Barcelona is a magical city full of amazing places to eat, but it has a reputation for being a little pricey. So, what is the cost of food per day in Barcelona? We’ll give you some insight into that question along with some recommendations for great value food in Barcelona.
What's Included
Breakfast
In Barcelona, breakfast is light—a coffee and sandwich (bocata in Catalan) or croissant. You can find offers for this breakfast across the whole city for under five Euros. Need recommendations on where to have breakfast in Barcelona? Another option is one of the market bars, our favorite being Bar Joan in Mercat de Santa Caterina.
Barcelona has plenty of healthier options too, but these come at a premium. For avocado toast, or a more international brunch style of breakfast, you’ll pay closer to €10–€12 with a flat white. If this is more your speed, we recommend the recently opened Billy Brunch in Eixample for a great menu and good prices.
Lunch
There is no excuse to pay an arm and a leg for lunch in Barcelona, thanks to the menú del día. Almost all restaurants have a menú at lunch that usually ranges from €10–€15—this is what the locals will eat.
The menú normally includes two to three courses, bread, a drink and some water. Remember in Spain lunch is the main meal of the day, so fit in with the locals and make time to sit down for an hour or so. Most restaurants will have the menu advertised outside, meaning you can take a quick peek at what is on offer. Check out a few of our favorite places in the Raval area, just five minutes’ walk from Las Ramblas. Can Lluis and L’Antic Forn both have classic Catalan dishes at great value.
There is also lots of international food in Barcelona, particularly Asian. One of our favorites is a ramen bar just off Via Laietana right in the center. Grasshopper Ramen is so small you could walk past it without knowing, but for €10 you can get a great bowl of Ramen and still have some change left over.
Dinner
When it comes to dinner in Spain, we eat late, so we eat little. Take a seat on a terraza in one of Barcelona’s many squares and have some simple tapas. These will run you about €4–€6 each depending on where you are, and you can add on a caña for €2.50–€3.50.
One of our favorite places to watch the world go by over a drink is Bar Canigó in Gracia. Known for its bocatas and traditional tapas, Bar Canigó is a Barcelona favorite. A drink each and some tapas will cost around €10 per head.
Snacks
Here in Spain, we have five meals a day. We have a second breakfast—which is often very small like a piece of fruit, which you can pick up in one of the many markets—and something called merienda.
The merienda is a perfect excuse to have one of Spain’s most famous treats: hot chocolate. In Barcelona, we do it differently. Here, we serve the chocolate with a generous helping of whipped cream, known as a suizo (after the Swiss, who first added dairy to chocolate) and melindros, not churros.
You can find this delicious combo all over the city, but two great places are Granja Dulcinea in the Gothic Quarter or Granja M. Viader on the other side of Las Ramblas, next to the famous Boqueria. This should cost no more than €5 per head, and you can save money by sharing a portion of cream between two or three of you. They are big!
READ MORE: Our Top Picks for the Best Hot Chocolate in Barcelona
The ideal daily food budget for Barcelona
So now you know how much to budget per meal in Barcelona. Don’t want to add it all up? We think a budget of €35–40 per person, per day, is enough for you to eat out every meal and enjoy great food.
