Barcelona Gastro Guide: Where to Eat in Barcelona
WELCOME TO BARCELONA!
The first time I visited Barcelona back in 2016 I was trembling with excitement. It seemed like everyone I’d ever met had only raved about Barcelona’s charm and beauty– I imagined a seaside port city where everything was magical. After seeing photos of Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia and the colorful Boqueria Market I prepared myself for love at first sight.
IT DIDN’T HAPPEN.
I left Barcelona confused and disappointed; unsure of how I’d missed out on what everyone else seemed to have fallen for.
In retrospect, it’s totally normal that I didn’t love Barcelona right away. My hotel was on the Parallel, a huge, noisy street that wasn’t even close to the quaint Barcelona I’d been expecting. And back in 2007, I rarely used the internet– so I chose what to do and where to eat based on hotel recommendations and guidebooks. I didn’t know about blogs. Oh, how things have changed!
GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER
So it wasn’t love at first sight– but today, I DO love Barcelona.
Fast forward to 2011, when I decided to give Barcelona another chance. This time, I went prepared with plenty of research, and personal recommendations from friends and family. I encountered a whole new Barcelona– one I even dreamed about living in!
I stayed in the village-like Gracia neighborhood, one of my favorite places to stay in Barcelona even today, and spent the trip exploring Barcelona’s incredibly diverse neighborhoods, this time free of any misleading preconceptions!
After multiple trips for both business and pleasure, in 2014 it only made sense to expand myDevour Spain food tours to include Barcelona– in fact, we probably should have started there! Why, you may ask?
Because it is SO EASY to eat poorly in Barcelona (which I know from plenty of personal experience!). Yet at the same time, Barcelona welcomes thousands upon thousands of foodie tourists each year. And while many of them are able to navigate with today’s great blogs and travel guides, many fall into the same traps I have.
The mission of our food tours in Barcelona is to bring people off the tourist track– and into Barcelona eateries that are family run and serving real, delicious and not “made for tourists” food. It was very difficult– much more so than in Madrid or Seville. But today I am SO PROUD of our awesome food tours in Barcelona, which achieve the goal of bringing curious food lovers to the best traditional family-run eateries and restaurants in town!
For More Info: Listen to our feature on NPR radio!
I NOW ADORE BARCELONA
When people ask me, “Madrid or Barcelona?” I have no response! Why choose? They’re completely different cities and I truly love them both. I’d love to live in Barcelona for a time– the closest I’ve come is spending two weeks at a time there when planning new tours. And although 2-week stays multiple times per year has given me a good idea of the city, there’s nothing like actually living in a place long term!
EATING IN BARCELONA
Ok, now for the good stuff! Barcelona is filled with amazing eateries– from simple and traditional to gourmet and extravagant.
I’ve been meaning to write this gastro guide to eating in Barcelona for the past year– but, to be perfectly honest, it was an intimidating task! There are SO MANY amazing places to eat in Barcelona and I wanted to make sure to do the city justice with my recommendations. Yet after getting back from planning three new tours in Barcelona (a super traditional Barcelona food tour, a delicious Barcelona tapas tour, and a fun Barcelona wine tasting tour!) I finallyfeel ready to share my personal Barcelona restaurant recommendations and food tips with the world.
I hope that these tips will save many from my fate back in 2007, because Barcelona is full of great food, but also has plenty of awful food! So this guide will tell you what to eat in Barcelona, and later where to eat in Barcelona. I hope it is helpful!
BARCELONA TAPAS 101
SO TAPAS AREN’T ACTUALLY FROM BARCELONA– CRAZY, HUH?
On the one hand, that means that many places in the city that claim to be “Tapas Bars” should actually have a sign that reads “Tourist Trap”. There are plenty of these in Barcelona, likely more than any other city in Spain. But don’t worry, there’s hope!
Because there are also some fantastic tapas bars in Barcelona, and I’d categorize them into three groups:
- Catalan bodegas: While technically not tapas bars, these are the closest that Barcelona gets to the traditional concept of small plates. These are old-fashioned wine shops where people fill their empty bottles with barrel wine. The food on offer is almost always cold– think charcuterie, cheese and (delicious) Spanish canned goods.
- Traditional tapas bars from other parts of Spain: Many Spaniards have immigrated to Barcelona over the past centuries, as it’s been a center of Spanish industry. And each group of immigrants brought their food and traditions. So the famous pimientos de padrón? From the north of Spain! The concept of tapas (small plates) with a drink on the way home from work? From the south of Spain! Thanks to immigration, Barcelona is a whole lot more delicious!
- Modern tapas bars: Of course the locals realized that the idea of tapas is a great one (and one that tourists demand), and so over the past two decades countless tapas bars have opened in the city. Usually, they are a bit more modern and often serve sharing plates (raciones) versus the individual tapas portions so typical of Andalusia (in the south of Spain).
See More: Read my Gastro Guide to eating in Seville for tips on how Andalusians eat!
Fun Fact: The Catalans have a reputation for being a bit stingy– whether or not it’s true, it is not common to get a free tapa with your drink in Barcelona (as it is in Madrid, Salamanca, or much of Andalusia).
Tapas with an expert: As I love both Barcelona’s tapas and its history, I couldn’t separate the two! You can join my company, Devour Barcelona, on our 2-in-1 Tapas, Taverns and History Tour for a fantastic evening out. You’ll learn lots, eat lots and drink lots– my kind of night 
WHAT TO EAT IN BARCELONA
CROISSANTS
Croissants in Barcelona?! Yes– and they’re delicious. Barcelona is super close to France and has been French occupied multiple times. The result? French influence– namely, amazing croissants!
SANDWICHES/ENTREPANS
A very typical Barcelona breakfast food is a sandwich (entrepà in Catalan and bocadillo in Spanish). It might be filled with ham and tomato, cured Catalan sausage, cheese or tortilla (Spanish omelet). If you’re really hungry, you can get in with grilled botifarra sausage– my personal favorite!
Tip: We try the Gracia neighborhood’s best entrepà on our Gracia neighborhood food tour!
CHURROS
I think the best place for churros in Spain is in the south, but Barcelona certainly has some great places to indulge. If you are craving fried dough while visiting Barcelona, I give you permission to go ahead! But make sure to go to a place known for their churros, rather than ordering at any old breakfast bar (where they’ll likely be frozen).
ENSAIMADAS
Originally from the Balearic Islands, ensaimadas are a delicious lard-based pastry that is often served on its own, or enjoyed with coffee or thick, Spanish hot chocolate.
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