The editors of Condé Nast Traveler Spain reveal the best restaurants in Barcelona
Where are the best restaurants in Barcelona? We asked our clued-up, well fed Condé Nast Traveler Spain colleagues to share their personal recommendations for where to eat on a visit to the Spanish city. From smart spots that hold Michelin stars and are name-checked in world rankings to vegetarian and vegan eateries, casual restaurants and a couple of secret finds, this is their directory of the Barcelona tables to book.
John RussoInformal, Serras Hotel
This restaurant is not only set in one of our favourite stays (recognized as one of the best hotels in Barcelona by Condé Nast Traveler Spain) but it also offers a chance to try acclaimed dishes by chef Marc Gascons (who also leads the Michelin-starred Els Tinars, in Girona). The atmosphere is casual – as the name implies – allowing the food to take centre stage. Dishes such as grilled turbot with roasted leeks, rice with baby squid and prawn carpaccio, and honeyed potato gnocchi with butter and truffle sauce will make you a fan of Gascons too. An insider’s tip: if you spend the night at Serras, order the bikini (ham-and-cheese) sandwich for breakfast. It's one of the best in the world. Actually, order two. David Moralejo
Address: Passeig de Colom, 9, 08002 Barcelona, Spain
Website: restauranteinformal.comEstimar
Chef Rafa Zafra explores the bounty of the ocean, in all its astounding variety, in contemporary dishes of the highest culinary level. This modern temple dedicated to the sea has locations in Madrid and Barcelona and food writer Pilar Salas has called it – accurately – “the seafood restaurant of the 21st century.” The dishes are lessons in simplicity. Zafra and his team modestly say that they have no secret trick beyond using the very best seafood available. The sea urchins with caviar, barnacles in salt, triple-cooked langoustine, and pan-fried razor clams with warm marinade are delights for both the eye and the palate. David Moralejo
Address: Carrer de Sant Antoni dels Sombrerers, 3, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
Website: restaurante-estimar.com
Francesc Guillamet FerranDisfrutar
Three alumni of elBulli, now operating at the top of their game, prepare their signature dishes in one of the best restaurants in the world. Its name couldn’t be more fitting – disfrutar is Spanish for ‘to enjoy’. Since it opened its doors in December 2014, the restaurant’s chefs, Mateu Casañas, Oriol Castro, and Eduard Xatruch, have focused on the joy of their venture, and making sure their diners experience it too. They have succeeded on that front while also being recognized internationally (Disfrutar comes in third on The World’s Best Restaurants 2022 list). Dishes such as empredat (a traditional Catalan salad made here with hake and almonds), their celebrated gildas (tapas with anchovies, olives, and peppers), and the pasta carbonara are among the must-order dishes. If you enjoy the meal, Disfrutar (Volume I) is a joy of gastronomic literature that will stand the test of time. David Moralejo
Address: C. de Villarroel, 163, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
Website: disfrutarbarcelona.comGresca
Rafa Peña, one of the country’s great chefs, created a restaurant that’s become a long-running favourite of other chefs. The dishes at Gresca embody precise culinary skills and surprises while also reflecting Peña’s thoughtfulness and talent. Gresca is also, simply, an excellent choice for a great meal and a good time. The bikini sandwich with Iberian loin has gone viral, but there are also other dishes to order: marinated mackerel, nem rolls with ear and tongue, cod with tripe and mushrooms, and veal brains. Peña’s mastery of both small bites and offal makes Gresca an obvious answer to the common question of where to have tapas in Barcelona. There is also a new Madrid location of Gresca, in the beautiful Santo Mauro, A Luxury Collection Hotel. David Moralejo
Address: C/ de Provença, 230, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
Website: gresca.rest
Alba GineGala
