Tapas in Barcelona

Illuminated by the garish neon lights of tacky mobile phone shops and empty, old man bars, Bar Cañete’s gilded façade glows like an apparition. But as you step inside it feels like traveling through time to Spain’s glory days when everyone had oodles of cash to spend on fine food and wine.

White-coated waiters waltz like nimble Navy officers between the main dining room and the long, narrow bar, where debonair diners perch on leather stools and leer at chefs flinging blue-flamed pans around the open kitchen. The focus is on classic Catalan dishes spruced up with a little creative pizzazz and poetic license.

Try classic croquettes enhanced with tender lobster and other “secret ingredients,” or wild tuna tartare with Mascarpone and wild trout caviar. Meat and fish dishes (the sea bass is divine) are cooked simply but perfectly, and the three-course menú del día offers good value for money. An impressive wine menu and friendly service seal the deal.

This casual, innovative Catalan restaurant and bar, sister spot to the celebrated restaurant Pla, is the perfect place to enjoy delicious, high-quality traditional dishes in a relaxed atmosphere. Well located in the Born, near the Museu Picasso, it’s a convenient stop for draft beers and tasty tapas.

Tempura-like artichokes and squid-ink croquettes brighten up the tasting menu. More elaborate plates like charcoal grilled fish of the day, or succulent meat dishes with seasonal vegetables complete the experience. Many regional wines on offer complement the deliciously generous dishes – served hot and prompt and guaranteed to please.

Steps away from the stunning façade of Palau de Musica yet far from the flow of mass tourism, Casa Lolea offers a charming, quality alternative to the overpriced pitchers of sangría that dot the plastic tablecloths of Las Ramblas. Casa Lolea ups the ante on the traditional vermouth bar, serving up a refreshing new brand of artisan sangría ideal for those looking to add modern flair to the Sunday tradition – or for anyone craving an after-work drink with a bit of fizz and plenty of sophistication.

Casa Lolea serves handcrafted and all-natural red and white varieties of sangría, as well as a tangy, herb-infused “gastronomic” sangría that is the perfect combination of spices, fruit and fizz. For spring, they are introducing a fourth variety of sangría made with white wine, elderberry and wild apple. For something a little stiffer but no less spectacular, sample one of their signature sangría cocktails, like a Lolita’s, made with vodka, orange juice, strawberries and sangría.

If a liquid lunch is not part of your diet, don’t worry, head chef Ramón (of Elsa & Fred fame) has got you covered. The non-stop kitchen offers breakfast, tapas and montaditos, and a weekly lunch special – soup and risotto, say. Try the foie micuit with onion marmalade & volcanic sea salt, cecina (cured beef) with semi-dried tomatoes & ricotta, or the salt-cured tuna with orange, scallions & almonds – all pair perfectly with a glass of sangría, wine or a house vermouth.

Thanks to its retro air and bright décor, Casa Lolea has brought a much-needed burst of style to Sant Pere Més Alt. It has also quickly become an elegant meeting spot for both urban foodies as well as young Catalans looking to revamp their grandfather’s Sunday afternoon tradition.

The highly rated Raó, located close to Place Catalunya, has established itself as a must-visit for its gourmet tapas and platillos (medium-size dishes perfect for sharing). “Raó” in Catalan translates to “reason” and three of those underpin what this dining hotspot offers.

Locally sourced and seasonal products are favored to create modern delights based on a selection of Mediterranean and traditional local dishes; the restaurant is a stylish, cozy space located in one of the most emblematic streets of the city; and experienced, energetic staff are on hand to give you the kind of fulfilling service that ensures that you’ll be back to devour more.

An open kitchen reveals chefs dishing up and serving local favorites like grilled octopus, Spanish tortilla with truffle sauce, pan-seared scallops with cauliflower purée, free-range duck breast, red mullet with foie gras and many more, including several plant-based options.

Rice in this city tends to arrive one of two ways: the seafront pan cooked for whoever walks past, or the old-guard arrosseria where the recipe hasn’t moved in forty years. CruiX found a third. Since November 2017 chef Miquel Pardo has run this small, brick-walled room on Carrer d’Entença, a short walk up from Plaça Espanya, and it holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand.

