There’s paella, and there’s wet yellow rice with 4 pieces of green
peas mixed in. Although Barcelona is known for amazing delicious food,
it’s still not free from restaurants that serve… well… bad, inedible
items they try to pass off as food. ¡Que horror! After 3 trips to
Barcelona, I’ve had my own share of not so exemplary cooking: patatas
bravas swimming in oil, rubbery calamares and how can I forget the wet
yellow rice with a few pieces of peas labelled being sold as paella.
But of course there are those really good ones, too. My knowledge of
food stops in Barcelona is by no means comparable to a local’s. But
what I do have is a list of places that I’ve been to and enjoyed. In
your trip to Barcelona, if you ever find yourself in the vicinity of one
of these places with your stomach grumbling, this map (followed by
short descriptions) may prove to be helpful:
COFFEE/CHURROS CON CHOCOLATE
Restaurant Bella-Tapa Rambla de Catalunya, 8 08007 Barcelona, Spain
Just off Placa Catalunya, this is the perfect churros con chocolate
stop either early in the morning (if you feel like having churros for
breakfast), or as a mid-afternoon snack (a.k.a. merienda) whilst you
rest your feet after a day of touring.
TAPAS/LUNCH/DINNER
Ciudad Condal Rambla de Catalunya, 18 08007 Barcelona, Spain
Cervecería Catalana Carrer de Mallorca, 236 08008 Barcelona, Spain
If you’re craving for tapas, Ciudad Condal and Cervecería Catalana
have a lot to offer. The restaurants are just a few blocks from each
other along Rambla Catalunya. If you’re walking along La Rambla and
feel like having some tapas, ignore all the restaurants along La Rambla
and a go a few minutes more towards Rambla Catalunya. A few more metres
of walking will give you tapas, food, service and ambiance that are miles
better than those in La Rambla. I visited both restaurants for dinner
and found them packed and buzzing with locals enjoying their famous 11pm
dinners that last ’til the wee hours of the morning.
Tapas at Cervecería Catalana
Tapas at Cervecería Catalana
Tapas at Cervecería Catalana
1am at Cervecería Catalana
Ciudad Condal’s patatas bravas
MARKET MEALS
Mercat De La Boqueria La Rambla, 91 08001 Barcelona, Spain
Mercat de Santa Caterina Avinguda de Francesc Cambó, 16 08003 Barcelona, Spain
Cuines Santa Caterina Avinguda de Francesc Cambó, 16 08003 Barcelona, Spain
Getting food straight out of local markets is always a good way to
sample authentic local fare. Be warned, however, that since both La Boqueria and Santa Caterina
are in the tourist routes, there are a lot of stalls that sell
overpriced fruits, nuts, cakes, etc. But if you look closely and
carefully, you will find offerings that are not only delicious but also
quite inexpensive. If you’re in Santa Caterina, you may also want to
consider doing a proper sit-down tapas and cava tasting at Cuines Santa Caterina—I highly recommend pairing the cava with the seafood tapas.
Lots of choices at La Boqueria Market
Cheap snacks that are big in taste
Tapas and cava tasting at Cuines Santa Caterina
BY THE HARBOUR
La Fonda Del Port Olimpic Moll de Gregal, 7 08005 Barcelona, Spain
La Fonda is located around Port Olimpic by Ritz
Carlton’s Hotel Arts Barcelona and have a terrace that give you a view
of the water without the Ritz’s price tag. La Fonda and its neighboring
restaurants transform their strip of the harbour into one big open air
party at night, with the clatter of plates and clinking of glasses as
the background music. It’s a great spot especially on warm summer
nights; the constant sea breeze will keep you cool as you dine, or wine,
or both.
LA RAMBLA OPTIONS
Restaurante Amathu La Rambla, 73 08002 Barcelona, Spain
Restaurant Centonze La Rambla, 111 08002 Barcelona, Spain
If you can help it, time your trip so hunger does not hit you whilst
you’re at La Rambla. The street is just filled with sub-par food
offerings catering to the undiscerning tourist. Caught in the middle of
an anomalous downpour and achy feet in the middle of La Rambla, KD and I
walked into Amathu and we were actually pleasantly
surprised by the food. It doesn’t come anywhere close to all other
items in this list but we expected worse. If you have more budget, the
better option is to go to Centonze—Le Meridien Hotel’s
in-house restaurant. We had late lunch at Centonze when we stayed at Le
Meridien in 2009. Its food is the best in all of La Rambla (based on
my experience), but of course you must expect five-star prices.
Amathu’s tapas were not shabby at all
BEST PAELLA IN BARCELONA — FIT FOR ROYALTY
7 Portes Paseo Isabel II, 14 08003 Barcelona, Spain
In 2009, my sister and I went on paella mission in Barcelona. The mission was simple: to have paella for every meal of every
day of our 6-day stay in the city. We stuck to this all the way to the
airport where we had very bad “pasta paella” right before we boarded
our flight. By the time we got back home to Toronto, it felt like our
blood has turned to paella. Yet our mission failed—we did not find the
paella that we were looking for.
You’re sitting on the king’s chair!
It was not until 2012, following a tip from a local cabbie and a bunch of Filipino waiters, that we found out about 7 Portes. The restaurant is beautifully elegant complete with a live pianist, the service was top notch, and the paella was fit for a king.
Literally. Towards the end of my dinner at 7 Portes with my mother, a
lady from the table next to us asked if she can have a photo taken at
my seat. Apparently, I was sitting exactly where King Juan Carlos I of
Spain sat when he dined at the restaurant. Other famous illustrious
diners include Queen Sofia, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Salvador Dali.
And I should make it clear, the paella is the best I’ve ever had.
Left: Beautiful dining room of 7 Portes with a live pianist; Right: Over 175 years of amazing Spanish cooking
Best paella in Barcelona – 7 Portes
Crema Catalan at 7 Portes
King Juan Carlos I shiny seat plaque
Our receipt confirms that we shared the table with the king
