Image by AC Uribe

The first thing you’ll see when you come in at Mundial Bar (or Bar Mundial, as the people refer to it): dozens of boxing pictures that give certain authenticity to the place. Besides that? A very busy bartender that will see that you get seated if there’s any available place – that is, if you didn’t call to reserve a table.

This is one of the tapas places that, living in Barcelona, I think is definitely worth the visit at least once a month even if you have to call in advance to get a table or get there very early and is not cheap at all. The reasons: simple, perfect food. Patatas bravas that are well fried and spicy enough, but not dripping with excessive fat. Very well done and selected sea food, in simple preparations.

They also have wonderful “suggestions of the day”: they are not in the menu but you shouldn’t worry. They are really surprises of what the chef found in the market. They also have a reasonably priced wine menu. And great desserts.

The site then, is lovable. However, it’s important to take into consideration that not all waitresses are equally helpful and/or nice all the time. But mostly, they don’t go into blunt rudeness and the food is always well worth the visit. Mundial Bar is a great option for dinner and weekend lunch.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Mundial Bar | Restaurants (Seafood, tapas) | Meal & wine from € 25
Plaça Sant Agustí Vell 1 | El Borne | +34933199056
Tue – Thu 13:00 – 16:30 & 21:00 – 23:30, Wed 13:00 – 16:30, Fri – Sat 13:00 – 16:30 & 21:00 – 00:00, Sun 13:00 – 16:30 & 20:30 – 23:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Barcelona

Image by AC Uribe

Visiting China, one of the most appealing things was having dumplings and dim sum for breakfast. A few months ago, I discovered I can have them for dinner in a small restaurant downtown. And they are the real ones – Chinese cooks work hard every midday and night at Mosquito to get them fresh and quickly to your table.

Mosquito is mostly an Asian tapas (small portions) bar with a great selection of beers: Belgium, Dutch, French and, of course, Catalan beers brewed near Barcelona or in the city. Don’t expect fusion food or Spanish tapas because you will find none of those.

The menu is difficult to understand the first time, but the waiters are quite happy to explain it to you -in English too. If you are not a beer person, you can always try their supreme selection of vermuts or a nice white wine.

I love the fact that it is open late and they actually serve food late on weekdays. They don’t take reservations and the place is small, so if you pass by and see a table, grab it.

Mosquito is partially “hidden” in the small streets of the Borne, but it is easy to find if you turn right in the first street going up – towards the mountain (check my article locating yourself in Barcelona) – after Princesa, by Metro stop Jaume I. The street is called “Boria” but it will eventually change into Carders… and you’ll find Mosquito at the end of the road. Enjoy!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Mosquito | Restaurants (Asian) | Main meal +/- € 16
Carders 46 | El Borne | +34932687569
Mon 19:30 – 00:30, Tue – Sun 13:00 – 01:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Barcelona

Image by AC Uribe

This is not the typical tapas joint for tourists – it is so not it, they don’t open on Sundays! They cater mostly to people that work around and look for a nice combination on good price and excellent food. From breakfast to late dinner.

Their name (Flauta – Flute) comes from the small sandwiches they make with very fresh bread, not to big, which allows you to taste more than one. But they also have all kinds of salads and a great variety of fresh tapas, always according to what is available in the market.

La Flauta can take groups with lovely rooms upstairs, but it should be booked in advance: everything, from working lunches to birthdays, happens here everyday. Many people also just stay in the bar for a quick bite and a fresh glass of beer – or caña. It’s also a classic for people working around, since the midday menu on weekdays is reasonable in price (around €12) and really worth the trip.

Another good thing is that their tapas kitchen is open all day long, so you can have early dinner or late lunch. However, if you get in around 21:00 at night be prepare to wait along the bar – but the wait is worth it.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
La Flauta | Snacks, Restaurants (Tapas) | Lunch menu € 11
Aribau 23 | Eixample | +34933237038
Mon – Sat 08:00 – 01:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Barcelona

Image by AC Uribe

One new traditional Italian plate is sweeping Barcelona: the piadinas. They are easy to eat, not very expensive and can be as imaginative as the client adventurous. The idea is simple: a basic bread, thin (very much like Mexican tortillas, I have to say) that you can fill with both savoury and sweet foods.

