EATING

You could come to Barcelona for the food alone. The options seem limitless, from a rusting grill in a centuries-old farmhouse in the outer suburbs to great pots of fish stew near the waterfront. Barcelona is one of the best places in the country to sniff out what the food writers have predictably dubbed nueva cocina española.

For some years now, those lovers of fine dining north of the Pyrenees, the French, have been singing the culinary praises of Barcelona and wider Catalonia. Catalonia has a rich tradition of fine food, and its cuisine, alongside that of the Basque Country to the west, is considered to be Spain’s finest. As well as the traditional wide variety of seafood, a whole new culture of inventive gourmet dining has mushroomed in Barcelona since the 1990s, catapulting the city into the foodie limelight. Local chefs, led by the inimitable Ferran Adrià and his contemporaries Sergi Arola and Carles Abellán, have become international cooking icons, raising the status of their kitchens to that of artistic laboratories.

The innards of Ciutat Vella, from El Raval across the Barri Gòtic to La Ribera (especially in the humming El Born area), teem with places offering everything from the classics of Spanish and Catalan cuisine, complete with atmospheric tiled walls and creaking timber-beam roofs, to the latest in molecular inventions. For a shoal of seafood possibilities, explore La Barceloneta.

In L’Eixample, the variety of menus is unlimited. Forget the barnlike tapas joints along Passeig de Gràcia and head southwest to the area bordered by Carrer d’Aribau. Although quieter, you’ll find a handful of options in the streets immediately northeast of Passeig de Gràcia, too.

There is no shortage of high-end offerings along and around the west end of Avinguda Diagonal, which cater to the business market and the city’s beautiful people. Here, and scattered across La Zona Alta, are some of the most exclusive A-list joints in town.

And what is a great meal without fine wine to accompany it? Aside from being Spain’s main producer of bubbly, Catalonia is rich in wine districts, which produce everything from the dark and heavy reds of El Priorat to light whites from the Penedès. Catalonia’s vineyards are among the nation’s best and most varied.

Food terminology throughout this book is given in Catalan/Spanish (Castilian) or Catalan alone, except in the few cases where the Spanish term is used in both languages. Rather than descend into the murky depths of linguistic polemics, the idea is to reflect what you are most likely to see and hear in the city’s restaurants.

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HISTORY

The Romans didn’t just bring straight roads, a large temple and a functional sewerage system to the little town of Barcino. They also brought with them their culinary habits, which included such fundamentals as olives and grapes. We can perhaps be grateful that another Roman favourite, garum (a kind of tart fish paste that could survive long sea voyages), did not survive the demise of the empire.

Catalan cooking is one of several regional Spanish cuisines, all of which have been influenced to some extent by common factors. One particular spin comes from the country’s long history of Muslim occupation, reflected in the use of spices such as saffron and cumin and, in desserts, the predominance of honeyed sweets, almonds and fruit. Other major sources of culinary inspiration were imports brought back from South America, where everyday staples such as potatoes, tomatoes and, of course, chocolate came from.

At the heart of Catalan cooking is a diversity of products and traditions. Some dishes are referred to as mar i muntanya (surf and turf; a mix of seafood and meats), a term which perhaps best sums up the situation. Barcelona has always been enamoured of edible marine inhabitants (Roman annals suggest big, juicy local oysters were once a common item on ancient menus), while the Catalan hinterland, especially the Pyrenees, has long been the hearth of a much chunkier, heartier cooking tradition. From wintry mountain stews to an array of sausages and a general fondness for charcuterie and venison, the Catalan countryside contributes much to the Spanish dinner table. To these basic ingredients the Catalans add a rich array of sauces, betraying a strong French influence on their culinary habits.

PYJAMA PARTY

If a waiter proposes ‘pijama’, it is not an invitation to head home for bed and jammies. It is rather a suggestion to try one of the country’s most lurid desserts. It consists of tinned peach (and maybe pineapple) slices, a clump of flan and two balls of ice cream (say strawberry and vanilla), all covered in whipped cream and chocolate topping! After that you may well want to have a lie down.

Furthermore, Barcelona has long attracted migrants, at first from the rest of Spain and, since the 1990s, from all over the world. Thus, the city is jammed with Galician seafood restaurants and Basque tapas bars, and since the mid-1990s, foreign cuisines have landed – big time. While cheap and cheerful Chinese establishments have always been here, until the early 1990s, you could count the Japanese, Thai and Indian restaurants on the fingers of one hand. All this has changed. Suddenly pizzerie, sushi restaurants, tandoori temptations, Thai, Korean and kebabs are everywhere. The number of non-Spanish restaurants in Barcelona has more than quadrupled since the start of the 21st century.

You name it, Barcelona’s got it. It might all seem old hat to veteran foodies arriving from London, Paris, New York or Sydney, but here in Spain the new ethnic eateries are a remarkable addition to what was already an exceptional local scene. And however well-travelled the international palate, surprises are always on hand through local dishes and the ebullient atmosphere of timeless eateries. ¡Buen provecho!

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ETIQUETTE

You may not arrive in Barcelona with jet lag but, due to the rather different Spanish eating habits, your tummy will think it has abandoned all known time zones.

Esmorzar/desayuno (breakfast) is generally a no-nonsense affair eaten at a bar on the way to work. A cafè amb llet/café con leche (coffee with milk) with a pasta (pastry), such as a cream-filled canya (broad, tube-like pastry) or croissant, is the typical breakfast. If you can, try an ensaïmada, a Mallorcan import. This whirl-shaped pastry has the consistency of a croissant and is dusted with icing sugar. It can a be a trifle messy to eat, but it’s worth it! If you prefer a savoury start, you could go for the oddly named bikini, nothing more than a classic toasted ham and cheese sandwich. A torrada/tostada is simply buttered toast.

Dinar/comida (or almuerzo; lunchtime), between 2pm and 4pm, is generally the main meal of the day, although modern work and living habits are changing this for some people. Many workers opt for the cheap and cheerful, set-price menú del día at lunch, while some restaurants offer more elaborate versions both at lunch and dinner time. (Click here for more information.) A simpler version is the plat combinat/plato combinado (combined dish) – basically a meat-and-three-veg dish that will hardly excite taste buds, but will have little impact on your budget, meaning that you can eat solidly and economically at lunch and then splash out at dinner!

Barcelonins generally don’t even start thinking about sopar/cena (dinner) much before 9pm. A full meal can comprise an entrant/entrante (starter), plat/plato principal (main course) and postre (dessert). In some places the first two are referred to as the primer plat/primer plato (first course) and segon plat/segundo plato (second course). You will generally be asked what you would like de primer (for your first course) and then de segon (for your second course). You can skip the starter without causing offence.

Instead of heading for a sit-down meal, some locals prefer to tapear or ir de tapeo (go on a tapas crawl; also known as picar or pica-pica). This is the delightful business of standing around in bars and choosing from a range of tasty little titbits. You can stay in one place or move from one to another, and you basically keep munching and drinking until you’ve had enough.

Generally diners order water and a bottle of wine – separate glasses for each are provided (in Spain the larger glass is generally for the water). In midsummer (mostly at lunchtime), you might also ask for some Casera (lemonade) to mix with your heavy red wine and make tinto de verano (summer red).

In many simpler restaurants you will keep the same knife and fork throughout the meal. Once your order is taken and the first course (which could range from a simple amanida/ensalada rusa – cold vegetable salad thick with potatoes and mayonnaise – to an elaborate seafood item) is in place, you may find the level of service increases disconcertingly. This especially becomes the case as you reach the end of any given course. Hovering waiters swoop like eagles to swipe your unfinished dish or lift your glass of wine, still tinged with that last sip you wanted to savour. Simply utter ‘Encara no he terminat’/’Todavía no he terminado’ (‘I haven’t finished yet’) – you’ll be flashed a cheerful smile and your waiter will leave you to finish in peace.

Spain is a smokers’ paradise and restaurants seem to be a favourite place for this activity. Not only do Spaniards smoke with satisfaction at the conclusion of a filling meal, many smoke between courses, regardless of whether fellow diners have finished or not. A 2006 law provided some relief by requiring all establishments bigger than 100 sq metres to become nonsmoking (with the option of setting up costly, separately ventilated smokers’ areas). Smaller places were given the choice of becoming smoking or nonsmoking. No prizes for guessing which most of them went for. Nonsmokers may win in the end, however, as the national government is considering launching a complete ban on smoking in public places – opinion polls suggest (surprisingly to some) that a majority of Spaniards would favour such a ban.

Don’t jump out of your seat if people pass your table and address you with a hearty ‘bon profit!’/Ì’¡buen provecho!’ They’re just saying ‘enjoy your meal!’

