25 Best Restaurants in Barcelona, Spain

This spot just around the corner from the Liceu opera house is one of Barcelona's best tapas restaurants, with a long bar overlooking the burners and part of the kitchen that leads down to the 20-seat communal tasting table at the end of the room. Specialists in Ibérico products, they serve obscure cuts of Ibérico pork, such as pluma ibérica and secreto ibérico (nuggets of meat found on the inside of the shoulder blade and much-prized by Ibérico fanatics), though the real highlight of the menu is the market-fresh seafood that ranges from oysters, to grilled baby scallops and house special dishes like the baby squid (chipirones) with white Santa Pau beans.

It's has been in a permanent feeding frenzy for more than 30 years, intensified by hordes of tourists, but this loud, hectic bar manages to keep delivering the very highest quality tapas, year-in and year-out. Be prepared to wait up to an hour for a place at the counter; reservations for the tables in the tiny back room and on the outdoor terrace are accepted, but the counter is where the action is.

A long list of seasonal Mediterranean small plates, ranging from coal-grilled octopus to vegetarian risotto to traditional Catalan sausage stew, is chalked up on the boards here each day. Inside it's casually hip, with exposed brick walls and vintage furniture; there’s a small back patio for al fresco dining as well as tables out front on the Rambla del Poblenou for excellent people-watching.

A favorite with visiting gourmands, this often overcrowded little counter serves some of the best beer and tapas in town. The house-brewed artisanal draft beer—named after the Fort family who owns and runs the bar—is drawn and served with loving care by veteran, epauletted waiters who have it down to a fine art. 

One of Barcelona's most beloved bars, La Alcoba Azul offers a wide selection of tapas with a full-on immersive atmosphere. The decor reflects the Moorish influence of Andalucía, mixed with the quirkiness of the original owners so you'll get illuminated lanterns and broken birdcages hang from the ceiling, while a years-old candle burns in a corner. 

There's no glitz, no glamour, and not even a sign outside, but the battered wooden doors of this old, family-owned tavern hide a tapas bar to be treasured. Loyal customers and hordes of tourists queue for the market-fresh seafood, served from the furiously busy kitchen.

Don't be distracted by the graffitied walls and highly Instagrammable dishes: the innovative tapas at La Pepita lives up to the hipster hype. The room is dominated by long marble-topped bar—there are only a handful of tables in the narrow space—so it’s best for couples or small groups. 

Standards like Ibérico ham and patatas bravas are on offer at this snug tapas bar, but it’s the rotating selection of seasonal small plates that really make it worth a visit. There’s no menu; a chalkboard brought to your table lists the main ingredient—cod, pork rib, sweetbreads, for example—and friendly servers will explain the daily preparation for each.

Don’t let the slightly dingy atmosphere dissuade you; this Barceloneta bar serves reliably good tapas and an excellent house vermouth, making it a local favorite since its founding in 1908. The best seats are out on the plaza-fronting terrace.

Despite its location just off La Rambla, Bar Lobo’s outdoor terrace overlooks a charming and usually quiet square, plus it's open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The menu covers all the bases: coffee, juice, wine, cocktails, traditional Catalan and Spanish tapas, and Western mains. 

This sun-filled corner lunch spot at the foot of Montjuïc, with coveted terrace seating just across the street, is a cut above the neighborhood’s typical tapas joints. Nearly everything is organic, from the simply-prepared Mediterranean-style dishes to the ecological wines; even the sodas are all-natural.

Famous for its patatas bravas amb allioli (potatoes with fiery hot sauce and allioli, an emulsion of crushed garlic and olive oil), accompanied by freezing mugs of San Miguel beer, this old-fashioned Sarrià classic is worth seeking out. You'll have to elbow your way to a tiny table and shout to be heard over the hubbub, but the effort is richly rewarding. 

This "meat bar" doesn't take reservations; instead it offers a walk-in-and-graze tapas menu of items like steak tartare and aged filet mignon in a tiled, industrially chic dining room that doesn't invite lingering but is rarely empty—arrive early for a table. Former Catalan Chef of the Year Dani Lechuga throws in the occasional fine-dining dish to lighten things up. 

