35 Best Restaurants in Barcelona, the Catalan City Where Dinners Last Until Dawn

Few cities in the world can rival this dining scene, where even humble tapas bars have Michelin stars.Courtesy NuaraBarcelona’s brilliant food scene continues to attract traveling gourmands from around the world in droves—and it’s no wonder why. While Spain may not be as affordable as it once was, there’s still enough variety here to please every palate and budget. From marble-topped bars piled high with tapas, to neighborhood spots serving up the finest locavore produce, not to mention some of the world’s most sought-after fine-dining destinations, this is an eating and drinking scene worth traveling for. Better still, it’s looking more multicultural than ever, with superb Mexican, Peruvian, and Japanese options popping up alongside the classic establishments, while modern Catalan cuisine continues to showcase the region’s rich agricultural and winemaking heritage.This is a city where lunch often spills over into dinner and dinner lasts until the next day, so grab a mid-afternoon siesta and don your roomiest eating pants, as we explore the best restaurants in Barcelona right now.Read our complete Barcelona travel guide here, which includes:The Best Things to Do in BarcelonaThe Best Hotels in BarcelonaThe Best Day Trips From BarcelonaHow we choose the best restaurants in BarcelonaEvery restaurant on this list has been selected independently by Condé Nast Traveler editors and reviewed by a local contributor who has visited that restaurant. Our editors consider both high-end and affordable eateries, and weigh stand-out dishes, location, and service—as well as inclusivity and sustainability credentials. We update this list as new restaurants open and existing ones evolve.Xuba TacosNeighborhood: EixamplePrice range: $Dish to order: Beer-battered sea bass tacoIt’s bright. It’s loud. It’s boisterous. Between the hum of the tortilla machine, the clatter of the open kitchen, the close-set stools and the slightly chaotic energy, this is a space made for gorging, not lingering. The team behind Xuba know their moles from their frijoles. Mexican Chef Antonio Sáez led Martín Berasategui's Lasarte restaurant back when it had two Michelin stars, while his compatriot Raúl Salcido, who runs the front of house with considerable aplomb, used to manage a luxury hotel. They aren’t your typical taco guys but this isn’t your average taco joint. The Mexican dishes at Xuba are the best I’ve ever had outside Mexico. There, I said it. The blue corn tortillas are made in house and don’t fall apart in your hands. The red tuna tostada has the perfect mix of velvety tuna, a hint of spice and a loud crunch. The sea bass taco is so juicy and so crisp, with the added freshness of the cabbage on top, that you’ll probably order it twice. If you’re a spice fiend, it tastes even better with a few drops of fiery salsa macha.Address: Carrer de Mallorca, 194, 08036 Barcelona, SpainRead Full ReviewFrancaNeighborhood: EixamplePrice range: $$Dish to order: Sea and mountain bikiniStepping into Franca, with its exposed brick walls and white linen tablecloths, you might mistake it for quite a buttoned-up affair. But don’t be put off, this is hands down one of the most fun tables in town. Franca’s California-born co-founder and co-chef Joshua McCarty doesn’t care much for trends. While every other restaurant in town is obsessing over gildas, tuna tartare and Catalan cannelloni, you won’t find any of them here. Instead, best sellers include a perfectly al-dente bucatini with a sauce that’s like a puttanesca-méuniere fusion, made with tomatoes, capers, olives, anchovies and noisette butter, or a generous roast pork rib eye (or coppa steak) for two, served with a summer salad of ripe tomatoes and stone fruit. Perhaps best of all, the sea and mountain (or surf n’ turf) bikini: a grilled cheese sandwich that’s rather oddly filled with tender squid instead of oozy Gruyère and dipped in a savory smoked pork sauce. Trust us, it tastes a lot better than it sounds.Address: Carrer de Roger de Llúria, 46, 08009 Barcelona, SpainRead Full ReviewCasa FieroNeighborhood: EixamplePrice range: $$Dish to order: “Rostit” macaroni with three types of cheesePicture it: It’s a Tuesday night at 9 p.m. and the place is packed. There are people sitting in plushily padded banquettes, at intimate tables for two, or perched at the bar. And they all seem to be having a rollicking good time. By the people behind Maleducat, Casa Fiero has taken