Restaurants in Barcelona
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Noti
Once home to the Noticiero Universal newspaper, Noti has an ample dining room plastered with mirrors that seem to multiply the steely designer tables. Try the fresh fish from the Boqueria market with ratatouille of courgette and lemon butter or perhaps a meat dish – anything from steak tartare to chicken curry. Start the evening with the cocktail of the day at the bar.
It has lunch menus from €14 to €24, and an evening set menu at €36.
reviewed
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El Sortidor
Step back in history. Hot food has been dished up here since 1908. The ceramic-fronted fridge, tiled floor and bar seem to have changed little since then – but appearances can deceive. Turin-born Flavio runs this place, and offers a typical menú del día that isn’t that typical – how many Catalans have eaten handmade pappardelle (a broad ribbon pasta from Italy)? On Friday nights he serves up couscous and live Irish music. And on other nights he’ll only open for a reservation of 20 or more!
reviewed
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Bodega Sepúlveda
This tavern has been showering tapas on its happy diners since 1952. The range of dishes is a little overwhelming and mixes traditional (Catalan faves like cap i pota – chunks of fatty beef in gravy) with more surprising options like carpaccio de calabacín con bacalao y parmesán (thin zucchini slices draped in cod and parmesan cheese). You can hang out until 1am.
The main dining area is out the back and downstairs, with a small, low-ceilinged area upstairs.
reviewed
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L’Havana
Little has changed in this cavernous, family-run place since it opened in the 1940s. The front dining area, with frosted glass windows, Modernista design touches and spaciously spread tables, is a touch more severe than the better-lit rear area. A great starter is the combinat, with three mussels, a smidge of amanida russa (potato salad), esqueixada and more. Meat and fish options follow, and the calamars farcits (stuffed calamari) are filling. Round off with homemade crema catalana.
reviewed
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Cafè de l’Acadèmia
Expect a mix of traditional dishes with the occasional creative twist. At lunchtime, local Ajuntament (town hall) office workers pounce on the menú del día (for €14, or €10 at the bar). In the evening it is rather more romantic, as low lighting emphasises the intimacy of the timber ceiling and wooden decor. Offerings range from chuletón (huge T-bone steak) for two to guatlla farcida de foie d’ànec i botifarra amb salsa de ceps (quail stuffed with duck foie gras and sausage with a mushroom sauce).
reviewed
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Saüc
Pop into this basement place down a little Eixample laneway and you enter a soothing sanctuary. Sober designer decor, dominated by ochres, creams and buttercup yellows, allows you to concentrate on what emerges from the kitchen, such as tàrtar de anguila fumada, poma verda i caviar d’arengada (smoked eel tartare with green apples and salted sardine caviar). You can request half-size portions at 60% of the price. The tasting menu comprises an appetiser, four courses, then a cheese selection and two desserts (€78).
reviewed
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De Tapa Madre
A chatty atmosphere greets you from the bar from the moment you swing open the door. A few tiny tables line the window, but head upstairs for more space in the gallery, which hovers above the array of tapas on the bar below, or go deeper inside past the bench with the ham legs. The arròs caldós amb llagostins (a hearty rice dish with king prawns) is delicious.
reviewed
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Botafumeiro
It is hard not to mention this classic temple of Galician shellfish and other briny delights, long a magnet for VIPs visiting Barcelona. You can bring the price down by sharing a few medias raciones (medium tapas plates) to taste a range of marine offerings or a safata especial del Mar Cantàbric (seafood platter) between two. Try the percebes, the strangely twisted goose barnacles harvested along Galicia’s north Atlantic coast, which many Spaniards consider the ultimate seafood delicacy.
reviewed
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Restaurant 7 Portes
Founded in 1836 as a cafe and converted into a restaurant in 1929, this is a classic. It exudes an old-world atmosphere with its wood panelling, tiles, mirrors and plaques naming some of the famous – such as Orson Welles – who have passed through. Paella is the speciality, or go for the surfeit of seafood in the gran plat de marisc (literally ‘big plate of seafood’), big enough for two.
reviewed
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Hisop
The hippest entrance on this restaurant-jammed uptown lane definitely belongs to Hisop, an elegant dining option where flavour and service are a priority. Black, white and burgundy dominate the dining room décor. Consider the four-course seasonal tasting menu – you might wind up with a melt-in-your-mouth deer sirloin done in truffle, and for dessert a light chocolate and olive-flavoured ice-cream biscuit with a froth of tofu. The wine list is impressive and service immaculate.
reviewed
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El Rincón Maya
Getting a seat in this Mexican eatery can be a trial. The setting is warm, modest and simple. The pocket-sized serves of nachos, guacamole and fajitas all burst with flavour. You’ll also discover lesser-known items like tacos de pibil (pork tacos) and tinga, little pasta pockets of chicken. There are also more substantial dishes for €9.50. The owner-chef spent much of his life in the restaurant business in Mexico City.
reviewed
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Sense Pressa
Tiny tables for two await in this split-level basement eatery. It serves up exquisitely prepared Spanish dishes, with a wide range of meat and fish options, depending on the season and chef’s whim. You might start with mini-carxofes saltejades amb pernil (sautéed mini-artichokes with ham) and follow with the fetge d’oca al vi d’Oporto (goose liver in port). Splurge on a suquet de llamantiol amb mongetes grosses (lobster and bean stew).
reviewed
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Can Travi Nou
This expansive 18th-century mansion has several dining areas that stretch out across two floors . The warm colours, grandfather clock and a wholesome, rustic air make for a magical setting for a Catalan splurge. The risotto de formatge (cheese risotto) makes a hearty starter, but the generous mains will please you even more. The arròs caldós amb llamàntol i cloïsses (rice stew with lobster and clams) is irresistible and it also does some tender grilled steaks.