Gala has become a famous spectacle in Barcelona’s nightlife scene. The restaurant describes itself as "a journey into Barcelona’s surrealist past, at the beginning of the 20th century." Artistic, irreverent, theatrical – in short, unique: Gala offers an atmosphere full of joy, colour, and dishes that features the best ingredients of Mediterranean cuisine. True to the philosophy of Grupo Isabella’s (a collection of six restaurants and a hotel), the photogenic space, designed by Quintana Partners, is ready for its close-up – or even an entire photo shoot. There’s a merry-go-round, a fountain in the shape of a nose, neon lights, and even a tarot-card reader. Marco Gari is at the helm in the kitchen where he creates his signature dishes including a delicious prawn omelette, a Rossini sirloin steak, and a faux risotto with asparagus and parmesan. María Casbas
Address: C/ de Provença, 286, 08008 Barcelona, Spain
Website: galarestaurante.comBaby Jalebi
There are restaurants where sitting down to eat a meal leads to a total experience for all the senses. That is exactly what happens at Baby Jalebi on the Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, a celebration of the street food of India and Pakistan. The restaurant’s tandoor oven produces perfect naan that you can then use to soak up chicken tikka masala, chicken korma (a chicken made with a bit of cream, almonds, korma powder, and cardamom), or a lamb Madras curry. The restaurant also makes excellent hamburgers, kebabs, and desserts – the gulab jamuri, small balls of dough served hot with ice cream, is one of our favourites. The restaurant has a second location in the Gràcia neighbourhood (Carrer de Martínez de la Rosa, 71) where the @chaiguybcn pop-up is introducing Barcelona residents to the wonder that is authentic chai. Lidia González
Address: Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 452, 08015 Barcelona, Spain
Website: instagram.com/baby_jalebi
@joanvaleraÀBaC
Tradition, innovation, and the highest quality products are the three pillars of ABaC, where chef Jordi Cruz brings to life flavours from his ‘mental palate’. Tradition, because at the start of Cruz’s creative process is "a respect for everything that has already been done before us’." Innovation, because he wants to create unique dishes, though not pretentious. And excellent products "because you cannot create great cuisine without the very best ingredients," he says. A meal at ABaC is made more memorable by the garden views and the sophisticated atmosphere which elevates the culinary creations to an entirely higher level. Red mullet is transformed into an exquisite tapa, cured prawns are a marvel, and even the names of dishes are intriguing, from The Chinese Box to Ode to Basque Paris. María Casbas
Address: Av. del Tibidabo, 1, 08022 Barcelona, Spain
Website: abacrestaurant.comDurango Diner
When you walk into this restaurant in the Eixample, you’ll feel like you have been instantly transported to the other side of the Atlantic. The cowboy aesthetic of northern Mexico and the American states along the border inspired the owners of this diner, brothers Majid and Mani. Atropellado is the signature dish here: delicious tacos with dried beef, scrambled eggs, and beans. It’s a popular recipe you can find at roadside stops along the highways of the Mexican state of Durango. There are also American favourites: pancakes (both sweet and savoury), BLTs, po’ boys with fried oysters, rib-eye burritos, fried green tomato sandwiches, and hamburgers that are served with both lobster and fries. There’s also an innovative cocktail menu and photogenic interiors that combine kitsch and cool – look for the mechanical bull and the hypnotic Pink Room. It all adds up to an odd and appealing American fantasy. Don’t miss the happy hours on Wednesdays, with oysters for one euro each and champagne available by the glass. Lidia González
Address: Carrer d'Aribau, 18, 08011 Barcelona, Spain
Website: instagram.com/durango_diner
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Sara LarssonBar del Pla
