140 Best Restaurants in Barcelona, Spain

This lively brunch spot is a breath of fresh air in a neighborhood perhaps best described as "up and coming." The name "trópico" (or tropical) refers to both the bright decor and the menu that takes inspiration from the tastes of the tropics—from Colombian arepas to Brazilian chicken coxinhas, Thai dragon fruit smoothies, Peruvian ají, and Indian-style curries. Founders Leonardo Tristancho from Colombia and Rodrigo Marco from Brazil have created a space that reflects their love of vibrant, unapologetic flavors, blended with all the warmth of Latin hospitality.

Open since 1967, this elegant, family-owned temple of fine Catalan dining was a favorite of Salvador Dalí and now attracts local sports stars and politicians. The menu is a mix of contemporary offerings punctuated by old-school classics, and you can trust the expert sommelier to guide you through the daunting 10,000-bottle-strong wine list. The starter of squid stew with Iberian ham and piparra chilis threatens to be a showstopper, but the theatrical presentation of roast baby duck, deboned and pressed at the table, provides a memorable second act. Looking for a romantic venue for a special occasion? This is it.

This chic, neutral-tone wine and cheese bar—with over 150 bottles and 60 slabs of creamy joy—also serves up unexpectedly stunning fromage-free options, such as Vietnamese rolls and tartares. You’ll have your table or counter spot for two hours (typical in Barcelona, where dining generally has “shifts” at 8 pm and 10 pm); how much cheese you can fit into that window is on you.

The brainchild of two Venetian brothers, this Italian spot specializes in the cuisine of the Veneto region with exquisitely prepared dishes that lean heavily toward seafood and pasta.

Much of Xerta's menu is the expected swanky fine-dining fare, but stand-out options use unique produce from the deltas and rivers of the Terres de l'Ebre region, such as sweet miniature canyuts (razor clams), oysters, and fresh eel. The superb weekday four-course lunch menu includes two glasses of wine per person and is a steal at €45.

Enjoy fabulous views of yachts sailing out into the glittering Mediterranean while dining on market-fresh seafood, quality steaks, and in-season specials, much of which is prepared on the wood-fired grill. This stylish restaurant is perched atop a renovated warehouse that now houses the Museum of the History of Catalonia.

Chef Jordi Cruz is a celebrity in Spain, and pulls out all the stops with a panoply of artfully presented dishes that vary from season to season; no expense or effort is ever spared. ABaC serves only a set tasting menu, which you can request with or without paired wines. There are tables only for two or four; the coveted seating looks out on a lovely garden. 

Hit Agua's beachfront terrace on warm summer nights and sunny winter days, or just catch rays inside through immense windows; either way you'll have a prime spot for people-watching and fresh seafood-eating. Expect good-if-not-spectacular fare and hit-or-miss service at this popular tourist favorite. Reserve in advance for a coveted seat on the terrace.

Purists tempted to run screaming from The Alchemix's blend of creative cocktails and Asian-influenced, avant-garde gastonomy should think again. Against the odds, this strange brew is a transformative triumph, as with the umami-poached king oyster mushroom, with prawns and pork rinds, paired with Uni Mead, a cocktail made from sea ​​urchin, mead, soy milk, tobacco bitters, and lemon juice. Tapas and à la carte dishes, such as steamed cockles with green curry, also impress.

Take a historic luxury hotel and add one of Barcelona's most avant-garde, yet ultra-elegant fine-dining restaurants, and what have you got? Aleia restaurant at Casa Fuster. Set in a opulent dining room overlooking Passeig de Gràcia, Aleia is the kind of place you'll get dressed up for when you want to impress someone special. Choices are limited: there's one tasting menu, priced at €172 (or €134 at lunchtime), the contents of which may vary, but the quality of the produce will never disappoint---like white prawns from Tarragona, de-boned Bresse quail, or Kaluga caviar.

Started by two sisters, Marisol and Sofía, Artisa is a one-stop-shop for coffee, cakes, juices, and sandwiches, with a few outdoor and indoor tables. It's the perfect place for a light bite or a snack while sight-seeing.

Tucked away in a quiet street off the Rambla, this cozy, rustic-chic Italian spot specializes in "cicchetti," which are sort of like Venetian tapas, so you can taste a number of things. There’s plenty of wine, too; after all, "bacaro" means "wine bar" in Venetian. 

Alegria translates as "joy" and nothing is more joyful than finding a sunny spot on Alegria's popular patio for a glass of iced vermút and a tapa of spicy patatas bravas or the famous truffled ham and cheese toastie. Vermouth culture is all about bar hopping from place to place until you are full (and tipsy) and suddenly realize the sun set a long time ago and you have no idea what time it is—nor do you care. Sant Antoni is full of vermouth bars just like this and Bar Alegria is a great place to kick things off.

