45 Best Restaurants in Barcelona, Spain

"The Four Cats" was founded in 1897 by a quartet of Moderniste artists—the bohemians of their day—whose work still graces the walls, and the building, Casa Martí (1896), by Moderniste master Josep Puig i Cadafalch with sculptural detail by Eusebi Arnau, is a treat in itself. The restaurant in back offers a range of traditional Catalan dishes, but the cooking is uninspired and overpriced so stick to the front room café, where you can linger over a drink, order some of the simpler offerings like pa de coca (thin country flatbreads with tomato and olive oil), cheese, cured ham, or pebrots de Padrón (fried green peppers), and enjoy a bit of local cultural history.

An embat is a puff of wind in Catalan, and this little bistro is a breath of fresh air in the sometimes stuffy right side of Eixample. The relatively affordable market cuisine is always impeccably fresh and freshly conceived, from the accessibly priced three-course lunch selection to the more elaborate evening menu. Star dishes include duck cannelloni with truffle béchamel. The dining room is minimally decorated in white and pine to reflect the modern but unfussy fare.

Chef-owner Rafa Peña applies the skills he honed in the world's most celebrated kitchens at this excellent value restaurant---although most locals will tell you his adjacent wine-tapas bar is the real scene stealer here. Expect a well-chosen wine list and some of the most delightful dishes you can find in Barcelona: the tasting menu is the best way to sample what's on offer.

The interior design of Oriol Ivern's small restaurant is minimalist, but his cooking is intricate—and wonderful. This is budget-conscious fine dining that avoids exotic ingredients but lifts local dishes to exciting new heights; the menu changes four times a year to take advantage of what's best in season. Local gastronomes come here for dishes like John Dory with truffle and salsify, and oxtail stew with burrata, delicately presented but always—and most importantly—delicious. The nine-course tasting menu is a steal at €85 (€110 with wine pairing).

Streamlined but traditional Catalan cooking means this busy and attractive spot is always packed. The crowd may be boisterous, but the dining room is seriously elegant, with crisp white tablecloths, leather chairs, and a loftlike wall of windows. Excellent hearty food, smart service, and some of the best pa amb tomàquet in town will have you squeezing in for a table.

Its proximity to Barceloneta’s bustling Passeig Joan de Borbó makes this old-school tapas restaurant popular with tourists, but that doesn’t keep the locals away. Traditional Catalan small plates, including a delicious version of bombas—potato balls stuffed with meat, deep fried, and topped with a spicy sauce—are delivered by gruff but efficient waiters.

Just two blocks uphill from Gaudí's Sagrada Família church, this kitchen serves lovingly prepared and clued-in dishes ranging from warm goat-cheese salad to foie (duck or goose liver) to chuletón de buey a la sal (beef cooked in salt). Decidedly old-school, the interior is largely unchanged since the restaurant opened in 1976. The "Yaya" (an affectionate term for grandmother in Spanish) was apparently of Basque origin, as the cuisine here is a pleasantly schizoid medley of Basque and Catalan.

Mont Bar's cramped interior belies the size of the flavors delivered from its kitchen. Star-worthy morsels such as an oyster with apple and beetroot, and mochi stuffed with Mallorcan sobrassada (cured sausage) are complemented by an immense wine list. Don't be fooled by the laid-back ambience as the size of the bill will be everything but casual. 

Filled with couples night after night, this candlelit dining spot is an atmospheric space that plays up the room's ancient stone, brick, and wood. The cuisine is light and contemporary, featuring classic Catalan staples like pa amb tomàquet and patatas bravas as well as inventive salads and fresh seafood. Some vegetarian dishes are available.

A fixture in the neighborhood for over 30 years, Canet is a cozy (just 12 tables, seating about 40) little hideaway with a retro decor vibe, much enjoyed by the locals. The menú del dia (prix-fixe lunch) is a bit pricy, at €12.95, but the deft touch here, with variations on traditional Catalan cooking, makes it well worthwhile.  

A polished dining spot with a garden terrace, Roig Robí ("ruby red" in Catalan, as in the color of certain wines) maintains a high level of culinary excellence, serving traditional Catalan market cuisine with original touches directed by chef Mercé Navarro. Top-value prix fixe menus of seasonal specialties are available at both lunch and dinner. 

It doesn't get much trendier than this red-lit bar specializing in natural wine and sharing plates hidden behind an unmarked door round the back of Barcelona's main teaching hospital. Take a seat at the counter and watch as local, seasonal produce---from leeks to sweetbreads and crispy chicken skin filled with succulent raw shrimp---is placed on the grill in front of you. The wine selection is as funky as it gets so don't be afraid to communicate what you're into to the knowledgeable sommelier. Handy tip for first-time visitors: don't forget to keep a map handy as you wouldn't be the first person to walk past Suru multiple times before eventually finding the door.

A block or so above Plaça Sarrià, on Major de Sarrià—the village high street—Vivanda is an ideal lunch choice, especially if the weather allows for dining in the tree-shaded garden. There’s no menù del dia (prix-fixe lunch), but à la carte prices are reasonable: standouts include the arròs caldós de sipia i escamarianets (black rice in broth with prawns). 

This famous pilgrimage—one of the best restaurants in Catalonia for the last 50 years—is 39 km (24 miles) up the beach north of Barcelona. Sisters Paquita and Dolores Reixach, officially retired, continue to oversee the same line of classical Catalan cuisine that, despite the name Hispania, has characterized this spot from the start. Faves amb botifarra negre (fava beans with black sausage) ranks high on the list of signature dishes here, but the fresh fish and seafood from the Arenys de Mar fish auction are invariably excellent. The dining room, a long glass rectangle surrounded by nature, adds to the elegant experience. It is easily reached by the Calella train from the RENFE station in Plaça Catalunya.