Restaurants in Barcelona

We are planning to be there in December, Any good recommendations? Thanks

Tickets - Make reservations about 2mths ahead. Google the website and 50 Euros per person deposit at the time of reservation.
OM restaurant - 1 michelin and best foie gras I have ever had
Tapas 24 - Dont think they take reservations. We waited and got in. Amazing food and service.



Ate the best food of my life in Barcelona

abac is probably the most complete restaurant experience you can have in barcelona. it is only 2 star but certainly is better than many 3 stars. the service is flawless. they have zalto glasses even. also the price is very reasonable for what it is. impressive in both technique and flavor.

i also quite enjoyed pakta, a peruvian inspired tasting menu spot from albert adria. tickets is quite touristy, check out 41 degrees instead…

Will have to throw Cal Pep out there for a tapas place- great fun, stand in line- have some Cava or a beer while waiting- then just put yourself in their hands.

Tapas 24 good also- hope you can sit at the bar and not a table- great fun


Passadis del Pep - unmarked entry, go down a hallway and there it is. No menu, simple superfresh seafood- I think we were there for 3 hours and had 8-9 courses. We had a great time here. $$$

Commerc 24- very hit and miss, good not great and again $$$

Another big +1 for Passadis del Pep - this is “market cuisine” and primarily the amazing seafood of the area. In El Born, so great place to hang out and explore. Just be sure about directions… you’ll need to look for the unmarked door next to the ATM machine and then make your way all the way down the hall…

A bit more color from Yelp believe it or not. Take it away Yelper: “This place is for you if: You want to experience the very best seafood that Catalonia and nearby seas can offer (squid, prawns, sea snails, clams, crayfish, lobster, and much more); you want to place yourself in the hands of the kitchen and wait staff and let them deliver the wonders to you; you don’t need a dimly lit room, fancy linens, and formal service to tell you that you are at the top spot in Barca; you appreciate food prepared with just enough of a human touch to let the fresh flavors of the sea dominate, not sauces or complicated preparations; you want to laugh, create memories with friends, and feel at home, even though home might be half a world away; and, you don’t mind paying for the experience. For us, that experience meant about 10 courses to share (I lost count), about three hours (which went quickly) and with cava and wines and after dinner drinks (an assortment of bottles and chilled shot glasses placed on your table with some special cookies and the best crema catalana) – about US$150 per person. In my mind, a bargain.”

Btw, you cannot book reservations at Tickets “about two months in advance”. As Vamsi implies - and if they still have the same system (recently shortened from three months in advance) - you will need to book EXACTLY two months in advance TO THE DAY. Reservations book up completely in about 10 minutes. Seriously. Don’t f*ck around if you want to eat here. And I suspect you do want to eat here!

Finally, go to La Boqueria. Yes, it’s on Las Ramblas, but it’s the reason to go to Las Ramblas. You will definitely want to eat at one of the lunch counters like Pinotxo.

Just got back from my 3rd visit there within a year.

Lasarte is the top spot IMO. Nice wine list (2010 and 2012 Comte Liger Belair Clos du Chateau for 168 and 154 euro respectively). Food was much more creative and refined than Moments (another 2 star). A smoked eel, foie, green apple millefeuille was particular memorable.

Agree with Bar Pinoxto at La Boqueria. Go early. They do run out of stuff after 1-2. Highly recommend the gambas Rojas, navajas, and cigalas a la plancha. The baby cuttlefish fish with beans, blood sausage with chickpeas, and cod fish salad with lentils are also very good.

For casual tapas I highly recommend Bar del PLA for their squid ink bombas which are stellar.

For high end seafood go to Botsfumeiro. The chilled seafood platter for 2 is very good. So is the paella and the cooked shellfish platter. The baked crab was also delicious. All the meat picked out for you. Pictures below.

Any thoughts on the other restaurants from the Adrias? Nino Viejo, Bodega 1900, or Hoja Santa? I missed out on the reservation at Tickets.

Also looking for any other recommendations in addition to the ones so far. No real restrictions, other than the fact that I don’t really like seafood (I’ll eat it as part of a tasting menu), so I’m not really interested in the best seafood place, etc.

My husband and I had a fantastic dinner at Cinc Sentits, and would highly recommend it.

Marilyn

I’m also a big fan of Botafumeiro. It has the additional advantage of being open on Sunday.

Had great dinners at Botafumerio (on a Sunday night) and ABaC just about a month ago. We also had a great Lobster Paella at Can Mojo on the beach.