It would be a crime not to include Bar del Pla on this list as it is one of the most authentic, lively, and charming in Barcelona. It still has the feel of a secret find, even if there are few secrets left to be revealed in the city. Bar del Pla is a casual, inviting favourite of locals and we expect that after you go, you’ll agree it is worth the effort. We recommend the coca de sardinas (a Catalan ‘pizza’ with sardines), calamari with chickpeas, cannelloni stuffed with suckling pig, and the fish and rice daily specials. There’s always a lively, busy atmosphere and the wine list reflects a commitment to high-quality and organic options. David Moralejo
Address: Carrer de Montcada, 2, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
Website: bardelpla.catGoXO
GoXO, in the NH Collection Constanza de Barcelona hotel, combines the best of fine dining, in terms of ingredients and their preparations, with the informal style of the best fast food. There’s no table service and you can either pick up your order in person or have it delivered to you using the Glovo app. Dabiz Muñoz, the chef behind GoXO, embarked on this revolutionary step in Madrid, before the pandemic, and then brought his idea to Barcelona too. There is a physical space within the NH hotel, with both a dining room and a terrace. You can pick up your order and take it with you or you can choose to eat it onsite—there simply isn’t table service, however. The menu, as well as the basic concept of the venture itself, is constantly in flux. Highlights on the current menu include Singapore udon carbonara, barbequed rib tacos, and the Hong Kong-Madriz stew (with chicken dumplings, chickpeas, and potatoes). Plus, there are some specials only available to diners who eat their meals onsite. Marta Sahelices
Address: Carrer de Déu i Mata, 69-98 Jardins de Sant Joan de Déu, 08029 Barcelona, Spain
Website: elgoxo.com
IAKNI
A romance started in this simple and cozy restaurant, a love affair between Barcelona and Lebanese cuisine. Thanks to word of mouth – is there any better endorsement? – I discovered the best hummus in the city at Iakni. Along with the creamy chickpeas and tahini common to hummus, the minced veal and the toasted pine nuts are the extra ingredients that make this version an especially addictive dish. It’s not the only mezze you should try. Others include the muhammara (roasted red peppers, toasted walnuts, and pomegranate molasses), kibbe (beef and bulgur, stuffed with beef and pine nuts), shawarma (sirloin strips marinated in cinnamon and wine) and the exquisite musajan (chicken marinated in ground sumac). You can’t go wrong, honestly, and that includes the baba ghanoush too, of course. Lidia González
Address: Carrer de Vilamarí, 3, 08015 Barcelona, Spain
Website: iakni.comAlkimia
At Alkimia, chef Jordi Vilà offers diners an opportunity to explore the past, present, and even future of Catalan cuisine. In his words, ‘It is a journey to the limits of our gastronomy, starting from the centre and travelling to the margins, and beginning with tradition to then open up to the most radical contemporary innovations.The restaurant is located in the former Moritz Brewery, renovated by French architect Jean Nouvel, and now divided into several distinct spaces. Al kostat is a casual option with a menu of small plates that celebrate the ‘day-to-day’ cuisine of Catalonia and are designed to be shared; there is the restaurant itself, and finally davant, the classically stylish private dining rooms. The tasting menu includes exquisite and surprising dishes, such as the prawn suquet (stew), the mar i muntanya extremo (‘extreme sea and mountain’), or the arroz de casi ná (‘rice with almost nothing’). María Casbas
Address: Ronda de Sant Antoni, 41, 08011 Barcelona, Spain
Website: alkimia.cat
Maleducat
Just a few steps from the popular Sant Antoni market, Maleducat is run by Victor Ródenas, presiding in the kitchen, and brothers Ignasi and Marc Garcia, in the dining room, offering a friendly welcome. The restaurant’s name comes from the Catalan word for ‘rude’, an inside joke as that has been a teasing insult that the brothers have used towards each other since they were little. The menu is short at this low-key restaurant, but it is varied with several different specials listed on the blackboard each day. These change with the seasons and depend on what is available from local suppliers. There is always a daily special rice dish which may include, for example, seafood or quail eggs, when available.
