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ABaC Restaurant
The two-Michelin-starred restaurant of the ABaC hotel has been called one of the best in Catalonia. Most recently, it was named "Best Restaurant" by the Small Luxury Hotels of the World in 2017. Guests are welcome to walk through the...
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Alkimia
Alkimia’s chef, Jordi Vilà, is a follower of Ferran Adrià. Minimalist décor in the restaurant allows guests to focus on Vilà’s deconstructed dishes, including pa amb tomàquet, a typical Catalan dish of white bread rubbed with tomato pulp and olive...
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Arola
Located on the second level of the Hotel Arts, Arola offers diners an opportunity to try chef Sergi Arola’s cuisine in a casual setting. Catalan by birth, Arola travels to Barcelona each week to oversee the kitchen. The patio sits...
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Auto Rosellon
Inside a converted auto mechanics shop, Auto Rosellon is an airy Catalan eatery open from breakfast to late night. The food, which is dubbed “no-tag cuisine,” fuses flavors from traditional Catalonian to Israeli and Mediterranean, with dishes such as goulash,...
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Banker’s Bar
The décor of the Mandarin Oriental’s hotel bar references the building’s former life as a bank with a wall made entirely of safety-deposit boxes. The drinks menu, on the other hand, references the Mandarin chain’s Asian roots with offerings like...
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Bar Cañete
Around the corner from the Liceu Opera House, Bar Cañete offers an extensive selection of creative tapas. The ingredients are fresh, with seafood coming in daily from nearby Catalan fish markets, and the long communal bar offers prime views of...
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Bar del Pla
A great stop before or after visiting the Picasso Museum, Bar del Pla is part casual bistro, part bustling tapas bar—and wholly delicious. The extensive wine list and seasonal tapas manage to be both traditional and creative. The unassuming spot...
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Bar Lobo
Just a few steps off Barcelona’s famous and overcrowded La Rambla Avenue, sit the intriguing, mazelike, up-and-coming Raval district. Among these narrow streets, interspersed with galleries, trendy shops and the occasional seedy grocer, you’ll find Bar Lobo. The tiny gem...
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Bar Mut
Bar Mut is as popular with well-heeled business folks as it is with hipster tourists, turning out some of the most unique, cleverly executed small plates in Barcelona. Traditional Catalan dishes like thinly sliced fried eggplant or scrambled eggs with...
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Bar Velódromo
Opened in 1933, this Barcelona institution was a popular meeting place for members of the Govern de la República during the Spanish Civil War. After a recent renovation, the expansive restaurant’s original Art Deco design has been refreshed with lime-green...
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Bardeni el Meatbar
The tapas bar sister of Caldeni next door, Bardeni proffers a mix of inventive Catalonian tapas, and boasts some abbreviated versions of the meat dishes for which Caldeni is known. Bardeni is casual enough to grab a drink and light tapas...
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Bestial
Call ahead to reserve a seat at the outdoor communal table at Bestial, a popular Mediterranean restaurant overlooking the ocean in the Olympic Harbor. Fresh homemade mushroom ravioli with prawns followed by one of their homemade fruit sorbets makes an...
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Boadas Cocktails
Founded in 1933, this cozy spot claims to be the city’s oldest cocktail bar. Just off Las Ramblas Boadas is a good place to enjoy a well-mixed drink and travel back in time. The Art Deco style and bartenders in...
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Bobby Gin
The award-winning mixologist, Alberto Pizarro, is behind this gin-only cocktail bar in the Gràcia district. The top-grade gin can be enjoyed in a classic G&T or infused with unexpected flavors such as anise or saffron. The extensive tapas menu features tasty...
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Boca Chica
Located on the second floor of the stately townhouse that also houses the Boca Grande restaurant, this cocktail bar has soaring ceilings, dim lighting and an impressive, mirror-backed bar. Tusks, animal heads, dark wood, leather furniture and hanging lanterns add...