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SPECIALITIES

The basics are simple enough: bread and olive oil. And lots of garlic. No Catalan would eat a meal without bread, and olive oil seems to make its way into just about every dish. Catalans find it hard to understand why other people put butter on bread when pa amb tomàquet/pan con tomate (bread sliced then rubbed with tomato, olive oil, garlic and salt) is so much tastier! There are many local brands of olive oil, but one of the best is Borges, which has been produced in Tàrrega, in Lleida province, since 1896. Spices, on the other hand, are generally noticeable by their absence. If you’re told something is picante (spicy, hot) you can generally be sure it is little more than mild.

A typical carta (menu) begins with starters such as amanides/ensaladas (salads), sopes/sopas (soups) and entremeses (hors d’oeuvres). The latter can range from a mound of potato salad with olives, asparagus and anchovies to an array of cold meats, slices of cheese and olives. The more upmarket the restaurant, the more imaginative the offerings.

The basic ingredients of later courses can be summarised under the general headings of pollastre/pollo (chicken), carn/carne (meat), mariscos (seafood), peix/pescado (fish) and arròs/arroz (rice). Meat may be subdivided into porc/cerdo (pork), vedella/ternera (beef) and anyell/cordero (lamb). If you want a guarnició/guarnición (side order), you may have to order it separately. This may be the only way to get a decent serve of verdures/verduras (vegetables), which for many locals seem to be anathema.

Often much more fun than a full sit-down meal is snacking on bite-sized goodies known as tapas. A tapa is a tiny serving; if you particularly like something, you can have a media ración or even a full ración. Two or three of the latter, depending on what they are, can easily constitute a full meal.

The origin of the tapa appears to lie in the old habit of serving drinks with a lid (tapa) on the glass, perhaps to keep out pesky bugs. The tapa might have been a piece of bread and at some point a couple of morsels on the tapa became par for the course – usually salty items bound to work up a greater thirst. In some bars you will still get a few olives or other free snacks with your beer, but since tapas were always more a southern Spanish thing, it is not overly common – in Barcelona, if you want something, you pay for it.

Since the mid-1990s the number of Basque tapas bars has increased exponentially. They generally work like this: you order drinks (try the slightly fizzy white wine, txacolí) and ask for a plate. Many of the tapas are montaditos (a sort of canapé), which could range from a creamy Roquefort cheese and walnut combination to a chunk of spicy sausage. They all come with toothpicks. These facilitate their consumption, but serve another important purpose too: when you’re ready to leave, the toothpicks are counted up and the bill presented.

If you opt for tapes/tapas, it is handy to identify some of the common items: boquerons/boquerones (white anchovies in vinegar – delicious and tangy); mandonguilles/albóndigas (meatballs); pebrots/pimientos de Padrón (little green peppers from Galicia, some of which are hot); patates braves/patatas bravas (potato chunks bathed in a slightly spicy tomato sauce, sometimes mixed with mayonnaise); gambes/gambas (prawns, either done al all/al ajillo, with garlic, or a la plantxa/plancha, grilled); chipirons/chipirones (baby squid); and calamars/calamares a la Romana (deep-fried calamari rings).

The essence of Catalan food lies in its sauces for meat and fish. There are five main types: sofregit (fried onion, tomato and garlic); samfaina or chanfaina (sofregit plus red pepper and aubergine or courgette); picada (based on ground almonds, usually with garlic, parsley, pine nuts or hazelnuts, and sometimes breadcrumbs); allioli (pounded garlic with olive oil, often with egg yolk added to make more of a mayonnaise); and romesco (an almond, red pepper, tomato, olive oil, garlic and vinegar sauce, used especially with calçots, for which see Catalan Favourites on Click here).

The Catalan version of pizza is coca, often made in the shape of a long, broad tongue. There are many variations on this theme, savoury and sweet. The former can come with tomato, onion, pepper and sometimes sardines. The sweet version, often almond based, is more common and is a standard item at many a festa (festival), such as Dia de Sant Joan in June (Click here). Catalans also like pasta, and canelons (similar to Italian cannelloni) is a common dish.

Bolets (wild mushrooms) are a Catalan passion – people disappear into the forests in autumn to pick them. There are many, many types of bolets; the large succulent rovellons are a favourite. Trompetas de la muerte (trumpets of death) are a veritable delicacy and are generally available during summer and autumn. A trip to the Boqueria market in central Barcelona around October will reveal even more varieties.

The main centres of cheese production in Catalonia are La Seu d’Urgell, the Cerdanya district and the Pallars area in the northwest. Although some traditional cheeses are becoming less common, you can still come across things like formatge de tupí (goat’s cheese soaked in olive oil) in produce markets and specialist cheese shops.

You will also find all sorts of sausages, most using pork as a base. Some generic names include botifarra, fuet (a thin, whiplike dried-pork sausage) and llonganissa. The names often seem to apply to very different sausages, depending on where you buy them. Some are spicier than others.

Of course, fish and seafood are major components of the region’s cuisine. Only 15% of Catalonia’s needs are fished in Catalan waters: much of what ends up on Catalan tables comes from the Bay of Biscay, France, the UK and as far off as South Africa (cod in particular in the last case). In 1996 only about 15% of all produce on sale at Barcelona’s main wholesale market (Mercabarna) was imported; in 2007, more than half of the fish came from abroad.

Apart from more standard approaches such as serving up steamed, baked or fried fish, the Catalans like to mix it up a little, by way of fish soups and stews. Suquet, which combines several types of fish with potatoes, is the best known; while sarsuela is richer in its variety of fish ingredients. Other themed stews often go by the name of caldereta, where one item (usually lobster) is the star ingredient.

Dessert is a mixed bag. Many of the better restaurants go to great lengths to tempt you into enormous sins of gluttony. At simpler eateries, especially at lunch, dessert might simply be a choice of fruit, flan (crème caramel) or gelat/helado (ice cream). If you opt for ice cream, don’t be surprised to be shown a list of manufactured goodies similar to what you’d grab at the beach.

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WHERE TO EAT

Many tavernes/tabernas, cerveserias/cervezerías (beer bars) and cellers/bodegas (wine cellars) offer some form of solid sustenance. This can range from entrepans/bocadillos (filled rolls) or flautas (narrow baguettes), tapas and raciones to full meals served in menjadors/comedores (sit-down restaurants) out the back. For a full meal, you will most frequently end up in a restaurant/restaurante. Other establishments you may come across include a marisquería, which specialises in seafood; or a mesón (literally ‘big table’), which might (but not necessarily) indicate a more modest eatery.

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VEGETARIANS & VEGANS

Vegetarians, and especially vegans, can have a hard time in Spain, but in Barcelona a growing battery of vegetarian restaurants offers welcome relief. Be careful when ordering salads (such as the amanida catalana), which may contain popular ‘vegetables’ such as ham or tuna.

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COOKING COURSES

If you find you like Barcelona’s food so much you want to cook some yourself, there are several cooking courses available. For details, Click here.

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BEVERAGES

For an introduction to local wines and other alcoholic drinks, see the Drinking & Nightlife chapter (Click here).

Coffee, Tea & Hot Chocolate

The coffee in Spain is strong and slightly bitter. A cafè amb llet/café con leche (generally drunk at breakfast only) is about half coffee, half hot milk. Ask for grande or doble if you want a large cup, en got/vaso if you want a smaller shot in a glass, or a sombra if you want lots of milk. A cafè sol/café solo (usually abbreviated to just un solo) is a short black or espresso; un (cafè) tallat/(café) cortado is a short black with a little milk (more or less the same as a macchiato in Italy). Where milk is involved, you’ll be asked whether or not you want it calenta/caliente (hot). For iced coffee, ask for cafè amb gel/café con hielo – you’ll get a glass of ice and a hot cup of coffee, to be poured over the ice. If you want to skip the caffeine, ask for a cafè descaféinat/café descaféinado (decaf) – most people ask for it de maquina (from the coffee machine) because de sobre (the sachet stuff) is nothing special. If you want your cuppa supercharged, for example with a shot of Baileys (very popular), ask for a cigaló/carajillo de Baileys (or whatever your heart desires).

CATALAN FAVOURITES

Here are some typical Catalan dishes. For a basic food glossary, see the Language chapter (Click here).

STARTERS

Amanida catalana (Catalan salad) Almost any mix of lettuce, olives, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, onions, chicory, celery, green peppers and garlic, with tuna (almost always canned), ham or sausage, and either mayonnaise or an oil and vinegar dressing.

