I was just in Barcelona overnight and asked my host to go to Cal Pep, since i had heard SO MUCH about it, and after at least 20 trips to Barcelona, neither I nor he ( a resident) had ever been there.

Yes, it is a typical bar with a plancha in front of you.. yes.. the food was fine.. Pep, himself, seemed nice enough..but..would I go back?

Not sure.. I found it a bit expensive for what we had, and although I doubt many places have butifarra con foie, many places do have the majority of the other dishes he called out to us. He failed to tell us about any "croquetas", so we ordered none. When we saw them serving them to others, we were too close to having our dessert to retract. I love croquetas, so perhaps I have taken personal offense at this lapse of his...

Nice place. Clean. Pricey. Bubbly atmosphere. Smiley chefs, in general. But I would have had to try a larger variety of spectacular dishes to ever say it was one of my best meals in Barcelona.

I will say that 90% of the clients were foreigners during our visit... which in itself shows fabulous marketing.

We consumed sharing:

one of his "famous" tortillas
a miniature saucer size plate of deep fried artichokes
1 butifarra con foie y monjetes ( which our livers seemed to not surprisingly have major problems dealing with)

one crema catalana
2 small beers/ one water
2 tallats
42E

So, I 've been there, done that, and will be on a quest for a good( or as good but less expensive) local tapas bar. If my friends tell me one of their favorites, I will certainly post it. Now I will search through other recommendations here and attempt to visit one of them my next trip!

Having never gotten in myself and always felt a little guilty for not having the stamina to wait, your report somehow gladdens my heart--though I would have wished for you to have enjoyed yourself more. Thanks for the report--and for relieving me of some guilt.

Interesting that you bring this up.
Each time I walk by Cal Pep I think "Is it worth it?"
The problem is not so much that I assume that they won't to a good job, but whether I will be able to appreciate it.

I've eaten tapas at so many places that looked like nothing, like darkish bars, with the football match on TV running, and neighborhood people and their kids chatting away, and I paid €10-12 to feel really stuffed (3-4 tapas), 1.30 for a beer, or 2 for a glass of wine, and thought the quality of the tapas was really good, fresh, and tasty.

So I wonder if my palate is refined enough to "taste the extra 30 euros"... maybe next time..

I haven't been to Cal Pep since 2004, but we were also disappointed. We were in and out of there in 25 minutes - we felt that we were part of an assembly line of customers. The food was good, not great. If I went back, I would ask for a menu and order what I wanted, not what they seemed to be bringing us and everyone else was having (mainly because that is what you do - let Pep bring you what he wants to bring you.) We had: 2 toasts with tomato, steamed clams, fried artichokes, and a tortilla. One glass of white wine, one glass of red. It was 32 euros. We left thinking, what the heck just happened there? And then we went somewhere else to get some more drinks and food

We were in Barcelona for a few more nights and every time we passed I would look in - the customers were eating the same exact thing as we did, every single night.

I wouldn't tell people not to go there - I would tell people to go there, but don't let them rush you.

I enjoyed the food when I ate there in Jan 2009. But as far as I know, there is NO menu at Cal Pep. This seems like a one-way ticket to taking advantage of tourists, IMO.

Lincasanova -- how did you know what to order?

As for me, I had done extensive research on Chowhound and went armed with specific names of dishes. I was surprised by the prices when they brought our bill. All the other tourists around us ordered the "tasting menu" and every single one of them seemed simply overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of food.

I liked the food at Cal Pep, but I couldn't help but feel they were well-practiced in gouging tourists and non-Hispanophones.

When I was there in 2004 there was a menu posted outside the restaurant. You would not see it when the restaurant is closed - I only noticed it when I stopped to look in the window to see what everyone was eating. But that may have changed.

When we were seated we asked for a menu and he just told us what there was.. of course he failed to mention quite a few dishes I later saw come out..so I don't know what the deal with that is.

He tried to suggest bringing out a plate of fried fishies and things ( which all the tourists were getting plopped down in front of them, but we chose the above mentioned. Forgot to add we had a piece of tomato bread on a small plate each. I had to ask him for more tomato as it was really dried out toast and very little tomato. First warning sign. Total lack of generosity.

I didn't see a tasting meu, nor was i in the mood for one.. We did not feel rushed, by the way.

I was expecting something else, I imagine, with all the "wows" I have read here for ages.

Now for that list of dark bars Cowboy and I will try to get organized!

CowBoy makes a very good point especially for those traveling first time to Spain.

<B> I've eaten tapas at so many places that looked like nothing, like darkish bars, with the football match on TV running, and neighborhood people and their kids chatting away, and I paid €10-12 to feel really stuffed (3-4 tapas), 1.30 for a beer, or 2 for a glass of wine, and thought the quality of the tapas was really good, fresh, and tasty.</B>

Some (many) good places in Madrid especially (I have not been to Barcelona yet) look like dark "bars" . At least in the USA, something with these looks is not appealing as a watering hole/bar much less a place to have a meal. But I have learned not to judge by the exterior. Remember "bars" often have great food in Spain.!! I agree wholeheartedly.

