yk

I am attending a concert at the Palau de la Musica Catalan in Barcelona on a Friday night. The concert starts at 9pm, and I assume it runs 1.5-2 hours long?

What are my options for dinner that night? I see that many restaurants aren't open until 8:30pm, which will be too late for me to go before concert. OTOH, these restaurants close at 12 midnight, so I may not have enough time to eat before they close.

Ideally I'd like to have a snack or a light dinner before the concert, and maybe another snack after the concert. What are my options around the music hall? Thanks!

Maribel

yk,
You have several options-some restaurants, particularly those of the Cacheiro or Tragaluz groups or Attic. (I remember that artlover likes this one-it's right on the Ramblas, open until 12:30 am). These will seat you on a Friday night if you arrive by 11:30-some kitchens take orders til midnight.

And the kitchen at the Mercat de Santa Caterina below the Palau keeps long hours on wkds. You can dine at the bar before also.

www.grupcacheiro.com
www.attic.angrup.com
www.grupotragaluz.com

The Palau also has a nice restaurant in the new wing.
You can check my Barcelona recommendations in my BCN guide at
www.maribelsguides.com

Maribel

yk,
A clarification: The hrs for bar and restaurant in the Mercat de Santa Caterina (called Cuines Santa Caterina) are 8 am-11:30 pm

You can have some tapas at the bar pre concert-decent prices and easy for a single person.

For a full dinner afterwards, Attic may be your best bet, but I would certainly reserve. It's very popular.

Also at other times in BCN if you want to dine inexpensively and easily as a single, look at the offerings of another group-
www.lesquinzenits.com

Click on English, then We Recommend to see all members of this group, with some in Madrid as well. Dolce Herminia has been recommended on this board (non smoking).

Also Taller de Tapas has 4 Barcelona outposts for easy dining for a single. They're open til midnight and on Fri/Sat til 12:30 am
www.tallerdetapas.com

yk

I think I'll grab something light at the bar at Palau before the concert.

I like what I see at Attic's website. I just don't know how hungry/tired I'll be after the concert. If I have to make a reservation and then no show... that's not good.

For the Taller de Tapas locations, the one at Placa de Sant Josep Oriol will be closest to my hotel. Will I find that place completely packed if I arrive around 11'ish on a Friday night?

Maribel

Yep, I imagine that it will be pretty busy. These Taller de Tapas places in the cathedral area and in El Born are very popular due to their popular pricing, menus in English and their prime locations ("tapas the easy way&quot, so they do pull in the tourists. But just drop by one and see what you think.

On the web site it doesn't list their other location on Carrer Comtal.

Maribel

yk,
Another clarification!
There are two dining venues at the Palau.

The Palau has a café in the foyer level open from 10-midnight, which will work fine for you.

For others:
The more formal (and more expensive) Catalán-French brasserie-restaurant, the Mirador, is only open on concert days, for lunch from 1-4 and for dinner from 8:30-midnight.
I think they have a menú del día at 25 euros for lunch, but for dinner plan on 45 p.p.
For anyone interested in this option, reservations would be advisable.

(I discovered that
www.toptable.co.uk offers online reservations at a number of BCN restaurants-have yet to try this).

yk

Thanks! The cafe in the foyer of Palau is the one I'm thinking of getting a snack before the concert.

I went ahead and made a reservation for Attic. It doesn't sound like they need me to confirm on the day of, so I guess if I end up being a no show, it's not too big of a deal to them (unlike Comerc24 where they need me to confirm again on the day of dining).

Maribel

No, they get so busy with requests for tables, if you don't show, they won't have a problem filling your seat! The desk staffs of the area hotels recommend it to their guests, so they're never at a lack for business.

Peter_krynicki

When we were there people lined up it seemed like forever to get a drink or snack at the Palau. The people behind the counter were very, very slow, and we finally gave up. No one even seemd to know where to queue up to be in line (on the right side with your back to the entrance)

Pjk

Maribel

yk,
The Taller de Tapas branch near the Palau is at Carrer Comtal 28, just west of the Via Laitana-just in case you need it!

artlover

Yes, we really like The Attic. Another one we really like as well, that's very close to Palau de la Musica is La Dolca Herminia at Magdalenes 27, but when we went by after a concert at Palau de la Musica the lines were too long, though we went there for lunch one day and we among the first to arrive and had no problem getting in.

yk

So, I did end up eating at Attic. I thought the food was pretty good though portions were smaller than I thought. Prices are cheap though, which I was surprised given its location. Glad I made a reservation, cuz a British couple I spoke with waited for over an hour for a table!

I didnīt eat at the cafe at the Palau Musica, but did get a coffee. It wasnīt too crowded when I got there (about 45 mins before the concert) but it definitely got more crowded as it got closer to the start of the concert. The food looks great but of course I donīt know if it tastes just as good.

Overall I enjoyed my stay in Barcelona. I just arrived in Granada but unfortunately it looks like itīll be raining here for the next couple of days.

Maribel

yk,
Glad you made it to dinner after the concert. Sorry about the rain in Granada. Our host said that rain was sorely needed, as it had rained very, very little in the past months. Hope you do get to see a patch of blue skies during your visit, though.

Enjoy the rest of your tripĄ

artlover

yk,
Glad you enjoyed the Attic--I didn't know they took reservations there--will have to remember that for next time as we too waited a long time.

Enjoy the rest of your trip...I remember rain in Spain too...can't control the weather, can we?