Calçots amb romesco Calçots are a type of long spring onion, delicious as a starter with romesco sauce. They are only in season in late winter/early spring, when Catalans get together for a calçotada, the local version of a BBQ. The calçots are the amusing part of the event, as the black ash in which they are grilled inevitably winds up on hands and, when people are feeling naughty, perhaps in their neighbour’s face! This is usually followed by an enormous meal with countless meat and sausage courses.

Escalivada Red peppers and aubergines (sometimes onions and tomatoes too), grilled, cooled, peeled, sliced and served with an olive oil, salt and garlic dressing.

Esqueixada Salad of bacallà/bacalao (shredded salted cod) with tomatoes, red peppers, onions, white beans, olives, olive oil and vinegar.

MAIN COURSES

Arròs a la cassola/arroz a la catalana Catalan paella, cooked in an earthenware pot, without saffron.

Arròs negre Rice cooked in black cuttlefish ink.

Bacallà a la llauna Salted cod baked in tomato, garlic, parsley, paprika and wine.

Botifarra amb mongetes Pork sausage with fried white beans.

Cargols Snails, almost a religion to some, often stewed with conill/conejo (rabbit) and chilli.

Escudella A meat, sausage and vegetable stew, the sauce of which is mixed with noodles or rice and served as a soup. The rest is served as a main course and is known as carn d’olla. It’s generally available in winter only.

Fideuà Similar to paella, but using vermicelli noodles as the base, it is usually served with tomato and meat and/or sausage or fish. There is also a cuttlefish-ink version. You should receive a little side dish of allioli (pounded garlic with olive oil, often with egg yolk added) to mix in as you wish – if you don’t, ask for it.

Fricandó A pork and vegetable stew.

Sarsuela/zarzuela Mixed seafood cooked in sofregit (fried onion, tomato and garlic sauce) with seasonings.

Suquet de peix A kind of fish and potato hotpot – there are all sorts of variations on this theme, depending on what type of seafood you toss in.

Truita de botifarra Sausage omelette, a Catalan version of the famous Spanish tortilla.

DESSERTS

Crema catalana A cream custard with a crisp, burnt-sugar coating.

Mel i mató Honey and fresh cream cheese – simple but delicious.

Music A serving of dried fruits and nuts, sometimes mixed with ice cream or a sweetish cream cheese and served with a glass of sweet muscatel.

ALL YOU CAN EAT ASIAN

For a city that until the early 1990s barely counted a couple of Japanese restaurants, Barcelona has turned Japanese. Or rather Sino-Japanese. The bulk of the cheaper Japanese eateries now scattered across the city are Chinese run and often not bad value, even if the quality may fail to satisfy more discerning palates. A popular formula is the all-you-can-eat option, where you may take endless portions of sushi and sashimi, grilled seafood and vegetables (they are grilled in front of you), salads, Chinese-style dumplings and an awful lot more. Typical of the genre is Mitsui (Map93 451 49 99; Carrer d’Aribau 112; buffet weekday lunch €9.50, weekend lunch €14.50, dinner €16.50; lunch Mon-Sat, dinner Fri-Sat; FGC Provença).

Barcelonins prefer coffee, but you can also get many different styles of té (tea) and infusiones (herbal teas, such as camomile). Locals tend to drink tea black. If you want milk, ask for it to come a part/a parte (separately) to avoid ending up with a cup of tea-flavoured watery milk.

A cup of xocolata calenta/chocolate caliente (hot chocolate) is an invitation for sticky fingers – it is generally a thick, dark, sweet tooth’s dream and could easily be classed as a food. A local version, topped with thick cream, is known as a suís.

Fruit & Soft Drinks

Suc de taronja/zumo de naranja (orange juice) is the main freshly squeezed juice available, often served with sugar. Ask for natural, otherwise you may get a puny bottle of runny concentrate. Unfortunately, natural also means room temperature in these parts, so if you are proffered a bottle when asking for natural, you’ll need to explain that you want it espremut/exprimido (squeezed).

Refrescos (cool drinks) include the usual brands of soft drinks, local brands such as Kas and, in summer, granissat/granizado (iced fruit crush). A batut/batido is a flavoured milk drink.

Orxata/horchata is a Valencian drink of Islamic origin. Made from the juice of chufa (tiger nuts), sugar and water, it is sweet and tastes like soy milk with a hint of cinnamon. You’ll come across it both fresh and bottled, but this is a drink that should be consumed freshly made. A naughtier version is a cubanito, made by adding a fat dollop of chocolate ice cream.

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PRACTICALITIES

Opening Hours

Most restaurants and eateries open from 1pm to 4pm and from 8pm to midnight. Bars and cafes that offer tapas generally adhere to similar hours as far as food goes, although you can often purchase snacks from the bar outside these times. A few places open throughout the day, typically from 1pm to 1.30am. Restaurants listed in this chapter are open for lunch and dinner unless stated otherwise. No specific times are given unless they vary considerably from the norm.

If the local opening times have your tummy in a panic, don’t worry. Plenty of restaurants in more touristy parts of town open early for foreigners – you pay for this with often mediocre food and the almost exclusive company of other tourists. Many bars and restaurants offering tapas and raciones have them on the bar before and after appointed main meal times, which means you can almost always pick up something to eat.

Many restaurants take a day off during the week and most are shut on Christmas Eve and on New Year’s Eve (or Christmas Day and New Year’s Day). Some close over Easter, and a good deal also shut for most or all of the month of August. Beware that Sunday and Monday evenings can be frustrating, as this is when most places take time off.

Meal times are important events in the daily life of the average barcelonin. People take the time to enjoy their food and, where possible, they still have a full sit-down meal at lunchtime. Lunch can easily go on for a couple of hours. Dinner is frequently a lighter affair.

How Much?

Barcelona is not the cheap night out it once was, but lunch can be an economical affair if you opt for the set menú del día.

You are rarely likely to spend much more than €100 for a top-quality meal. In the course of this chapter, restaurants are listed in each neighbourhood by price, from top end to budget.

PRICE GUIDE

Some call it la dolorosa (the painful one) but sooner or later you will have to ask for el compte, sisplau (the bill, please). The price ranges used here indicate the cost per person of a full meal (starter, main and dessert), including a bottle of modest house wine:

€€€ €71 and above

€€ €21 to €70

€ up to €20

The menú del día, a full set meal (usually with several options), water and wine, is a great way to cap prices at lunchtime. They start from around €8 to €10 and can move as high as €25 for more elaborate offerings. Many restaurants listed here offer this cost-saving option.

At high-end restaurants you can occasionally opt for a menú de degustación, a tasting menu involving samples of several different dishes. This can be a great way to get a broader view of what the restaurant does and has the advantage of coming at a fixed price.

Booking Tables

At many of the midrange restaurants and simpler taverns with menjadors/comedores (dining rooms) you can usually turn up and find a spot without booking ahead. At high-end restaurants, and for dinner especially, it is safer to make a booking. Thursday to Saturday nights are especially busy.

Self-Catering

Shopping in the big produce markets such as Mercat de la Boqueria Map) and complementing your purchases with a quick run around the many supermercats/supermercados around town will provide you with all the cheese, sausages, fruit and drink you could need. Supermarkets close to the city centre include Carrefour Express (Map; La Rambla dels Estudis 113; 10am-10pm Mon-Sat; Catalunya), near the northern end of La Rambla, and Superservis (Map; Carrer d’Avinyó 13; 8.45am-2pm & 5-8.30pm Mon-Thu & Sat, 8.45am-8.30pm Fri; Liceu), in the heart of Barri Gòtic. For freshly baked bread, head for a forn/panadería (bakery). For a gourmet touch, the food section of El Corte Inglés (Map; 93 306 38 00; Plaça de Catalunya 14; Catalunya) has some tempting local and imported goodies; the Zona Alta branch (Map; 93 366 71 00; Avinguda Diagonal 617; Maria Cristina) also has a food section. Specialist food shops abound; see the Shopping chapter (Click here) for details. For more on markets, see the boxed text To Market, To Market (Click here).

Tipping

Many eating establishments have a cover charge, usually up to a few euros per head. A service charge is often, but by no means always, included in the bill, so any further tipping becomes strictly a personal choice. Catalans (and other Spaniards) are not overwhelming tippers. If you are particularly happy, 5% to 10% on top is generally fine.

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BARRI GÒTIC & LA RAMBLA

First things first: skip the strip. La Rambla is fine for people watching, but no great shakes for the palate. Instead venture off into the streets that wind into the Barri Gòtic and your tum will be eternally grateful. Inside the medieval labyrinth, choices abound. If you had to pinpoint any one area, it would be the half of the barri (neighbourhood) between Plaça de Sant Jaume and the waterfront, especially towards Via Laietana. On and around Carrer de la Mercè a huddle of old-time tapas bars survives, down dirty and simple, as if caught in a time warp in postwar Spain. Some are simply dirty; others are wonderful, immutable finds. All are laden with dollops of atmosphere.

