Dining at Barcelona restaurants is a key part of getting to know the city. Barcelona offers a range of places to try everything from traditional Catalan cuisine and tapas to international eateries.
However, there are thousands of restaurants in Barcelona, Spain. Sifting through all of the options can be a struggle and it’s difficult to discover any hidden gems as a newcomer.
One of my favorite things to do in Barcelona when I lived there was indulging in the amazing food scene. Along the way, I found some incredible places to eat and I’ve created this guide to help you enjoy them, too.
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33 Best Barcelona Restaurants
Ciutat Comtal
🍽️ Tapas Bar | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 933 181 997
Ciutat Comtal is a tapas restaurant in the Eixample district, which is one of the best areas to stay in Barcelona. This restaurant is teeming with good energy and happy customers.
It’s a local favorite for fresh seafood plates, like razor clams and grilled cuttlefish. Ciutat Comtal is also where I ate the best tortilla de patata in Barcelona.
Ciutat Comtal stays open all day long unlike most Barcelona restaurants. This makes it a perfect lunch spot in Barcelona. The restaurant doesn’t accept reservations, though. Expect to wait 30 minutes for a table or arrive before the busy dinner rush around 8 pm.
La Selva
🍽️ Brasserie | ($$$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 935 399 361
La Selva is a jungle-themed restaurant that serves variations of juicy, aged steaks like Argentine Ribeye and Spanish Wagyu. Servers even bring out a tabletop grill to finish off the steak to your liking. La Selva is the perfect combination of fun and charming for a date night in Barcelona.
There are plenty of menu options besides red meat as well. I ordered the grilled monkfish and it was just as delicious as the meat dishes. At the end of your meal, a dessert tray is brought out to show you all of their dessert offerings firsthand (the carrot cake is a winner, in my opinion).
Can Cargolet
🍽️ Catalonian | ($) | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 934 237 639
Can Cargolet is a hidden gem restaurant in the Sant Antoni neighborhood. Here, you’ll find a few tourists and the best budget-friendly Catalan food in Barcelona.
Can Cargolet is one of the best restaurants in Barcelona to try out Caracoles, a Catalan version of Escargot. The dish comes in a few variations on the menu, but I opted for the garlic sauce which did not disappoint.
You can find other traditional specialties from around the region at Can Cargolet, like butifarra Catalana, calçots, and Catalan salad.
Güell Tapas
🍽️ Tapas | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 931 161 818
Güell Tapas is a classic tapas joint that offers all the tasty Spanish dishes visitors yearn to try in Barcelona. The star of the menu is the seafood paella. However, the crispy Andalusian calamari is my favorite item on the menu.
Güell Tapas is conveniently located right in the heart of Barcelona. It’s an easy place to pop into for lunch between visiting tourist attractions.
Casa Lolea
🍽️ Spanish | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 936 241 016
Casa Lolea provides an intimate setting to enjoy beloved Spanish dishes with a tasty twist. The black truffle risotto is a must-order at this Barcelona restaurant—it’s creamy, rich, and the best risotto I’ve ever had in Spain.
Be sure to pair your meal with a specialty blend of Casa Lolea’s in-house sangria. The Lolea No. 1 with Mediterranean fruits, red wine, and cinnamon is a great choice.
👉 Pro Tip: Make a reservation at Casa Lolea in advance. The restaurant is an extremely popular dinner spot in Barcelona and the dining room is very compact.
Xiloka BCN Bar Restaurant
🍽️ Tapas Bar | ($) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 931 463 676
Xiloka BCN Bar Restaurant is a welcoming, budget-friendly tapas bar in the El Poble Sec neighborhood. Traditional plates, interesting house specials, and homemade vermouth are what you’ll find here.
Dining at Xiloka BCN Bar Restaurant feels like dining at an old friend’s house because of the attentive service and cozy atmosphere.
The must-try dish from Xiloka is their aptly named special ‘xilokitos,’ which are polenta-based tapas with goat cheese and vegetables. The tortilla de patata with chorizo is also a delectable spin on the Spanish omelet.
Colom Restaurant
🍽️ Mediterranean | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 933 018 529
Colom Restaurant is one of the best places to eat paella in Barcelona. It’s located just a few blocks from the coast in the Gothic Quarter.
The menu features a variety of paellas including seafood, chicken, and rabbit. They also serve the Valencian and Catalan regional specialty of arroz negro.
La Boqueria Market
🍽️ Food market | ($$$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 934 132 303
La Boqueria Market isn’t a restaurant, but it’s still one of the best places to eat in Barcelona. It’s also a must-do activity on any Barcelona itinerary.