Address: Carrer de Manso, 54, 08015 Barcelona, Spain
Website: maleducat.esFarm to Table
Raquel Blasco and Marc Santamaria, the chefs at Casa Xica, lead this gastronomic pop-up in the Jardins del Grec (near the Joan Miró Foundation). Running through the month of July, Farm to Table is an ode to the fresh ingredients that are at the heart of successful gastronomy. Farm to Table will offer three tasting menus (with the option of wine pairings) on summer evenings during the El Grec Festival, with tasty and honest dishes served in this ephemeral restaurant. Overlooking the Jardins del Grec, it has some of the best sunset views of the city. The pop-up will run from Wednesday 29 June to Wednesday 27 July, and there are two seatings nightly: from 8 p.m. to 9.30pm (for those who have tickets to attend a Grec show) and from 10pm to 11.30pm (for everyone else, with free access). Diners in this second shift can enjoy their table until closing, at 1 a.m.The standard and vegan tasting menus include three courses and are £30. The Gran Fiesta menu includes five courses and is £45. The wine pairing option is an additional £25 per diner. Sara Andrade
Address: Passeig de Santa Madrona, 38, 08038 Barcelona, Spain
Website: instagram.com/farmtotable_barcelona
@NilCalvaronsFIRE
This summer, FIRE, the restaurant at the hotel W Barcelona, moves outside – on select nights – to the terrace of Wet Deck, the hotel’s poolside venue with Mediterranean views. It is an open-air beach party, with fire as the star player. The menu is focused on barbeque and other ancient forms of cooking with open flames or embers while it also reflects the bounty of the season in dishes like black cherry gazpacho and spider crab with watermelon. The wild sea bass flambéed tableside reflects the fire theme as does the crème brûlée made with Tahitian vanilla and a caramelised crust. Your meal is accompanied by a celebration of fire, in a spectacle of music, dancers, and, of course, ocean views. You’ll want to include a meal here in your summer plans. Sara Andrade
Address: Plaça Rosa Del Vents 1, Final, Passeig de Joan de Borbó, 08039 Barcelona, Spain
Website: firebarcelona.comTeresa Carles
This lacto-ovo vegetarian restaurant welcomed the summer as it does most seasons, with a menu of new creations that demonstrate chef Teresa Carles’s ability to update traditional dishes as she incorporates alternative proteins. The summer menu has six first courses, four entrees, and three new puddings. The surprising plant-based creations all focus on high-quality, local ingredients and seasonal flavours. Teresa Carles has been a pioneer in the world of vegetarian cuisine since she opened her first restaurant at the end of the 1970s. Her commitment to healthy, sustainable, and delicious cuisine is reflected in the many innovative dishes she has created. As she continues to pursue that goal, her newest efforts also reflect the research and efforts of her team in her test kitchens in Lleida. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, this is a must when you are visiting Barcelona. Sara Andrade
Address: C/ de Jovellanos, 2, 08001 Barcelona, Spain
Website: teresacarles.com
PAU BUERAXerta
A meal at Xerta is like a journey to the heart of the delta of the Ebro River, in northern Spain. On the itinerary are rice dishes, the region’s vegetables, fish from the port of Sant Carles de la Ràpita, citrus fruits, game, and the famous salt from the Trinidad (or Trinitat) salt flats. The excellent menu has a handful of surprises that we are not going to spoil here. Every dish and every moment of your meal will take you – and all your senses – to the beautiful delta as you savour briny mussels or inhale the aroma of cooked rice and fresh shoots. It all adds up to a wonderful restaurant within the Ohla Hotel, in the heart of Barcelona’s Eixample. David Moralejo
Address: Carrer de Còrsega, 289, 08008 Barcelona, Spain
Website: xertarestaurant.comTierra Brava
This sexy, red-lit spot in Mercat del Ninot was voted the city’s best market kitchen due to an imaginative fusion menu (oxtail baos with chipotle and peanut, say) and great live music at weekends.
Address: Carrer de Casanova, 133, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
Website: tierrabrava.esSavia
Tomás Abellán, son of restaurant genius Carles Abellán, does largely plant-based, zero-additive, eco-friendly fare at his intimate, brick-walled place in Eixample.
Kubilay Altintas®MR PORTER
Barcelona is a destination that many travellers visit on a mission to have fun and indulge, and the city offers many places to do both, including at Mr Porter within the Sir Victor Hotel, one of the city’s coolest properties. The draw here is the same as at the original Mr Porter in Amsterdam: It’s an updated steakhouse where meat is king. Start your meal with a selection of carpaccio – the most popular is the potato carpaccio with caviar – as well as perfectly grilled vegetables, such as aubergine and leek. The spicy tomato salad is a must too and then move on to the meat. Different cuts and sizes are served with mac and cheese with cauliflower and Iberico ham, broccolini and baked sweet potatoes. Non-meat eaters may want to opt for grilled fish or a phenomenal grilled lobster with butter. David Moralejo
Address:Carrer del Rosselló, 265, 08008 Barcelona, Spain
Website: mrportersteakhouse.com/barcelonaXemei
A little bit of Venice in Barcelona, Xemei is a small and almost hidden restaurant, but it is arguably the city’s best Italian option. The Colombo brothers opened it 15 years ago, and it continues to be one of the trendiest spots in its neighbourhood thanks to its attitude, its ability to always evolve, and its style of cooking which will always be in fashion. Bob Dylan, James Murphy (of LCD Soundsystem), and Woody Allen are a few of the bold-faced names who have dined at Xemei. You will also want to savour their selection of Venetian fish dishes: baccalà mantecato (whipped salted cod), sarde in saor (sardines in an onion and vinegar dressing), marinated anchovies, and mackerel confit. Their stracciatella with dried beef and figs as well as the homemade pappardelle with ossobuco ragout are unforgettable. If you want to make it a double, also visit Il Colombo, the brothers’ restaurant in Madrid. David Moralejo
Address: Passeig de l'Exposició, 85, 08004 Barcelona, Spain
Website: xemei.es
Lasarte RestaurantLasarte
Any project that chef Martín Berasategui is involved with is sure to be a success and that rule holds when it comes to his gastronomic space, awarded three Michelin stars, in the Monument Hotel. After its complete renovation by architects Oscar Tusquets, Carles Bassó, and Tote Moreno, with interiors by Oscar Tusquets and Mercè Borrell, Lasarte now has a much more contemporary and trendy feel, with open, light-filled spaces, including a semi-private area and a chef’s table that seats eight people.