At Santa Piadina they make the artisan mixture in-situ to serve the piadinas fresh and authentic. The fillings keep on changing, with “Piadina del Día”, and also some seasonal or market variation, includying for example, fresh calamari. You can have them with a soda, a beer or a glass of bubbly Italian lambrusco. If your salty tooth is satisfied, don’t leave without some sweet discovery: maybe one with Nutella and banana or other fruits, honey and sugar.

Somewhere between a crêpe and a taco, it’s a quick and tasty way to eat for me, even on the go. And if none of the “standard” combinations really attract you, it’s always possible to make your own combination. Ask! They are friendly!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Santa Piadina | Snacks, Restaurants (Italian) | Per piadina € 6
Plaça Sant Pere 11 | El Borne | +34932683359
13:00 – 00:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Barcelona

Image by AC Uribe

This is common to most people, but until a few years ago I didn’t know vegetarian could be so nice and even exciting. La Báscula, a small place hidden in the middle of smalls streets at the heart of the Borne, is a good example on how good work and good ingredients can turn into superb plates without the need of meat protein.

The menu is not always constant since they change from season to season, but if you’re really hungry be completely sure that a big “bocadillo” will completely satisfy you. It’s not that you have too many things to choose from, but else a lot of possible combinations. Dare and go for a sandwich that you had never try before – with apple, perhaps – and enjoy the texture of good natural bread.

One thing that I absolutely love are their frozen cocktails. But they are not typical ones: I keep on falling for that called “Corazón Latino” that is fresh strawberry with red wine and a lot of ice. Beware – some items in the menu might not be available off season.

You can sneak into the kitchen and see the hectic movement. No credit cards accepted, no fancy china. They do have a small bike parking, though. Go healthy and try…

Details about this spot (Show on map)
La Báscula | Restaurants (Vegetarian) | One BIG sandwich € 9
Flassaders 30 bis | El Borne | +34933199866
Wed – Sat 13:00 – 23:30, Sun13:00 – 19:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Barcelona

Image by Rafael Dujarric

What you see is what you get! Nor fancy outfit neither gourmet extravaganza, just warm and family atmosphere, hospitality, gentle touch, interesting chat, contagious mood, great Mediterranean food and better prices.

It’s located in the heart of the Gothic quarter, at 3 minutes walk from the city hall and 10 minutes from the Gothic cathedral.

Don’t miss their falafel and humus wrap.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
El Cocinero de Damasco | Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants | falafel / wrap € 3.50
Templers 2, corner with Palau | El Barrio Gotico
Tue – Sat 11:00 – 23:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Barcelona

Image by rafa dujarric

You know that birthdays are controversial dates. Some people would have wanted time to stop at a specific age, but some others are like the good wine… the older the better B-)

So my last birthday celebration was a special occasion… I turned 40!

Hence I wanted to have a great celebration that lasted the whole month, but with a special party that very same day I was to commemorate my birth.

For that I needed the proper place to start heating the engines with a good dinner… a good and cozy place that was cheap as well.

Not such a tough quest after all. I had the solution right by my place.

By the time the special date came we were already exhausted with so many parties, and we were only halfway….

Nevertheless, that day Can Nabo hosted almost twenty dropper’s, hunter’s, scuba divers, transients, intransigents, reckless’, untimelies, deafeners and hula hoopers celebrating my birthday.

And besides having to bear this annoying crowd, the crew of Can Nabo even had the detail of preparing a chocolate cake with a candle… nice isn’t it?