Inside you’ll find a maze of stalls that range from full-blown, sit-down tapas bars to fruit and cured jamon sellers. There are spots with street food options too, such as empanadas, sauteed seafood, chocolate-covered strawberries on a stick, and Spanish bocadillo sandwiches.
La Boqueria Market is also the ultimate place for large groups or families with varying tastes to eat in Barcelona. Just be mindful that Boqueria Market is unnervingly busy and can be a hotspot for pickpockets. Keep your belongings close to you and stay aware of your surroundings.
📚 Related Reading: Best Markets in Spain
El Nacional Barcelona
🍽️ Spanish | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 935 185 053
El Nacional is a must-visit restaurant in Barcelona for first-time visitors. The massive food hall is located right off Passeig De Gracia and showcases all of the region’s top dishes and ingredients.
The restaurants within El Nacional Food Hall specialize in meats (La Braseria), fish (La Llotja), tapas (La Taperia), and light deli dishes (La Parada). Dining at this grand eatery makes it so easy to get an introduction to Catalonia’s various takes on Spanish food.
Caelis
🍽️ Fine Dining | ($$$$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 935 101 205
Caelis is a Michelin-star restaurant in the Gothic Quarter that provides one of the top fine dining experiences in Barcelona.
There are three tasting menus to choose from at Caelis: The Land and Sea menu, the Celebration menu, and the Vegetarian menu.
Each tasting experience costs €105 to €155 and visitors can add a wine pairing for €70 to €90 per person. It comes with 10+ imaginative courses that range from things like a cured yolk tartlet with caviar to macaroni with lobster and foie gras.
DeLaCrem
🍽️ Gelato | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps (Location 1) Google Maps (Location 2) | 📞 +34 930 041 093
DeLaCrem is a handmade gelato shop with seasonal flavors and two locations in Barcelona. It’s the perfect place to stop if you’re visiting Spain in the summer.
There is almost always a line trailing from the door here. However, it moves quickly and that should speak to how good the gelato is. DeLaCrem is well-known for its affogato, an espresso dessert drink with a scoop of hazelnut or vanilla gelato.
La Güerita Mexicana
🍽️ Mexican | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 931 524 902
La Güerita Mexicana is a top-notch Mexican restaurant in Barcelona’s Sant Antoni neighborhood. It’s a great Barcelona restaurant to visit if you start to get sick of tapas restaurants (if that’s possible).
La Güerita’s birria tacos are especially amazing. And this is coming from someone who spent upwards of a year living in Mexico City, Mexico.
Bar La Principal
🍽️ Tapas Bar | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 933 253 089
Bar La Principal is a no-frills tapas bar in the El Raval neighborhood that’ll make you feel right at home in Barcelona. La Principal is the type of easygoing restaurant where laughter fills the air and there is usually a football game playing on the TV.
Bar La Principal serves up generous portions of Spanish specialties like patatas bravas, tortillas, and grilled squid. I especially love the anchovy stuffed olives from Bar La Principal. You can also order delicious house vermouth.
Bo de B
🍽️ Sandwiches | ($) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 936 674 945
Bo de B is a tiny sandwich shop located on the edge of the coastal La Barceloneta neighborhood. The restaurant recently blew up for its ridiculously affordable and ingredient-packed sandwiches.
You can choose chicken, tuna, vegetable, cheese, falafel, beef, or salmon as your protein. Then, stuff your sandwich with toppings and sauces. It’s all put together on freshly baked bread. Bo de B also offers platters and delicious patatas bravas.
👉 Pro Tip: Bo de B only accepts cash.
Ziryab Fusió Tapas Bar
🍽️ Tapas Bar | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 931 874 210
Ziryab Fusió puts a unique spin on tapas that is different from anywhere else in Barcelona. The best way to experience all the food at Ziryab is by choosing the €35 tasting menu, which comes with a choice of appetizer, tapas, main dish, and dessert.
The apple curry croquettes are a welcome new take on the appetizer and the dates wrapped in bacon are also divine. Ziryab also offers natural wines from Catalonia to accompany your meal.
Tosca del Carme
🍽️ Tapas | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 937 308 487
Tosca del Carme is a cozy, dimly lit tapas restaurant in El Raval. Dishes range from classic Spanish staples to more unexpected plates. A personal favorite menu item is the tuna tataki. You’ll also want to order the pan con tomate appetizer. It may seem like a simple dish, but it’s delicious.
Restaurante Carmina
🍽️ Italian | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 936 061 524
Restaurante Carmina is a romantic Italian restaurant at the base of the Havana Hoose Hotel in the Eixample neighborhood. The menu features a range of freshly made pasta dishes, including penne alla vodka and carbonara tossed in a big cheese wheel.