Pardo grew up in Onda, in Castellón, and came up through serious kitchens: Jordi Cruz at Abac, Rafa Peña at Gresca, Albert Adrià out in Ibiza. Then he took over a former Galician bar and made it his own. What he runs is a tasting menu rather than an à la carte paella house – a procession of small, inventive plates that ends with a rice pan set in the middle of the table to share. The tapas are where he plays: Peking duck croquettes with a touch of mint, fuet nigiri, fish tacos under a black garlic mole.

Then the pan lands and the meal reorients around it. Pardo spreads the rice thin across a wide pan so more of it meets the fire, which is how every serving arrives with socarrat, the caramelized crust at the bottom that Valencians will argue about all afternoon. The lineup rotates: a classic Valencian paella, a baby squid black rice under aioli mousse, a rice with lágrima ibérica and eggplant. There’s reliably a vegan one too. Tasting menus start from around €45.

It’s a small room and it fills up, so plan ahead – and pace yourself through the tapas, because the pan is the part you came for.

Bicos means “little kisses” in Gallego, and it’s a befitting name for this Galician corner restaurant. The interior is styled to look like a beach house: there are starfish painted on the plates, which sit on jute placemats, and pillows are layered thick in the corners.

It’s a small restaurant, but the cozy space fills up quickly with Galicians. The service is friendly and warm, with plenty of dimpled smiles thrown in. Some dishes are familiar, while others will need an explanation – such as the lacón, a Galician cooked ham. Order the ensaladilla rusa: it comes with seaweed, cockles and fish roe, transforming a typical menu staple into something exciting.

End your meal with the leche frita, or fried milk, which will have your eyes rolling into your head with delight – it’s like the best parts of a crema catalana with the added benefit of being fried and having a crispy outside and a quenelle of ice cream on top. It’s advisable not to order this dessert to share.

Are you a visitor to Barcelona wanting to learn more about local dishes or how to prepare them when you go home? Do you live here and want to brush up on your Spanish culinary skills or offer an alternative activity to friends coming to town? If so then attending a cooking class, chef demonstration or tour with Barcelona Cooking might be just the thing you’re looking for.

Out of their kitchens situated on La Rambla, one of their amiable chefs will guide you through the preparation of Spanish and Catalan dishes before you sit back and enjoy the fruits of your efforts. As your wine glass is filled at the beginning of the Spanish Cooking class you will be talked through what you will make under the guidance of an experienced chef, then it’s over to you.

In a typical class you will learn the secret to a perfectly set Spanish tortilla (omelette) and how to flip it, blend a seasonal gazpacho with watermelon, cook up an authentic paella that doesn’t include an ounce of nasty food coloring, prepare Catalan pa amb tomàquet (tomato bread) without overpowering garlic or watery tomato sauce, and then cook, chill and caramelize a delicious crema catalana dessert. Whether you rarely touch a pan or are a seasoned cook, there is something for everyone.

Other offerings include a Classic Tapas class and a combo Catalan Tapas and Wine class and Boqueria market tour. All classes are in English. Barcelona Cooking also tailors workshops to dietary requirements, delivers private classes and offers corporate team-building workshops.

We all have those quirky queridos (loved ones) who are a bit of a nightmare to eat out with. Some are vegan, while others will eat nothing but meat. Some seem to survive on little more than olives, while others are perennially in the mood for “something other than tapas.”

And it’s moments such as these that we’re lucky to have dynamic foodie spots like La Querida, which overlooks Parc de la Ciutadella. The menu is chock full of nibbly delights like patatas bravas, nachos and hummus con crudités, while the hearty burgers, pasta dishes and wok-based treats are sure to put a smile on the face of even the fussiest of eaters. And, yes, there’s plenty for vegetarians and vegans too, while the value-packed menú del día (available weekdays) is ideal for your penny-pinching lunch dates.

They also do a mean Bloody Mary, and the house special Michelada Querida is the perfect companion on a blistering summer’s day.

Opened by the trailblazing team behind Milk and Firebug, applauded for their brunches, cocktails and attentive staff, GiGi’s is one of those places where every day feels like Sunday.