Barcelona by storm with its upbeat, unfussy approach to classic Catalan cuisine. Whereas Maleducat leans into the avant garde, Casa Fiero is more nostalgic, celebrating the kind of food prepared by the chefs’ grandmas back in the day. There’s a rib-eye steak, cooked on the Josper grill and accompanied by a generous serving of fries, roasted leeks, topped with a fresh almond vinaigrette, or steak tartare, chopped fine and jazzed up with a thick dollop of smoked egg yolk. But the one everyone comes back for is the decadent macaroni loaded up with a mix of roasted meat (beef brisket, tendons and pork cheeks), smothered in cheese and baked in the oven for a gloriously squeaky finish.Address: Carrer de Londres, 89, 08036 Barcelona, SpainRead Full ReviewMantisNeighborhood: EixamplePrice range: $$Dish to order: Won ton with Asian carbonaraThe menu here is a celebration of the chefs’ own culture mixed with things they’ve tried and loved on their travels across Asia. Showcasing bold flavors over gimmicks, it will take everything you think you know about Catalan food and turn it on its head. Like an escudella (a traditional Catalan Christmas soup), deconstructed and stuffed into a soupy dumpling, or a fricandó (a rich, slow-cooked beef and mushroom stew beloved by Catalan grannies everywhere), loaded up with shiitake mushrooms, stir fried and smothered in a decadent three-day demi-glace reduction. They call this one fricanwok and it’s one of the best sellers, along with the Asian Carbonara wonton: a fried dumpling base topped with Iberian pork jowl and a creamy carbonara zinged up with home-made X.O. sauce. It’s like we’re in Spain, Italy and Hong Kong all at once and we never want to leave.Address: Carrer de París, 145, 08036, Barcelona, SpainRead Full ReviewPiedraNeighborhood: Sant-GervasiPrice range: $$Dish to order: Sweetbreads with chardPiedra has all the hallmarks of a trendy new restaurant: warm lighting and a minimalist interior that blends white walls with pared-back wooden finishes. An open kitchen is separated from the dining room by a high wooden counter with four stools, where the true food fanatics perch ready to earn their rewards. Gonzalo San Martín and Soledad Lema are an Argentine couple who have been together since they were teenagers. In their food, Argentina is everywhere—in the crispiness of the “milanesa,” the pillowy sweetbreads, and the meaty empanada, but also in the generous assortment of hyperlocal veggies that accompany every dish, something my Argentinian companion tells me reminds him of home as much as the meat. The veggies, all seasonal and mostly provided by local organic farmers Can Fisas, are also where you’ll taste the Catalan influence.Address: Carrer d’Amigó, 33, 08021 Barcelona, SpainRead Full ReviewCocina Hermanos TorresNeighborhood: Les CortsPrice range: $$$Dish to order: Squid tartare in chicken consommé topped with a generous dollop of caviarTorres twins Sergio and Javier made their names with Michelin-starred Dos Cielos restaurant at the Meliá Barcelona Sky Hotel. Riskier and more avant garde, Hermanos Torres is currently one of only four restaurants in Barcelona with three coveted Michelin stars. Playing with juxtaposition—from wildly contrasting textures and temperatures, to ultra-modern takes on Catalan “grandma” dishes, and unexpected flavor pairings. Top dishes include the smooth-as-butter squid tartare in chicken consommé topped with a generous dollop of caviar, and (when in season) the sweet, Catalan Maresme peas with Iberico ham that pop in your mouth like bubble wrap. Speaking of pairings, wine pairings at tasting menu restaurants don't always give you your money's worth. That is not the case here. Go for the splurge.Address: Carrer del Taquígraf Serra, 20, Les Corts, 08029 Barcelona, SpainRead Full ReviewAkiro Hand Roll BarNeighborhood: la Dreta de l'EixamplePrice range: $Dish to order: Tuna toro sashimiAkiro doesn't take bookings and most evenings, there is a substantial line outside. Once you're in though, it's all elegant Japanese minimalism: light-wood paneling and good lighting, while diners sit in an orderly line along the bar and at the windows. Akiro is a restaurant specializing in Nikkei-style hand rolls, but with nigiris and sashimis that give them a run for their money. Nikkei food may be all the rage, but some people find the elaborate blends of rich mayos and tropical fruit overpowering, preferring instead to take a more purist approach to their sushi-eating. Most places cater to one of the