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Boca Grande
Boca Grande buzzes with fashionable diners savoring fresh seafood and Galician dishes. The expansive dining area, decorated with dramatic 19th-century flourishes, encompasses three rooms and a tempting oyster bar. The must-order dish for the table is the whole fish baked...
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Ca L’Isidre
Family-owned and operated since 1970, this restaurant serves refined Catalan cuisine in the Raval neighborhood. Close to MACBA and featuring museum-worthy décor itself (including original engravings by Salvatore Dali), the restaurant is a perennial favorite with Barcelona’s art crowd. The...
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Cal Pep
Ask any of Barcelona’s best chefs for their favorite tapas restaurant and most will send you to Cal Pep, a gourmet institution. It’s always packed with locals and travelers, but a table here is worth the wait and the elbows...
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Caldeni
For an escape from the tourist traffic when visiting the Sagrada Familia, Caldeni is the perfect spot for a quiet and refined meal. The sophisticated restaurant serves Catalan cuisine, with an emphasis on meat dishes, especially beef. (The highly decorated...
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Can Cisa / Bar Brutal
This lively and authentic restaurant and bar on a winding street in El Born draws a mix of locals and visiting foodies. The dishes are simple but delicious, and the wines are all natural, as the owner is a supporter of...
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Can Majo
A mainstay along the beachfront Barceloneta neighborhood since 1968, this seafood restaurant is famous for its paella.
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Can Pineda
Can Pineda is a Barcelona institution specializing in traditional Catalan cuisine. This century-old restaurant boasts a 3,000-bottle wine cellar, and serves home-cooked specialties with an emphasis on truffles, foie gras, oxtail, lobster, crayfish and the freshest ingredients from the market....
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Casa Leopoldo
This traditional fine seafood restaurant in the non-gentrified Raval neighborhood dates back to 1929. The yellow-and blue-tiled dining room adds to the authentic Mediterranean feel. This is not a flashy place, but a Barcelona tradition.
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CDLC
This beachside eatery is popular amongst the city’s beautiful people. The mixed menu features salads, sushi, pastas and some standard tapas, and the 20-something crowd includes the occasional celebrity (including members of Barcelona’s soccer team). Pluses include the gauze-draped daybeds,...
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Cinc Sentits
In Catalan, Cinc Sentits means “five senses,” and indeed this restaurant appeals to all of them. “Food is the star, but we also spent a lot of time conceiving the design, music, light and atmosphere,” says Canada-born Catalan chef Jordi...
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Cometa
Not far from the famous Mercat Sant Antoni is the quickly gentrifying street Carrer del Parlament, where you will find lots of small design boutiques and hipster coffee shops. Cometa, which is decorated with works by local artists, is one...
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Con Gràcia
A terrific international wine selection and intimate dining room make this a date-night favorite among Gràcia’s foodies. The inventive, seasonal tasting menu combines Mediterranean and Asian flavors.
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Coure
Offering haute cuisine in a basement-level dining room at below-market prices, this unassuming restaurant features a reasonably priced seasonal menu. Windows looking onto outside greenery and decorative copper-chain curtains (“coure” means “copper” in Catalan) gives the room a light atmosphere,...
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Cuines Santa Caterina
This restaurant inside the bustling Mercado de Santa Caterina is a fun spot to enjoy a casual and delicious lunch. The large restaurant (whose name means “kitchens” in Catalan) is almost always crowded and boisterous. Try to arrive before noon...
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Disfrutar Barcelona
Disfrutar Barcelona, launched by three former head chefs of the famed El Bulli restaurant, offers gastronomic dishes amid cozy décor. The interior’s main features – clay and plaster – create unique dining spaces that are inspired by the Mediterranean. Order...
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Dos Palillos
This restaurant’s name, which literally translates to “two sticks,” references the toothpicks traditionally used to eat Spanish pintxos (bar snacks) and is also a nod to Albert Raurich’s (head chef at El Bulli from 1999-2007) Asian-inspired cuisine. The hip cocktail...