MUNCHING IN MUSEUMS

Several museums and other sights house great restaurants and cafes. The most attractive museum snack stop in the Barri Gòtic is the Cafè d’Estiu (Map; 10am-10pm Apr-Sep) in the leafy courtyard of the Museu Frederic Marès (Click here). A pleasant cafe and snack bar is located in the medieval courtyard of the Disseny Hub (Click here) in La Ribera.

At the Museu Marítim (Click here), a fine cafe-restaurant (93 317 52 56; 9am-8pm) is housed beneath the vaults of the shipyards. The restaurant sprawls into the gardens outside. Nearby, the Centre d’Art Santa Mònica (Click here) on La Rambla has a cafe-restaurant with a pleasant, 1st-floor terrace.

The Museu d’Història de Catalunya (Click here) offers a great rooftop terrace cafe and restaurant, La Miranda del Museu (Map; 93 225 50 07; cafe 10am-7pm Tue & Thu-Sat, 10am-8pm Wed, 10am-2.30pm Sun & holidays, restaurant Tue-Sun).

On Montjuïc you have a couple of options: the cafe in the Fundació Joan Miró (Click here), and Oleum (Map; lunch Tue-Sun), a restaurant with good views in the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (Click here).

top picks

Tapas

Inopia (Click here)

Tapaç 24 (Click here)

Taktika Berri (Click here)

Bar Celta (Click here)

Cal Pep (Click here)

La Bodegueta Provença (Click here)

Vaso de Oro (Click here)

PLA Map FUSION €€

93 412 65 52; www.elpla.com; Carrer de la Bellafila 5; meals €45-50; dinner; Liceu;

You could be forgiven for thinking you have waltzed into a dark designer cocktail bar. Actually it’s a medieval den (with a huge stone arch) of devious culinary mischief, where the cooks churn out such temptations as daus de tonyina poc feta a la flama, verduretes i una salsa de cassis i citronella (lightly flamed tuna cubes with vegetables and a cassis and lemongrass sauce). It has a tasting menu for €29 Sunday to Thursday.

COMETACINC Map FUSION €€

93 310 15 58; www.cometacinc.com; Carrer del Cometa 5; meals €35; dinner daily; Jaume I;

In this grand medieval space, the kitchen constantly produces a changing menu that criss-crosses all boundaries. The elegant candle-lit wooden tables over two floors set an intimate mood for, say, some tonyina vermella a la brasa amb confitura agre-dolça de albercoc (charcoal-grilled red tuna with chutney). It also has a fair range of tapas.

AGUT Map CATALAN €€

93 315 17 09; Carrer d’en Gignàs 16; meals €35; dinner Tue-Sat, lunch Sun Sep-Jul; Jaume I;

Deep in the Gothic labyrinth lies this classic eatery. A series of cosy dining areas is connected by broad arches while, high up, the walls are tightly lined by artworks. There’s art in what the kitchen serves up too, from the oak-grilled meat to a succulent variety of seafood offerings, like the cassoleta de rap a l’all cremat amb cloïsses (monkfish with browned garlic and clams).

CAFÈ DE L’ACADÈMIA Map CATALAN €€

93 319 82 53; Carrer de Lledó 1; meals €30-35; Mon-Fri; Jaume I;

Expect a mix of traditional dishes with the occasional creative twist. At lunchtime, local Ajuntament (town hall) office workers pounce on the menú del día (for €14, or €9.80 at the bar). In the evening it is rather more romantic, as soft lighting emphasises the intimacy of the timber ceiling and wooden decor. Offerings range from chuletón (huge T-bone steak) for two to guatlla farcida de foie d’ànec i botifarra amb salsa de ceps (quail stuffed with duck foie gras and sausage with a mushroom sauce).

LOS CARACOLES Map SPANISH €€

93 302 31 85; www.los-caracoles.es; Carrer dels Escudellers 14; meals €30-35; daily; Drassanes;

Run by the fifth generation of the Bofarull family, ‘The Snails’ started life as a tavern in 1835 and is one of Barcelona’s best-known, if somewhat touristy, restaurants. Several interlocking rooms (consider asking for the small medieval-looking banquet room), with centuries of history seemingly greased into the tables and garlic-clad walls, may well distract you from the rotisserie chickens and snails that are the house specialities. Locals still dine here and the ambience alone makes it worth dropping by, if only for a drink or two at the bar.

CAN PESCALLUNES Map CATALAN €€

93 318 54 83; Carrer de les Magdalenes 23; meals €25-30; Mon-Fri; Jaume I

A muted sort of place and decoratively stuck in another era the ‘House of the Moon-Fisher’ may be, but the family that runs this Catalan eatery are no slouches in the kitchen. Expect generous and well-prepared servings of such items as steak tartare or bacallà amb samfaina (cod with samfaina sauce). The first courses are equally good.

BAR CELTA Map GALICIAN €€

93 315 00 06; Carrer de la Mercè 16; meals €20-25; noon-midnight Tue-Sun; Drassanes

This bright, rambunctious bar-cum-restaurant specialises in pulpo (octopus) and other sea critters like navajas (razor clams). It does a good job: even the most demanding of Galician natives give this spot the thumbs up. Sit at the zinc bar, order a bottle of Ribeiro and the traditional Galician tazas (little white cups) and tuck into your raciones.

MILK Map BAR-RESTAURANT €

93 268 09 22; www.milkbarcelona.com; Carrer d’en Gignàs 21; meals €15-20; brunch 11am-4pm Thu-Sun; Jaume I

Known to many as a cool cocktail spot, the Irish-run Milk’s key role for Barcelona night owls is providing morning-after brunches. Avoid direct sunlight and tuck into pancakes, salmon eggs Benedict and other hangover dishes in the penumbra. Anyone for a triple whammy hamburger or a Milk’s fry-up? Get some hair of the dog with cocktails at €5 to €7.

CAN CONESA Map SNACKS €

93 310 57 95; Carrer de la Llibreteria 1; rolls & toasted sandwiches €3-5; Mon-Sat; Jaume I

Locals, especially workers from the Ajuntament and Generalitat (regional government) at lunchtime, have been lining up here for the succulent entrepans (filled rolls), toasted sandwiches and other snacks since the 1950s.

CAFÈ DE L’òPERA Map CAFE €

93 302 41 80; La Rambla 74; 9am-3am; Liceu;

Opposite the Gran Teatre del Liceu is La Rambla’s most intriguing cafe. Operating since 1929, it is pleasant enough for an early evening libation or coffee and croissants. Head upstairs for an elevated seat above the busy boulevard. Can you be tempted by the cafè de l’Òpera (coffee with chocolate mousse)?

CAJ CHAI Map CAFE €

93 301 95 92; Carrer de Sant Domènec del Call 12; 3-10pm Mon, 10.30am-10pm Tue-Sun; Jaume I

Open and bright, this is a tea and herbal-tea connoisseur’s paradise. Make your choice, order a pastry and settle in for a nice cuppa and a chat.

SALTERIO Map CAFE €

Carrer de Sant Domènec del Call 4; 2pm-1am Mon-Sat; Jaume I

If it got any mellower here, with its gentle Middle Eastern music and low whispering, you’d nod off. The wait for the mint tea is worth it – it’s filled with real mint, as good as in Morocco.

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EL RAVAL

For contrast alone, El Raval is possibly the most interesting part of the old town. Timeless classics of Barcelona dining are scattered across what was long the old city’s poorest barri, and since the late 1990s, battalions of hip new eateries and artsy restaurants have also sprung up, especially in the area around the Museu d’Art Contemporani (Click here). Some of the cheapest eats in town, full of character, lurk along El Raval’s streets. From Carrer de Sant Pau north towards Carrer de Pelai, the university and Ronda de Sant Antoni is where you’ll find most of these haunts.

CASA LEOPOLDO Map CATALAN €€

93 441 30 14; www.casaleopoldo.com; Carrer de Sant Rafael 24; meals €60; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, lunch Sun Sep-Jul, closed Easter; Liceu;

Long hidden in the slum alleys of El Raval, this was writer Manuel Vázquez Montalbán’s favourite restaurant; it figures constantly in the urban wanderings of his detective character, Pepe Carvalho (Click here). Several rambling dining areas in this 1929 classic have magnificent tiled walls and exposed beam ceilings. The mostly seafood menu is extensive and the wine list strong. Surf and turf Catalan classics, like mandonguilles amb sípia i gambes (rissoles with cuttlefish and shrimp), are done to perfection.

