish and rich
risottos studded with fresh clams. Afterwards pop next door for cocktails at
the glamorous CDLC bar.
E-mail this item
Opening Hours
Daily 1.30pm-4pm (until 5pm Sat & Sun) & 8.30pm-12am (until 1am Fri & Sat)
Address
30, Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta, Barcelona 08003
Telephone
+34 93 225 12 72
Transport
Ciutadella Vila Olímpica (L4) metro
Can Solé
Seafood heaven
Many restaurants compete for trade in Barceloneta's harbour area, but
Can Solé remains true to this former fishing village, with wine
barrels, lots of noise, and excellent food. Try tiny sweet clams, cod cakes
or bouillabaisse. Little langoustines are expensive but delicious and
everything is laced with fresh garlic. It's worth saving space for
dessert!
E-mail this item
Opening Hours
Tue-Sun 1.30pm-4pm; Tue-Sat 8.30pm-11pm
Address
4, Carrer Sant Carles, Barcelona 08003
Telephone
+34 93 221 50 12
Comerç 24
Modern international tapas
This slick eatery in the fashionable Born district has put a modern,
luxurious spin on the traditional tapas menu. Comerç 24's
international fusion of flavours includes immaculate sushi, crispy prawns
with Italian romesco sauce, Catalan stews and light Andalusian spices
all on the same list. Tapas portions are small so it's best to order
plenty.
E-mail this item
Opening Hours
Daily 1pm-4pm & 8pm-12am
Address
24, Carrer Comerç, Barcelona 08003
Telephone
+34 93 319 21 02
Els Pescadors
Gourmet experience
Els Pescadors is one of the best fish restaurants in Barcelona. It is off the
beaten track but worth the trip to Poble Nou. The freshest seafood and
finest locally sourced produce is cooked in a classic Catalan style with a
modern twist. Choose between dining rooms or a table on the terrace.
E-mail this item
Opening Hours
Daily 1pm-3.45pm & 8pm-11.30pm
Address
1, Plaça Prim, Barcelona 08005
Telephone
+34 93 225 20 18
Transport
Poble Nou metro
Cerveseria Catalana
Bustling tapas bar
Cheerful and relatively cheap, Cerveseria Catalana tapas restaurant is always
crowded. Without an advance booking, visitors can expect to wait for a
table. The alternative is to nudge to the bar and start pointing at the
tasty looking tapas - there are plenty. Look out for a pavement table on a
summer night.
E-mail this item
Opening Hours
Daily 8am-1.30am
Address
236, Carrer de Mallorca, Barcelona 08008
Telephone
+34 93 216 03 68
Transport
Gràcia metro
Bar Mundial
Seafood served simply
Bar Mundial is a no-frills, neighbourhood bar-restaurant in Sant Pere with
black-and-white photos of boxers adorning the walls and a menu of enormous
platters of seafood. It has been family run since 1925 and while it has seen
an increase in tourists in recent years, it's still well worth a
visit.
E-mail this item
Opening Hours
Wed-Sat 1pm-3.30pm; Tue-Sun 9pm-12am (until 11pm Sun)
Address
1, Plaça Sant Agustí Vell, Barcelona 08003
Telephone
+34 93 319 90 56
Transport
Arc de Triomf or Jaume I metro
Cal Pep
Busy seafood bar
Cal Pep in the Born district is extraordinarily popular and deservedly so,
and there's often a queue for a table. There's a small
dining room at the back but it's best to grab a stool and pick tasty
morsels from the bar. Seafood is the main attraction. Try clams with a
sprinkling of hot peppers.
E-mail this item
Opening Hours
Tue-Sat 1pm-4pm; daily 8pm-12am (until 1am Fri & Sat)
Address
8, Plaça de les Olles, Barcelona 08003
Telephone
+34 93 310 79 61
Senyor Parellada
Traditional Spanish flavours
A healthy appetite is a must when you visit Senyor Parellada in the Born
district. In the large yellow-and-blue dining room diners settle down to
hearty cuisine from northeast Spain. Dishes include stuffed cabbage, cod
"as prepared by the monks of the Poblet monastery", baked
monkfish with mustard-and-garlic sauce, and roast duck with figs.
E-mail this item
Opening Hours
Daily 1pm-4pm & 8.30pm-12am
Address
37, Argenteria, Barcelona 08003
Telephone
+34 93 310 50 94
Los Caracoles
Old World charm
Los Caracoles in Barrí Gòtic might be crowded with tourists
and avoided by locals, but that doesn't make it any less fun. It has
a timeless old-world setting, complete with tiles, rough timber and hanging
garlic. There's a choice of traditional Catalan dishes on the menu,
including spit-roast chicken and the house speciality of snails.
E-mail this item
Opening Hours
Daily 1pm-12am
Address
14, Carrer dels Escudellers, Barcelona 08002
Telephone
+34 93 302 31 85
Transport
Drassanes metro
Origens
Fresh Catalan delicacies
Barcelona boasts several healthy restaurants. Origens, on a quiet street in
the Eixample district, offers great-value lunches. Fresh ingredients are
sourced mostly from Catalunya and thoughtfully combined in simple dishes.
The menú del día (daily menu) is a bargain and the
delicatessen is full of fruity olive oils, tasty local wines and bitter dark
chocolate.
E-mail this item
Opening Hours
Daily 1pm-1am
Address
9, Enric Granados, Barcelona 08002
Telephone
+34 93 453 11 20
Pollo Rico
Friendly waiters, hearty food
It can be difficult to find good value eateries around the fun-but-touristy
Ramblas, but Pollo Rico in a side street is a gem of a restaurant. It
specialises in delicious rotisserie chicken and chips. Diners can squeeze in
between the local characters at the bar or head upstairs to the pretty tiled
dining room.
E-mail this item
Opening Hours
Daily 10am-1am (bar); 1pm-12am (dining room)
Address
31, Calle Sant Pau, Barcelona
Telephone
+34 93 441 31 84
Mesón David
Crazy dining experience
Mesón David in Ravel isn't the place for a quiet evening.
Waiters shout hilariously, tips are acknowledged by the ringing of a cowbell
and diners crowd onto long canteen tables. The food is fast, furious, and
excellent, with regional specialities ranging from Navarran trout stuffed
with serrano ham to traditional Castilian roast suckling pork.
E-mail this item
Opening Hours
Tue-Sun 12.30pm-4pm & 8pm-1am
Address
63, Carretes, Barcelona 08001
Telephone
+34 93 441 59 34
Inopia
Trendy tapas bar
Inopia's old-school tapas bar atmosphere is accentuated with cool
clientele and some of the most deliciously fresh snacks in town. In the
summer months a hatch opens onto the Sant Antoni streets to accommodate the
inevitable overspill. Get there early for a seat at the bar and order the
crispy croquetes.
E-mail this item
Opening Hours
Tue-Sat 7pm-11pm; Sat also 1pm-3.30pm
Address
104, Tamarit, Barcelona 08015
Telephone
+34 93 424 52 31
El Flamant
Refined dining
There are plenty of cheap and cheerful restaurants in Barcelona but El
Flamant manages to combine excellent value with a refined dining experience.
Just off this leafy street in the Eixample district awaits a charming,
wood-panelled dining room with traditional Spanish menu. The adjoining
café is a more casual place for lunch, coffee or tapas.
E-mail this item
Opening Hours
Daily 1pm-3.45pm & 9pm-12am
Address
23, Enric Granados, Barcelona 08007
Telephone
+34 93 323 16 35
