Barcelona Bars & Restaurants

If you've heard that Barcelona has a great nightlife, rest assured that it's completely true. This cosmopolitan city is fast growing as one of the major hubs in Europe. The best thing about Barcelona's restaurants and clubs is the variety. Whether you're looking for a top notch seafood meal, an intimate soiree with friends and a good glass of vino tinto or the place to party until dawn, you're sure to find what you're looking for in Barcelona.

Restaurants 

Ancora

When guests usually arrive in Barceloneta, the popular beach spot where most of our apartments are located, they're often keen for something to eat. One of the best seafood restaurants in Barceloneta is Ancora, located on the corner of Joan De Borbo (The main road between Barceloneta and the port) and Calle L'Almirall Cervera.  They do a great seafood Paella from 10 euros per person and a jug of Sangria for 7euros, but the menu is full of choice of the freshest seafood, and a good mixture of meat dishes also. Don't be surprised if you are given a free entree ‘para picada', compliments of the house!

Itzali

Cheap and Cheerful Mexican Food, Barceloneta  For a quick lunch or easy dinner, Barceloneta's Itzali is a popular choice. A chicken or beef burrito stuffed full of meat, rice, beans, salsa and jalepeños will cost you around 4 euros. You can also order tacos, salads, fruit juice shakes and cheesy nachos. They serve a variety of Mexican beers and mixed drinks. Open every day except Monday for lunch and dinner on Calle San Miguel. 

La Fonda

A fine dining experience on a budget! Gothic Quarter 

Just next to Plaza Reial and a stones throw from La Rambla on Carrer del Escudellers you'll find some of the best food in Barcelona at amazingly low prices. Whats more, this restaurant has all the trimmings you'd expect from a fancy first class restaurant- starched white tablecloths, low mood lighting, polished silverware and an excellent seasonal menu. The food itself is second to none. All of the main plates are less than 10 euros and the entrees and deserts around 5 euros. Four people could order each an entree, main and desert, wine included for less than 100 euros. Bargain! 

Lasani Restaurant Authentic curry, great prices, fabulous atmosphere, El Raval 

On Carrer Nou Del La Rambla, 22 off La Rambla on the lower left section you'll find a delightfully inexpensive and mouthwateringly good Indian/Pakistani restaurant. They have an excellent selection of authentic entrees and main courses freshly cooked on the day and the combination of twinkling fairy lights and soft pink lamps create a relaxing atmosphere. Order a curry for around 7 euros with rice or naan for 2 euros, or go for one of the ‘menu' combinations for 9 or 12 euros with entree, main, bread or rice and drink included.   

Juicy Jones

Excellent choice of vegan food, salads and fresh squeezed juice, El Raval and Gothic 

Juicy Jones offer a reasonably priced all vegan menu. Choose from a variety of gigantic salads (5 euro), sandwiches (3-5 euro) or go all out with the menu of the day which includes a starter salad or soup, choice of main plate of the day or Thali (a selection of vegetable Indian curry) and desert. A fresh squeezed juice will cost between 3-5 euros, but they're worth it. The staff are usually friendly and speak Spanish and English but service can be slow.  

Sandwich and Friends  Casual food and great coffee, El Borne 

Depending on how long you've been in Spain, there may come a time when a craving for a simple sandwich or salad without lashings of ham or olive oil hits you. If so, head to Sandwich and Friends in El Borne on Passeig Del Borne. They have a staggering choice of toasted or cold sandwiches and salads, yummy deserts and decent coffee for 3-5 euros. The couches and ceiling high glass windows make for a relaxing place to enjoy your meal. Open daily between 9:30-1am. 

Udon

Great Japanese food (but no sushi), Barrio Gothic 

Smart and simplistic interior but the food is authentic and inexpensive. Order a steaming bowl of noodle soup or a mixed rice dish for around 7-9 euros. Tempura dishes around 11euros. Service is attentive and the food always fresh. A must try is the green tea ice cream. Calle Tallers near the top of the Ramblas. 

Ugarit Excellent Lebanese food, El Borne or Icaria Centre Commercial, Vila Olimpica 

Nicely decked out and terrific food. For times when a street kebab just wont cut it. Ugarit have mixed plates of fresh hummus, babaganough and yogurt dips mixed with salad and shawarma, plus other traditional delights like tabbouleh and baklava. Expect to pay around 15 per head. Great value. 