CAN LLUÍS Map CATALAN €€

93 441 11 87; Carrer de la Cera 49; meals €30-35; Mon-Sat Sep-Jul; Sant Antoni

Three generations have kept this spick and span old-time classic in business since 1929. Beneath the olive-green beams in the back dining room you can see the spot where an anarchist’s bomb went off in 1946, killing the then owner. Expect fresh fish and seafood. The llenguado (sole) is oven cooked in whisky and raisins.

BODEGA 1800 Map CATALAN €€

93 317 30 79; http://bodega1800.com; Carrer del Carme 31; meals €25-30; daily; Liceu

Ricardo loves nothing better than to come up with a new canapé or other delicious, bite-sized snack to offer his tippling guests. He has converted an old wine store into a charming wine bar. Linger at the casks inside his little bottle-lined establishment or in the adjacent arcade and be guided through snack and wine suggestions. Wine, no matter which one you want, goes for €2.50 a glass and snacks €3.50 a pop.

L’HAVANA Map CATALAN €€

93 302 21 06; Carrer del Lleó 1; meals €25-30; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, lunch Sun; Sant Antoni

Little has changed in this cavernous, family-run place since it opened in the 1940s. The front dining area, with frosted glass windows, Modernista design touches and spaciously spread tables, is a touch more severe than the better-lit rear area. A great starter is the combinat, with three mussels, a smidge of amanida russa (potato salad), esqueixada and more. Meat and fish options follow, and the calamars farcits (stuffed calamari) are filling. Round off with homemade crema catalana.

MAMA I TECA Map CATALAN €€

93 441 33 35; Carrer de la Lluna 4; meals €25-30; lunch & dinner Sun-Mon & Wed-Fri, dinner Sat; Sant Antoni

A tiny place with a half dozen tables, Mama i Teca is more a lifestyle than a restaurant. The setting is a multicultural and often rowdy street deep in El Raval. Locals drop in and hang about for a drink, and diners are treated to Catalan treats served without rush. How about bacallà al traginer (cod deep fried in olive oil with garlic and red pepper) or a juicy sirloin steak?

ELISABETS Map CATALAN €€

93 317 58 26; Carrer d’Elisabets 2-4; meals €20-25; Mon-Sat Sep-Jul; Catalunya

This unassuming restaurant is popular for no-nonsense local fare. The walls are lined with old radio sets and the menú del día (€10.75) varies daily. If you prefer a la carta, try the ragú de jabalí (wild boar stew) and finish with mel i mató. Those with a late hunger on Friday nights can probably get a meal here as late as 1am.

BAR CENTRAL Map TAPAS €

93 301 10 98; Mercat de la Boqueria; meals €20; lunch Mon-Sat; Liceu

Hiding out towards the back of Barcelona’s best-known market is this fabulously chaotic lunchtime bar. Marketeers, local workers and the occasional curious tourist jostle for a stool – get there early or be prepared to wait. Order a few generous raciones, and make one of them the grilled fish of the day.

BAR PINOTXO Map TAPAS €

93 317 17 31; Mercat de la Boqueria; meals €20; 6am-5pm Mon-Sat Sep-Jul; Liceu

Of the half-dozen or so tapas bars and informal eateries within the market, this one near the La Rambla entrance is about the most popular. Roll up to the bar and enjoy the people watching as you munch on tapas assembled from the products on sale in the stalls around you.

MESÓN DAVID Map SPANISH €

93 441 59 34; Carrer de les Carretes 63; meals €15-20, menú del día €8.50; Tue-Sun; Paral.lel

With its smoky timber ceiling, excitable waiting staff and generally chaotic feel, this is a tavern the likes of which they don’t make any more – a slice of the old Spain. Plonk yourself down on a bench for gregarious dining, such as house specialities caldo gallego (sausage broth), and the main course of lechazo al horno (a great clump of oven-roasted suckling lamb for €8.90).

RESTAURANTE POLLO RICO Map SPANISH €

93 441 31 84; Carrer de Sant Pau 31; meals €15-20; daily; Liceu;

The ‘Tasty Chicken’ is true to its name, with fast, cheap, abundant grub. Head upstairs and carve out a space amid the garrulous punters, then rattle off your order to a high-speed waiter. Chicken (quarter chicken and chips costs €4), meat and various other options can be put together to help you fill to bursting. Skip the paella.

ORGANIC Map VEGETARIAN €

93 301 09 02; www.antoniaorganickitchen.com, in Spanish; Carrer de la Junta de Comerç 11; meals €14-20; 12.45pm-midnight; Liceu;

As you wander into this sprawling vegetarian spot, to the left is the open kitchen, where you choose from a limited range of options that change from day to day. Servings are generous and imaginative. The salad buffet is copious and desserts are good. The set lunch costs €9.50 plus drinks. The same people have a stand (9am-7pm Mon-Sat) in the Mercat de la Boqueria.

BIOCENTER Map VEGETARIAN €

93 301 45 83; http://restaurantebiocenter.es; Carrer del Pintor Fortuny 25; meals €10-15; lunch & dinner Mon-Sat, lunch Sun; Catalunya;

Head past the coffee bar and the dining area, with its warm exposed brickwork and dark wooden tables, to the kitchen at the back to order your menú del día (€9.75 plus drink). A huge plat combinat (single dish with several portions) costs €7.95. Top up with as much salad as you can handle. This is one of several options on what has become a bit of a vegetarian street.

GRANJA VIADER Map CAFE €

93 318 34 86; Carrer d’en Xuclà 4; 9am-1.45pm & 5-8.45pm Tue-Sat, 5-8.45pm Mon; Liceu

For more than a century, people have flocked down this alley to get to the cups of homemade hot chocolate and whipped cream (ask for a suís) ladled out in this classic Catalan-style milk bar–cum-deli. Together with one of the many pastries on display, the offerings here make for the sweet tooth’s ideal breakfast. The Viader clan invented Cacaolat, a forerunner of kids’ powdered-chocolate beverages.

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LA RIBERA

If you’d mentioned El Born (El Borne in Spanish) in the early 1990s, you wouldn’t have raised much interest. Now the area is peppered with bars, dance dives, groovy designer stores and restaurants. El Born is where Barcelona is truly cooking – avant-garde chefs and fusion masters have zeroed in on this southern corner of La Ribera to conduct their culinary experiments. If you don’t want to play such wild games, there’s plenty of the traditional stuff to choose from, too. One or two foreign eateries add variation.

EL PASSADÍS DEL PEP Map SEAFOOD €€€

93 310 10 21; www.passadis.com; Pla del Palau 2; meals €70-80; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, dinner Mon Sep-Jul; Barceloneta;

There’s no sign, but locals know where to head for a seafood feast. They say the restaurant’s raw materials are delivered daily from fishing ports along the Catalan coast. There is no menu – what’s on offer depends on what the sea has surrendered on the day. Just head down the long, ill-lit corridor and entrust yourself to their care.

CAL PEP Map TAPAS €€

93 310 79 61; www.calpep.com; Plaça de les Olles 8; meals €45-50; lunch Tue-Sat, dinner Mon-Fri Sep-Jul; Barceloneta;

It’s getting a foot in the door here that’s the problem. And if you want one of the five tables out the back, you’ll need to call ahead. Most people are happy elbowing their way to the bar for some of the tastiest gourmet seafood tapas in town. Pep recommends cloïsses amb pernil (clams and ham – seriously!) or the trifàsic (combo of calamari, whitebait and prawns).

TANTARANTANA Map MEDITERRANEAN €€

93 268 24 10; Carrer d’en Tantarantana 24; meals €30; dinner Mon-Sat; Jaume I

Surrounded as it is by the furiously fashionable, front-line nuclei of nueva cocina española, this spot is a refreshing contrast. There is something comforting about the old-style marble-top tables, upon which you can sample simple but well-prepared dishes such as risotto or grilled tuna served with vegetables and ginger. It attracts a 30-something crowd who enjoy the outdoor seating in summer.

WUSHU Map PAN-ASIAN €€

93 310 73 13; www.wushu-restaurant.com; Avinguda del Marquès de l’Argentera 1; meals €25-30; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, lunch Sun; Barceloneta;

This Australian-run wok restaurant serves up an assortment of tasty pan-Asian dishes, including pad thai, curries and more. What about kangaroo yakisoba? It also offers various BBQ dishes and you can take away. Pull up a pew at the nut-brown tables or sit at the bar. Wash down your meal with Tiger beer or one of a handful of wines.