Start your morning with a Popeye’s Punch smoothie (spinach, banana, OJ) and Turkish eggs with whipped garlic-infused Greek yogurt on rye focaccia. Vegetarians will also love the bagels and meat-free burgers, including the Veggie Beast with portobello mushrooms, sauerkraut, pickles & tarragon mayo. For dinner, work up an appetite with tapas para picar, followed by beautiful cheese and meat-laden salads, fresh fish dishes and a commendable array of vegetarian options. Sip quality coffee or signature concoctions like the Sheikh le Beet mezcal cocktail with lime, Chambord and Bénédictine.

Whether you’re in need of a lazy morning graze, an evening feast with friends or somewhere for drinks, you’ll want to file GiGi Von Tapas away in your mental Rolodex.

Situated in the heart of Raval on the corner of Carrer de la Luna, Bar La Ravala has remained in its original location since its opening in 1920. The bar took new ownership in 2018, when local Sandra Desunvila Gracia decided to take on the business as her own. Sandra had no plans to change the originality of the bar, with her intentions set on keeping it true to its name: authentic and casual.

Since then, La Ravala has both maintained its loyal customers while attracting a new, younger crowd, adding diversity and a new lease of life to this small, cozy space. Tapas at La Ravala are homemade daily and can be found traditionally displayed in a glass case on top of the bar. Their locally-sourced morcilla is a recommended favorite and pairs perfectly with el vino de la casa. It’s worth noting that the menú del día attracts a loyal following, thanks to Sandra’s delicious cooking and attractive prices.

Head to Bar La Ravala on a Tuesday at 8pm and you will be met with an excited crowd of young people ready to take on the weekly quiz. It’s delivered both in Spanish and English and the winning team is awarded two bottles of wine. If you want to visit a bar in the city with a relaxed vibe and its tradition still intact, then head to Bar La Ravala to eat and drink like a local.

Nuzzled away in the Fort Pienc corner of Eixample, not so very far away from the Arc de Triomf, El Puestu is one of those chic-but-chill joints that make casual dining in Barcelona such a joy.

The vibe is perfect for those impromptu meetups with friends, or when you want to impress someone special while keeping things low-key. Specializing in “vins i platillos” (wines and small dishes), the menu features bold but simple dishes that rely heavily on the quality of each ingredient rather than any sort of artifice. I’m talking smoked cod with fresh tomato and A-grade olives, perfectly steamed mussels, meatballs with cuttlefish, vinegar-marinated anchovies with paprika, and a Russian salad that local foodies are already raving about.

And yes, as you may well imagine, there’s great vermouth and a serious selection of natural wines from boutique bodegas. Definitely an address all discerning flâneurs should have in their mental rolodex.

If you’ve tried local favorite Casa Lolea, you’re going to love her sister restaurant, Casa Rafols. Based out of a historic old ferretería (hardware store), this large space between Ronda Sant Pere and Trafalgar is now home to the same quality and creativity of cuisine, service and décor as its sibling, while serving up traditional Mediterranean and market cuisine.

Chef Txemi Andrés Alonso is at the reins, sharing his Basque gastronomic heritage. His menu includes brunch items, tapas, platillos, pinchos, salads, sandwiches and cured meats and cheeses. Try the seafood, including sea bass ceviche with avocado & green chili, grilled meats, or rice dishes like risotto or the divine arroz caldoso. With friendly prices, an accomplished cocktail menu and occasional live music, you’re guaranteed a night to remember.

Take home a gift in the form of a bottle of Casa Rafols house wines.

When you ask the good people at Elsa y Fred what their philosophy is, it’s no surprise the answer is taking care of people. At this charming bistro in the Born district, with its warm, living room-like atmosphere, Argentine sisters Camila and Sofí and Catalan chef Ramón have made it their mission to make their guests feel like family.

Lucky for us, their kitchen is open all day. The weekend brunch is a local fixture, offering staples like pancakes and Eggs Benedict. They have a set menu at lunch, while dinner is a tapas style affair with dishes like burrata & beet salad, crispy grilled octopus, crab burgers, steak tartar, Pastrami sandwiches and patatas bravas.

