26 Best Restaurants in Barcelona, Spain

Chef Rafa Zafra’s elegant hodgepodge of a menu features contemporary Catalan fare, French classics like sole meuniere, and dishes inspired by his alma mater, El Bulli. The prices are as jaw-dropping as the dining room, which features soaring ceilings, towering marble columns, ornate chandeliers, and gilded accents galore.

This restaurant takes contemporary decor and fine-dining style and adds the pizzazz of open-kitchen cooking. It's known for its decadent tasting menus, and the star dish is a rich mar i muntanya macaroni with lobster, foie gras, and artichoke. The contemporary decor combines gleaming traditional copper with retro-cool mid-century modern furniture. Wine selections can be added at a surcharge per person. 

With a "short" 10-course tasting menu priced at just €58 (the longer one is €82 for 14 courses) Cruix is the fine-dining restaurant for people who don't want to spend hundreds of euros on a meal. Everything here is laid-back and unpretentious, including the exposed-brick interior, but the quality speaks to the Chef Miquel Pardo's pedigree: he worked under Spanish superstar chefs like Albert Adrià and Jordi Cruz before opening Cruix in 2017. 

Three former head chefs from the legendary former best restaurant in the world El Bulli combined their considerable talents to create this roller-coaster ride of culinary fun (the word "disfrutar" is Spanish for "to enjoy") spotlighting tasting menus of dazzling inventiveness and good taste. Bowls are swirled to reveal beetroot meringues emerging from sesame-seed "earth" (the seeds are made to look like soil), and jellied truffle-and-egg tempura hit the bull's-eye of pure pleasure; desserts are otherworldly. No wonder, then, that the three chefs now hold their own spot close to the top of the World's 50 Best Restaurants list.

The sleek white-on-white dining room inside the Hotel Arts sets the tone for chef Pérez's contemporary take on Mediterranean cuisine. Tasting menus present around a dozen courses, most with a seasonal, seafood-centric focus, like a sea cucumber pasta with bone marrow and young artichokes. If your wallet allows, indulge in a wine pairing, which includes some wonderful surprises like a Spanish-made sake. Exemplary service and a posh location make this a true two-Michelin-star experience.

The sumptuous glory of this restored late-19th-century Moderniste dining room has food to match, courtesy of chef German Espinosa, who spent many years working under superstar Martín Berasategui. Catalan cuisine is interpreted with a French influence—set menus start at €40 (for lunch) and go to €151 for the full tasting menu including premium wine pairings, a relative bargain considering the presentation, the knowledgeable staff, and the historic setting. 

While Martin Berasategui, one of San Sebastián's corps of master chefs, no longer runs the day-to-day operations of this Barcelona kitchen (it's in the capable hands of chef Paolo Casagrande) the restaurant continues to be a culinary triumph. Expect an eclectic selection of Basque, Mediterranean, and off-the-map creations, a hefty bill, service that's second-to-none, and fierce perfectionism apparent in every dish. If you're not in the mood for the full tasting menu, this is one of few Michelin stars that also offers an à la carte option.

Inside the ultrasleek Mandarin Oriental hotel, this restaurant, with food by Raül Balam and his mother—the legendary Carme Ruscalleda—lives up to its stellar pedigree, with original preparations that draw on deep wells of Catalan culinary traditions. Dishes on the tasting menus display a masterful lightness of touch and come to the table so exquisitely presented that putting a fork into them feels almost like wanton vandalism; the reward, however, is sublime, with treasures of taste revealed in every astonishing bite.

Easily one of the hottest tickets in town for lovers of eclectic, avant-garde cuisine, Slow & Low is run by an energetic multicultural young team who have translated their culinary genius into two tasting menus, which combine Mediterranean, Mexican, Peruvian, and even some Southeast Asian influences. The three tasting menus (11 courses for €115, 13 courses for €140, or 14 courses for €170) are all equally worthy of your time and hard-earned cash.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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).

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.

Obsessively local, scrupulously sourced, and masterfully cooked, the dishes of Catalan-Canadian chef Jordi Artal put the spotlight on the region's finest ingredients in an intimate, sophisticated setting. It's hard to believe that this garlanded restaurant is Jordi's first, but there's no arguing with the evidence of your cinc sentits (five senses). There's no à la carte option, only a tasting menu priced at €159 and €189. For your money, you will be taken on a fun run-through of reinterpretations of traditional Catalan dishes using cutting-edge techniques, matched with wines exclusive to the restaurant.

Local gourmands pilgrimage to this tiny, unassuming-looking bar on the edge of the famous Boquería market, where Catalan chef Arnau Muñío flexes his culinary chops in full view of the diners at his chef's-table-style counter. There are two tasting menus, one long, one short, both of which showcase Muñío's unique approach to Catalan-Asian fusion food. Think miso scallops with pickled mushrooms and shrimp in green tea kombucha. Capacity is extremely limited and reservations (well in advance) are essential. 

After 10 years as the chief cook and favored disciple of pioneering chef Ferran Adrià, Albert Raurich opened this outstanding Asian-fusion restaurant that focuses on an eclectic assortment of tastes and textures. There are several tasting menus to choose from; an à la carte menu is available at the bar. 

Albert Raurich of the upscale Dos Palillos restaurant, transformed his favorite neighborhood haunt, Bar Raval, into a cutting-edge tapas bar that explores the history of Mediterranean cuisine. The gleaming makeover hasn't robbed the space of its old-town feel, though, thanks to little touches like the restored original facade and vintage cutlery.

Hidden away at the end of a narrow unmarked passageway off the Pla del Palau, near the Santa Maria del Mar church, this restaurant is a favorite with well-heeled and well-fed gourmands who tuck in their napkins before devouring some of the city's best traditional seafood dishes. Don't bother asking for a menu—there isn't one (although you can prebook a set menu in advance online if you prefer), rather, you can either place yourself completely in the hands of the team, or tell your server what your budget is (starting from around €60 per person, but the sky's the limit). This is the upscale version of nearby Cal Pep, so if your budget doesn't stretch as far as the Passadís---head over to the more affordable sister restaurant instead.

The late Mey Hofmann, German-born and Catalonia-trained, was revered for decades for her creative Mediterranean and international cuisine based on carefully selected raw materials prepared with unrelenting quality. Her team carries on her legacy in this graceful designer space with a glassed-in kitchen as center stage. Sardine tart, beef cannelloni with foie, truffle, Mediterranean-style rice, or paella, with seafood, and pastries that are second to none are what keep people coming back to this carefully managed culinary tour de force. The adjoining Racó Hofmann is a relaxed, informal café featuring a short menu of classic tapas with a contemporary twist, such as the calamari with kimchi mayonnaise or steak tartare with mustard ice-cream. The Hofmann universe has further expanded in recent years to include a bakery at C/Flassaders 44 and a café nearby at C/Flassaders 40, both in the Born neighbourhood, as well as the Taverna Hofmann at C/Girona 145. The lunchtime set menu is a steal at €42. 

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. 

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.