CUINES DE SANTA CATERINA Map MEDITERRANEAN & ASIAN €€

93 268 99 18; www.cuinessantacaterina.com; Mercat de Santa Caterina; meals €25-30; daily; Jaume I;

With a contemporary feel and open kitchens, this multi-faceted eatery inside the Mercat de Santa Caterina offers all sorts of food. Peck at the sushi bar, tuck into classic rice dishes or go vegetarian. They do some things better than others, so skip the hummus and tarte tatin. A drawback is the speed with which barely finished plates are whisked away from you, but the range of dishes and bustling atmosphere are fun. Reservations aren’t taken, so it’s first come first served.

IKIBANA Map JAPANESE FUSION €€

93 295 67 32; www.ikibana.es; Passeig de Picasso 32; meals €25-30; daily; Barceloneta

It feels like you are walking on water as you enter this Japanese-fusion lounge affair. A broad selection of makis, tempuras, sushi and more are served at high tables with leather-backed stools. The wide screen TV switches from chilled music clips to live shots of the kitchen your wasabi wandered from. The set lunch is €12.

PLA DE LA GARSA Map CATALAN €€

93 315 24 13; Carrer dels Assaonadors 13; meals €25; dinner; Jaume I;

This 17th-century house is the ideal location for a romantic candle-lit dinner. Timber beams, anarchically scattered tables and soft ambient music combine to make an enchanting setting over two floors for traditional, hearty Catalan cooking, with dishes such as timbal de botifarra negra (a black pudding dish with mushrooms).

BUBÓ Map PATISSERIE-RESTAURANT €€

93 268 72 24; www.bubo.ws; Carrer de les Caputxes 6 & 10; 4pm-midnight Mon, 10am-midnight Tue-Thu & Sun, 10am-2am Fri & Sat; Barceloneta;

Carles Mampel is a sweet artist, literally. It is difficult to walk by his bar and pastry shop without taking a seat outside to try one of his fantasy-laden creations. They are limitless in style and number. Try saying no to a mousse of gianduia (a dark hazelnut cream) with mango cream, caramelised hazelnuts with spices and hazelnut biscuit. To balance things, it offers a series of savoury snacks at €2 to €4 and little sandwiches at €3 to €4.

HABANA VIEJA Map CUBAN €€

93 268 25 04; Carrer dels Banys Vells 2; meals €20-25; Mon-Sat; Jaume I

Since the early 1990s this Cuban hideaway, the first of its kind in Barcelona and still one of the best, has offered old island faves such as the stringy meat dish ropa vieja (literally ‘old clothes’) and rice concoctions. With its antique light fittings and predilection for timber furnishings, this Ribera house could easily be an Old Havana eatery.

LA LLAVOR DELS ORÍGENS Map CATALAN €

93 310 75 31; www.lallavordelsorigens.com; Carrer de la Vidrieria 6-8; meals €15-20; 12.30pm-12.30am; Jaume I;

In this treasure chest of Catalan regional products, the shop shelves groan under the weight of bottles and packets of goodies. It also has a long menu of smallish dishes, such as sopa de carbassa i castanyes (pumpkin and chestnut soup) or mandonguilles amb albergìnies (rissoles with aubergine), that you can mix and match over wine by the glass. At the L’Eixample branch (Map; 93 453 11 20; Carrer d’Enric Granados 9; 1pm-1am; Universitat), one of three others around town, you can dine outside.

CASA DELFIN Map SPANISH €

93 319 50 88; Passeig del Born 36; meals €15-20; noon-1am; Barceloneta

While surrounding restaurants may serve up exquisitely designed Sino-Moroccan-Venezuelan creations, the bustling waiters at the ‘Dolphin House’ content themselves with serving bountiful Spanish classics. And they are right to do so. Finding a free lunchtime table at the sprawling terrace requires a modest portion of luck. Choose from more than 30 tried-and-true dishes.

EL XAMPANYET Map TAPAS €

93 319 70 03; Carrer de Montcada 22; meals €15-20; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, lunch Sun; Jaume I

Nothing has changed for decades in this, one of the city’s best-known cava bars. Plant yourself at the bar or seek out a table against the decoratively tiled walls for a glass or three of cava and an assortment of tapas, such as the tangy boquerons en vinagre (white anchovies in vinegar). It’s the timeless atmosphere that makes this place.

BAR JOAN Map CATALAN €

93 310 61 50; Mercat de Santa Caterina; menú del día €11; lunch Mon-Sat; Jaume I

Along with the popular Cuines de Santa Caterina (Click here), there are a couple of bar-eateries in the Mercat de Santa Caterina. Bar Joan is known especially to locals for its arròs negre (cuttlefish-ink rice) on Tuesdays at lunchtime. It’s a simple spot, but always fills up with hungry passers-by, black rice or no black rice.

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PORT VELL & LA BARCELONETA

In the Maremàgnum complex (Click here) on the Moll d’Espanya you can eat close to the water’s edge at a handful of fun, if fairly slapdash, joints. For good food and atmosphere, head around to La Barceloneta, whose lanes fairly bristle with everything from good-natured, noisy tapas bars to upmarket seafood restaurants. Almost everything shuts on Sunday and Monday evenings.

EL LOBITO Map SEAFOOD €€€

93 319 91 64; Carrer de Ginebra 9; meals €70-80; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, lunch Sun; Barceloneta

A coquettish corner spot with pleasingly cluttered decor, dark timber tables and lime-green linen, the ‘Little Wolf’ is a seafood lover’s paradise. Avoid the seriously busy Friday and Saturday nights. The usual procedure is a set menu, with a long procession of sea critters (preceded by a few landlubberly amuse-gueules) coming your way.

TORRE D’ALTA MAR Map SEAFOOD €€€

93 221 00 07; www.torredealtamar.com; Torre de Sant Sebastià, Passeig de Joan de Borbó 88; meals €70-80; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, dinner Sun-Mon; Barceloneta or 17, 39, 57 or 64;

Head to the top of the Torre de Sant Sebastià and, instead of taking the Transbordador Aeri, take a ringside seat for the best city dining views and fine seafood, such as a Gall de Sant Pere amb salsa de garotes (John Dory with sea-urchin sauce). The setting alone, high up above the city and port, makes this perfect for a romantic couple.

BARCELONA’S GOURMET GAUDÍ

He presents his latest culinary inventions like a child who has just made a fabulous mud pie. Indeed, if Ferran Adrià came up with a mud dish, it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Born in 1962, this self-taught chef has rocketed to the forefront of international haute cuisine with his fearless experimentation. The Gaudí of gourmets, he has been dubbed by his three-star Michelin colleague from the Basque Country, Juan Maria Arzak, ‘the most imaginative cook in all history’. The rough-spoken Adrià has been made a doctor honoris causa at Barcelona University (UB).

During the 1980s Adrià worked his way up to head chef at a good, if unspectacular, Franco-Catalan restaurant, El Bulli (Click here), in a splendidly wild spot on the Costa Brava. By the early 1990s he was co-owner of the business and had begun to let rip, converting El Bulli into one of the country’s most exclusive restaurants, where anything from essence of carrot to solidified edible coffee might have appeared on the menu.

Aided by brother Albert and a staff of more than 50, Adrià has for years run El Bulli for six months of the year – dinner only. Few star chefs can afford the luxury of doing what Adrià decided to do in 2010: close down the restaurant in 2012–14 for a ‘creative break’. With plenty of other activities on the boil, he announced he would reopen the restaurant with a new format that had yet to be decided. Losing his three Michelin stars in this way and acclaim for the ‘best restaurant in the world’ seems to leave him indifferent. ‘I don’t play the “best restaurants” game’, he said.

He will continue to spend much of his time like a mad scientist in El Bulli Taller, his kitchen workshop on Carrer de la Portaferrissa, virtually across the road from the Mercat de la Boqueria in central Barcelona. He has fast-food eateries in Madrid and Barcelona, a hotel in Seville, runs a restaurant in the Casino de Madrid and has lent his name to bags of potato chips. The gruffly spoken chef gives lectures around the world, has published glossy coffee-table books on his molecular cuisine and has all the hallmarks of a star.

Adrià is not alone. One of his disciples, fellow Catalan Sergi Arola, couldn’t resist the call of a place at Hotel Arts Barcelona (Click here), where he runs Arola. Another El Bulli alumnus, Carles Abellán, has received acclaim at his Tapaç 24 (Click here). Ferran’s brother Albert has a hit on his hands with gourmet tapas at Inopia (Click here).

SUQUET DE L’ALMIRALL Map SEAFOOD €€

93 221 62 33; Passeig de Joan de Borbó 65; meals €45-50; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, lunch Sun; Barceloneta, 17, 39, 57 or 64;

A family business run by an alumnus of Ferran Adrià’s El Bulli (see boxed text, opposite), the order of the day is top-class seafood with the occasional unexpected twist. The house specialty is suquet. A good option is the pica pica marinera (a seafood mix, €38) or you could opt for the tasting menu (€44). Grab one of the few outdoor tables.