Finish with the apple crumble or chocolate coulant, or simply cozy up to the bar for a glass of wine – maybe their own Elsa white or Fred red – or one of many gin & tonics and make yourself right at home.

Opened in 1931, Can Codina has long been one of Gràcia’s stalwart, “old man” bars. It’s lived many lives since then and played many different roles: clandestine meeting space for the Federación Anarquista Ibérica during the Spanish civil war, temporary set for David Bisbal’s music video Tú y yo, and makeshift venue for Lola Flores and her band of merry flamenco gitanos.

Today, Señor Codina, whose grandparents opened the bar, has retired, leaving the legacy in the hands of new management. Nou (new) Codina looks almost the same, with its old wrought iron and marble tables, rickety bistro chairs and hulking granite bar, but the new selection of traditional tapas, craft beers and boutique wines attracts a more youthful, cosmpolitan crowd. Don’t miss the perfect croquettes or the signature patatas bravas.

And the bargain menú del día would satisfy even the hardiest of granja (farm) dwellers.

This is that place. That place you dream of escaping to when you’re feeling overwhelmed by the city, that place which really does manage to fly under the radar of the thirty million tourists that move in every summer.

That place is Martínez, perched perilously on one of Montjuïc’s cactus-clad cliffs, like something straight out of an Estrella Damm advert or Thunderbirds, depending on how you look at it. Picture yourself here with a cold drink in a glass dripping with beads of condensation, the city humming away in the distance, yet far enough away to be inaudible. Imagine the aromas of freshly cooked lobster and grilled gambas (shrimp) with garlic and lemon wafting in your face as you fork away at the toasty socarrat in your paella.

With these views, the kitchen could get away with murder, but the quality of cooking is undeniable. It is, after all, the creation of Josep Maria Parrado, of Bar Cañete fame. Yes, indeed, one of the finest tapas bars in town.

(Kitchen closes at 11pm)

Keen to escape the ubiquitous fried tapas, Pepa Pla, the latest addition to the Pla family of restaurants, focuses on simplicity and no frying. Everything is prepared raw, marinated, grilled or lightly blow-torched.

From a menu that marries traditional flavors with international influences, diners can choose from dishes like a simple yet delicious green salad; a sandwich of octopus, seaweed & romesco; a Japanese okonomiyaki savory pancake with foie; or peas, calamari & Argentine chimichurri sauce. Pair with a natural wine from a small Catalan winery and finish with a brioche of melted chocolate & meringue washed down with a mini porrón of sweet, Ratafia dessert wine.

The setting too is to be savored. Pepa Pla is located in an old bookshop, where the charm has been preserved in the original tile floor, exposed brick, and wooden bookcases. If you’re lucky to grab one of the few rear tables you can also enjoy watching the chefs in the open kitchen hard at work.

Casa Dorita isn’t your typical tapas restaurant. Specializing in market cuisine and tapas, this cozy restaurant sets itself apart with touches of home. The familial atmosphere, like its name, is a nod to the enterprising, creative women (including great grandmother Dorita) who have fed generations.

Dorita’s menu is thoughtfully put together to evoke the comfort of home-cooked food. From their bread, freshly baked in a wood-burning oven, to classic dishes, Casa Dorita is a study in what makes a meal truly memorable. The menu covers all the bases from bite-worthy croquetas, tortillas made with organic eggs and top-shelf canned seafood, to an impressive list of main plates served alongside a wide selection of vermuts, wines and cavas.

Rice and fideuà dishes make their appearance each Thursday while their deli shop offers gourmet preserved foods, domestic cheeses from small producers, high-quality bellota ham and embutidos, and sandwiches to go.

This small tapas bar caters to those who believe in honest cooking. To owners Marta and Sergi, this translates to “simple recipes made with quality ingredients cooked to perfection.” Three years ago the Catalan couple adopted this theme and tossed in a dash of fun and creativity to design an eclectic family vibe around a seasonal tapas menu.

They pulled it off in this sweet little vintage-themed bar that sits next to the arthouse Cinemes Girona. Catch a movie after having a “sexy bikini” made with crunchy coca de cristal bread, or tapas like meatballs with mushrooms, octopus salad with avocado & pistachio, or baby potatoes with brava sauce, spiced just right. Choose one of a dozen local wines available at three euros a glass.