Paco Meralgo has killer tapas-style eating in a stylish setting. Loved it.

Cinc Sentits very good and a silly bargain.

Rias de Galicia has super-high quality seafood, although it was oddly quiet and empty when I was there.

The counter places in the Bocqueria are awesome.

Best meal I’ve ever had was Alkimia, but it looks like they’re closed until 2016? Just really creative and mind blowing stuff in my opinion. Far more exciting than what I had at Eleven Madison Park, although the service wasn’t at the same level.

Just got back and loved Tapas 24 and Cal Pep. We honestly thought that Cinc Sentis was very good but missed on being outstanding. There were some outstanding dishes but some were “very good.” The raw materials were first rate but I think that some dishes were more about technique than flavor. I really enjoyed the entire experience and am glad that we tried it but would not be running back.

Cheers!
Marshall

Just as a counterpoint, Alkimia was one of the most disappointing meals (lunch) of my life. Food was so salty it bordered on inedible and service was somewhere between disinterested and rude. Followed up with an e-mail to that effect and no one seemed to care.

We were in Barcelona this summer and loved the food (and service) at Lasarte, though not the space for very high end. Tickets was not open, but I’m sure you can’t go wrong there. Cellar Can Roca has a hotel with a two star in that neighborhood, Roca Moo, also worth a visit On the same block, or nearby,Passatge de la Concepció,is Petit Comitè de Nandu Jubany…for an upper end expression of Catalan food it can’t be beat; ingredients so fresh and pure. Lots of nice little extras.
On lower end, we liked Kiosko Universal, recommended by one of the cheesemongers, in the corner of Boqueria, better than Bar Pinotxo, which we also tried–better seafood, get the cigale (long shrimp) and far better botifarra sausage.
And finally, in El Raval, storied place, stand up bar makes little plates from cheese and high quality prepared foods (smoked oysters, salmon, etc.), with good cava and beer, been there for 50, 75 years: Quimet e Quimet.

Got nothing to add. Just using this to ‘bookmark’ this thread for my next visit.

More downscale, but El Xampayet was good enough that we stopped back in on the way home home after eating there earlier in the evening.

Disfrutar. Extended tasting menu was 24-25 courses. Awesome, loved it, would go back in a heartbeat.

People should probably go before they get a Michelin star or two.

Just spent 2 nights in Barcelona with casual Tapas meals.

First was Viblioteca in the Gracia district. A bit north of the tourist-iest areas: Carrer Vallfogona 12. Small with a modern décor. The place is run by women with lots of female patrons. Not too many Y chromosomes, even among the guests. Limited amount of cooking for the tapas, mostly cold…but delicious. The cheeses (variety and quality) are outstanding. The Vietnamese head chef was killing it with a delicious Raw Tuna and avocado rice paper roll. You want to order her specials. Not your typical tapas joint. The BTG wine selections were excellent with a clear AFWE leaning. Succinct and noteworthy hand picked list…heavy with tasty local options…thanks to the very capable Somm/owner: Yolanda Villegas. It’s a great place to explore the wines of Northeast Spain. I enjoyed everything I tasted…at least 8 - 10 different wines.

Night 2 we went full touristy at Bar del Pla. Tacky hole in the wall joint. Busy and bustling. The food delivers with lots of classic Tapas. The grilled Octopus was delicious. I enjoyed the fried shrimp and sardine starter. The wines are reasonable with a broad selection. You’re not going to get a gourmet experience. The plain old garlic tomato bread (they call it flatbread) was grilled and surprisingly good. Our server wasn’t very wine savvy but the affordable BTG list is plenty adequate with even better pricing for bottles. Don’t even think of coming if you’re looking for a Michelin experience. Some of the dishes were Bib Gourmand level…like the Beef Cheeks. I also enjoyed the warmed ham shavings. Go somewhere else for a cheese plate…which was fine, but not top quality. Loud, casual, hopping and fairly reasonable. We didn’t leave hungry or dissatisfied.

RT

We were there in May for a few days. A couple of places worth recommending.

Disfrutar was amazing, both food and service. Every one of the many courses was very good to excellent, several giving that “wow” moment you look for in a restaurant at this level. Leave a lot of time - it is not a quick meal - but well worth every minute and every Euro.

Monvinic Wine Bar is more casual and perfect for people on this board. 50 wines by the glass, a ridiculously long bottle list that is on an iPad. Know what you’re interested in before you get the list or you’ll be scrolling through it for way too long. The 3 course lunch deal is a very good value.