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Cuines de Santa Caterina
With a contemporary feel and open kitchens, this multi-faceted eatery inside the Mercat de Santa Caterina offers all sorts of food. Peck at the sushi bar, tuck into classic rice dishes or go vegetarian. They do some things better than others, so skip the hummus and tarte tatin. A drawback is the speed with which barely finished plates are whisked away from you, but the range of dishes and bustling atmosphere are fun. Reservations aren’t taken, so it’s first come first served.
reviewed
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La Bodegueta Provença
The ‘Little Wine Cellar’ offers classic tapas presented with a touch of class, from calamares a la andaluza (lightly battered calamari rings) to cecina (dried cured veal meat). The house speciality is ous estrellats (literally ‘smashed eggs’) – a mix of scrambled egg white, egg yolk, potato and then ingredients ranging from foie gras to morcilla (black pudding). Wash it all down with a good Ribera del Duero or caña (little glass) of beer.
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Cinc Sentits
Enter this somewhat overlit realm of the ‘Five Senses’ to indulge in a tasting menu (from €49 to €69), consisting of a series of small, experimental dishes. A key is the use of fresh local produce, such as fish landed on the Costa Brava and top-quality suckling pig from Extremadura. Less ambitious, but cheaper, is the set lunch at €30.
reviewed
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Patagonia
An elegant Argentinean beef-fest awaits in this stylish restaurant. Start with empanadas (tiny meat-crammed pies). You might want to skip the achuras (offal) and head for a hearty meat main, such as a juicy beef medallón con salsa de colmenillas (a medallion in a morel sauce) or such classics as bife de chorizo (sirloin with spicy sausage) or Brazilian picanha (rump). You can choose from one of five side dishes to accompany your pound of flesh.
reviewed
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La Pubilla del Taulat
Get inside the eatery in this late-19th-century building quickly, as you’ll find the bar has been stripped of all its tapas delights if you arrive much after 10pm. Tucked away in backstreets still partly lined with low-slung houses of another era, this place is a popular stop. All the classics are present: patatas bomba (spicy meat stuffed potatoes), mejillones al vapor (steamed mussels), chocos (lightly fried cuttlefish slices) and more.
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El Cangrejo Loco
Of the hive of eating activity along the docks of Port Olímpic, the ‘Mad Crab’ is among the best. Fish standards, such as bacallà (cod) and rap (monkfish), are served in various guises and melt in the mouth. The rich paella de llamàntol (lobster paella) is superb.
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Alba Granados
In summer ask for one of the romantic tables for two on the 1st-floor balcony. Overlooking the trees, it is a unique spot, with little traffic. Inside, the ground- and 1st-floor dining areas are huge, featuring exposed brick and dark parquet. The menu offers a little of everything but the best dishes revolve around meat, such as solomillo a la mantequilla de trufa con tarrina de patata y beicon (sirloin in truffle butter, potato and bacon terrine).
reviewed
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El Glop
Step inside this raucous eatery decked out in country Catalan fashion, with gingham tablecloths and no-nonsense, slap-up meals. The secret is hearty serves of simple dishes, such as bistec a la brasa (grilled steak), perhaps preceded by albergínies farcides (stuffed aubergines) or calçots in winter. Try the tocinillo, a caramel dessert, to finish. Open until 1am, it’s a useful place to have up your sleeve for a late bite.
reviewed
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Balthazar
Balthazar offers a spacious and buzzy dining atmosphere and an extensive menu of Catalan and Mediterranean dishes, which are good without being spectacular. Locals converge here for stylish, economical dining. After all, where else might you encounter a carpaccio de bou amb encenalls de parmesà (beef carpaccio with parmesan cheese shavings) for €6.60? The menú del día also wins the hearts of savers at €8.70.
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Lac Majùr
Inside this cosy slice of northwest Italy all sorts of home-cooking delights await, including the house pasta specials, gnocchi and trofie. The latter are twists of pasta, usually served with pesto sauce, from Liguria. Try the mascarpone and ham variant followed by, say, a saltimbocca alla romana (a veal slice cooked with ham, sage and sweet Marsala wine).
reviewed
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Ca la Nuri
With its white and grey tones, and schools of silver fish shapes seemingly skudding like wind-driven clouds along one wall, this is a classic for Catalan seafood and rice dishes. They have various set lunch menus, such as fideuá, arròs negre and seafood paella. Another good one is the arròs de l’avia Nuri (Grandma Nuri’s rice), a paella-style dish in which all the seafood creatures have been peeled.
reviewed
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Con Gracia
This teeny hideaway (seating about 20 in total) is a hive of originality, producing delicately balanced Mediterranean cuisine with Asian touches. On offer is a regularly changing surprise tasting menu or the set ‘traditional’ one, which includes such items as sopa de foie y miso con aceite de trufa blanca (miso and foie gras soup with white truffle oil) and a nice Chilean sea bass. At lunch, only groups are accepted. Book ahead.
reviewed