Food in Barcelona: Amazing Tapas And So Much More

When it comes to food in Barcelona, I can get very excited and passionate.

Be it simple homemade tapas or more sophisticated cuisine, I could just eat my way through that city with no regrets whatsoever.

Back in 2010, I spent about six months as an Erasmus-student in that incredible city. Barna (as locals and expats called it) has immediately caught my heart and soul and I try to get back at least once a year ever since.

It's safe to say that I tried quite a few restaurants...

To make it easier for you, I won't list them all, though. But I present you the ones I loved so much that I returned at least once (or in case of the Bar Lobo or Alsur Cafè: about five times) to check if the food is as good as I remembered.

So here's my guide to the best food in Barcelona in my opinion as an ex-expat.

About food in Barcelona

What is Barcelona's food-scene like actually? 

In short: being a modern, cosmopolitan city, the cuisine is extremely varied and ranges from traditional delicacies that might not suit everyone's palate (read: cow-stomach and bull testicles) to vegan fusion cuisine.

What you should absolutely do when in Barcelona is taste the incredible variety of Barna's tapas. They're usually served with the oh so simple yet yummy 'Pa amb tomáquet': grilled bread that's rubbed in (literally) first with a garlic clove, then with a juicy tomato cut in half and topped off with good olive oil and salt.

Nothing that special you might think. But add this to a good 'tortilla de patatas', a potato-tortilla, and it's foodie's heaven!

Clearly, many of these tapas can be found elsewhere in Spain but some delicacies are unique to Barcelona. If you fancy a day-trip to Madrid in order to have a direct comparison, check out Kate's guide for a 24-Hour itinerary to Madrid.

Different dietary requirements

If you read my post about food with Ulcerative Colitis, you know that I tried several different 'diets' or simply ways of eating throughout the last few years. 

I had to cut out gluten, lactose and sugar (separately or all at the same time), went full vegan for a while and tried the Paleo-diet as well.

As I told you, I went back to Barcelona every year since 2010 (except for 2020 - Covid19 made sure of that...) and so everyone of my 'diets' got tested in that city.

And you know what? There was no problem at all! Ever! For every diet or way of eating there's a restaurant in Barcelona! 

Calçots and the Calçotada

Curious what this is all about? It's really cool!!

But to find out more about this feast and what kind of food this is, you'll have to read until the end hehe...

Alright, if you really can't wait: here.

Different 'barrios' = different cuisine?

I wouldn't say that each barrio has its own cuisine but yes, the fresh fish products will most likely be in Barceloneta or El Born, the quarters close to the sea. Seems logical, right?

What's a barrio?

Just so you understand: Barcelona is divided in larger districts, each one being sub-divided in 'barrios' or quarters.

For example, the district 'Ciutat Vella' which is the old city, groups the barrios of El Born, Barceloneta and the Gótico.

When I made the list I also noticed that most of my favourite restaurants are located in the barrio called 'El Raval', which is the hood located on the western side of the famous Rambla de Catalunya.

The famous 'Rambla'

In case you're wondering what the heck this Rambla is: the Rambla (also known in the plural form 'Las Ramblas') is that large pedestrian promenade connecting the Plaça Catalunya with the old port. 

The word 'Rambla' stems from the Arabic 'raml' or 'ramla' which means 'sandy' or even 'sandy riverbed'. It has been used as such since the Arabic Empire in Spain and is still the official term for a dry riverbed today.

El Raval and the multiculturalism

Anyway, my favourite places being located on the west of it might be related to the fact that El Raval is the most multi-cultural hood in Barna, reason for that being the large number of immigrants.

Also, El Raval got heavily remodelled in preparation of the 1992 Olympics and that caused new institutions like the MACBA (Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona) or the 'Filmoteca de Barcelona' to be installed here.

This and the fact that parts of the university are also located here makes it a very hip and artsy hood - hence lots of new cuisines and inventive stuff.

Another hip hood destined to the young and artsy ones: Grácia

Ahh Grácia. It's probably the area I would want to live in if I ever wanted to take root in the city again.

It's full of little charming squares with lovely bars, cafés and restaurants and the streets connecting them are super cute (you know I have a soft spot for cute streets, don't you?).

One of the things I would definitely recommend as well when visiting Barcelona is 'square-hopping' in Grácia. Start with breakfast at one, stroll through the streets to the next one to have a coffee, continue to another square for lunch and so on.

Eixample: my old hood

This is where I had my flat I shared with two others. This is where I lived and breathed Barna and its lifestyle.

This is also something that makes the city easily recognisable from the sky! Back in the 19th century, the city council decided it wanted to rebuild parts of the city.

Ildefons Cerdà, a visionary from Barcelona, designed the grid pattern that was intended to give a better visibility and ventilation of the city through octagonal blocks. 

Today this also offers better parking areas and the corners can be used to this end. 

Oh and I am a SO bad at navigation and even I couldn't get los in that hood thanks to that awesome grid pattern!! 

Regarding the food in that part of Barcelona, Eixample has also a broad range of cute restaurants and especially cool bars (will talk about the Barna-nightlife in another post!).

