Where to Eat in Barcelona
Eating in Barcelona
Barcelona — the land of tapas, pinchos, sangria, and so much more. Breakfast wasn’t a top culinary priority for me so I kept it simple and more American, but I still found a great restaurant. Lunch and dinner were where I dove deep into pinchos and tapas.
Pinchos
At first, what to do when at a pincho bar was an anomaly to me. After experiencing a pincho bar, why they aren’t a thing in America became the anomaly. I was obsessed, and I wish I had room for more. Basically sit down, get a plate, and grab as many pinchos from the trays that you think you can consume. (If you are pincho hopping, maybe only grab one or two per place so you can have room as you move along. I went all in on one place and had pincho remorse as I continued to walk down Carrer de Blai filled with countless places.) Once you’ve finished, count up the number of plates or skewers that you consumed and that’s how you’re charged.
Tapas
I found many tapas restaurants promoting different deals of a certain number of tapas, a beverage (sangria is usually on the list), and a dessert for a set price. Find one that looks good to you and matches your price point. Tapas that I always order: patatas bravas, gambas a la plancha, croquetas, pulpo a la gallega.
Read on for specific restaurants and foodie photos.
Breakfast in Barcelona - American style
The best breakfast I had was at Kino. I stumbled upon it when I walked back from the Eixample to my hotel in El Raval. It was just off a main walkway and right next to the Museum of Contemporary Art. What really caught my attention was the sound of the skateboarders outside of the museum. There are three restaurants all in a row: Kino, Dona Rosa, and La Rubia all with outdoor seating. When I walked by that afternoon, there were lots of people sitting outside enjoying tapas and a drink. All three were almost full. I came back the next day for a late breakfast (serving breakfast until 2 pm) and I grabbed a seat outside at Kino. After ordering a breakfast wrap and an iced coffee, I sat back and watched the skateboarders. It’s probably not the best breakfast in the entire city, but it was tasty, affordable, had a vibe that made me feel like I was in the right place for that moment.
Lunch in Barcelona - Chiringuitos and tapas
There are plethora of tapas lunch menus throughout the city. The best lunch I had was sangria, three pinchos, and a dessert at El Drac de Sant Jordi. It’s situated in a lovely little square in the middle of the Barrio Gotico next to other tapas restaurants. There are so many throughout the city, and I landed on this one because it looked appealing and it had seats open. Truly just wander, find one you like the look of, and grab a seat.
Lunch at the beach was a little different. In the summer along the beach you’ll find chiringuitos, which are just small (mostly casual) restaurants. When I spent the day in Castelldefels, I grabbed a salad and a mojito at Chiringuito Ibiza, before heading back to the train station. In Castelldefels there are plenty of chiringuitos. Similar to tapas restaurants, go for a walk, pick the one that looks good, and grab a seat. If one is full, walk another 200m and you’ll find another one.
Dinner in Barcelona - More tapas and Catalan food
Not just dinner, but late dinner. Late in American terms. I wouldn’t venture out for dinner until 9 pm. Dinner ranged from a proper sit down restaurant to tapas and pinchos. My favorite dinner was at Blai 9. It was one of many, many, many pincho and tapas restaurants along Carrer de Blai. Again, one of those moments of walk until you find one you like and grab a seat. You can tapas hop along the way as long as you remember to eat light at the first one. I went all in at Blai 9 with a big glass of sangria and 3 pinchos. By the end of it I was full and couldn’t stop at anymore.