CAN MAJÓ Map SEAFOOD €€

93 221 58 18; Carrer del Almirall Aixada 23; meals €30-40; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, lunch Sun; Barceloneta, 45, 57, 59, 64 or 157

Virtually on the beach (with tables outside in summer), Can Majó has a long and steady reputation for fine seafood, particularly its rice dishes (€15 to €22) and cornucopian suquets (fish stews). The bollabessa de peix i marisc (fish and seafood bouillabaisse) is succulent. Or try a big graellada (mixed seafood grill). Sit outside and admire the beach goers.

CAN ROS 1911 Map SEAFOOD €€

93 221 45 79; Carrer del Almirall Aixada 7; meals €30-35; Thu-Tue; Barceloneta, 45, 57, 59, 64 or 157;

The fifth generation is now at the controls in this immutable seafood favourite. In a restaurant where the decor is a reminder of simpler times, there’s a straightforward guiding principle: give the punters juicy fresh fish cooked with a light touch. They also do a rich arròs a la marinera (seafood rice), a generous suquet and a mixed seafood platter for two.

RESTAURANT 7 PORTES Map SEAFOOD €€

93 319 30 33; www.7portes.com; Passeig d’Isabel II 14; meals €30-35; 1pm-1am Barceloneta;

Founded in 1836 as a cafe and converted into a restaurant in 1929, this is a classic. In the hands of the Parellada clan, which runs several quality restaurants in and beyond Barcelona, it exudes an old-world atmosphere with its wood panelling, tiles, mirrors and plaques naming some of the famous – such as Orson Welles – who have passed through. Paella is the speciality, or go for the surfeit of seafood in the gran plat de marisc (literally ‘big plate of seafood’). We dare you to finish it!

top picks

HOTEL DINING HIGHS

There was a time when about the saddest thing you could do was eat at your hotel. How that has changed in some cases! A number of Barcelona’s hotels are home to high-end, elegant restaurants, veritable havens for gourmet highs. You don’t need to be a hotel guest to dine in them. Some of the best are the following:

Actual (Grand Hotel Central, Click here)

Arola (Hotel Arts Barcelona, Click here)

Enoteca (Hotel Arts Barcelona, Click here)

Drolma (Hotel Majèstic, Click here)

Kitchen (Axel Hotel, Click here)

Doscielos (Hotel Me, Click here)

Lasarte & Loidi (Comtes de Barcelona, Click here)

Moo (Hotel Omm, Click here)

Bravo (W Barcelona, Click here)

CAN RAMONET Map SEAFOOD €€

93 319 30 64; Carrer de la Maquinista 17; meals €30; Barceloneta;

Perching at one of the little tables across the lane is the perfect way to pass a warm summer evening, perhaps over some vieires al cava (scallops in cava). Or step inside and enjoy your tapas around a barrel-cum-table. Rice dishes cost around €20 for two and the catch of the day is around €20 to €25. It claims to have been in business since 1763.

VASO DE ORO Map TAPAS €€

93 319 30 98; Carrer de Balboa 6; meals €20-25; Barceloneta;

This must be one of the world’s narrowest bars. At either end, the space balloons a little to allow for a handful of tables. Squeeze in and enjoy the show. Fast-talking, white-jacketed waiters will serve up a few quick quips with your tapas of grilled gambes (prawns) or solomillo (sirloin) chunks. Want something a little different to drink? Ask for a flauta cincuenta – half lager and half dark beer.

CAN MAÑO Map SPANISH €

93 319 30 82; Carrer del Baluard 12; meals €20; Mon-Sat; Barceloneta

The owners have been dealing with an onslaught of punters for decades and swear they are going to retire soon (but they never do). You’ll need to be prepared to wait before being squeezed in at a packed table for a raucous dinner (or lunch) of raciones (listed on a board at the back) over a bottle of turbio, a pleasing cloudy white plonk.

CAN PAIXANO Map TAPAS €

93 310 08 39; Carrer de la Reina Cristina 7; meals €15-20; 9am-10.30pm; Barceloneta;

Tucked away amid the bright tacky lights of cheap electronics stores in what could almost be a backstreet in southeast Asia, this lofty old champagne bar has long run on a winning formula. The standard poison is bubbly rosé in elegant little glasses, combined with bite-sized bocadillos (filled rolls). This place is jammed to the rafters, and elbowing your way to the bar to ask harried staff for menu items can be a titanic struggle.

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PORT OLÍMPIC, EL POBLENOU & EL FÒRUM

The Port Olímpic marina is lined on two sides by dozens of restaurants and tapas bars, popular in spring and summer but mostly underwhelming. A more upmarket series of places huddles at the northeast end of Platja de la Barceloneta – it’s hard to beat the sand, sea and palm tree backdrop. Otherwise, the search for culinary curios will take you behind the scenes in El Poblenou, where a few nuggets glitter.

ELS PESCADORS Map SEAFOOD €€

93 225 20 18; www.elspescadors.com; Plaça de Prim 1; meals €50; daily, closed Easter week; Poblenou

Set on a cute square lined with low houses and bella ombre trees long ago imported from South America, this bustling family restaurant continues to serve some of the city’s great seafood-and-rice dishes. There are three dining areas inside: two quite modern, while the main one preserves its old tavern flavour. Better is sitting outside. All the products – fish, meat and vegetables – are trucked in fresh from various parts of Catalonia.

EL CANGREJO LOCO Map SEAFOOD €€

93 221 05 33; www.elcangrejoloco.com; Moll de Gregal 29-30; meals €45-60, menú del día €23; daily; Ciutadella Vila Olímpica;

Of the hive of eating activity along the docks of Port Olímpic, the ‘Mad Crab’ is the best. It inevitably has a thoroughfare feel, attracting swarms of tourists, but the difference is that the food is generally of a reasonable quality. Fish standards, such as bacallà (salted cod) and rap (monkfish), are served in various guises and melt in the mouth. The rich mariscada (seafood platter) for two includes half a lobster.

XIRINGUITO D’ESCRIBà Map SEAFOOD €€

93 221 07 29; www.escriba.es; Ronda del Litoral 42, Platja de Bogatell; meals €40-50; lunch daily; Llacuna

The clan that brought you Escribà (Click here) sweets and pastries also operates one of the most popular waterfront seafood eateries in town. This is one of the few places where one person can order from a selection of paella and fideuà (normally reserved for a minimum of two people). Prices are higher than average, but quality matches. You can also choose from a selection of Escribà pastries for dessert – worth the trip alone.

LA PUBILLA DEL TAULAT Map TAPAS €€

93 225 30 85; www.lapubilladeltaulat.com; Carrer de Marià Aguiló 131; meals €20-30; Tue-Sun; Poblenou

Get inside the eatery in this late-19th-century building quickly, as you’ll find the bar has been stripped of all its tapas delights if you arrive much after 10pm. Tucked away in backstreets still partly lined with low-slung houses of another era, this place is a popular stop. All the classics are present: patatas bomba (spicy meat stuffed potatoes), mejillones al vapor (steamed mussels), chocos (lightly fried cuttlefish slices) and more.

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L’EIXAMPLE

This huge grid area can seem daunting, but remember that most of the many varied and enticing restaurants are concentrated in the Quadrat d’Or between Carrer de Pau Claris and Carrer de Muntaner, Avinguda Diagonal and Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes. There is no shortage of perfectly acceptable bar-restaurants (often with street-side tables) that offer reasonable menús del día and stock-standard dishes a la carta. In among these places are sprinkled real finds, offering both local and international cuisine.

SAÜC Map CATALAN €€€

93 321 01 89; www.saucrestaurant.com; Passatge de Lluís Pellicer 12; meals €70-80, menú del día €27; Tue-Sat; Hospital Clínic;

Pop into this basement place down a little Eixample laneway and you enter a soothing sanctuary. Sober designer decor, dominated by ochres, creams and buttercup yellows, allows you to concentrate on what emerges from the kitchen, such as tàrtar de anguila fumada, poma verda i caviar d’arengada (smoked eel tartare with green apples and salted sardine caviar). You can request half-size portions at 60% of the price. The tasting menu comprises an appetiser, four courses, then a cheese selection and two desserts (€78).

SPEAKEASY Map INTERNATIONAL €€

93 217 50 80; Carrer d’Aribau 162-166; meals €70; lunch & dinner Mon-Fri, dinner Sat Sep-Jul; Diagonal

This clandestine restaurant lurks behind the Dry Martini (Click here). You will be shown a door through the open kitchen area to the ‘storeroom’, lined with hundreds of bottles of backlit, quality tipples. Dark decorative tones, a few works of art, low lighting, light jazz music and smooth service complete the setting. What’s on the menu depends on the markets and the cook’s whim. A tempting option is the creamy burrata di Puglia con yemas de espárragos blancos y jamón Joselito (a huge hunk of mozzarella from southern Italy with white asparagus hearts and strips of high-quality cured ham).