Bars 

Coppelia

Classy Cocktails, El Borne Located on Carrer de Rera Palau, 4, Coppelia serves excellent cocktails till late every day except Sunday. Black leather couches and black and white photographs of Hollywood movie stars like Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin and Audry Hepburn decorate this lounge bar, making it a comfy and classy place to meet with friends for a well balanced mix of fruit and alcohol. Its rarely full and best enjoyed as your first stop for a night out in El Borne, where the choice of bars and restaurants is staggering. Open from 7-3am.

Red

Restaurant Lounge Barceloneta  Red is a very fancy looking place, excellently located at the end of Joan de Borbo 78, on the right hand side, near the beach. Its a great place for an evening cocktail to watch the sun go down from their comfy cushion laden deck. They offer Mediterranean food until midnight and have a great dance floor inside.  

La Ovella Negra

Beer and Sandria on tap in a Catalan style beer hall In Calle del les Sitges just off the Ramblas near plaza Catalunya you'll find The Black Sheep. The legendary beer hall that's always full of both locals and tourists with a lively atmosphere. 9 euros will buy you a jug of Sangria or Beer. They have a range of tapas that's pretty average but will fill your stomach while you're enjoying the cheap drinks and the atmosphere. You can even buy an Ovella Negra Tshirt, among other merchandise from the bar. Get there early- before 10pm if you want to sit at a table.

 It Café 

One block further up from the top of Rambla de Ravel is Calle Joaquin Costa, a street in El Raval where plenty of quirky bars are waiting to be discovered. Its a popular spot for local students on Thursday and Friday nights.  Café IT is really more of  a bar although they do serve coffee. The cocktails are great although priced at 6-7 euros each. Beer is around 3 euros, but its the atmosphere that makes this place great. There is a huge sitting area with vintage leather couches and comfy armchairs. Get there early to get a good seat. Open late every night.

To enjoy the city like locals do, stay in a Barcelona apartment.

Barcelona, Spain:  A Feast for the Eyes and Appetite

 Barcelona, Spain is a destination for romantics, extreme adventurers, and the finicky eater.  Combine these altogether and you get the best out of your tour.  The Restaurants Barcelona  and the rustic food from the villages nearby offer the best in gastronomic adventure and the sceneries are just as fantastic. 

Book Online for Your Gastronomic Tour 

Decades ago, it was unthinkable to make hotel or restaurant reservations in a foreign country when you were miles away or in the other half of the globe.  The internet made the impossible possible and with just a click of a mouse you can choose your tour, hotel, and of course the restaurants.  It is a great thing too that many of these hotels have their own websites featuring their magnificent rooms and services; not to be outdone are the restaurants which also provide a glimpse of their interiors and their menus. 

Booking online for your gastronomic tour allows you to choose budget dinners, expensive fares, and/or mid-range offerings.  This way, you can select the restaurants for specific dates for a romantic dinner or for a family get-together in far-away Barcelona.  

Barcelona restaurants offer an array of menus for different tastes but their specialties are fresh and high quality seafood, meat, poultry, vegetables and fruits.  These are combined together in special preparations known region-wide as "mar I muntanya" which translates the combination of seafood and meat and enhanced with poultry, fruit, and nuts.   

When booking online for your Barcelona tour, check out the top restaurants in the area and compare their menus and prices.  Also take into account the ambience of each restaurant - from casual chic to the relaxed atmosphere or out-door dining.  Each restaurant has a translation of their menus and a listing of the ingredients, to help you with your choices.  Booking online ahead of your tour won't have you weaving through a throng of diners only to be told that reservations are necessary.         

A Background on Barcelona Cuisine 

Barcelona gastronomy showcases Catalan cuisine which is robust as well as nourishing.  If you visit the vast plantations in the lowlands and the ocean nearby, it is easy to understand why Barcelona cuisine is peppered with olives, wheat, and grapes, and other aromatic herbs, and bounty from the seas.  

The locals love their fresh country bread rubbed with tomato and flavored with olive oil. The bread becomes a filling meal when topped with cheese, Iberian ham, anchovies or eaten along with grilled fish, meat, or chicken. 

 Tapas can be found all over Barcelona.  These are appetizers served in small quantities to get tourists ready for the first course.  These may be stuffed mushrooms, salmon or ham croquettes, battered shrimp or squid.  Classier hotels offer the best of these tapas in their restaurants but there are local dining places where one can have a fill of these tapas as the locals do.  Spanish wine should not be deleted from your gastronomic tour. Wine tours are abundant and will take you to nearby Penedes, home of the famous Spanish champagne Cava. 

For the winter months, a tour to sunny Barcelona will warm your heart and fulfill your search for the best filling meals and splendid wine.  Check out the online tour offerings now, and off course, make sure to choose the best Barcelona lodging.