26 Best Restaurants in Barcelona, Spain

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.

There’s a Miami vibe to this bright, two-floored brunch spot, with its bold blue accents, wall murals, egg-based dishes, and park-side terrace. Details count here: from dish presentation (beautifully done) to a catchy playlist; even the take-out coffee cups have artist illustrations.  

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.

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.

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.

Slightly hidden in the exclusive yachting marina behind the W hotel, this restaurant only attracts those in-the-know, which might explain why it's largely devoid of tourists. The menu includes healthy starters like salmon tartare and ceviche, and there's a nice selection of seafood-, vegetable- and meat-based paellas.

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. 

Painting and photographic exhibits line the walls of this large and lively Born restaurant, and the menu is dominated by meat cooked over coals, pizzas, and salads. Flamenco and jazz performances downstairs are a good post-dinner diversion.

Part of Poblenou’s Sala Beckett cultural center, this restaurant’s vast, high-ceilinged dining room fills up with locals at lunchtime, thanks to its excellent, well-priced "menu del día" of classic Catalan dishes. Reserve a table for the popular Sunday-afternoon vermouth hour, featuring live jazz between noon and 1 pm.

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.

With pan-Mediterranean cuisine and reasonable prices, this attractive bistro 100 yards west of the Rambla is perennially popular. The inexpensive lunch menu attracts in-the-know locals, and à la carte choices like scallops with pea foam are tempting and economical. Traditional marble tabletops, graceful lighting, and one country kitchen table for six or eight diners in the dining room add to the appeal.

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).

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.

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. 

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.