Barcelona Food

Barcelona offers every kind of food and ambience imaginable. Whether Basque, Chinese, Indian, or American, restaurants here will exceed your culinary expectations. However, beware of touristy restaurants offering “traditional” dishes—good authentic food can be hard to find. Our best advice is to look to the Catalan option: fideuà unseats paella, cava champagne complements every meal, and crema catalana satisfies the local sweet tooth. Barcelona’s tapas (sometimes called pintxos ) bars, concentrated in La Ribera and Gràcia, often serve montaditos, thick slices of bread topped with all sorts of delectables from sausage to tortilla (omelette) to anchovies. Hopping from one tapas bar to another can be a fun, social, and often cheap way to pass the evening. Most tapas bars are self-serve and standing room only. Plates in hand, ravenous customers help themselves to the toothpick-skewered goodies that line the bars. The bartender calculates the bill by tallying up the toothpicks on the way out, and then it’s on to another bar. Though vegetarian options in general have never been easier to find, vegetarians consult the extensive Guía del Ocio (€1) at newsstands for a list of available options.

• Barri Gòtic And Las Ramblas

Barcelona’s nucleus contains all types of eateries. Classic Catalan cuisine is juxtaposed with fast-food options and every species of bar imaginable. Choose carefully; anything along La Rambla is likely ...more

• Las Ramblas

Escribà, Las Ramblas, 83 (☎ 933 01 60 27). Liceu, L3 Gran Via, 546 (☎ 93 454 75 35) Urgell. This small, classy cafe is a gem, having been remodeled by Ros i Guell in 1902 back when it was ...more

• Lower Barri Gòtic

Les Quinze Nits, Pl. Reial, 6 (☎ 933 17 30 75; www.lesquinzenits.com). Liceu. Popular restaurant with lines halfway through the plaça every night; arrive early for excellent Catalan cuisine ...more

• Upper Barri Gòtic

Attic, La Rambla, 120 (☎ 933 02 48 66; www.angrup.com). Liceu. This chic restaurant promises high-class food at manageable prices. The modern, orange interior will feel like a refuge from touristy ...more

• La Ribera

The eclectic gourmet restaurants of La Ribera cater to a young crowd. The neighborhood is home to a relatively high concentration of Asian restaurants, tapas bars, and wineries. La Llavor dels Origens ...more

• El Raval

Authentic Catalan mainstays (found mostly on the side of El Raval farthest from Las Ramblas) and trendy fusion spots sit next to Middle Eastern restaurants and a growing number of student- and vegetarian-friendly ...more

• L’Eixample

With sidewalk cafes serving everything from fusion to traditional Catalan cuisine, wandering in l’Eixample easily induces rumbling stomachs, especially during a long day of shopping. These upper neighborhoods ...more

• Around Passeig De Gràcia

Pg. de Gràcia is lined with nearly as many tapas bars and cafes as it is with shops and Modernista structures. Most are tourist-oriented, have sidewalk tables, and are on the expensive side. Eating ...more

• L’Eixample Dreta

Laie Llibreria Cafe, C. Pau Claris, 85 (☎ 933 18 17 39; www.laie.es/cafe/PauClaris_prin_es.php). Urquinaona, L1/4. Additional locations at Marques de Camillas 6-8 (☎ 934 76 86 69) and Montcada 15-23 ...more

• L’Eixample Esquerra

Look around. Are you in l’Eixample Esquerra? On a corner? Chances are, you’re only inches from a tapas bar, and probably a really good one. If you’re looking to picar (“snack ...more

• Barceloneta

Barceloneta is mostly home to expensive seafood restaurants advertising paella menús (especially along Pg. Joan de Borbó). You have to go farther inside the neighborhood for smaller restaurants ...more

• Poble Nou

Restaurants in Poble Nou are few and far between. Cheap bar-restaurants are scattered inland, but along the beach food tends to be touristy and expensive. The best bet for a post-beach meal (without ...more

• Montjuïc And Poble Sec

The more time you spend in Poble Sec, an up-and-coming neighborhood nestled between Montjuïc and the Raval, the more you’ll love it. Streets that seem empty by day bustle after 9pm; by night ...more

• Gràcia

Without a doubt, Gràcia is the best place in Barcelona to find authentic cuisine from anywhere around the globe. Traditional markets (see Shopping) and Catalan menus are popular, but the side ...more

• Vall D’Hebron And Horta-Guinardó

In this neighborhood that’s mostly residential and proud of it, restaurants are few and far between, but generally worth the trek. For groceries, visit the large Mercadona (www.mercadona.es; MC/V) ...more

• Sarrià

There is one main reason to go to Sarrià to eat: Bar Tomás. The patatas bravas mecca of Barcelona and of the world, the venue is well worth the somewhat tiresome trip out. There’s no ...more

• Pedralbes And Les Corts

There are several good restaurants in Les Corts. Some are grouped near the metro stop around Pl. de la Concordia; others are further away, but merit the short walk. Although the small bars and cafes ...more

• Sant Andreu

El Desván Azul, C. Malats, 8 (☎ 933 12 02 88). Sant Andreu. “The Blue Loft” offers an airy environment and upscale cuisine. Excellent pasta dishes (€8-10) such as tortellini ...more

• Nou Barris

La Esquinica, Pg. Fabra i Puig, 296. (☎ 933 58 25 19). Vilapicina or Virrei Amat. Locals flood this traditional tapas restaurant, where their favorite dishes are executed to perfection. The atmosphere ...more

• Sants

Historically an industrial district, Sants boast a surprising number of high-quality restaurants, many of which serve international cuisine. The area around Plaça Osca, a block up C. de Riego ...more