The food pairs deliciously with one of their simplistic, yet one-of-a-kind house cocktails. I had the Carmine Cocktail with grapefruit, maraschino, and lime juice. I went in thinking I’d only have one because they’re on the pricey side, but I had to order another because it was so tasty.
Fat Schmuck
🍽️American | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps
Fat Schmuck in the El Raval district is heaven for bar food lovers. This restaurant makes things like fried chicken sandwiches with waffles and a kimchi Philly cheesesteak.
My top pick from Fat Schmuck was the Caesar Salad Royal with corn-flake-coated fried chicken. As a Caesar salad aficionado, I can tell you it’s tasty.
The friendly, laid-back ambiance is another thing I appreciate about this restaurant. There is outdoor seating and music comes on at night. It’s the ideal spot for a bite to eat before a night out.
Billy Brunch Headquarters
🍽️ Breakfast | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps
Billy Brunch Headquarters in the Eixample district is a classic American-style breakfast spot for egg dishes and coffee. It’s just what the doctor ordered on a Sunday morning after a long night of Barcelona nightlife.
The restaurant has terrific eggs benedict served with either spinach, salmon, or bacon. I like the piping hot shakshuka, though (it’s amazing). Billy Brunch Headquarters also has restorative juices and breakfast cocktails, like spicy bloody marys and mimosas.
La Ferreria
🍽️ Catalonian | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 934 886 050
La Ferreria is a Catalan restaurant with live piano music that boasts one of the most affordable and best tasting menus in all of Barcelona.
For just €36.45, guests are treated to an elaborate three-course meal of their choosing that feels like eating art. Some menu options include red tuna tartare with avocado mousse, scallop heart with plankton emulsion, and chocolate coulant atop a sweet mint sauce.
A27Bakehouse
🍽️ Bakery | ($) |📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 934 426 580
A27Bakehouse is a tiny El Raval pastry shop with great prices and a variety of baked goods that are freshly made with love every day. Stop by in the morning to grab a fluffy croissant or a hearty sandwich for lunch. A27Bakehouse is also the best place in the neighborhood to pick up a loaf of bread.
Departure Coffee Co.
🍽️ Coffee Shop | ($) |📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 935 630 589
Departure Coffee Co. is an artsy cafe in the Raval neighborhood. It’s my go-to cafe for a caffeine hit in Barcelona.
Departure Coffee Co. is located down a quiet side street and provides a wide-open dining space to chit-chat with friends and enjoy a specialty coffee. They always have exceptionally tasty pastries available, too.
👉 Pro Tip: Departure Coffee Co. has WiFi for its patrons, however, the cafe has a no-laptop policy. So, it’s not the best place for digital nomads to work.
Chök
🍽️ Pastry Shop | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 936 817 849
Chök is a prominent dessert spot in Barcelona with unique baked goods like cronuts (croissant-textured donuts). They also make a bunch of gluten-free sweet treats.
There are five Chök locations across Barcelona from Eixample to Sant Marti. The best one is right in Barcelona’s city center by La Rambla. This location has the largest selection of baked goods to accommodate most dietary restrictions.
Da Nanni Pizzeria
🍽️ Pizza | ($) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +52 985 102 9047
Da Nanni makes authentic, Neapolitan pizza, and it’s one of the best spots in Barcelona for a fast, cheap bite to eat while bar-hopping.
Da Nanni is conveniently located in the Gothic Quarter and provides pizzas to-go throughout the early evening. An entire personal-size pizza at Da Nanni only costs €6 to €10, so it’s fantastic for people trying to travel cheaply while in Europe. My favorite pizza here is the Diavola with spicy salami.
Cañete
🍽️ Spanish | ($$$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 932 703 458
Reservations at Cañete in El Raval get snatched up a month or more in advance because this restaurant crafts some of the most memorable tapas plates in Barcelona. I highly recommend booking a table here before you even arrive in Barcelona.
Cañete’s menu features a selection of plates like fresh Galician razor clams, lobster croquettes, squid sandwiches, and oxtail. Try and grab a seat at the bar, so you can watch the chefs masterfully create each plate.
JOK
🍽️ Catalonian | ($$$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 937 648 952
JOK is a luxurious restaurant in Eixample and one of the best spots in Barcelona for tasting elevated Catalan food. The thoughtfully plated dishes include things like smoked eel fritters, octopus with carrot cream and pork jowl, and Catalan-style cannelloni.
The restaurant also has an extensive menu of interesting cocktails, such as the True Fairy with fennel, basil, almond, and lemon.
The dining space at JOK feels borderline cinematic with its green-covered terrace and chic decorations. The restaurant is tucked away on the first floor of a residential building. You have to ring the doorbell to gain access to the restaurant and once inside, you’ll immediately feel pampered.
