The 22 best restaurants in Barcelona
Barcelona's impressive food scene covers all manner of cuisines. Head to the maritime district of Barceloneta if it's paella you're after, but if you want traditional Catalan dishes it's best to stick inland, in, for example, the Barri Gòtic or Gràcia, where you'll find tiled dining rooms and plenty of pa amb tomàquet (bread rubbed with tomato) and hearty stews. Tapas are not a Catalan speciality, but can still be found – from time-honoured classics on charming squares to deconstructed versions at those restaurants created in the aftermath of the gastronomic revolution spearheaded by superchef Ferran Adrià.
Below our expert shares her favourite restaurants in Barcelona, including affordable menus and five-star venues. Do note that many restaurants close for a period in August, and occasionally the whole month.
Find out more below, or for further Barcelona inspiration, see our in-depth guides to the city's best hotels, bars and nightlife, attractions, shopping and things to do for free, plus how to spend a weekend in Barcelona.
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Best all-rounders
Can Culleretes
The second-oldest restaurant in Spain, with a mention in Guinness World Records. Can Culleretes has been around since 1786, and many of its waitresses act like they have too. These redoubtable matrons chivvy customers into one of three main dining rooms, tiled and hung with oil paintings and photos of happy patrons, and then serve them no-nonsense but tasty Spanish dishes at really good prices. Try the wild boar stew, the suckling pig or the seafood 'pica pica' of plates to share. It can get busy with tourists, however, so you might want to book a later table.
Area/neighbourhood: Barri Gòtic
Contact: culleretes.com
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Casa Delfín
Casa Delfín used to be something of a Mediterranean greasy spoon, serving deep-fried fish to workers, and there was much hand-wringing when it was sold and spruced up. The new owners did a great job, however, and preserved the spirit of the menu as well as many of the features of the bright and airy interior. Try chickpeas, spinach and black pudding to start, perhaps, followed by liver and onions with sherry or roast lamb with rosemary and thyme. The terrace is the place to sit, if the weather allows, and is open year round.
Agua
There is a line of similar restaurants along the seafront here, but Agua is the most fun for its laid-back atmosphere, sunny, split-level dining room and large, lively terrace. It does get quite busy, but there's a comfortable reception area with a bar, where you can order something to nibble on while you wait. The main menu covers the Mediterranean basics, from paella to spankingly fresh fish, along with really tasty steaks, creative salads and plenty of child-friendly dishes. Book well ahead for a table on the terrace, which sits right on the edge of the sand.
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Best for families
Bella Napoli di Raffaele
A hugely popular Italian restaurant, known for its pizza but it's a crime not to try its other dishes (the gnocchi, for example, or the linguine con bogavante – lobster) and a range of Italian craft beers. The Neapolitan waiters move adeptly through the packed dining areas, and are famous for their charm – they will guide you through the menu, but it's hard to go wrong. The Sofia Loren pizza is a favourite, with provolone, rocket and bresaola, and the house pizza with aubergine, basil and parmesan is also good. Leave room for the homemade tiramisu, which is superb. You can also get pizzas to go.
Area/neighbourhood: Montjuic and Poble Sec
Contact: 00 34 93 442 50 56
Opening times: Mon-Sun, 1.30pm-4pm, 8pm-11.30pm
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Pepa Tomate
A sunny corner café and restaurant, with a cheerfully eclectic approach to décor. There's a short list of dishes that manages to cater to most tastes, whether you're after a fat burger and chips, a toasted sandwich or something a little more sophisticated – truffled tortilla, for example, or cod tempura with padrón peppers. Portions are generous, but leave room if you can for the creamy tiramisu, served in a Kilner jar. It's a great place to come with children, with a playground just outside and friendly waiters who will provide crayons to draw on the paper placemats.
Envalira
The place to come for good old-fashioned cooking in an unpretentious setting. It's not going to win any design awards, but Envalira can't be faulted on value. The speciality is paella and other rice dishes (such as arròs negre, the Catalan version made with squid ink), but this is also a good place to try dishes from all over Spain, particularly Galicia. Try, for example, tarta de Santiago, the Galician answer to bakewell tart. The restaurant is brightly lit and austerely (un)decorated, but if you book a table at the front near the bar you'll feel a little less hemmed in.