Whether you’re a vegetarian, a clean-eating carnivore or a sweet tooth, you’ll find something to munch on here. Nothing is fried and the dessert rotation is on point, with an olive-oil-and-salt drizzled Catalan black chocolate that’ll rock your world.

Tradition thrives at Bar Bodega Quimet, the old-school wine shop and bar that’s been an integral part of Carrer de Vic since 1954. Known for the quality of its products, this friendly, intimate locale draws in locals and tourists alike – an ideal spot for chatting over a glass of wine, vermouth, cava or an artisanal beer, perhaps accompanied by a few traditional dishes sourced from all around Spain.

Must-trys from the all-day menu include L’Escala anchovies, octopus with potato purée or broad beans with ham and poached egg, while the variado vermut del Quimet (vermouth variety platter) is an ideal option for sharing. You’ll also find a wide range of cheeses, hams, olives from around the country, Extremadura cured meats and more, while the bodega sells a vast array of wines and vermouths.

With no TV or radio to distract, this is a place for good talk, good drinks and good food. Good times.

Gràcia was recently graced with Bar But, a Catalan restaurant whose name, a play on the word “barbut” (bearded), reveals a playful touch also reflected in its menu. Market-fresh Mediterranean food is their game, but Asian influences assert themselves too. Dishes like tuna tartare, tataki and the trending “buns” (baos) appear in a menu otherwise solidly planted in Catalan soil.

Traditionalists can go for the classic cazuelas (stews) of snails or fricandó (beef), while adventurous types can sample low-temperature dishes like shrimp in seawater or lima beans with jamón. Desserts include temptations like lemon pie, cheesecake and the classic Catalan toast with dark chocolate, olive oil and sea salt, as well as an inventive variation with white chocolate and lime.

Lunches are a reinterpretation of the combination plate, and all menus can be adjusted to meet vegan and other needs. It’s a place worth coming back to, not only for the food, but for the rotating expositions of artists.

En Compañía de Lobos, a group founded by the owners of Grupo Tragaluz, recently opened Ninot Cuina in the Eixample’s Mercat del Ninot. The restaurant is like the little brother to Tragaluz’s Cuines Santa Caterina in Mercat de Santa Caterina, except Ninot Cuina is frequented by locals: you won’t spot many tourists here.

The menu was compiled by chef Miki Calzado and most plates are based on local, Catalan dishes made with fresh and natural ingredients, purchased at the market if possible. Think beans from Santa Pau with mushrooms, eggplant croquettes and roasted hake. During the week you can order the fixed menú del día at lunchtime.

The elegant restaurant is characterized by lots of wood and a warm ambience. If you look up you’ll see the roof of the market hall, while a large sign above the kitchen, which looks like an old flight information board from an airport, shows portraits of the market stallholders.

One of the Raval’s best-kept secrets – so far – this historic bar is now one of the neighborhood’s choicest spots to eat and drink.

The kitchen has just been revamped to offer artisanal local products like gourmet preserves (duck confit, artichoke confit with Spanish ham & Parmesan), smoked seafood, foie, fine cheeses & Spanish ham as well as a select menu of tapas, plus the house specialty meatball sandwich.

No less gourmet are the cocktails on offer, gin & tonics (made with No.3 gin) and house creations – the American Beauty has Disaronno, Aperol, falernum, lemon, rosemary-macerated pineapple and hints of coconut and elderberry. It’s also a great spot to have a glass of wine or vermouth.

Part-owned by the good Galician folk behind Cera23, this new restaurant is one of your best culinary bets when venturing around Plaça Reial. They make no bones about their ambitions: this is “eclectic Mediterranean author cuisine.”

The menu divides according to tapas & platillos (Iberian pork carpaccio, soy-marinated tuna, to-die-for patatas bravas), mains (crunchy suckling pig, slow-cooked beef cheeks, Atlantic hake with blood orange sauce) and “happy ending” desserts. There are off-menu choices too, depending on what’s in season and the whims of head chef Solomon Tabisaura.

They do great house cocktails too. It is a gastronomic oasis in an otherwise bleak desert of tourist traps.