Granja M. Viader
🍽️ Cafe | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 933 183 486
Granja M. Viader is a historic cafe (over 150 years old!) located right off La Rambla. It’s one of the best places in Barcelona to try the traditional Spanish dessert of churros. Order the sugary strands of churro with a side of thick, molten hot chocolate.
Granja M. Viader offers a bunch of other desserts like Crema Catalana (Catalonian crème brûlée), cheesecake, and lady finger cookies.
👉 Pro Tip: There is usually a long line to grab a table at Granja M. Viader. Use the left door to order to-go if you’re running low on time. Your food will be ready in just a couple of minutes.
ÖSS Kaffe
🍽️ Coffee Shop | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps
ÖSS Kaffe is a funky and friendly coffee shop in the Raval district. They serve rich lattes and little bites, like baked goods and toast smeared with avocado or cream cheese and jam.
Although ÖSS Kaffe is a tiny, intimate space, there is still enough room to get comfortable with a cup of joe and chat with friends before a day out in Barcelona.
Restaurant Can Culleretes
🍽️ Catalonian | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 933 173 022
Restaurant Can Culleretes is one of the oldest restaurants in Barcelona. It is located in the Gothic Quarter and has been welcoming diners to eat their home-cooked Catalonian food since 1786.
Can Culleretes has a plethora of regional classics to try, like Catalan soup and butifarra, which is a type of Spanish pork sausage. The restaurant space is simple, yet timelessly elegant, which is great for a romantic evening.
La Bombeta
🍽️ Tapas | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps
La Bombeta is a tapas bar that is known for its bombas, which are essentially fried mashed potato balls. La Bombeta is just a few blocks away from La Barceloneta Beach, which is the neighborhood that invented the dish.
La Bombeta is a great place to go for seafood as well since it’s right near the ocean. The Galician octopus is a local favorite and the restaurant has tasty Crema Catalana to finish off the meal as well.
La Cova Fumada
🍽️ Tapas | ($$) | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 932 214 061
La Cova Fumada is a family-run tapas joint less than a five-minute walk from Barceloneta Beach, making it an ideal stop for lunch during a beach day.
The seafood plates from this place are out of this world. The thing that’s great about La Cova is they take simple dishes, like grilled artichoke, sardines, and grilled squid, and highlight their natural flavors.
Las Fritas
🍽️ Fries | ($) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 930 139 833
Las Fritas is an easy, cheap, and satisfying restaurant for a deep-fried snack. It’s located in Barcelona’s El Born neighborhood and perfect before an evening out on the town. Las Fritas specializes in sauce-smothered fries that you can take to-go. The flavors range from chili fries to Jamon Iberico fries.
TAiTU
🍽️ Ethiopian | ($) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 696 540 883
TAiTU is an affordable Ethiopian restaurant with lots of vegan options in Barcelona’s chill Poble Sec neighborhood. TAiTU is the perfect place to try Ethiopian food because they provide complete, ready-to-order meal sets for just €13.90.
Food from places like TAiTU is one of my favorite things about Barcelona’s restaurant scene—you can find mouthwatering, authentic food from all over the world in this city.
FAQs About Places to Eat in Barcelona
What are the most famous restaurants in Barcelona?
The most famous restaurants in Barcelona are Can Culleretes,Cañete, and El Nacional. Each one is famous for different reasons. Can Culleretes is one of the oldest restaurants in Barcelona and Cañete is so popular that it takes a month to get a table. El Nacional is famous for its grand dining space showcasing several top Barcelona eateries.
What are some good affordable restaurants in Barcelona?
The best affordable restaurants in Barcelona are Can Cargolet,Xiloka BCN Bar Restaurant, and TAiTU. These three Barcelona restaurants serve exceptional food in charming spaces without costing more than €25 per person.
What are the Michelin-star restaurants in Barcelona?
There are 28 Michelin-star restaurants in Barcelona with a range of different cuisines. One of the best is Caelis in the Gothic Quarter. Caelis provides a choice of tasting menu with over 10 brilliant courses and an optional wine pairing.
What are the best kid-friendly restaurants in Barcelona?
The best kid-friendly restaurants in Barcelona are Colom Restaurant,La Bombeta, and Güell Tapas. These restaurants have spacious dining rooms and friendly service, and allow kids to get a taste of authentic Spanish cuisine.
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This is the end of my guide to the best Barcelona restaurants. Thinking about visiting Madrid, too? Check out my guide on Barcelona vs Madrid to learn about the key differences between these two iconic Spanish cities. Thanks for reading and enjoy eating around Barcelona!