Area/neighbourhood: Gràcia
Contact: 00 34 93 218 58 13
Opening times: Tue-Sat, 1pm-11pm; Sun, 1pm-5pm
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Gelateria Italiana Deliziosa
The last few years have seen a tidal wave of ice cream parlours opening in Barcelona, but for most people this family-run gelateria will always remain unbeatable. A refurb saw away with the olive-green wood panelling and 1960s fonts, sadly, but the ice cream is still made and sold fresh every day, with the purest ingredients. It's hard to pick a favourite, but the fig is a speciality, and the liquorice is good for novelty value. There is a second, smaller branch in the Born at Placeta de Montcada 12, near the Picasso Museum.
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Best for cheap eats
Les Quinze Nits
The Andilana group now owns an impressive nine restaurants around town, and though they all have different names, they all work on the same principles – extremely elegant dining rooms in attractive old buildings, with creative Mediterranean dishes at budget prices. These include all manner of fish and meat dishes, and some colourful salads. Les Quinze Nits was the first branch and continues to be the most popular, with queues snaking across the Plaça Reial (there is a no-bookings policy), but you can always try your luck at nearby branch La Fonda (C/Escudellers 10), which may have a shorter queue.
Bormuth
A split-level tapas bar that opens out on to two streets. Bormuth is friendly, lively and has reliably good food. The selection of tapas includes fresh options such as lentil salad and tabbouleh, along with all the classic croquetas, tortilla and so on, but my favourite is the fried aubergine drizzled with honey (a Cordoban recipe). Get there early for the tables on the street or in the open-fronted section facing the handsome façade of the Born Centre de Cultura i Memòria.
Mosquito
Mosquito seems to change its identity every few years, but the basic concept is cheap, quick and good Asian food. For the time being, that means Chinese dim sum, with a few other dishes from around the continent – Japanese gyoza dumplings, Thai curries, and noodle dishes – thrown in for good measure. My favourite is the Vietnamese pho (a steaming beef broth into which you stir herbs, chopped chilli and beansprouts to taste), though sadly this is only available at lunchtime. It can get quite chaotic in the cramped bar area – book one of the tables at the back if you can.
Elisabets
Elisabets is a wonderfully old-school place, with little by way of decoration but for a few old radio sets dotted around the walls. It specialises in the sort of food your grandmother used to make. No-frills, huge portions of osso buco and other stewy delights are served up as part of the fixed-price menu, though there is an à la carte menu, too. Note that Elisabets is only open until 5:30pm.
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Best for fine dining
Shunka
An excellent Japanese restaurant hidden down a side street near the cathedral. Time was, you would often see Ferran Adrià in here. However, a shake-up a few years ago meant that some of Shunka's finest chefs were moved to a new branch round the corner, Koy Shunka, which promptly gained a Michelin star, and this one was slightly relegated to second position. This one is far cheaper, however, and does what you'd expect – all varieties of sushi, tempura, teriyaki, noodles and plenty more – and well. Reserve a seat up at the bar surrounding the kitchen for a really good show.
Area/neighbourhood: Barri Gòtic
Contact: koyshunka.com
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Alkimia
There is a kind of alchemy going on at this restaurant where the deconstructed, theatrical takes on Catalan standards show Ferran Adrià's influence. An opening salvo of deconstructed pa amb tomàquet (the traditional bread rubbed with tomato) in a shot glass is just the beginning. Jordi Vilà is a serious chef, with a Michelin star to prove it, and his dining room has a serious air. The restaurant sits within the microbrewery and gastro space of the Fábrica Moritz, and has a separate dining area – Al Kostat (At The Side) – with a simpler, more accessible (read also: cheaper) menu.
Area/neighbourhood: Eixample
Contact: alkimia.cat
Prices: £££
Reservations: Recommended
Compartir
Little sister to the distinguished Disfrutar (currently at the top of the World's Best Restaurants list and at which you are unlikely to secure a table without some serious forward-planning), Compartir is run by the same team and has a similar approach to playful haute cuisine – at a lower price tag.
Its cavernous dining room is fun and relaxed – driftwood is suspended from the ceiling and elegant deco curves are balanced by rustic Catalan tiling – and a complement to dishes that look as good as they taste. The marinated sardines with emulsions of carrot and coconut are a standout – a Pollock on the plate and a flavour explosion on the tongue.
