Barcelona is one of the world's great dining capitals with multiple Michelin-starred restaurants.- From traditional tapas to creative cuisine and local fare, these are the best places to eat and drink.
When it comes to gastronomy, Barcelona rivals some of the biggest cities in the world. There are dining options to suit all tastes and budgets, including a staggering 19 Michelin-starred restaurants.
I've lived here for five years and dine on everything from casual tapas to old-school paella. If I ever tire of traditional Spanish food, I know I can choose from an array of international eateries serving everything from pizza to sushi.
Since I can't cook, I often eat out and my favorite thing to do is to order the menú del día, available at most restaurants, which usually consists of three courses plus a drink (water, wine, or beer) for around 11 to 15 euros. It's served from Monday to Friday during lunch (generally noon to 4 p.m.). It's one of the best values in the city.
Here's where I go, followed by my tips on how to order like an in-the-know local at any restaurant.
El Nacional
Though it's centrally located just off bustling Passeig de Gràcia, this gourmet food hall feels hidden, tucked behind an iron gate and reached via a long passageway. It's a stunning space inside a former factory with vaulted glass ceilings, towering columns, and elaborate mosaics. I love to bring visitors here at night when the vintage-style lighting makes everything glow.
Choose from four distinctly designed restaurants showcasing Spanish gastronomy, including the seafood-centric La Llotja; La Tapería for hot and cold tapas; and La Brasería, specializing in charcoal-grilled meats. For a drink and nibbles, several bars serve local wines and beers along with cured meats and cheeses. My favorite is the petite Oyster Bar where you can sample freshly shucked Galician oysters and a glass of sparkling cava.
La Xula Tapería
The bohemian Gràcia neighborhood is chock-full of affordable tapas bars like this one, which serves both traditional Catalan fare alongside lighter, innovative seafood dishes. I love the array of fresh fish including salmon tartare marinated in sake, tuna tataki on flatbread, and an excellent ceviche; they're all generously sized and ideal for sharing. If it's meat you're after, try the canelons (the Catalan version of cannelloni) stuffed with butifarra (sausage) and mushrooms. And there's always something seasonal on the menu like spring artichokes topped with truffles, mushroom cream, and Iberian ham.
Can Majó
Steps from the beach in Barceloneta is this old-school seafood spot run by the same family since 1968. The interior is pleasant with wood-beamed ceilings and rustic wood floors, but the prime seating is on the terrace where you can soak up the sun and sea breezes while dining on fresh seafood. Shellfish is served raw (try the Galician oysters) or cooked on a wood-fired grill for a smoky finish. This is the spot for a weekend paella, so I recommend making a reservation well in advance.
Enoteca Paco Pérez
When I want to splurge (or if someone else is picking up the bill), I book a table at this two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Port Olimpic's posh, five-star Hotel Arts. Overseen by El Bulli alum Paco Pérez, the seafood-centric tasting menu features 10 or so courses that change with the seasons. Expect inventive, beautifully presented dishes such as sea cucumber pasta with bone marrow and artichokes. It's best when expertly paired with Spanish wines, like a powerful fortified white from Ximénez-Spínola or an interesting sake from Tarragona's Ebro Delta region.
The dining room is a pristine, all-white modern affair, and the service, while exemplary, is warm and friendly. The tasting menu (without wine) runs around 195 euros; if you want the Paco Pérez experience at a (slightly) more affordable price point, the abbreviated Sunday lunch menu is 95 euros.
Minyam
This homey, brick-walled restaurant in Poblenou is a bit off the beaten path, but in my opinion, is worth seeking out for its sublime rice dishes like the signature Vulcanus (volcanic) rice. This fragrant, smoky, black paella teems with squid, shrimp, and mussels; there's also a meat version with duck and black garlic, and for vegetarians, one with mushrooms and assorted veggies.
If you're not in the mood for rice, there are a number of seafood dishes like grilled octopus with creamy cauliflower, white chocolate, and paprika (weird, but it works). The three-course menú del día is currently well-priced at 14.90 euros and features a variety of seafood, meat, and vegetarian choices, plus dessert.
Paradiso
Paradiso isn't a restaurant but this cocktail bar — ranked No. 3 on the list of the World's Best Bars — is a must in Barcelona. All the elements of a traditional speakeasy are here: dim lighting, a cool soundtrack, and a cleverly concealed entrance behind the faux refrigerator doors of a pastrami shop in El Born.