Maybe avoid the ones around the Sagrada Família, also located in that barrio, as they are mostly tourist traps.

Food in Barcelona's different barrios

A very general rule: don’t eat at the restaurants on the Rambla!!

They are all way overpriced and the quality is pretty poor! They are mostly tourist-traps that work rather well.

Especially avoid the places with big pictures showing the dishes... yikes! 

While strolling down the Rambla Catalunya, do try the little side-streets, though. There are some fabulous little restaurants with amazing food reasonably priced that I will show you in this Barcelona food guide.

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El barrio gótico

Let's start with the 'Ciutat Vella' which is, as I previously explained, the old town of Barcelona formed by the barrios 'Gótico', 'El Raval' and 'Barceloneta'.

El Raval

Like I said in the introduction, El Raval used to be prone to prostitution and criminality before the Olympics in 1992 and is now this modernised, artsy, multicultural hood with awesome restaurants and bars.

• This is one of those restaurants I went back to the most.
• Their menu is not that big but they have delicious 'croquetas de jamón y pollo' (ham and chicken croquettes) and a few typical Catalan dishes with a modern twist.
• Bar Lobo is located in a side-street of the Rambla that's very hip and active at night.
• You can sit inside or outside, they provide heaters and blankets when it gets chilly.

• The Luzia belongs to the same group as the Bar Lobo and is located right next to this one as well.
• It has a very nice interior, changing regularly.
• Good tapas as usual.
• Side-note: Google says it’s temporarily closed – I don’t know if it’s also because of Covid19 or not. Will have to check up on that and I’ll update you here.

• Seafood that gets delivered by their own fishermen early in the morning and meat from a local butcher.
• It's in the far corner of the Mercat de la Boquería and therefore a lot quieter than when sitting somewhere in the middle or the beginning of the market.
• Very tasty 'croquetas' and the price is pretty sweet as well

• It's probably the first eating stall you'll see when entering the famous Mercat de la Boquería and the most crowded one as well.
• That's because their food is amazing, of course. But in addition to the food they have: Juanito!
• The stall is actually in the hands of the 4th generation already, having been established by Juanito Bayen's father (if I remember correctly - his daughter told me one of the numerous times I sat at this bar).
• Juanito's smile and good mood draws the crowds and the press: he is a bit of a celebrity - so get there early and outside of the high season if you want to get one of the few spots at his bar.
• And according to their Facebook-page, he is still alive and well - luckily!
• They serve fresh seafood and vegetables from their own farm and that food ranks amongst the best in Barcelona.
• They don't have a regular menu but they show you what they have in their kitchen today and one's it's all gone - it's gone. So you KNOW that the ingredients are super fresh and of high quality
• Definitely also one of the places I visited the most.

• The name stems from - you guessed it - the address, 'ciento once' in Spanish or 'cent onze' in Catalan being the number 111.
• It's actually the restaurant of the Méridien, an upper-class hotel in the same building.
• It's a bit pricier and I must admit I only went (twice) as my parents were visiting back then and wanted to invite me to a proper restaurant with amazing food (they also took me to the Quinze Nits).
• Side-note: their website says that the restaurant will remain closed until further notice, probably related as well to the Covid19-crisis.

• This is not so much a restaurant but it is actually a place with an 'immersive cooking class'.
• And what a cooking class! We stumbled upon that place while just strolling through the Raval area and saw that they recently opened a cooking class/restaurant.
• It’s actually just for cooking classes and only for Paella. But fear not, vegetarian/vegan friends, we were six pairs, making three different paellas: beef, fish and vegan!
• Sebi and I made the 'classic' seafood paella, though. We learned soooo much! And yes, we let ourselves influence by the whole setting and the idea of recreating that awesome paella: we bought the special rice, the black salt AND a paella pan. And yes, we have made it a few times so far! The only ingredient that remains difficult to find is the fish-broth. You’re supposed to get it at a fishery or fish marking to have the fresh and good stuff. But there are none in both our home regions. We found a ready-made alternative in a bigger supermarket, though. It worked too!
• The food is incredible albeit food you have to prepare yourself - you get enough wine during the cooking, though - haha.

• This is awesome !!
• I went there during an archaeological congress where I presented Luxembourg’s archaeology in order to meet with my former professor (yes, the one that showed us around in Sissi and told us about one of the best beaches in Crete).
• Naturally, I went back last year with Sebi.
• The food was still amazing! So good that there was one tourist sitting at table next to us ordering basically the whole menu, only to jump up from his table at the end to run away without paying!! The waiter ran off after him but he didn’t catch him. We felt so bad for them, we left a huge tip!
• Look at that yummy food, though...

The restaurants I listed in El Raval are the ones marked in light red. Just click on the map below:

Barceloneta

The Barceloneta is less known for being part of Barcelona's food scene than it is famous for the beaches and nightlife.

But if you do want to enjoy some delicious food in that area, here are a few addresses:

• This restaurant is slightly pricier than most of the places I recommended so far but yes, you pay for the full frontal beach view as well.
• As it's very renowned, be sure to book a table beforehand. So far, it was enough to walk by in the morning or around noon to get a table that same evening, though.
• They have by far the best 'croquetas de jamón' as an appetizer.
• Lots of other fancy dishes, mostly seafood, a bit 'fusion'.

