Restaurants - Old City
Restaurants - Seafront
Restaurants - Eixample & Gràcia
Restaurants - Suburbs
Cafés and Tapas Bars - Old City
Cafés and Tapas Bars - Seafront
Cafés and Tapas Bars - Eixample & Gràcia
Girona
Montserrat
Sitges
Tarragona
Vilafranca del Penedès
Opening Times The restaurants on these pages are all open for lunch and dinner daily unless otherwise stated. Most establishments serve lunch from around 1 to 3:30 or 4. Dinner normally starts at 8:30 or 9, and is often served until midnight or the early hours of the morning. Many cafés and tapas bars remain open from early morning until late at night. It is advisable to book in most restaurants, especially at weekends. Nearly all restaurants close briefly for annual holidays (dates not listed) so phone first to avoid disappointment.
Where Should We Go? In the Old City and Gràcia, you will find small, generally reasonably priced restaurants. The Eixample is more up-market, but it also has a smattering of cheaper eateries, fast-food joints and some excellent tapas bars. For seafood, try La Barceloneta for traditional atmosphere or, for something more sophisticated, the Port Olímpic.
Dinner in La Barceloneta 'There is an undeniable charm in the chiringuitos (seafood restaurants) lining the beach like dominoes at the sea's edge… and the crowds on seemingly perpetual vacation strolling to and fro… one goes to La Barceloneta as much for the ambience as the food.' (Llorenç Torrado, local journalist)
Tapas The term tapas is thought to come from the habit of having a snack with a pre-meal drink to tapar el apetito ('put a lid on the appetite'). Tapas consist of small portions of fish, meat or vegetables, whereas raciones are bigger portions and usually enough for a light meal.
A Sweet Tooth Catalan desserts are often uninspiring - a choice between gelat (ice-cream), flam (crême caramel), crèma catalana (crème brulée), macedonia (fruit salad) or formatge (cheese). But look out for mel i mató (curd cheese with honey), postre de músic (spiced fruit cake), panellets (marzipans), torrons (nougats) and cocas (pastries sprinkled with sugar and pine-nuts).
'Cafè Sol, Per Favor' Start the day with a cafè amb llet (a large milky coffee). After mid-morning, drink a tallat (a small coffee with a dash of milk), a cafè sol (espresso) or a cafè americano. Descafeinado is widely available but order it de máquina (espresso-style). After dinner, why not try a carajillo (a sol with a shot of brandy)?
Bodegas, Cervecerias and Orxaterias There are bars on every second street in Barcelona - cosy, old-fashioned bodegas, serving wine from the barrel, and cervecerias or beer bars, offering both local beer on draught (una cana) and pricier imported beers. Or visit an orxateria and try orxata, the refreshing, milk-like drink made from crushed chufa nuts, and unique to Spain.
Regional Cuisine Barcelona boasts restaurants to suit all tastes, budgets and occasions. Contrary to what many visitors assume, there is no such thing as 'Spanish national cuisine' but rather a wide variety of regional styles, such as Galician, Basque , Castilian and Andalusian, all to be found in Barcelona.
Pa amb Tomàquet No Catalan meal is complete without pa amb tomàquet - a hearty slice (llesque) of white country bread rubbed with a ripe tomato, with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. There are even restaurants called llesqueria, which specialise solely in 'pa-amb-t' with a variety of toppings.
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