Coffee cream tones, moody lighting and velvet sofas create a dining space that’s overtly chic yet somehow manages to remain totally unpretentious. Located on the increasingly hip Consell de Cent, this glitzy tapas joint is the result of a €1.3 million investment by the Madrid-based Lateral restaurant group, which already operates six immensely popular restaurants in the capital.

A mix of young couples and power-lunching suits drop in to devour classic tapas and pinchos, which are prepared without fuss – the ingredients are the protagonists here, not the chefs. Apparently 80% of the restaurant group’s customers are locals (as opposed to tourists), who return time and time again to feast on top-quality cuisine at wallet-friendly prices.

Find a spot at the bar and sip on a cocktail or two while you wait for a table (they don’t take bookings). The staff will take care of the rest.

Beyond the lively district of Gràcia lies Sarrià and just like Gràcia, this used to be an independent town until, in 1921, it was annexed by Barcelona and it became the city’s uptown neighborhood. But unlike Gràcia, do not expect bohemian art­ists, Catalan separatists and Erasmus students wandering around.

This is the place for more posh Catalan families and expats. Bar Treze sits among Sarrià’s burgeoning restaurant and shop scene in main street Major de Sarrià. With a minimalist interior, white dominating the walls and rustic furniture like cowhide chairs and tree trunks, Bar Treze is like a little piece of Ibiza.

The bar’s crown jewel is its inner courtyard with sand as white as snow, plants as sweet as lavender and an atmosphere as relaxing as a gentle breeze. The bar is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, making you feel at any hour of the day like your holidays in Ibiza aren’t over yet.

Since its opening in 2014, Ajoblanco has been the talk of the town. The interior of this venue on Tuset, a street known for its nightlife, is stunning. Superstar designer Lázaro Rosa Violán gave the place a fashionably vintage look with no detail overlooked: large mirrors, classic and retro lamps, wooden tables and an elegant bar at the entrance.

Owners José Lombardo and Kate Preston named their newest creation after the famous almond and garlic soup from the south of Spain. On the seasonal menu you’ll find tapas (crispy artichoke hearts, Jabugo ham croquettes, Galician-style octopus), mains to share (Basque T-bone steak, grilled lamb, lobster paella), as well as lighter dishes, salads and desserts. Despite its designer look, it is not expensive.

At night the place transforms into a lively cocktail bar with DJs and, especially on weekends, packs in a trendy, upscale crowd.

Please save the following Catalan saying to your personal hard drive: “Drink good wine, eat good bread, and you will always be healthy.” After which, put the proverb into practice by dropping in to Betlem.

This locale, located on the “right” side of Barcelona’s Eixample, has a history going to back to 1892 and was trans­formed into a gastrobar by Catalan chef Víctor Ferrer. The kitchen never closes. Start your morning off with a latte or a freshly squeezed orange juice and a breakfast treat. During the day they serve hot and cold sandwiches like black butifarra with caramelized onion, as well as meat and cheese platters.

Stay for lunch and choose from one of their five combos; there’s always something tasty on offer for a range of palates: for meat and fish lovers, to people looking for their daily veggies or, on the contrary, for those craving a gourmet burger. On Fridays they serve a chef’s rice special. Finish with Greek yogurt and a seasonal jam or a mouthwatering brownie. Continue with a coffee out on their terrace, and later on order perhaps some tapas de autor, their miniature version of haute cuisine.

Choose from traditional tapas with a twist such as patatas bravas and Iberian ham croquettes or Iberian secret and steak tartare. Especially notable is the care they put in to their wine selection: they offer local wines from small Catalan vineyards, embracing a Km0, local-food philosophy. At night try the vermouth, the cocktail of the day or a gin and tonic with seasonal fruits.

Betlem can be summed up by another saying: “A drink and a small bite, rain or shine.”

Specialist restaurants are so de rigeur. You know the type of place: the menus run from tiny to non-existent and people flock from far and wide for one specific foodstuff that’s done very, very well. But trends are irrelevant to the phlegmy old guys over at La Plata who’ve followed this formula for years.

