Restaurants

An excellent charcuterie and tapas bar in the heart of El Born district whose former owner realized, after running the bar for some time, that like a gynecologist, the sacrifice of working where others had fun was no life for him. Too much reading of ‘Fifty shades of grey’, perhaps. So he decided to sell and put up a hardware store for bondage games instead!

But the waiters, bartenders, butchers and regulars were not wiling to see how the atmosphere they had built would vanish and turn into the thorny subject of role games played within the confines of obsessive relationships. So some of them got together and bought the place from the BDSM renegade and managed to keep the soul of the bar within the satisfying boundaries of couples wishing to explore their imaginative limits by setting some sort of co-owned cooperative horizontal management economato.

This bar offers a variety of first quality tapas, salads, sausages and types of cheese, accompanied by a selection of Catalan wines. Its original flavors and friendly service would make the perfect sparking system for firing a long night together that would end up with breakfast on bed. 

The 2 fromages salad is big enough to fulfill two empty stomachs, but you must taste the typical Catalan bread n’ tomato.

This excellent Japanese-Brazilian fusion restaurant is situated on the very edge of El Born just across the road from Ciutadella Park. The first thing you’ll notice as you cross the threshold are the big fat carp swimming on the floor.

Watch as your steps create ripples in the pool and the fish scatter in all directions. Kids (like me!) love it, and it keeps them amused during the short wait for food. And, when tired of the touch-sensitive fish you can watch a large-screen projection of life under the ocean. Amusingly the undersea scenes are cut in with a live feed from the kitchen – so you can watch the expert chefs prepare your sashimis, tempuras, makis, niguris and sushis.

The food here is excellent. It has a deserved reputation among locals for excellent food, efficient service, great value and a very friendly atmosphere.

If going in the evening you’ll probably need to book ahead, or be prepared to wait a while.

If it’s a balmy afternoon, or a warm and sultry evening, or you need a cigarette … you can eat outside. 

And they’ll deliver their exquisite dishes to wherever you want them – you won’t even have to leave your hotel bed to delight in a genuine taste experience.

And, now there’s another Ikibana – on Parallel.

¡Bon profit!

Apart from a few hotels and a few architectural gems, Esquerra de l’Eixample (the Left Eixample) – bordered by Rambla de Catalunya to the east and Carrer Tarragona/Avenida de Josep Tarradellas to the west – is not really a tourist area. However, it does have some of the best shops, bars, clubs and restaurants in the city. It’s worth exploring.

If you enjoy the food, ambience and prices at La Rita (SEE La Rita) then you’ll likely enjoy Balthazar. In fact the two spots are managed by the same group - which runs 15 restaurants across the city.

Even though it’s a huge, cavernous place, with additional seating upstairs, it’s very popular with local office and health workers and you may sometimes have to wait a few minutes for a table. Service is good so you won’t have to wait long. I think you’ll think it’s worth the wait.

You’ll have a choice of four first courses, maybe a salad, a soup, or a pasta dish, followed with a choice of a meat, fish or vegetable dish. For afters you’ll have a choice of fruit or a choice of three desserts. And you’ll get a basket of bread and a ¼ litre of house wine, all for less than €10. If you need to top up your wine expect to pay around €1.70 for another ¼ litre. 

It’s not fine dining but it’s tasty enough, and plenty enough to get you through the day until dinner. And, for the price, well, it’s very good value.

¡Bon profit!

One of the best places for tapas in the city.

When the current economic crisis first began to take hold Morryssom’s made headlines in national newspapers for offering an anti-crisis menú del día (fixed-price lunch) for just € 1.

It’s a very popular spot with locals, especially at lunchtime, and you may have to wait for a table, especially if you want to sit outside. You can book ahead.

And, they also serve some of the best tapas in Barcelona – including a few dishes which I’ve never seen in any other bar-restaurant in the city.

One of their specialties worth trying is zarajo, which originates from Cuenca – lamb’s intestines, skewered and grilled. 

They serve a reliably very good economical three course lunch (€ 9 incl. bread, side-salad, a carafe of house wine and a bottle of gaseosa and a dessert or coffee).

During a recent visit, after a complimentary tapa of mixed olives, I had paella (with lobster) as a first course followed by breaded veal with chips and a side-salad, and an excellent chocolate cake for dessert. Bargain.

Service is very good and the staff very patient and very friendly.

In the evening it’s a good spot for meeting up with friends for chat, tapas and a bottle of wine.

¡Bon profit!

When wandering around Gràcia – one of the most interesting barrios in the city – you will encounter some really very good restaurants. One of my favourites is Cal Boter, a small, welcoming place which serves exceptionally good flavoursome Catalan dishes.

In the evening it can be a lively spot – with families and gangs of pals meeting up to try dishes such as tenderloin beef steak with foie gras sauce, or slices of roast beef with apple puree – see photo above - , trotters (pigs’ feet) with prawns, prawns with wild mushrooms, or meatballs with cuttlefish, as well as snails.

At lunchtime it will be busy but quieter, though the food is just as good and considerably cheaper. You’ll have a choice of 5 first courses, 4 second courses and 6 desserts.

The desserts here are very good and go well beyond the usual crème caramel, pudding, ice-cream, yogurt or fruit a good many places offer. The last time I visited I had pears soaked in red wine;simple yet brilliant.

It’s all good, tasty and filling stuff, and priced very reasonably.

The staff here are very friendly and the service very good. Unless you ask otherwise they will serve your wine in a porron (porró in Catalan) so you can have fun splashing yourselves as you attempt, and fail, to direct the thin stream of wine into your nervous mouth.

And the place is open in the morning for cooked breakfasts.

¡Bon profit!