Area/neighbourhood: Eixample
Contact: compartirbarcelona.com
Prices: £££
Reservations: Recommended
Cinc Sentits
Every accolade – including two Michelin stars – has been deservedly heaped on Cinc Sentits and its haute take on Catalan cuisine. To maximise the diner's experience of what chef Jordi Artal can do, these days the restaurant only serves fixed menus – eight courses for €185 (£154) or 10 courses for €200 (£166). Expect dishes such as pigeon served three ways, including a paper pouch containing 'false rice' made from its thigh, and some table-side theatre. The restaurant is also known for its wine selection, and wine pairings are available for each menu. There is a chef's table for those that like to watch the action close up.
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Best for walk ins
Milk
Milk performs all sorts of functions. It's a stylish but relaxed place for a late-night drink, a restaurant that feels more like a really good pub (with grub to match – from homemade burgers and steak sandwiches, to smoked salmon fishcakes and the occasional foray into Asian cuisine), and it's a great place for a relaxed brunch with the papers. Choose from eggs Benedict, banana and walnut pancakes or just a good old-fashioned fry-up, and maybe treat yourself to a bloody Mary or a mimosa. Best of all, you can rock up for brunch any time up to 4:30pm.
El Atril
Here, you can sit in the stone-walled dining room or under umbrellas on the little Plaça de Sant Cugat. In season, one of the best things to order is a big bowl of moules et frites, but there's plenty more to choose from, including sea bass with truffle, tuna tartare with a tapenade of sundried tomatoes and olives, and pork with quince alioli. Light and healthy options include inventive salads and a vegan burger. Brunch is served at weekends.
Quimet i Quimet
Everybody's favourite tapas bar is about the same size as a large wardrobe, and it can be a struggle to abide by the 'no standing on the pavement' rule. It's still worth it, however, for the wonderful montaditos – delicate little arrangements balanced on a slice of French bread and made in front of your eyes. Highly recommended is the smoked salmon with cream cheese, soy sauce and honey, but there's no real list. The bar also specialises in wine (bottles of every vintage line the walls) and conservas (tinned seafood), most of which is surprisingly good.
Chez Coco
This is the place to come for a date, if you can get one of its cosy high-backed booths. It's a charming space, with many original features such as oak panelling and a tiled mosaic floor. More recent decorative additions include plunging chandeliers, cobalt blue upholstery on the booths, and an open kitchen hung with copper pans, where various kinds of bird roast slowly on rotating spits. The menu is French and fairly ambitious, but the best bet is to stick to the fried poussin and fat wedge chips, which are excellent and reasonably priced.
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Best for seafood
Cal Pep
Not quite a tapas bar, not quite a seafood restaurant. Cal Pep does have a cosy dining room at the back and a terrace to the side, but if you sit there you'll miss all the fun. Better to stand at the bar (or wait your turn patiently behind those at the bar) and watch the cooks working the stoves. There is no shtick here apart from superbly fresh seafood, served simply and on plates designed for sharing. Non-fish eaters will also find plenty to eat, however – try 'the tortilla trampera' with chorizo and alioli.
Can Solé
Another of Barceloneta's excellent paella restaurants, this one a little more upmarket than most (with prices to match), and attentive waiters – there can't be many restaurants that provide reading glasses to diners. There are two specialities: paella in various forms, and what is known as 'grandmother's spoon food' – steaming hotpots of chickpeas with chorizo, lentil and potato stew, onion soup with a poached egg and Emmental stirred through it, and so on. There is a quiet dining room upstairs, but the best place to sit is downstairs by the open kitchen where you can watch the action.
Set Portes
An elegant old paella and seafood restaurant, under an arcaded walkway down near the port. It's been around since 1836, and the great and the good to have graced its tables are immortalised in little plaques on the backs of the chairs. Despite its vast size – there are several dining rooms – and history, sympathetic lighting and accommodating waiters make it feel both cosy and friendly, something quite unusual in a restaurant of this stature. The food is excellent, respecting old recipes while occasionally adding a new twist. If you're feeling extravagant, go for the zarzuela – a tasty casserole with lobster.
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How we choose
Every restaurant in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, who has visited to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets, from neighbourhood favourites to Michelin-starred restaurants – to best suit every type of traveller's taste – and consider the food, service, best tables, atmosphere and price in our recommendations. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest opening and provide up to date recommendations.
After stints living in Seville and Madrid, in 2001 Sally Davies settled in Barcelona's El Born, a stone's throw from Ciutadella Park and the Santa Caterina market, two of her favourite places anywhere.
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