Although our love for Madrid is profound and eternal, here at Madrid Food Tour we also adore the capital’s big rival: Barcelona. It’s different, it’s modern, it’s got a beach! And it also serves up fab food.

Eating in Barcelona means experiencing Catalonia’s “sea and mountain” cuisine: a fusion of fresh seafood and earthy ingredients from the region’s hilly hinterland. But enough talk. If you’re wondering where to eat in Barcelona, read on for a a list of the best (in our humble opinion) tapas bars and the best restaurants in Barcelona.

Ultimate guide for eating in Barcelona (tapas & beyond!)

Apart from our incredible lineup of restaurants for our food tours in Barcelona, here’s a summary of our other top picks.

Cal Pep

You’re nobody until you’ve queued for a spot at Cal Pep (yes, either reserve a table, or get there early and be prepared to wait for a seat at the bar). Frequented by locals and tourists, this place has become a reference point for Barcelona’s tapas scene, serving up delicious monkfish, baby squid with chickpeas and whatever tasty morsel caught the chef’s eye at the market that morning.

Quimet i Quimet

Tiny, always-packed and family-run, Quimet i Quimet keeps things oh-so-simple. Behind the bar Señor Quim creates an avalanche of delicious cold tapas – some of the city’s best – with ingredients pulled directly from cans. In Spain, canning is considered an excellent way to conserve certain products, especially seafood. And a couple of mouthfulls here will make you a canning convert.

La Paradeta

Is this one of the best restaurants in Barcelona? Or is it a fishmongers? Aha! It’s both. At La Paradeta you browse mountains of fresh fish and seafood on ice, take your pick, then it’s passed to the kitchen for cooking. Yep, it’s that fresh. Add a bottle of chilled white wine, and you’re in seafood seventh heaven.

Casa Delfín

Relax on the buzzing terrace of Casa Delfín sipping cava (Spain’s answer to champagne – with most of the stuff coming from Catalonia) and grazing on market-fresh, deliciously rustic dishes that wonderfully capture Catalonian cuisine.

Vaso de Oro

Eating in Barcelona (and Spain) is all about informality. Elbow your way to the bar at Vaso de Oro, grab a drink, and just start ordering. And this down-by-the-beach grill joint is testament to that approach. It’s narrow, it’s bustling, it’s loud. And you can’t leave without trying their grilled steak.

La Cova Fumada

Feel like going local? This neighbourhood tapas bar opened in 1944, and hasn’t (thankfully) changed much since. La Cova Fumada is famous for their bombas (literally “bombs”, spicy potato and chorizo balls that explode in your mouth) and morcilla amb citrons (blood sausage and chickpeas).

La Plata

Another rustic tasca with zero pretensions is La Plata. This place is famous for its tomato & onion salad, fried anchovies and its botifarra (a Catalonia pork sausage) served on bread.

Tapeo

Now for something a little more modern: Tapeo. Chef Daniel Rueda gives traditional dishes a 21st-century tweak at this casual, yet classy, tapas bar. It’s all good, but special mention goes to the beef cheek and the grilled squid.

La Pubilla

This small restaurant near the Mercado de la Llibertat in Gràcia is one of our favorites. La Pubilla is market-fresh cuisine done right and the menu changes often. Reservations are highly recommended, as the place is small and the locals are in the know! Try it for their famous “desayuno con tenedor” (farmers’ breakfasts) or for their lunch offerings. La Pubilla closes at 5pm and doesn’t reopen for dinner.

Update Notice: This post was updated on April 11, 2024.

James Blick

Enchanted by the country’s exhilarating culture and cuisine, Devour Tours cofounder and COO James has written about Spain for international publications, including the Guardian and the UK Sunday Times. He hosts a popular YouTube channel about Spain, and has appeared on the BBC and British Channel 4. A wine lover, he is WSET Level 3 certified.