Barcelona’s Top 10 : Best Restaurants & Tapas Bars

Cal Pep

The line-up at this traditional, boisterous tapas bar includes top-notch cured hams and sausages, truita de patates (potato omelette), fresh mariscs (shellfish) and an array of daily tapas specials.

Noti

In
a city where style often triumphs over substance, Noti stands out as a
glorious exception. The decor is as stylish and glamorous as the crowd,
but doesn’t draw focus away from the main event – the exceptional
Mediterranean and French cuisine, prepared with flair and originality. 

El Asador d’Aranda

This
palatial restaurant, perched high above the city on Tibidabo, dishes up
the best in Castilian cuisine. Sizeable starters include pica pica, a tasty array of sausages, peppers and hams. The signature main dish is lechazo (young lamb) roasted in a wood-fired oven. 

Kaiku

This unassuming, beachfront restaurant makes possibly the best paella in the city. It is on the menu as arròs del xef,
and is prepared with smoked rice and succulent shellfish. The desserts
are great too. In the summer book a table on the terrace and enjoy the
views and sea breeze. 

Inopia

It
may be off the beaten track, but this bar is a must for dedicated
foodies. The menu has gone back to basics, offering classic tapas such
as croquetas and patatas bravas, prepared with the finest local ingredients. The tuna and tomato salad and anchovy-wrapped artichoke are both excellent. 

Bar Ra

A
funky, flower-filled oasis in El Raval, this juice-bar-café-restaurant
is the place for organic, multi-cultural cuisine. Start your day with
muesli or muffins and a fresh papaya or pear juice. The lunch and dinner
menu might include Japanese tofu, Peruvian ceviche (raw seafood marinated in lemon) or a Cuban chicken and mango chutney dish.

Cinc Sent*ts

This
elegant restaurant is known for its innovative cuisine. The tasting
menu, created by chef Jordi Aretal, can be paired with specially chosen
wines. The set-price lunch menu, available from Monday to Friday, is a
bargain. 

Casa Leopoldo

This
comfortable, family-run restaurant serves some of the finest Catalan
cuisine in the city. Fresh seafood is the highlight, with innovative
platters of bacallà (salt cod), llenguado (sole) and gambes (prawns). 

Bar-Restaurante Can Tomàs

A cheap, no-nonsense tapas bar in the uptown area of Sarrià. Every tapas-lover knows that the city’s best patates braves and patates amb alioli are found here. Ask for the doble mixta to sample both. 

Comerç 24

Perhaps
one of the most adventurous restaurants in the city, Comerç 24 has an
innovative head chef, Carles Abellan. The constantly changing menu
consists of a series of platillos
(small dishes), which fuse an extraordinary variety of flavours and
textures. Try the quail lollipops, sea urchins with foie gras ice cream,
or gold-wrapped macadamia nuts.

Patates Braves

This traditional tapas favourite consists of fried potatoes topped with a spicy sauce. Equally tasty are patates heaped with alioli (garlic mayonnaise).

Calamars

A savoury seafood option is calamars (squid) a la romana (deep-fried in batter) or a la planxa (grilled).

Pa amb Tomàquet

A key part of any tapas spread is this bread topped with tomato and olive oil.

Croquetes

A perennial favourite are croquettes; tasty fried morsels of bechamel, usually with ham, chicken or tuna.

Musclos o Escopinyes

Sample Barcelona’s fruits of the sea with tapas of tasty mussels or cockles.

Truita de Patates

The most common tapas dish is this thick potato omelette, often topped with alioli.

Ensaladilla Russa

This
“Russian salad” includes potatoes, onions, tuna (and often peas,
carrots and other vegetables), all generously enveloped in mayonnaise.

Gambes al’allet

An appetizing dish of fried prawns (shrimp) coated in garlic and olive oil.

Pernil Serrà

Cured ham is a Spanish obsession. The best, and most expensive, is Extremadura’s speciality, Jabugo.

Fuet

Embot*ts (Catalan sausages) include the ever-popular fuet, a dry, flavourful variety, most famously produced in the Catalonian town of Vic.