My Favorite Restaurants in Barcelona

Barcelona is a fantastic place for food lovers. There is a wide variety of cuisines available to cater for all tastes and price points. Here are my favorites:

Japanese

• Sato i Tanaka
• Shunka
• Aiueno
• Minamo
• Usagui – Super tasty desserts and authentic Japanese food.
• Mutenroshi

Healthy

• Les Tres a la Cuina – Healthy homemade food lunch set menu at 9 Euro.
• The Green Spot – Excellent cocktails and the best vegan pizza ever. Might be overpriced, but the ingredients are top quality.
• Arc Iris – Menu del dia €9.50
• Daso – They have three branches, fantastic staff and healthy food.

Indian

• Indian Herbs

Fusion

• Ziryab Fusion Tapas Bar – Great fusion tapas, recommended for a night out with friends as it gets noisy.

Arabic

• Iakni – Best Lebanese food in Barcelona.
• Karakala – Our go-to lunch set menu during the weekend. Lebanese food.

Italian

• Il Cuore di Napoli – Hands down best pizza in Barcelona
• Don Kilo
• Sartoria Panattieri
• La Macchina Pasta Bar – Quick and tasty pasta at decent prices.
• Nonna Maria – Authentic Italian food.
• La Balmesina – Check out the menu del dia too.
• Via Margutta
• Acqua & Farina

Mediterranean

• Mastico
• 9 Nine – Fabulous place with set menu, one of my top favorites.
• Oria

Catalan

• Can Cortada – Superb service and great local food in a very traditional location.
• La Perla
• Pirineu en boca

Asian

• Petit Bangkok – Thai food at its best. Book in advance.

Greek

• La Taberna Griega

Polish

• Polka Bar

Russian

• Souvenir – Friendly owners and great Russian food.
• Ekaterina

Chinese

• Wenzhou

Peruvian

• Toma Ya

Scandinavian

• Pappa Sven

Vegetarian

• En Ville – Menu del dia €13.
• Messana

Tapas

• Viana – My candidate for best tapas in Barcelona.
• Tosca – Really awesome tapas.
• La Mundana

Local Food

• Casa Lolea – Take sangria and mushroom risotto.
• 9Nine – Amazing food and service especially if you for dinner.

Burgers

• Bacoa – Epic burgers. Many branches around town.

Steak

• Arcano – Good for steaks.

Cafes

• Federal Cafe – Good food and coffee and excellent spot for working.

Take Away

• La Fabrica (El Born) – Very good empanadas.

Brunch

• Cafe Godot – Good but limited selection of plates, kid-friendly.
• Enkel – Great brunch selection including sandwiches, eggs in different styles, shakshuka and arepas. Nice juices too.
• La Esquina
• Check this site for more brunch options

Fine Dining

• 130 Restaurant – Wagyu meat and fantastic service in La Bonanova
• Ekubo – Authentic Japanese in Eixample

Paella

• Barceloneta – A bit overpriced and service doesn’t feel homely, but paella is consistently good.
• El Raco del Aguir
• Taverna Hofmann
• Arroz i Peix

Sweets

• Pasteleria Arabe El Principe

Calçots

The best calçots are found in Valls, where they make a popular fiesta every year in honor of this delicacy.

If you want to try them out in places closer to Barcelona, you will have to be careful when choosing, as there are many places that are rip-offs with low-quality products.

Here are the places I recommend based on my own experience or that of trusted local friends.

• Sa Montoliva (also have a daily menu del dia for 12 euro with local food) – Tarragona
• Can Cortada – Barcelona
• Can Jane – Sant Cugat

Do you know any other awesome places for eating calçots?

How I Find a New Restaurant to Try

There’s something special about eating out beyond not having to cook and do the dishes. Whether you’re eating alone or with someone close to you, there’s a certain quality to eating at a restaurant that can’t be replicated at home. Unfortunately, going to the same restaurant time after time can get a little stale.

Finding a new restaurant can often be a challenge, as you won’t know what kind of food to expect, what their best dishes are, and what the interior is like. Here are some strategies I recommend.

Take a Walk

By far the most proven method for finding a new restaurant is going out and taking a walk until you find one that you like. Physically exploring each restaurant allows you to get a feel for the atmosphere, and you can take the time to talk to the staff about their menu and what dish they think is best.

Nobody will know what you like better than you do, so experiencing the various options for yourself can help ensure that you make the right choice. If you’re going out to dinner with someone else, you can always make this a fun part of the night as you explore for the perfect place.

Ask Friends and Acquaintances

If walking around sounds a little too tedious, you can instead ring up some foodie acquaintances who’ll be sure to give you the scoop about any great places in town. Since your friends know you and your preferences, they will also be more qualified than a stranger on the internet.

You can even ask your friend if they’d like to come along to the restaurant with you, considering they recommended it. This technique obviously won’t work if you’re on vacation or if you’ve recently moved to a new place and haven’t gotten a chance to get to know people yet.

Use a Restaurant Finder App

These apps can help you find new restaurants regardless of where you are, and they will usually have a taste profile that can help find the best places for you.

While a restaurant finder app won’t know you as well as your friends, it will have a repertoire of all of the restaurants in your immediate area, which can be even more helpful. You can then go through the various options and check out images, menus, and reviews to help you find the best one.

Conclusion

Finding a new restaurant doesn’t always have to feel impossible, and these three methods make it far simpler.

When I’m looking for something new in Barcelona I also look at the Plateselector or Barcelona Food Experience websites to find new ones. Traveler also has a great list of menus del dia in Gracia, my favorite barrio in Barcelona.

If you’d like to learn what are the most typical dishes in Catalonia and other regions of the world, I recommend Taste Atlas.

What are your favorite restaurants in Barcelona?