As you may or may not know, I actually call Barcelona my base these days, and I’ve been getting a lot of requests to make a post on the best restaurants in Barcelona!
This is a mix of my personal favorites, and many of the others I’ve been to that maybe you will like as well! If you happen to use this guide, please leave me a comment with your thoughts on the restaurants!
I also always appreciate some love on social media, which helps me sustain posting free info like this one! Please share this if you found it useful!
Whether you’re just visiting or you actually live in Barcelona, tapas are going to be part of your diet. There are TONS of tapas restaurants, and you really can just pop into any, but there are a few that are local favorites that I’d highly recommend!
Bar de Pla – a small, cute hidden gem that’s always busy! There’s often a line to get in. My faves were the mushroom and wasabi salad, and codfish croquettas.
Taller de Tapas – technically an Argentinian tapas spot, but still good and VERY cheap. There’s several of them throughout Barcelona as well.
Bormuth – a popular spot in Born for both food and drinks! Be sure to try a glass of Vermut while you’re there!
Tosca Tapas y Vino – one of my favorite tapas spots because it has a prime view of the beautiful balcony of Palau de la Musica. Their tapas are really yum too!
Cerveseria Catalunya – for traditional Catalan tapas, you must go here! It’s literally always busy though, so try to make a reservation, or prepare to wait in line.
El Nacional – a very cool spot that people love to hang out at, because it has several restaurants and bars in one place! The restaurant in the back left corner is where you can find cheap, traditional tapas.
I’ve of course tried various paellas all around Barcelona, but only two have stood out! By the way, I don’t really like rice! So that’s saying a lot!
Bar Canete – my absolute top favorite paella taste-wise. It also varies each day, so it’s not promised to be great every day or to be pescatarian! I also like that you can get it as a small portion. This place is truly a hidden gem, seriously ALL of their food is amazing! Try the lobster croquettes and burrata as well!
7 Portas – a relatively famous paella restaurant in Barcelona that most people write about, and it’s for a good reason. Their paella is really freaking good. I like the Black Rice paella the best.
As a pescatarian, it is extremely easy to eat in Barcelona. Not only are there TONS of seafood options, but when I’m trying to be extra good, there’s a lot of vegan options as well!
Vegan Junk Food – heaven on Earth for vegans! Or at least people who don’t eat meat but still like the idea of a cheeseburger. Everything is the vegan version of typical junkfood, from burgers to wings, and there’s also some sushi!
Vegetalia Born – a smaller vegetarian spot with a great view of the church in Born. They have Impossible Burgers!
Honest Greens – if all the wine and tapas has you craving a healthy salad, you can’t go wrong with Honest Greens!
The Green Spot – this is an upscale vegan restaurant with extremely delicious truffle pizza! Extra perks are that they allow dogs inside!
Amarre 69 – a cute new little vegan spot near Barceloneta beach with several great options! Including vegan tacos with faux-meat crumbles. They also have a delicious sangria!
All you can eat sushi is a thing in Barcelona, and it’s freaking amazing. The price is incredible, and the sushi is actually really good! Just to warn you, most will charge you if you don’t eat it all, so only order a few things at a time, and try to make a reservation!
Maguro – another heaven on Earth type of place! All you can eat sushi for only 20 euros! It doesn’t get much better than that! The fish quality was also very good. It definitely gets busy so go on a weekday or get there just before 2pm on a weekend. I like that you can order on a tablet that’s at each table!
Un Bocado – one of our typical spots for all you can eat sushi in Barcelona. The quality is extremely good here and the atmosphere is cute.
Shunka – not all you can eat sushi, but probably the highest quality sushi you’ll find in Barcelona. It’s a bit on the pricey side, but you’ll see why with the high grade fish. Reservations are a must so book far in advance!
Salvaje – Japanese Fusion in a “chic caveman” themed restaurant that’s part owned by Lionel Messi! This is an extremely popular hot spot restaurant with only two seating times per night! The sushi is very expensive, but like Shunka, it’s worth it for the quality and definitely for the atmosphere!