Don’t let the slightly dingy exterior dissuade you; this Barceloneta bar serves reliably good tapas and an excellent house vermouth, making it a local favorite since its founding in 1908. The best seats are out on the plaza-fronting terrace.

Despite its location just off La Rambla, Bar Lobo’s outdoor terrace overlooks a charming and usually quiet square, plus it's open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The menu covers all the bases: coffee, juice, wine, cocktails, traditional Catalan and Spanish tapas, and Western mains.

Just above Diagonal, this elegant retro space serves first-rate products ranging from wild sea bass to the best Ibérico hams. Crowded, noisy, chaotic, delicious—it's everything a great tapas bar or restaurant should be. The wine selections and range of dishes proposed on the chalkboard behind the bar are creative and traditional and the service is superb. The menu changes with the seasons, but staples include the solomillo with seasonal mushrooms (or foie gras when mushrooms aren't in season) and the utterly decadent lobster with egg and brandy. Don't let the friendly and casual feel of the place lull you into thinking that la cuenta (the check) will be anything but sobering. Entrepanes Diaz, directly opposite, is a spin-off that serves more humble (and more sensibly priced) snacks and sandwiches in a similarly elegant style.

Since opening its doors in 1928 (then under a different name), Bar Muy Buenas boasts a modernist design, more than 30 Catalan wines to choose from, and an extensive menu of classic recipes from the region.

Famous for its patatas bravas amb allioli (potatoes with fiery hot sauce and allioli, an emulsion of crushed garlic and olive oil), accompanied by freezing mugs of San Miguel beer, this old-fashioned Sarrià classic is worth seeking out. You'll have to elbow your way to a tiny table and shout to be heard over the hubbub, but the effort is richly rewarded.

In an enormous, riverboat-like building at the end of the yacht marina in Barceloneta, this seafood restaurant is geared for high-volume business, but the paellas and grilled fish are reliably excellent. The hundreds of fellow diners make the place feel like a cheerful celebration.

One of very few decent spots within a short walk of the Sagrada Família, this "meat bar" doesn't take reservations; instead it offers a walk-in-and-graze tapas menu of items like steak tartare and aged filet mignon in a tiled, industrially chic dining room that doesn't invite lingering but is rarely empty—arrive early for a table. Former Catalan Chef of the Year Dani Lechuga throws in the occasional fine-dining dish to lighten things up. 

Set in a charming Moderniste space dating back to 1892, this bar hits the perfect balance of quality, price, service, and ambience. The menu mixes classic dishes like deep-fried calamari and spicy patatas bravas, with house specials like the steak tartare.

Blanc's menu couples traditional Catalan cuisine with fresh, seasonal products, and the three-course lunch menu, and the ever-changing, five-course "Sundays at Blanc" tasting menu are popular. The dining room is in an airy atrium at the heart of the Mandarin Oriental and feels lively most of the day, starting when the first hotel guests come in for the (excellent) breakfast. 

This three-floor design triumph by Spain's hottest interior decorator, Lázaro Rosa Violán, makes up for in sheer panache what it lacks in consistency. Don't plan on a quick visit: the fresh seafood and rice dishes on offer here can take a while to reach your table. Abandoning the post-Modernisme minimalism that has dominated Barcelona for the last decades, Boca Grande is a baroque celebration of colonial and safari-chic, from the second floor bar, Boca Chica, with its enormous elephant tusks behind the counter, to the spectacular unisex restrooms downstairs. You'll want to linger for a postprandial cocktail on the roof terrace.

A short stroll from the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion and CaixaForum, this bustling brick-walled restaurant serves top-notch seasonal Catalan cuisine prepared on the Josper charcoal oven. Order à la carte or go with the multicourse prix-fixe menu, which is a good deal.

Barcelona's best-known Galician restaurant has maritime motifs, snowy white tablecloths, and fleets of waiters in spotless outfits serving uberfresh seafood, from whole grilled fish to lobster paella to raw platters (the latter, gasp-inducing for the spectacle and for the price).

This restaurant has been serving old-school Catalan cuisine to local and loyal customers since 1940 (and under a different name for 50 years before that), and the practice has been made perfect. Standouts include butifarra sausage with spinach and chickpeas, meatballs with squid and shrimp, or veal stew with wild mushrooms. Most dishes are hearty, but there are a few lighter options such as steamed mussels and oven-baked cod.

Since the early 1970s, Ca l'Isidre has elevated simplicity to the level of the spectacular, with traditional Catalan dishes prepared to an extraordinarily high standard (and at a rather high price tag by Barcelona standards). Ignore the menu—just follow the recommendations and order whatever's in season. The restaurant is decorated with original works by a slew of luminaries, including Miró and Dalí, both former patrons. Spain's King Juan Carlos celebrated his wedding anniversary here, and regular guests include politicians and visiting Hollywood celebrities.