58 Best Restaurants in Barcelona, Spain

This spot just around the corner from the Liceu opera house is one of Barcelona's best tapas restaurants, with a long bar overlooking the burners and part of the kitchen that leads down to the 20-seat communal tasting table at the end of the room. Specialists in Ibérico products, they serve obscure cuts of Ibérico pork, such as pluma ibérica and secreto ibérico (nuggets of meat found on the inside of the shoulder blade and much-prized by Ibérico fanatics), though the real highlight of the menu is the market-fresh seafood that ranges from oysters, to grilled baby scallops and house special dishes like the baby squid (chipirones) with white Santa Pau beans.

Named for the car-mechanic shop that once stood here, Benzina blends industrial-chic elements with splashes of color and excellent music (on vinyl, naturally) to create a hip but cozy Italian restaurant. The food, however, is center stage: the freshly made pasta is among the best in the city.

The atmosphere is relaxed but sophisticated and the constantly changing menu is a melting pot of seasonal produce from the Spanish regions of Catalonia and Galicia. Freshly caught fish and seafood take pride of place, as do the seasonal vegetables.

Just down the road from the Picasso Museum, Bodega La Puntual might look like a tourist trap, but it's a classic, specializing in hearty portions of Catalan fare, made from seasonal, locally sourced produce. Top menu choices include the fresh marinated anchovies, the plate of premium hand-cut Iberian jamón, and trinxat: a traditional Catalan dish made with potatoes, cabbage, and pork meat, served with a fried egg. 

It's has been in a permanent feeding frenzy for more than 30 years, intensified by hordes of tourists, but this loud, hectic bar manages to keep delivering the very highest quality tapas, year-in and year-out. Be prepared to wait up to an hour for a place at the counter; reservations for the tables in the tiny back room and on the outdoor terrace are accepted, but the counter is where the action is.

Once you find this spot, tucked inside the boutique Wittmore Hotel at the end of a tiny alley, you’ll be rewarded with a wonderfully creative menu of small plates and hearty baked pastas. Dishes are served in the lounge-like dining room or out on the courtyard patio with its twinkling lights and impressive vertical garden.

A long list of seasonal Mediterranean small plates, ranging from coal-grilled octopus to vegetarian risotto to traditional Catalan sausage stew, is chalked up on the boards here each day. Inside it's casually hip, with exposed brick walls and vintage furniture; there’s a small back patio for al fresco dining as well as tables out front on the Rambla del Poblenou for excellent people-watching.

One of Barcelona's most beloved bars, La Alcoba Azul offers a wide selection of tapas with a full-on immersive atmosphere. The decor reflects the Moorish influence of Andalucía, mixed with the quirkiness of the original owners so you'll get illuminated lanterns and broken birdcages hang from the ceiling, while a years-old candle burns in a corner. 

Don't be distracted by the graffitied walls and highly Instagrammable dishes: the innovative tapas at La Pepita lives up to the hipster hype. The room is dominated by long marble-topped bar—there are only a handful of tables in the narrow space—so it’s best for couples or small groups. 

Standards like Ibérico ham and patatas bravas are on offer at this snug tapas bar, but it’s the rotating selection of seasonal small plates that really make it worth a visit. There’s no menu; a chalkboard brought to your table lists the main ingredient—cod, pork rib, sweetbreads, for example—and friendly servers will explain the daily preparation for each.

There's no need for complicated sauces here—the super-fresh grilled fish and seafood here speaks for itself, simply drizzled with olive oil or served with a lemon slice. The diminutive dining space is equally unadorned, with plain white walls and bright, somewhat industrial-style lighting; an illuminated panel above the bar lists what’s available that day, which might include razor clams, octopus, sardines, and the restaurant’s namesake fish.

This is a strong contender for the crown of Barcelona’s best bistro, where chef Toni Romero turns out Catalan tapas and dishes that have roots in rustic classics but reach high modern standards of execution. The name is a twist on the Catalan sucar lent (to dip slowly), and excellent bread is duly provided to soak up the sauces, which you won't want to let go to waste.

Specializing in San Sebastián's favorite dishes, this Basque restaurant has only one drawback: a table is hard to score unless you call well in advance. A good backup plan, though, is the tapas served at the first-come, first-served bar. 

Inspired by her Catalan roots, Teresa Carles Borrás has been creating inventive vegetarian fare for 40 years and counting but this namesake was her first restaurant. Both the space and the food are more sophisticated than the typical vegetarian restaurant.

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. 

Enjoy fabulous views of yachts sailing out into the glittering Mediterranean while dining on fresh seafood—caught by local fisherman or sourced at the Barceloneta market—and expertly 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.

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.

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. 

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. 

One of the first things you'll notice here is the scent of freshly baked bread, then you'll take in the open kitchen and cozy, ultra-contemporary interior, with oversized windows facing the street. The chef's modern spin on Catalan cuisine features Peruvian and Asian influences, and the dishes are made almost exclusively using locally sourced organic products.

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 grill. You order à la carte or go with the four-course prix-fixe menu, which is a good deal.

With wicker chairs, stone walls, and classical music, this place is sophisticated-rustic in style. Contemporary Mediterranean cuisine specialties such as roast vegetable "timbale" with black sausage and Parmesan or eggplant terrine with goat cheese, make it more than just a café. Politicians and functionaries from the nearby Generalitat frequent this dining room, which is always boiling with life. Call ahead to reserve a table indoors or on the busy terrace.

Slightly hidden in the exclusive yachting marina behind the W Barcelona hotel, this is a restaurant that only attracts those in the know, which might explain why it is largely devoid of tourists. The menu includes healthy starters like red tuna and eggplant tartare and grilled avocado salad, and there's a nice selection of both seafood- and meat-based paellas.

Can Majó doesn't consistently reach the standards that once made it famous but the food is still a notch above most of the touristy haunts nearby. Specialties include caldero de bogavante (a cross between paella and lobster bouillabaisse) and suquet (fish stewed in its own juices), and the terrace overlooking Barceloneta Beach is a pleasantly upscale alternative to the surrounding beach bars.

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.

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 dia of classic Catalan dishes. Reserve a table for the popular Sunday afternoon vermouth hour, featuring live jazz.