169 Best Restaurants in Barcelona, Spain

Basque dishes are competently updated and delivered with a dash of style at this smart, white-walled Eixample establishment. A fiery grill turns out excellent regional meat specialties, but don't overlook fish dishes such as baby squid with cured ham and caramelized onions. Co-owners Ana and Gonzalo have impressive CVs that include stints in some of Spain's finest restaurants, and it shows in the precise service and wine pairings.

There's only one drawback to this lively Basque bar between Plaça del Pi and La Rambla: it's harder to squeeze into than the metro at rush hour. Skip the pintxos (small plates) on the bar and opt instead for the small bites brought out piping-hot from the kitchen. Pair them with a cold and refreshing Txakolí, the young, sparkling Basque white wine.

This rustic dining room in Gràcia, a spin-off from the original in Les Corts, is a great spot to savor some of Barcelona's finest paellas and rice dishes. What's more, they can be ordered as individual helpings (as opposed to that standard minimum-two-person serving)—meaning you don't have to eat the same dish as your companion. Fish, seafood, and grilled meats round out a complete menu prepared with loving care and using top ingredients. The midday set lunches offer outstanding value. The other branches at Carrer de Bordeus 35 in Les Corts and at Carrer de Muntaner 6 in Sant Antoni are just as good—the former makes a fine pre- or postmatch option if you're going to an FC Barcelona game at the Camp Nou.

If you can find this dive (literally: it's a short drop below sidewalk level), you'll encounter a warm and cluttered space with a dozen small tables and a few spots at the marble counter. Try the excellent pa amb tomàquet and Manchego cheese, Iberian cured ham, or tortilla de patatas (potato and onion omelet).

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.

Delicious artisanal breads and pastries are baked fresh every day at this eco-certified patisserie, with different breads available on different days. The croissants, especially the almond and the seeded vegan, are considered among the best in town.

The name of this boisterous bar refers to the flutelike baguettes used for sandwiches but there's also a seemingly infinite number of tapas and small portions of everything from wild mushrooms in season to wild asparagus or xipirones (baby cuttlefish). Although the food is fresh and flavorsome, service can be brusque—perhaps a result of the sheer number of customers—and you may feel pressure to eat quickly when the queue outside is particularly long. A second branch—the original but perhaps not as good—is at Carrer Balmes 171.

If you have an itch for a taste of Old Havana—ropa vieja (shredded beef) or moros y cristianos (black beans and rice) with mojitos (a cocktail of rum, mint, and sugar), or a round of plátanos a puñetazos (punched plantains)—this is your Barcelona refuge. The upstairs tables overlooking the bar are cozy little crow's nests, and the neighborhood is filled with quirky dives and saloons for pre- and post-dinner carousing.

This restaurant stands out by offering creative twists on classic dishes at comparatively affordable prices. Traditional favorites such as paella, black rice, and fideuà (a paella-like pasta dish) are reinvigorated, and freshness is assured as ingredients come directly from the lonja fish quay across the street, a lively auction where Barcelona's small fishing fleet sells its wares. The fixed-price lunch menu changes weekly and offers a budget-friendly way to try what's in season. You can't do much better for value and quality in otherwise notoriously overpriced Barceloneta.

Literally "The Bishop's Belly," this casual spot achieves a rare feat: putting modern international twists on Mediterranean cuisine without ruining it. La Panxa is a bit off the beaten path and thrives on a steady stream of repeat customers, who come for superb tapas and the restaurant's own craft beer on tap.

This stylish pastisseria looks more like a designer jewelry store than a bakery, with rows of world-class cakes and pastries gleam temptingly in glass cases, ready to be taken away or enjoyed in-store with coffee or a glass of cava. Owner Josep Rodríguez learned his craft in Michelin-starred kitchens before winning the 2011 world pastry chef of the year award for his rosa dels vents (rose of the winds) cake. Everything is made by hand with ingredients of the finest quality, but prices are reasonable, making extra helpings irresistible. There is a second branch at Via Augusta 166.

If you're jonesing for a burger, this laid-back, Venezuelan-owned fast-food spot is the place to go. The burgers are great, of course, but so are sides like deep-fried cheese sticks (tequeños) with sweet chili sauce. The burger options on the menu are mainly based on your cheese preference, so choose between cheddar, Brie, raclette, or Parmesan and don't be afraid to get your fingers messy. La Real has two locations: in Eixample and in Poble Nou. 