A bright and booming tapas bar with a few tables outside, this spot is always packed for a reason: good food at reasonable prices. Try the montadito de solomillo y foie, mini-morsels of foie gras-topped tenderloin that will take the edge off your carnivorous appetite without undue damage to your wallet, or the garlicky shrimp.

At the bottom of Rambla de Catalunya, this scaled-up tapas bar draws a throng of mostly international clients and has tables outside on this busy part-pedestrianized street all year- round. The solomillo (miniature beef fillet) is a winner here, as is the broqueta d'escamarlans (brochette of jumbo shrimp). You'll find similar dishes for less elsewhere, but the combination of location and reliable quality here means that the lines for seats are invariably long.

Just down the street from the Museu Picasso, dangling botas (leather wineskins) announce one of Barcelona's liveliest and most visually appealing taverns, with marble-top tables and walls decorated with colorful ceramic tiles, some of which may look like they've been here since the joint opened in 1929. It's usually packed to the rafters with a rollicking mob of local and out-of-town celebrants.

In a quiet square just off of La Rambla, you could easily pass by Gats without being lured inside, but that would be a mistake if you're looking for a casual spot for seasonal tapas. Expect to see some familiar staples, such as jamón ibérico, pan con tomato, and padrón peppers, along with more unexpected flavor combinations.

If you can find this dive (literally: it's a short drop below sidewalk level), you'll encounter a warm and cluttered space with a dozen small tables and a few spots at the marble counter. Try the excellent pa amb tomàquet and Manchego cheese, Iberian cured ham, or tortilla de patatas (potato and onion omelet).

The name of this boisterous bar refers to the flutelike baguettes used for sandwiches but there's also a seemingly infinite number of tapas and small portions of everything from wild mushrooms in season to wild asparagus or xipirones (baby cuttlefish). Although the food is fresh and flavorsome, service can be brusque—perhaps a result of the sheer number of customers—and you may feel pressure to eat quickly when the queue outside is particularly long. A second branch—the original but perhaps not as good—is at Carrer Balmes 171.

Literally "The Bishop's Belly," this casual spot achieves a rare feat: putting modern international twists on Mediterranean cuisine without ruining it. La Panxa is a bit off the beaten path and thrives on a steady stream of repeat customers, who come for superb tapas and the restaurant's own craft beer on tap.

This dapper, friendly space attracts a crowd with its excellent wine list and the well-crafted tapas based on classic Catalan and Asturian recipes. Consider the black pudding with grilled squid and fabada (Asturian bean stew). Year-round late-night hours make it a handy option.

The name, a pun on para comer algo ("to eat something" with an Andalusian accent), may be only marginally amusing, but the tapas here are no joke, from the classical calamares fritos to the pimientos de Padrón (green peppers, some fiery, from the Galician town of Padrón). Whether at a table, at the counter, or in the private dining room upstairs, this modern space does traditional tapas that reliably hit the spot.

Named for Roman Polanski's film of the same name, this extraordinary little spot just a block away from the Auditori de Barcelona and the new Encants market is an excellent choice for a pre- or post-concert taste of chef Lluis Ortega's improvisational cuisine, all prepared behind the bar on a single salamander. Hams, potatoes, foies, caviars, olives, anchovies, and tuna, as well as carefully selected wines and cavas, flow freely here. The main draw, though, is the cheese, which is chosen by a chef who loves it dearly and is served in perfect condition. Space is limited, so reservations are essential.

The secret is out about this tiny, century-plus-old tapas bar, which has become so overrun with visitors in recent years that locals have mostly started steering clear. Nevertheless, it's an atmospheric place, and the innovative tapas—largely made using conservas (canned and tinned foods)—are still well worth the visit. Arrive early (around noon or at 6 pm when it reopens) to snag a spot before the hordes descend. 

The tapas emporium of celebrity chef Carles Abellán shows us how much he admires traditional Catalan and Spanish bar food, from patatas bravas to croquetes de pollastre rostit (roast chicken croquettes), although the star dish is the truffled "bikini," or ham and cheese toastie. The counter and terrace are constantly crowded and the service can be iffy at times, but the food is worth elbowing your way through the crowd for.