• This one is literally on the beach. I mean really! A tiny restaurant built on the sand!
• The decoration is so cute, beach-bar-like.
• It has a very nice vibe and is supposed to remind its customers of what the beach used to be like when it was still called 'la deliciosa' - the delicious one.
• Small restaurant but huge menu: the food ranges from breakfasts and 'bocadillos' (sandwiches) to traditional tapas. 
• All the while serving amazing cocktails.
• Have the churros with chocolate for dessert - yummy!

• This is where I had one of the best paellas EVER!
• Close to the sea, the breeze and the sea-view from the outdoor terrace are amazing.
• The restaurant is located in an ancient winery from 1753 and they kept this vibe inside.
• Can Ramonet stands for high quality Mediterranean cuisine with fresh sea-products.
• As they became so successful, the tiny space wasn't enough anymore and the owners created El Nou Ramonet not far from the previous one. So if you can't get a table at the first, get one at the second one - the food is of the same quality but it can also receive larger groups.

You'll find the location of the restaurants for Barceloneta on the map in blue:

El Born

This is actually the cutest barrio of Barcelona. It always reminded me of pirate-movies with the narrow cobblestoned streets from the Middle Ages, forming kind of a maze you can get lost in when you're not familiar with the hood.

It has a very design-chique yet boho-vibe. Main highlights are the impressive cathedral Santa Maria del Mar and the Picasso-museum.

Oh and they unearthed a huge part of the medieval El Born that they roofed to protect it - go visit it, it's really interesting (I know, I know: the archeologist is talking again...).

• What can I say? We just looove Alsur Cafè!
• They have the most amazing breakfast- and lunch option.
• Very healthy stuff and frequently new creations! I love that they have something new on the menu every time we go: did someone say Oreo-waffles, dulce-de-leche-fondant or cronut with egg and bacon??
• They have another Alsur Cafè in the Eixample barrio if you can't reach this one.
• The one in El Born is located on a cute little square and they have lots of pillows and blankets everywhere - gives the whole thing kind of a lounge-vibe.
• LQQCQ: Lo Que Quieras, Cuando Quieras.

• You guessed it right if you managed to pronounce the second name: they serve tapas and Champagne! 
• Well, not actually real Champagne from the Champagne region in France but a local cava that is just as tasty (I’m saying that cause I hardly ever drink Champagne so I wouldn’t know if it’s really that much better haha)
• It's at the crossing El Born with Barceloneta and it can get very crowded as it is one of the must-sees in Barna.
• In terms of food, you might find better places in Barcelona - but in terms of atmosphere, they're hard to beat.

• We loved this authentic and very cool tapas-bar!
• The food tasted so good, we just kept ordering things.
• It looks a bit like a pirate bar but then with giant hams hanging from the ceiling.
• Their menu is actually displayed in graffitis all over the front façade.
• Absolutely check it out!!

Their location is marked in light green on the map below:

Eixample

So, I already told you the story of Eixample here - hope you read it?

Then you know how easy it is to find places here, right? Just in case, I'll give you some of my favourites as this was 'ma hood' haha.

• Yes, it's the same family as the Alsur Cafè in El Born.
• That doesn't make it any less AWESOME!!
• It's just closer to the Plaça Catalunya in the centre and you will find it more easily than in the labyrinth that is El Born...
• I mean, just look at that food! I'm drooling! Again!!

• Again, lots of tapas to choose from but I came for one thing: the calçots with Romesco sauce!!
• 'Calçots' are something anyone has to taste once in their lifetime. It's a kind of spring onion that gets grilled on charcoal during the 'Calçotada', a huge feast in spring where big tables and benches are set out on the streets where anyone can join to eat.
• This is some typical food of Barcelona! And they do serve them outside of the 'Calçotada' which takes only place from Februari to end of March. 
• The Romesco is a slightly spicy sauce made from tomatoes, peppers, hazelnuts, almonds, garlic and spices.
• So if you want to have Calçots (which you eat with your hands by peeling of the burned layer) but missed the Calçotada, this is the place to be!
• Don't miss out on the other amazing stuff, though.

And here are the restaurants of my hood, marked in bright yellow:

Grácia

I told you all about this charming barrio in the introduction. And now that I explained the Calçotada: Grácia is actually THE hood to be to experience this onion-feast!

Numerous little restaurants and cafés here but I'll only mention one as it really blew our minds:

• Blew. Our. Minds.
• Located at the Plaça del Sol, this is definitely one of the squares to check out for the cafés and hip restaurants.
• In terms of food in Barcelona, it doesn't get much better then this.
• I'll let you be the judge:

Okay, there's just one I gave here (in dark pink) but that doesn't mean that there aren't other! And who knows, I might update the list as soon as I get back to Barna...

In conclusion

Food in Barcelona is AWESOME. I used that word a lot throughout this post, I know. But hell yeah, I stand by my words.

Please try them out and let us know what you think in the comments or by message!

And don't forget to pin this for your future trip to Barna and share it with people you want to enjoy that food with!

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