The cocktails are as inventive as they come. Try the Vulcano Negroni, which subs aged Ron Santa Teresa rum for gin, plus the curious addition of house-made beet vermouth. My drink of choice is the Supercool Martini, which uses a "supercooled" water method to create a miniature iceberg in the glass.
There is also a complete lack of snobbery. Bartenders are friendly, funny, and genuinely love what they're doing. The entire menu is revamped once a year — the next is due in June — so you can always try something new. One thing that doesn't ever change is the long queue; consider lining up when it opens at 5 p.m. to ensure a spot.
Sensi Tapas
Even after 16 years in business, this buzzy bi-level tapas restaurant is still packed every night. The scene is always lively, loud, and fun, and the wallet-friendly prices mean you'll have plenty of euros left over to visit the surrounding bars in the Gothic Quarter.
Small plates get a modern, international spin with strong French and Asian influences like prawns in a Beurre blanc sauce with carrot mousse, and a delicious tuna tartare topped with avocado cream and served with a (literally) smoking stalk of rosemary. Classic Catalan and Spanish dishes are here too, including patatas bravas and Iberian ham, as well as vegan and vegetarian options. There's also a nice selection of organic, natural, and biodynamic local wines by the glass. Reservations are highly recommended.
Can Pizza
Real Neapolitan-style pizza is dished out at this trendy pizza chain with six locations across the city. My favorite is a cool, industrial-style space tucked down a narrow passageway, just a block from the Sagrada Familia.
Their motto is "respect the pizza," but that doesn't mean things are always traditional. The Jerry Tomato pizza with three different tomato textures — dehydrated, candied, and macerated — won
The Cake Man Bakery
A new crop of bakeries are popping up around the city, many owned by expats who are bringing their country's recipes and flavors to the Catalan capital. My top pick is this Australian-owned bakery in Poblenou; I often stop by for its English-inspired treats including a classic cherry Bakewell slice, a divine Guinness cake, and apple crumble tarts. And I never leave without a slice of their vegan chocolate cake.
There are always new seasonal goodies and gluten and lactose-free options as well. On Saturdays, it serves savory breakfast sandwiches like egg and bacon piled high on a fluffy roll — it's the closest this former New Yorker gets to a taste of home.
Aleia
Opened in November 2021 in the luxury Modernist hotel Casa Fuster, Aleia is my pick for the most exciting new dining spot. It's a collaboration between Paulo Airaudo, a two-Michelin-star chef who made his name in San Sebastián and London, and Rafa de Bedoya, a young but accomplished chef from Jerez. The seasonal tasting menu is a series of dishes presented on beautifully sculpted plates. Each one bursts with flavor, like the silky white prawns swirled with chervil oil, and the rich grilled bone marrow, paired with tomato butter and a perfectly crusty loaf of sourdough bread.
Desserts are revelatory with unconventional savory-meets-sweet combinations like ice cream on a bed of avocado and topped with a dollop of caviar, and a foamy white chocolate mousse garnished with crispy Jerusalem artichoke. The nine-course business lunch menu (€90) is a relative bargain given the superb quality and the lovely setting.
Important tips to keep in mind when dining in Barcelona
While you'll find classic Spanish fare like jamón Ibérico and tortillas on many menus, Catalans have their own traditional dishes. Chief among them is pork sausage both cooked (butifarra) and cured (fuet), as well as the ubiquitous pa amb tomàquet (pan con tomate in Spanish), grilled bread rubbed with tomato and garlic, drizzled with olive oil, and sprinkled with sea salt.
Paella, which actually hails from Valencia, is eaten here, but I've adopted the Catalan way and usually only have it for weekend lunch. Just avoid any place that has stock images of paella outside — it's likely microwaved. For something more local, try fideuà, essentially the Catalan version of paella, made with short noodles instead of rice.
For drinks, the only people ordering sangria in Barcelona are tourists. Do as the locals do and have a vermut (vermouth) instead; it's served over ice and garnished with a slice of orange and/or olives. I suggest ordering it with a squirt of fizzy water to tone it down.
A key thing to remember in Barcelona is timing: nearly all places close after lunch and don't reopen for dinner until around 8 p.m. In fact, most locals don't eat dinner until 9 or 10 p.m. Also, many restaurants aren't open for dinner on Sunday and are closed all day on Mondays. Be sure to plan accordingly.
I also recommend venturing outside the typical tourist areas; restaurants in neighborhoods like Gràcia and Poblenou are not only more authentic in feel, but they also tend to be far less crowded.