Barcelona’s food scene is dynamic, offering a mix of traditional Catalan dishes, innovative modern gastronomy, and international influences. The city boasts Michelin-starred restaurants alongside traditional tapas bars and bustling local markets. Wherever you go, you’re guaranteed a delicious meal. Here are my top 5 meals that we had in Barcelona – with a cheeky dessert to round it all up at the end.

El Xampanyet
Located in the narrow streets of El Borne, El Xamanyet is one of Barcelona’s oldest bars. Dating back to 1929, the tapas bar gets its name from its own homemade sparkling white wine. As a result, their cava is a must-order. Their menu is filled with unassuming, but classic tapas that will give you a perfect taste of Catalan cuisine.

Teòric Taverna Gastronòmica
Inspired by the geography of Catalonia, the menu at Teòric takes you on a tour along the Catalan landscape with dishes made with seasonal and local products. They offer two tasting menus: a short menu with 10 dishes for 47€ and a large tasting with 13 courses for 62€. The menus change with every season, so they typically have 4 menus throughout the year.

Cal Pep
Cal Pep is considered one of Spain’s best tapas restaurants. Helped by Chef Josep ‘Pep’ Manubens Figueres, Cal Pep is a no-menu kind of restaurant, where you just put your meal in the hands of your waiter. The staples are roughly the same everyday, but there are specials that change daily. Their oozing Spanish tortilla is regularly cited as the best in Barcelona and I highly agree with that assessment.

Ciutat Comtal
Ciutat Comtal, or Ciudad Condal, is a spacious tapas bar located in the heart of Barcelona. They have an extensive tapas menu with the classics as well as daily montaditos and specials. The montaditos are small little bites, packed with flavor. The tenderloin and foie gras montadito is absolutely decadent, but their Galician-style octopus and scallop + shrimp montadito are the showstoppers.

Alapar
Alapar takes its inspiration from classic Japanese izakayas. Helmed by Chef Jaume Marambio, Alapar focuses on classic Japanese dishes, infused with Mediterranean flavors. Their focus is using local ingredients to highlight the region. The nigiri served uses Mediterranean fish paired with both Japanese and Catalan flavors. The wasabi is grown locally as well.

It truly is a classic Japanese omakase with heavy Mediterranean influences and flavors. Chef Marambio was very happy to answer our questions about the dishes – we learned that the uni served during the meal is local and in his opinion, more flavorful as a result.

Granja Dulcinea
Founded by Juan Mach and Elvira Farràs, Granja Dulcinea has been serving sugar-coated churros, smooth hot chocolate, and pastries in the Gothic Quarter since 1941. Their drinking chocolate, made with dark chocolate, is sweet and thick, making it perfect for dunking churros in. We also had an Ensaïmada Mallorca cake. Ensaïmada is a Mallorcan coil-shaped pastry and ours had this super delicious and creamy custard in the middle. Ths was so delicious and I wish we had these back home!