Come up to Tibidabo for the great views, but budget time at the restaurant La Venta on Plaça Doctor Andrea, across the square from where the vistas unfold, for lunch in a charming Moderniste setting. For an unusual appetizer, try the uni (sea urchin) au gratin.

More than a bookstore, the café and restaurant here serves an all-day buffet until 9 pm. Readings, concerts, and book presentations round out an ample program of events. The child-friendly and Wi-Fi–equipped librería features a covered roof terrace that's perfect for munching a slice of cake while catching up on email.

This no-frills, big-flavor southern-Italian restaurant near the Via Laietana is a favorite with locals for its friendly prices, boisterous atmosphere, and generous portions of burrata, lasagne, ragù, carbonara, and so on, featuring authentic ingredients from the in-store deli. Leave room for the excellent tiramisu.

This dapper, friendly space attracts a crowd with its excellent wine list and the well-crafted tapas based on classic Catalan and Asturian recipes. Consider the black pudding with grilled squid and fabada (Asturian bean stew). Year-round late-night hours make it a handy option.

Comfy booth seating and a live paella cooking station, where chefs line up with giant pans of bubbling rice, make this a particularly fun proposition for groups. The tapas starters don’t quite match the high level of the rice-based mains, which excel for their freshness and unexpected flavors, such as chicken, prawn and asparagus, or butifarra sausage and pork rib.

This bar-restaurant on the Mirador de Tibidabo, with its panoramic view of the city, is a popular late-night hangout, especially after 11:30 when it becomes a disco. The menu is strong on sandwiches and tapas, but includes delicacies like grilled sea bass and cod cheeks with roasted red peppers and garlic mousseline. 

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. 

The columns and skylights of this former high-class jewelry shop now frame a Mediterranean restaurant that emphasizes wholesome, market-fresh produce in dishes such as artichoke hearts and veal carpaccio that comes sizzling from the charcoal grill. Cocktails are served until late in the elegant upstairs bar from Thursday to Saturday.

Opened in 1925 and still decorated with murals of old-time boxers, Mundial no longer packs the punch of years gone by when it served some of the best-value, no-frills tapas in the area. It retains its unfussy charm but inflated prices---especially for seafood---and inconsistent service suggest its best days are behind it. Pop in for a taste of the authentic atmosphere and classic dishes such as thin-sliced aubergines with goats' cheese, but check the prices before you order.

Top-notch coffee and homemade pastries and cakes make this organic café a particularly bustling spot at breakfast. For lunch or a casual dinner, there's a long list of focaccia sandwiches, as well as excellent quiches, pizza served by the slice, and Italian-inspired salads.

Sunlight streams through the windows of this fashionable corner coffee spot, stuffed with plants, which offers cakes, cookies and vegan pastries, plus tempting nonedibles, such as design magazines and ceramics made in a little first-floor studio.

The name, a pun on para comer algo ("to eat something" with an Andalusian accent), may be only marginally amusing, but the tapas here are no joke, from the classical calamares fritos to the pimientos de Padrón (green peppers, some fiery, from the Galician town of Padrón). Whether at a table, at the counter, or in the private dining room upstairs, this modern space does traditional tapas that reliably hit the spot.

Along with traditional pistachio and chocolate gelato, this artisan gelateria creates some truly out-there flavors, like mandarin and jasmine or brioche with toasted butter, as well as seasonal specialties like Panettone. There's also a wide variety of vegan sorbets.

Between the buzzing indoor dining room, the breezy outdoor patio, and the strongest Bloody Mary game in town, there's a reason why Picnic has reigned supreme on the Barcelona brunch scene for more than a decade. House specials include the quinoa and potato hash browns, the fried green tomatoes with feta and fresh corn salsa, and, of course, the killer eggs Benedict. Accompany it with a ginger gin lemonade or one of the famous chipotle Bloody Marys and you won't go home disappointed.

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.

The secret is out about this tiny, century-plus-old tapas bar, which has become so overrun with visitors in recent years that locals have mostly started steering clear. Nevertheless, it's an atmospheric place, and the innovative tapas—largely made using conservas (foods from cans or jars) and served as bite-size open-sandwiches called montaditos—are well worth the visit. You can’t reserve a table, so arrive early (around noon or at 6 pm when it reopens) to snag a spot.