other, but Akiro has both ends of the spectrum covered, from the perfect simplicity of the tuna toro sashimi to the unabashed decadence of the flambéed eel nigiri topped with ginger jam, molasses, and salted rocoto-chili chocolate.Address: Carrer d'Enric Granados, 63, Eixample, 08008 Barcelona, SpainRead Full ReviewNuaraNeighborhood: la Vila Olímpica del PoblenouPrice range: $$Dish to order: PaellaGoing to Barcelona without tucking into a paella feast by the beach would be like not having a harborside lobster roll when in Maine. But not all Barcelona beachfront paella joints are created equal. Nuara is not only trendy and fresh, it's run by a family who have been doling out some of the best rice in Barcelona for six decades. Kick things off with some seafood treats: fresh oysters (topped with caviar if you're feeling bougie), Andalusian-style lightly battered calamari, the tuna tartare made from top-notch Balfegó tuna and served with creamy burrata. And then, the main event, the rice. Traditionalists will want to try the the thin-crusted, crispy rice topped with juicy red Mediterranean shrimp. Feeling disruptive? Try the flavor-packed surf-and-turf (mar i muntanya) rice with squid, pork belly, and mushrooms. Not in the mood for rice? The grilled catch of the day is excellent too.Address: Moll de Gregal, Local 11, Sant Martí, 08005 Barcelona, SpainRead Full ReviewBardeni el MeatbarNeighborhood: Dreta de l'EixamplePrice range: $Dish to order: Cured PicanhaThe red-and-black decor is giving French bistro, but the vibe inside is decidedly local. So much so, in fact, that we are the only non-Catalan speakers in the packed restaurant on a Friday night, despite being two blocks down from Barcelona's overtourism epicenter, a.k.a la Sagrada Familia. It's been two decades since Dani Lechuga (whose surname translates as lettuce, and, no, the irony isn't lost on him) opened what he refers to his “meat-bar.” This temple, situated just down the road from the even more famous Sagrada Família is where Barcelona's devout carnivores go to worship. They come to pay tribute to the steak tartare, amped up with tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, and sherry wine, and to pray for the cured Picanha, or “jamón” made from Angus beef, the taco stuffed with beef fillet carpaccio, and the fricandó (Catalan slow-cooked beef and mushroom stew) served as a sandwich. Perhaps, above all, they bow down before impossibly tender Black Angus steak, served with rich Café de Paris sauce and fried potatoes.Address: Carrer de València, 454, Eixample, 08013 Barcelona, SpainRead Full ReviewFronda PasajeNeighborhood: El BornPrice range: $Dish to order: The tasting menuThis is the perfect spot for a romantic vegetarian (or pescatarian) date. The tasting menu is full of unexpected flavors and textures, like the crispy enoki mushroom that looks like a red coral, served on cream of white beans with Mediterranean herbs, or the fat, delightfully chewy potato noodles served in a thick and spicy sweet potato and peanut broth. But the star of the show is the watermelon sashimi, served with lacto-fermented tomatoes, ijikis algae, and caramelized wasabi almonds. The watermelon is fermented, dehydrated, rehydrated in a seaweed broth, and pan-fried at low heat to give it the flavor, texture, and appearance of red tuna but with all the freshness of a watermelon. The tasting menu (five dishes for 70 euros, or around $82, or seven for 90 euros, or around $105) is the way to go if you want the full Fronda Pasaje experience, or you can keep things simple and order à la carte.Address: Carrer dels Banys Vells, 20, Ciutat Vella, 08003 Barcelona, SpainRead Full ReviewBateaNeighborhood: EixamplePrice range: $$Dish to order: Betanzos-style omeletIf you're in Barcelona, we'll hazard a guess that you're after seafood—ideally without paying an arm and a leg. Come to Batea for top-notch produce at a price point unrivaled in Central Barcelona. Like its sister restaurant Besta, Batea takes its mission seriously so you can be sure it will always be painstakingly fresh and prepared with just the right measure of love and creativity to make it pop without getting pretentious. Kick things off with a couple of Galician oysters and the seafood platter—or crustacean tower, as we like to call it—which, you'll be pleased to know, is just as grand as it sounds. Then there are the mains like the unmissable ultra-gooey Betanzos-style omelet, topped with either shrimp or baby squid, depending on what’s in season, and