The Barcelona institution opened its doors in the 1920s and offers up just three tapas: butifarra, tomato salad and their world-renowned fried sardines, and three wines by the barrel: tinto, blanco and rosado. They understand the power of three. And they have no need for bells and whistles. The tiny tiled space is packed to the rafters every second that it’s open. And all in spite of overcrowding and frequent glares from the less-than-patient bar men.

As long as they keep on serving up those little salty strips of fried fishy perfection there will be people there to eat them.

Michelin-starred chef Jean Luc Figueras is originally from France but left for Catalunya in the ‘80s and eventually settled in Barcelona.

In 2013, he opened Le Bouchon bistro as well as the upscale Mercer Restaurant in the five-star Mercer Hotel, a luxurious boutique hotel that incorporates part of the ancient Roman city walls into its architecture. Figueras combines Catalan dishes and local cuisine with his own French roots but always gives his dishes a modern twist.

The menu at Le Bouchon features a carefully chosen range of cold and hot tapas, as well as daily specials. In an informal atmosphere meant to represent a modern tavern, you can enjoy fine food along with a great selection of wines. The historical setting and décor also make it a worthwhile a visit. Highly recommended for both food and history lovers.

What were once the blue graffitied doors of a mechanic’s workshop on Sant Antoni’s Parlament have now been transformed into the welcoming entrance of the very modern bodega Els Sortidors del Parlament. Upturned barrels acting as tables and casks offering vermouth, Tinto de Penedés or Priorat from the sortidors (taps) could lull you for a second into thinking this was just another dusty bodega. Yet through those towering folding doors and under the cool breeze of the rapidly spinning ceiling fans, this cellar opens into a den of gourmet food, drink and art.

Predominantly a spot for taking a glass or two of something cold, their vast selection of wines (both local and from further afield), craft beers, spirits and liqueurs are available to savor in-house or be taken away. But the best drinks should never be guzzled on an empty stomach, and the selection of accompaniments is impressive. Try some salted potato crisps with black truffle with that cold beer, or sliced, cured cecina beef, Picos of Europa cheese with a fine wine, or some prized Galician river canned shellfish (conservas) with a vermouth. If you can handle something richer, why not sample foie, with or without truffle or black chanterelles, or a petite dish of oxtail stew.

You can even leave with a few top-notch ingre­dients to spruce up the kitchen cupboard: crackers with smatterings of black olives, rosemary or Mo­roccan spices to embellish a cheeseboard, grapeseed or avocado oils and fruit-based vinegars to liven up a summer salad. Pursuing not only a passion for gastronomy, the owners have decorated the space with their own art. Contemplate the “caged” birds hanging from the roof and ask yourself if those fairground goldfish in bags are real or whether you’ve just had one too many.

Forget La Xampanyeria. For a genuine Barce­lona buzz of cheap and sticky bubbles it’s all about El Xampanyet. If you only take your visitors to one place, let it be here. Nestled in the depths of the Born, there could be no more Barcelona bar.

Constantly packed to the rafters with rowdy locals, it is a family-run affair where they’ll give you a cheeky smile and let you skip the queue once they know you. Encased in traditional tiles and crammed with marble tables, it’s a flirt of a spot. And the food comes cheap and fast – lose track of your intake of montaditos and don’t miss the picantes when you see them make their way around the room.

Barcelona’s old fishermen’s quarter bordered by the Mediterranean and Pla de Palau has two names. Some refer to the district as Barceloneta, others call it l’Òstia, which can also mean “bloody amazing” in colloquial Catalan. “Barceloneta” is the official name given at the time of the neighborhood’s construction in 1753. “L’Òstia,” according to city historians, is derived from the Latin word “ostium” meaning harbor.

At its center, at the square of the charming Església de Sant Miquel del Port, you can order some bloody amazing tapas at l’Òstia. This restaurant of third-generation chef Jaume Muedra pays tribute to fishermens’ fa­vorite tapas – pescadito frito, grilled sardines and mus­sels, among others – and his mother’s cooking with a surprisingly haute cuisine twist. His mother Pepi, renowned for her delicious bombas, still helps her son out, rubbing tomatoes on toasted slices of bread to make pa amb tomàquet. A true family kitchen.