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Dry Martini
As the name suggests, this is the place to go for a martini in Barcelona. Since opening in 1978, the dark-wood and leather decorated bar has shaken and stirred over a million martinis for the stylish Eixample crowd. (Check the...
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El Bar del Majestic
The bar and ground-floor lounge restaurant in the Hotel Majestic is open all day and into the evening for coffee and tea, cocktails and full meals. Rather than being a mere hotel lounge, however, the restaurant serves extraordinary dishes dreamed...
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El Nacional
With four dining rooms—each with a different focus (steak, seafood, tapas and rice)—El Nacional is a hot spot for dinner and excellent cocktails. An elegant take on a food hall, the beautifully tiled space is located just a block from...
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El Quim de la Boqueria
Ideal for lunch, El Quim de la Boqueria counter in the crowded and chaotic Mercat de la Boqueria involves some jostling and angling for a seat, but the food at this eatery is always worth the wait. Specials change according to...
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El Vaso de Oro
This buzzy tapas bar almost resembles a German beer hall with wood-paneled walls and a tiny dining room that is regularly filled with convivial conversation. The food is delicious and the service is speedy.
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Els Pescadors
In summer, Els Pescadors’ outdoor tables spill out onto a peaceful plaza in such an out-of-the-way corner of the city that you almost forget you’re in Barcelona. Just a few blocks from the ocean, with white tablecloths, attentive service and...
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Enoteca
Open for lunch and dinner, Paco Pérez’s contemporary Catalan restaurant has hints of international flavors—from dim sum shrimp to Wagyu Beef Wellington. An airy, white table-clothed dining room, this restaurant gives those not staying on the seafront a good excuse...
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EspaiESSENCE
This desserts-only restaurant in El Born features a chocolate menu and a cheese menu that are equally drool-worthy. Whether it’s the chocolate with vinegar, strawberry, mint and pepper or the goat “cheesecake” with raspberries, red pepper and ginger that strikes...
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Euskal Etxea
At this stylish but casual Basque restaurant frequented by students and hipsters, pintxos (typical Spanish bar snacks) are eaten with traditional toothpick-like skewers.
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Fábrica Moritz Barcelona
This brewery and beer hall was recently renovated by Jean Nouvel and is a fun place to sample the local brew, Moritz. In a nod to the Alsatian roots of the Moritz family (who began brewing beer in Barcelona in...
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Gelonch
Chef Robert Gelonch, who honed his molecular gastronomic skills working at El Bulli, is behind this bi-level restaurant in the removed Eixample Dreta neighborhood. The menu features inventive creations such as carrots with “nitro popcorn,” which arrives at the table...
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Kilo Restaurante
Set off of Avinguda Diagonal, this trendy restaurant features refined neo-Mediterranean cuisine served in a pleasant farmhouse-chic room with whitewashed brick walls and handwritten chalkboard specials. This is an especially good spot for an inexpensive lunch near Passeig de Gràcia.
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La Cremería Toscana
Some of the best frozen treats in Barcelona can be found at this creamery in Eixample. The fig gelato is divine.
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La Nena
This traditional, family-friendly chocolatería is known for its rich and creamy hot chocolate, which pairs well with flakey, buttery pastries and sugary churros.
Barcelona

Courtesy Dos Palillos
Barcelona’s food scene ranks amongst the world’s best, with dining options ranging from cutting-edge gastro-experimental eateries to traditional Catalan bistros and bustling tapas bars. To get the most out of a trip to Spain’s culinary capital, plan meals carefully, as reservations at the top restaurants are required, and not easily secured. Also keep in mind that the Spanish dine late – 2 pm for lunch, 10 pm or later for dinner. Tapas bars and some of the top hotel restaurants open earlier, however, so it’s possible to acclimate to the schedule without resorting to tourist fare. For an abbreviated list of restaurants, read Top Tables Barcelona.