the “sea and mountain”, or surf n’ turf, rice with just the right amount of toasty “socorrat” edges. Chef Manuel Núñez’s partner Marta Morales runs the front of house and is also responsible for mixing your cocktails and pairing your wine. Since she does this so flawlessly, our advice is to tell her what you like and leave it in her more-than-capable hands.Address: Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 605, Pl. Baja, Eixample, 08007 Barcelona, SpainRead Full ReviewSartoria PanatieriNeighborhood: Eixample and GràciaPrice range: $Dish to order: Margarita pizzaWho doesn't love a converted industrial space turned into one of the of the hottest food spots in town? The space is hip, pared back, and packed to the brim with bearded, alt cool types wearing vintage loafers. Every night. There's red sauce, and there's red sauce. The one that sits victoriously atop Rafa Panatieri's award-winning Margarita is like a slow-cooked, warm, sweet, and savory taste explosion that fills your mouth with all the flavors of the Mediterranean: tomato, basil, garlic, olive oil, and sunshine. No wonder so many patrons come here just to order the often-maligned simplest pizza of all. Of course, there is more to the menu, with plenty to get your saliva flowing even if you prefer to spend your time at the wacky end of the pizza spectrum: like the cream of Padrón pepper, chistorra sausage, fried Padrón peppers, and smoked mozzarella pizza, or how about a pizza topped with applesauce, blue cheese, sweet and sour celery, caramelized almonds, freeze-dried apple, and mozzarella?Address: Carrer de l'Encarnació, 51, Gràcia, 08024 Barcelona, SpainRead Full ReviewQuiratNeighborhood: el Poble-secPrice range: $$$Dish to order: Coca de llardons topped with smoked sardinesQuirat is a restaurant with a clear vision: reviving old, often unfashionable, Catalan recipes and traditions for a younger, more international audience. The presentation is intricate and elegant, barely preparing you for the unabashedly deep, complex flavors. Each dish on the menu highlights something distinctly local: coca de llardons (the most rustic of Pyrenean pastries) topped with a delicate smoked sardine, and perfectly tender baby squid (the type you usually order deep fried from a chiringuito, or beach bar) served here grilled with free-range chicken and foie gras. Quirat translates as carat, and its culinary gems can be sampled on the two aptly named 18K and 24K tasting menus. Catalonia is present in every bite and sip of Quirat, where the wine menu showcases the very best of Catalonia’s 12 designated wine regions, from Priorat reds to Penedès bubbles and Alella whites. You’re sure to find something distinctly Barcelonian in this recently opened gem.Address: Av. de Rius i Taulet, 1, 3, Sants-Montjuïc, 08004 Barcelona, SpainRead Full ReviewTerraza MartinezNeighborhood: Poble-secPrice range: $$$Dish to order: FideuàBarcelona’s favorite hilltop paella joint may have been around for a decade, but the years have been kind to Terraza Martinez. Popular as ever with rice and seafood enthusiasts, people come here to escape the menu-pushed-in-your-face approach of some of the beachfront establishments. We’d recommend one of the local specialties: the fideuà, where short vermicelli noodles replace the rice, or anything served in a “señorito” (gentleman's) version, meaning all the shellfish has been peeled for you (hooray!). The rice with lobster is made “socarrat”-style, meaning it has plenty of the toasty, caramelized edges around the paella dish, which locals will tell you is the most delicious part. And they’re not wrong. Come for a late lunch with all your friends, order all the rice and all the wine—and then more wine—and don't leave until the sun sets.Address: Ctra. de Miramar, 38, Sants-Montjuïc, 08038 Barcelona, SpainRead Full ReviewIsabelle Kliger is a freelance writer for Condé Nast Traveler. Based out of Barcelona, she is happiest when she's out exploring the world, searching for delicious food and secret hotels, and meeting locals to hear their stories. Isabelle has lived in Sweden, the U.K., Ireland, and Spain, and has written ... Read MoreGemma Askham is a freelance lifestyle journalist based in Barcelona. Her writing career began a decade ago, when her first assignment sent her to Thailand to test drive a pick-up truck—off-road, in a monsoon. Her professional path has since been smoother, but no more sedentary: she’s lived in London and ... 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