Top 10 best restaurants in Barcelona - Dining Guide of Barcelona

Cal Pep is one of the most known tapas restaurant in Barcelona. Its reputation goes largely behind the city wall and it's justified.. Everything is fresh and fun, the tapas, the people, the service, the wine.. Nothing to say just that you have to be there once otherwise you don't know what tapas are. While waiting look the orders and make your menu. Every meal is a delight and every season a new pleasure that follows the market arrivals.. There is also the restaurant " Cal Pep" next door with notorious fish and seafood dishes as well. Both are crowded, book, book, book at the restaurant or be patient at the bar but go there...

Jordi Vilà the Chef of Alkimia (alchemy in English) is part of the young guard of the New Catalan cuisine along with Chefs from Comerç 24 and Santa Maria. A new wave initiated several years ago by Ferran Adrià with the success which one knows.

Hidden behind the Sagrada Familia, this restaurant with minimalist decoration offers imaginative and very colored food, in only one word: astonishing!
To discover the creativity of Jordi Vilà, who takes traditional dishes from the region keeping the soul of the classics but giving them a modern edge, we can only advise you to choose one of the two tasting menus (68 and 78€).

This will be the best way to enjoy this dish called “Dentro de Mar” or “the ocean and its shells”, a very iodized composition bathing in an amazing blue bubble or the very graphic “seabass with ink of cuttlefish and coconut milk”. Unforgettable desserts and very beautiful chart of the wines.
A major Chef… We like very, very much Alkimia. Do not forget to book!!

On the seafront in the Barceloneta area, Can Majo is one of the greatest fish restaurant of Barcelona. We like in this well decorated place to start by sharing tapas of shellfish, then it's quite difficult to choose between the excellent paellas, the fideus...Our favourite is the rice with losbter (take this one if it is difficult for you to choose)... You can try fish of course they are all perfect, and only if you are very hungry taste the traditional Suquet (a pan of monkfish, hake, mussels, clams, prawns and potatoes). Very kind and thoughtful service. In summer, book your table on the terrasse.

Excellent Catalan cooking with French inspiration. Ca l'Isidre is the favourite restaurant of the King Juan Carlos in Barcelona. Difficult to choose an only dish. Try grilled baby octopuss, baked seabass, grilled 'king - sea cucumber', fried codfish 'home style', grilled scampi from Sant Carles, grilled turbot with vegetables... And much more.. You will have to go there several times, if you can afford it, to be able to try all these wonderful plates. Small but nicely decorated. We enjoyed the wines as well. Essential to book.

Located at the ground floor of superb and very design Omm hotel ,restaurant Moo, from now on advised by the Roca brothers (El Celler de Can Roca in Girona), is a contemporary wonder.
The Chef Felip Llufriu takes as a starting point the traditional Mediterranean food to carry out purified, modern and very personal interpretations of them. Roger Visuà, recently crowned better sommelier of Europe (wine cellarmaster), proposes for each dish, a glass of wine in agreement.
Very beautiful cellar.
Prices more than reasonable for such a level of esthetics and feelings.
As this hotel is very “hype” have an eye at the foyer cocktail bar, one of the hottest places around for a pre-dinner drink.

Cuines Santa-Caterina is located in the brand new Santa-Caterina's market - renovated by top architects Enric Miralles and Benedetta Tagliabue of EMBT - in El Born district. Cuines means kitchens in Catalan. Cuines with a S because this restaurant offers 4 different types of kitchens: Asian, Mediterranean, Italian and vegetarian… Fusion food starts to be one of Barcelona’s restaurants trademarks since one year or two. At Cuines Santa-Catarina we are pleased to tell you that the bet is successful. No surprise Cuines is part of Tragaluz Group known for others refined places like: Omm hotel, Bestial, Negro, Tragaluz, Agua...

We like very much the beautiful decoration which reminded Scandinavian interior design by its simplicity of the materials made of wood, stone, Ficus trees planted in between tables, columns of light and an entire wall composed of shelves stacked with stocks of wine, olive oil, vinegars, flours... As we said food is very imaginative and of course coming directly from the market. Why not mix a bit of everything? Try delicious vegetarian salads like one with melted cheese, nuts and dates (6€), green asparagus perfectly grilled at la plancha with spicy Romesco sauce (7€), assortment of antipasto (11€). Then have perfect risotto like the one with langoustines (10€), suquet de rap (10€), gambas with garlic (12€) or head Japan and take not the best one but very fresh sushi and maki (from 10 to 20€). At these prices you understand that Cuines Santa-Caterina became rapidly the hottest place in town appreciated by local’s business man as well as by well informed tourists ;-).
The restaurant is non smoker but you can have tapas at the entrance bar where smoking is allowed and tapas very good!!.
Perfect place at noon. Go there at 1pm because at 2 it’s full.
lk

Comerç 24 "One of the chic eateries in town". The "luxury tapas" concept is the same as in the "Santa Maria" across the street. All these new Spanish cuisine places are inspired by goodfather Ferran Adria (el Bulli). The interior is quite a failure. A beautiful seventies landscape photograph in the middle of sad grey walls and a silly "drums" lightning system. Service is excellent. Unfortunately, as in many other places, they serve their tiny portions with senseless "salsazigzag" drippings. Try Coast sardines with grape and avocado (10€), Tuna pizza sashimi and wasabi vinaigrette sauce (9€), Artichoke hearts truffle and qauil eggs (12€) Murgules with cream (12€) Salmon with vanilla (12€)... Eating here can be fun tough. We had the "festival" menu (48€), a bit of everything. Don't miss the kinder surprise egg (6€) and the cappuccino dessert.
Make sure you have a reservation, not to sit near the doors on cold days. If you are hungry: the tapas are small but there are many of them. MS

We believe that " Els Pescadors" is one of the finest fish restaurants in Barcelona. Located quite far from the center, in Poble Nou, it worth go there. First for the place on a little square with trees, very pleasant. Then for the dishes, mostly fishes, every plate is a delight try: calamares, gambas, arroz, Suquet dels pescadors, Angler fish fricandó, Tuna with pickled Figueres onions, Hake with romesco bread and leek mousseline sauce...A great contemporary cooking.. Perfect to invite your best friends.

Escribà "Il Chiringuito di Bogatell " On the sea front this is our favourite Escriba, two others are in town. Imagine dining on the beach excellent paellas, rice dishes, perfect tapas. Good selection of wine. When booking (obligatory because the place is notorious ) ask to be outside..

El Quim de la Boqueria is truly a family business: mom, dad and son serve traditional catalan dishes around the bar when there is space. Even the regulars have to wait for a place to sit, as El Quim is a stall in the most beautiful and bustling market in Barcelona: the Boqueria market. Boquerones, chipirones, arroz negro.. From 3 to 9 Euros.. Best tapas around..

If there is no table for you, go to Pinotxo another tapas bar in the same Boqueria market.