If you love hot pot, or even if you’ve never had it, you should try it while you’re in Barcelona! Especially if you happen to be here when the weather is a bit chilly! Hot Pot is a classic Chinese style of restaurants, where they bring you pots of broth to boil on the table, then you cook various types of food in it!
Yuan Lao Si Hotpot – I liked this one a lot because of the decor to be honest. It’s very ornate and traditionally decorated! The food was also amazing.
SLX Sinchuan Hot Pot – this is our go-to spot for hot pot! It’s cozy and the people who work there are extremely sweet!
I am basically the queen of brunch, and in Barcelona, it’s like my kingdom of amazing brunch places. I’m not going to lie, I have judged most of these places based on how good their eggs benedict with salmon is. But there’s some I also chose because of the atmosphere and vibe!
Alsur Cafe – there are two Alsur cafes, so be sure to go to the one near Cuitadella. Forewarning, they are pretty slow, but they have some amazing funky food options! For example they serve the eggs benedict on fluffy brioche bread, and they have a cronut grilled cheese!
Picnic – Picnic’s eggs benny with salmon is also really good. They have a lot of other options too, including tacos! There’s usually always a line here as well.
Mescladis del Pou – a very unique little restaurant nestled in the middle of Born. Mescladis is in a random little square with only outdoor seating. It actually donates its proceeds to charity, and its servers are all people training to become servers at restaurants. The menu is very impressive, with international dishes from around the world. But it also has a really good smoked salmon sandwich.
Egg Lab – I have yet to be here because since I live in Born, it’s “far” (it’s really not, that’s just what happens when you live somewhere), but my friend Jenny swears it’s one of the best brunch restaurants in Barcelona.
The Benedict – for fellow eggs benedict lovers, you obviously must go here. There’s many options for benedicts, and the one with salmon is amazing!
Milk Bar & Bistro – a quirky little spot that has both breakfast dishes and random things like “ramen burgers”. Milk Bar usually tops most food lists out there!
Ugot Bruncherie – located in Eixample, this adorable little restaurant also serves up a great eggs Benedict with salmon, and has indoor and outdoor seating.
Federal Cafe Gotico – a cafe that serves eggs benedict with salmon AND Impossible burgers. That is all.
Surf House Barcelona – one of the most popular outdoor restaurants in Barceloneta, with amazing food and a lot of vegan options! As you can imagine, there is always a line here, but it’s worth the wait!
Now let’s talk about all these swanky, cute places you’ve probably seen on my IG Stories! To be honest, most of them are very expensive. But if you want to treat yourself to a night out in one of the hottest places, make a reservation and check one of these out!
Salvaje – I know I already listed Salvaje for the sushi, but I have to list it again for party vibes, because they also have a DJ playing during dinner. Not only that, but they have women who perform in “savage” looking costumes, and an acrobat couple as well!
Velissima – a stylish Italian restaurant that also has a DJ and performances while you eat! The servers are also performers, and they are absolutely hilarious. Later Velissima turns into a nightclub and the dinner tables are cleared away.
Carpe Diem (CDLC) – during the day you can eat on Carpe Diem’s beachfront terrace (they have good sushi!), and at night, it turns into a swanky nightclub. It’s really beautifully decorated inside, be sure to check it out!
If you don’t want to go out to eat all the time in Barcelona, you can also order in! For restaurant and even grocery delivery, you can use Glovo or Uber Eats.
Or! If you want a handmade, absolutely delicious treat, check out DumplingsBCN, owned and operated by my bestie Jenny who took me to half of the places on this list!
Please don’t forget! I work extremely hard to produce these free travel guides and posts! If it helped you, or you enjoyed it, PLEASE give it a share on social media, and follow me to keep up with more posts! You’re two minutes of effort truly helps keep my business running! Thank ya!
xx, Alyssa
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