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Can Nabo | Restaurants (Mediterranean) | A dish € 3.00
Nou de Sant Francesc 25 | El Barrio Gotico
Sun – Thu 12:00 – 23:00, Fri – Sat 12:00 – 00:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Barcelona

Image by Rafa Dujarric

“we had wine, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun…”

Well, despite the fact the summer is almost gone, we still have some wine and sun. But even if we didn’t, we would never run out of fun!

But thank god, it’s not so hot anymore. So it’s time for a juicy and succulent hamburger, not made with discarded items from the chain of consumption, surrounded by an urban vibe.

Anyway, despite the season Pim Pam will still be there before, during and afterwards – definitely the best and bigger burgers in town!

For the meat epicures and fast food sibaritas they also have frankfurters, bratwurst, chicken burgers, home made chips and stroganoff.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Pim Pam Burger | Snacks, Restaurants (Hamburger) | Roquefort burger € 5
sabateret 4 | El Borne | +34933152093
13:00 – 12:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Barcelona

Image by Bill Sinclair

In 1969 the U.S.A. supposedly first landed men on the Moon. They stopped going there in 1972. They’d visited the place just six times. Why did they stop going there? There was no atmosphere they said.

Well, there’s lots of atmosphere at this little moon – morning, day and night.

Tucked inside a cozy basement on the busy corner of Provença and Balmes, Moon is one of a few places I know of which, regardless of the time of day between 8.30 and 01:30, you can rely on getting a bite, a drink and atmosphere.

There are loads of spots which are good for an early morning coffee and a pastry, and a fair few places which are good for an esmorzar later in the morning. There are innumerable places for a good menú del día; and a good many spots good for an afternoon beer, coffee or tea – or berenar/merienda. There are a host of good places for an early evening vermut, or tapas; dozens of places for dinner, and loads of places for an after-dinner drink or cocktail. At Moon you can get it all – from breakfast coffee to after-midnight snacks and cocktails, complete with books, magazines and music.

The hamburgers and vegetarian burgers here are really very good, as are the salads. And their menú del día is very good value.

Try it, and, unlike the U.S.A., you’ll find you’ll want to go back time and again.

You can rely on Moon – it’s a very good, conveniently located, all-rounder.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
MOON Café-bar | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants | Menú del día € 9.95
Provença, 213 | Eixample | +34934881721
Mon – Fri 07:00 – 02:00, Sat 09:00 – 03:00, Sun 17:00 – 03:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Barcelona

Image by Bill Sinclair

Elche (or Elx in Valenciano – a form of Catalan) is the name of a town in the Alicante province of Valencia. People from Elche are collectively called Ilicitans.

The Iborras, an Ilicitan family, moved to Barcelona in 1959 and opened this restaurant – the first restaurant in the city to specialise in food, and particularly rice dishes, from Alicante.

Foodstuffs and wines from Alicante are often referred to as being de Alacant. To clarify some possible confusion, because Alicante is in the region of Valencia (not the city of Valencia), which is often referred to as being in the Levante (or, Levant in English), food and drink, and other products from the area, are sometimes described as being Levantino. 

To explain more possible confusion – the original restaurant in Poble Sec was so successful that the family opened another – called Elx, pronounced exactly the same, in the Maremagnum, down on the city’s waterfront. And the family now own another restaurant, in a town on the coast north of Barcelona.

Though they’re justly proud of their excellent rice dishes I really enjoy the starters here.

I’d be quite happy here to forego a main course, order a selection of starters, a salad, bread and a bottle of the modestly priced Primitivo Quiles, Blanco Caña (€6) – a rustic white wine from Alicante. The char-grilled aubergine, asparagus and prawns, buñuelos (lightly battered parcels of cod) and zamburiñas (scallops), pulpo (octopus), stuffed peppers and fried artichoke are excellent, and compared with most tapas spots, exceedingly good value. 

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Elche | Restaurants | Dinner + house wine € 25.00
C/Vila i Vila, 71 | Poble Sec | +34934413089
13:00 – 16:00 & 19:00 – 00:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Barcelona