Oh by the way thanks Lin. I to have read the raves but that does seem a little pricey...

Oh it's me again...how was the famous tortilla different than any other tortilla española?

His tortilla has a faint flavor that he gets a kick out your trying to guess what it is..

BAcon? ..."no"

...sauteed jamon serrano? ( he's really smiling now that i have guessed wrong twice!...... "no.. "

hmmm..I kept tasting and finally he was willing to let us in on the big secret.

"very fine pieces of ..."

..drum roll...

"chorizo"!

OK. I got the pig part right.. but not the spices.

Anyway.. his tortilla could be described as almost a mashed potato tortilla as you cannot feel or see slices of potato, as they are all mashed up together.

Then they mix the potatoes with one sole egg (he promises).. and make a perfectly round, very damp, soft tortilla.

It was fine, right amount of salt, and it IS a different mode and texture.

There was some sort of price list at the left door jam, but we really weren't worried about it.

I had a meal at Cal Pep twice ( 2009 anc 2008) .. it was very good and kind of fun to watch the 'show"( we set at the counter).
I still prefer Cerveceria Catalana.. also a wait to get a table or even a stool at the counter. Mobbed at night.
There is also a small Basque place near Santa Maria del Mar(the street leads to Picasso Museum, I think).You help yourself to the best pinxos in town....(cannot recall the name of the place)

That Basque place is good. I don't remember the name either but it is just across from the church and has all those wonderful pintxos tempting you!

I'll have to give Cervecería Catalana a try.

Interesting Lin thanks.

Thanks for the impressions. Last time I ate there was 2008, and I am pretty sure the first time was 1999.

It was better earlier and mixed in 2008.

The value propositions to the tourists are likely to be different for those to the residents of the country.

When the locals recommend a place to eat, I think about the compelling reason to act as seen from the locals vs. that of the tourist.

For example, when I visit my friend in Germany, my friend always takes me to non-German food restaurants. For him, German foods are not interesting unless they are extraordinary. But for me, any German food in Germany, even at an ordinary or overpriced place, is superior to what I can get at home. When someone visits me from Europe, I remember my experiences, and I take him to restaurants serving the kind of food he wants to eat in the U.S. even those I would not go on my own.

This type bar with counter and cooks grilling and making your food in front of you is the true basis from long ago of the traditional Spanish bar. We love to go to these places, old and new, as they are extremely quick and usually the items are fresh. At many places one goes for one or two specific items that are made especially well at a particular bar.

Cal Pep has the cleaner, more upscale ( all chefs wear clean , white jackets),atmosphere and has gone the extra to create some of their own "signature" dishes one would go back precisely for.. dreaming about them when away if they had impressed you to that point.

Its location can't be beat. All of this does come with a price, and at the end of the day, value/taste/quality is a determining factor. These comparisons prompted me to write the report.

If it had been less expensive, the food more "wow", if he had remembered a half dozen other plates he could have served us ( or given us a menu to help us decide).. I might have had a different attitude.

I wouldn't stay away, but know what you want to eat (like petitepois) and check out the menu prices outside on the door jam. If you go with very high expectations, or have had good tapas elsewhere frequently, I don't doubt you will be a tad disappointed.

The Basque place close to Santa María del Mar is Euskal Etxea, the Basque cultural center. http://euskaletxeak.org/. Miles better than some of the other "Basque" places in the area. When at Cal Pep, you should know what to order outside the standard menu, try the daily changing shellfish and the fabolous monkfish.

Here is my experience from 2008

My splurge meal for the trip was Cal Pep. It is on a small square near the water and people gather outside a shuttered restaurant until 1:30 when the metal gate is pulled up. There is an immediate frenzy. You are seated around a counter and the workers scramble to feed all the dinners who just arrived simultaneously. Unless you ask otherwise you get the tapas specials of the day which this day were fried mixed seafood tapa and another of small clams. The fried seafood contained many fish with whom I was not familiar. For those I just removed the heads and ate was left. It was not their best dish. The clams were garlicky and fresh. My main course sea bass was perfectly poached, unfortunately I ordered the razor clams. It was my fault. My Spanish is awful and English has deteriorated. The meal was 40 Euros.

My visit to Cal Pep in November was fun. I was traveling solo, so I just lined up with all the others. I waited 20 minutes and then was considering leaving, when a single spot became available at the counter. I asked the waiter what to order and he suggested a plate of little fried fishies and things, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Then, clams and also artichokes (I think). I liked it all. The dessert was a crem caramel, which was not exciting at all.

A single lady was seated next to me. She said she lived around the corner and came here all the time. It was a delightful meal, as we tried to make ourselves understood in spite of the language barrier. In all my time in Barcelona, this was when I felt most like a 'local'.