“By approaching our work with joy, enthusiasm, intelligence, and trusting our intuitions, we create dishes and flavours for diners in search of a gastronomic experience comme il faut,” Berasategui says. Paolo Casagrande (head chef) and Joan Carles Ibáñez (head waiter) lead an efficient and accomplished team who assure that diners enjoy Berasategui’s dishes, which change with the seasons, whether they order from the main menu, the lunch menu, or the tasting menu. Highlights include the pickled oyster with hibiscus, the warm crustacean salad, the wagyu and glazed-eel ravioli, and the irresistible pigeon in its juice.
Address: C/ de Mallorca, 259, 08008 Barcelona, Spain
Website: restaurantlasarte.com
La Cova Fumada
Talking about the Bar del Pla leads naturally to La Cova Fumada which maintains even more of its hidden-find character, not least because it doesn’t even have a sign out front. First opened in 1944, the bar is run today by the brothers Magi and Josep María Solé, along with their mother, Palmira, at the stove. This is a true ‘market bar’, and it is open only from 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, and closes even earlier, at 1pm, on Saturdays. While the bar is closed on Sundays, it does reopen in the evening, on Thursdays and Fridays, for an extra two hours, from 6pm to 8pm. Those hours can present a challenge for many Spaniards, who are generally inclined to eat later, but it is a good option for breakfast or an aperitif. Dishes to order include the fresh fish, including their legendary sardines, squid, and octopus, all served with beans, butifarras (Catalan sausages), and their famous bombas (potato croquettes). They don’t take reservations, so you’ll have to queue up. David Moralejo
Address: Carrer del Baluard, 56, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
Website: lacovafumada.comDirekte Boquería
A mini gastro-kiosk in the galleries by the Boquería market, this is a hot ticket thanks to Arnau Muñío (ex-head chef at Comerç 24) and his focused Hispano-Asian fusion cooking.
Address: Carrer de les Cabres, 13, 08001 Barcelona, Spain
Website: direkte.catCasa Amàlia
By the Mercat de la Concepció, one of the city’s most exquisite food markets, Casa Amàlia ran for 70 years under the Llavina family. New owners overhauled the decor and the menus but kept the symbiotic relationship, serving the city’s best jamón and béchamel canelons and paella marinera.
Address: Passatge del Mercat, 14, 08009 Barcelona, Spain
Website: casaamalia.com
Maureen-M.-EvansUltramarinos Marín
Behind a faux-Seventies shopfront north of Diagonal lies this unclassifiable eating place manned by chef Borja García. Whether it’s a bar or a seasonal grill restaurant, it’s been all the rage since opening its doors in 2021.
Address: C. de Balmes, 187, 08006 Barcelona, Spain
Website: ultramarinosmarin.comCompartir Cadaqués
The team behind Disfrutar – the experimental heir to El Bulli that recently came third in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list – has opened a bright and breezily informal option in the heart of Eixample.
Address: Riera de Sant Vicenç, s/n, 17488 Cadaqués, Girona, Spain
Website: compartircadaques.com