NOTI Map MEDITERRANEAN €€

93 342 66 73; http://noti-universal.com; Carrer de Roger de Llúria 35; meals €60-70; lunch & dinner Mon-Fri, dinner Sat; Passeig de Gràcia;

Once home to the Noticiero Universal newspaper, Noti has an ample dining room plastered with mirrors that seem to multiply the steely designer tables. Try a peix fresc salvatge de la Boqueria, a la planxa, amb carbassó en ratatouille, mantega muntada de llimona (fresh fish from the Boqueria market with ratatouille of courgette and lemon butter) or perhaps a meat dish – anything from steak tartare to chicken curry. Start the evening with the cocktail of the day at the bar. It has lunch menus from €14 to €24, and an evening set menu at €36.

CASA CALVET Map CATALAN €€

93 412 40 12; www.casacalvet.es; Carrer de Casp 48; meals €55-70; Mon-Sat; Urquinaona;

An early Gaudí masterpiece loaded with his trademark curvy features now houses a swish restaurant (just to the right of the building’s main entrance). Dress up and ask for an intimate taula cabina (wooden booth). You could opt for vieires a la planxa amb tagliatelle i tomàquet confitat (grilled scallops with ribbon pasta and tomato confit). It has various tasting menus for up to €69, and a child’s menu for €16.

CASA DARÍO Map SEAFOOD €€

93 453 31 35; www.casadario.com, in Spanish; Carrer del Consell de Cent 256; meals €50-60; Mon-Sat Sep-Jul; Passeig de Gràcia;

Step into the timeless world of silver service and ample helpings of the fruits of the sea. Waiters serve tables with hushed efficiency and present a seafood feast as only the folks from the northwest Atlantic region of Galicia know how. Opt for a set menu (€50) and you will be served endless rounds of seafood wonders, many flown in daily from Galicia. Treat yourself to anything from cañaíllas (sea snails) to nécoras (small crabs that abound on the Galician coast). It even has a takeaway service.

CINC SENTITS Map INTERNATIONAL €€

93 323 94 90; www.cincsentits.com; Carrer d’Aribau 58; meals €50-60; Tue-Sat Sep-Jul; Passeig de Gràcia

Enter this somewhat overlit realm of the ‘Five Senses’ to indulge in a tasting menu (from €49 to €69), consisting of a series of small, experimental dishes. What’s on offer changes from one day to the next, but think highly elaborate designer portions in a brief menu that balances fish and meat. A key is the use of fresh local product, such as fish landed on the Costa Brava and top-quality suckling pig from Extremadura. Less ambitious, but cheaper, is the set lunch at €30.

CATA 1.81 Map GOURMET TAPAS €€

93 323 68 18; www.cata181.com; Carrer de València 181; meals €50; dinner Mon-Sat Sep-Jul; Passeig de Gràcia

If you like an Al Capone–style conspiratorial feel, call ahead to book the little room out the back, past the busy, compact kitchen. Surrounded by shelves of fine wines packed to the rafters, you will be treated to a series of dainty gourmet dishes, such as raviolis amb bacallà (salt-cod dumplings) or truita de patates i tòfona negre (thick potato tortilla with a delicate trace of black truffle). The best option is to choose from one of several tasting-menu options ranging from €28 to €45. Since wines feature so highly here, let rip with the list of fine Spanish tipples.

ALKÍMIA Map MODERN CATALAN €€

93 207 61 15; www.alkimia.cat; Carrer de l’Indústria 79; meals €45-50; Mon-Fri Sep-Jul; Verdaguer

Jordi Vila, a culinary alchemist, serves up refined Catalan dishes with a twist in this elegant, white-walled locale well off the tourist trail. Dishes such as his arròs de nyore i safrà amb escamarlans de la costa (saffron and sweet-chilli rice with crayfish) earned Vila his first Michelin star. He presents a series of set menus from €37 to €79.

RESTAURANT ME Map PAN-ASIAN €€

93 419 49 33; www.catarsiscuisine.com; Carrer de París 162; meals €45-50; lunch & dinner Thu-Sat, dinner Tue-Wed; Hospital Clínic;

The chef whips up wonders in the kitchen at this surprise fusion establishment. At a time when fusion is often synonymous with nothing in particular, it manages to create superb Asian dishes with the occasional New Orleans or other international intrusion. Some vegetarian options, like the banh xeo (Vietnamese pancake filled with bamboo, seitan and mushrooms), accompany such self-indulgent choices as stuffed New Orleans prawns with tartare sauce.

MELTON Map ITALIAN €€

93 363 27 76; Carrer de Muntaner 189; meals €45; Tue-Sat; Hospital Clínic

You know you’re onto something when Italians recommend an Italian restaurant. This slick place offers well-prepared pasta and risotto dishes (the latter, for example, with foie gras) and a tempting array of meat and fish mains. For an unusual pasta option, try the lasagnetta de tòfona negra i múrgules (little lasagna with black truffle and morel mushrooms).

ALBA GRANADOS Map SPANISH-MEDITERRANEAN €€

93 454 61 16; www.albagranados.com; Carrer d’Enric Granados 34; meals €45; lunch & dinner Mon-Sat, lunch Sun; FGC Provença;

In summer ask for one of the romantic tables for two on the 1st-floor balcony. Overlooking the trees, it is a unique spot, with little traffic. Inside, the ground- and 1st-floor dining areas are huge, featuring exposed brick and dark parquet. The menu offers a little of everything but the best dishes revolve around meat, such as solomillo a la mantequilla de trufa con tarrina de patata y beicon (sirloin in truffle butter, potato and bacon terrine).

PATAGONIA Map ARGENTINE €€

93 304 37 35; Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 660; meals €40-45; daily; Passeig de Gràcia;

An elegant Argentinean beef-fest awaits in this stylish restaurant. Start with empanadas (tiny meat-crammed pies). You might want to skip the achuras (offal) and head for a hearty meat main, such as a juicy beef medallón con salsa de colmenillas (a medallion in a morel sauce) or such classics as bife de chorizo (sirloin) or Brazilian picanha (rump). You can choose from one of five side dishes to accompany your pound of flesh.

YAMADORY Map JAPANESE €€

93 453 92 64; Carrer d’Aribau 68; meals €35-40; Mon-Sat; FGC Provença

Yamadory, one of the city’s first Japanese restaurants, still attracts visiting Japanese business people today. As the door slips closed behind you, the first thing you notice is the hushed atmosphere. Divided into several dining areas with a contemporary Japanese decor, it is notable for its gliding efficiency. Head upstairs to sit on a floor-level tatami. The sushi, sashimi, udon and tempura are all good.

THAI GARDENS Map THAI €€

93 487 98 98; www.thaigardensgroup.com; Carrer de la Diputació 273; meals €35, menú del día €15; daily; Passeig de Gràcia;

One of the first and still one of the best for Thai food in Barcelona. Tables for two set in quiet corners contrast with great round-party sittings amid a veritable forest of tropical greenery. The set menu (€31) allows you to try a broad range of dishes and can be a good idea for larger groups.

DE TAPA MADRE Map CATALAN €€

93 459 31 34; www.detapamadre.com; Carrer de Mallorca 301; meals €35; 8am-1am; Verdaguer;

A chatty atmosphere greets you from the bar from the moment you swing open the door. A few tiny tables line the window, but head upstairs for more space in the gallery, which hovers above the array of tapas on the bar below, or go deeper inside past the bench with the ham legs. Choose from a range of tapas or opt for a full meal. The arròs caldós amb llagostins (a hearty rice dish with king prawns) is delicious. The kitchen opens all day long, so you can pop by any time hunger strikes.

RELAIS DE VENISE Map FRENCH €€

93 467 21 62; Carrer de Pau Claris 142; meals €35; daily Sep-Jul; Passeig de Gràcia;

You can eat anything you want here, so long as it’s meat. Indeed, there’s just one dish, a succulent beef entrecôte with a secret ‘sauce Porte-Maillot’ (named after the location of the original restaurant in Paris, which has branches in New York and London), chips and salad (€22), to which you can add a little wine and dessert. It is served in slices and in two waves so that it doesn’t go cold.

TERRABACUS Map TAPAS & WINE €€

93 410 86 33; www.terrabacus.com; Carrer de Muntaner 185; meals €30-35, menú del día €18; lunch & dinner Tue-Fri, dinner Mon & Sat; Hospital Clínic

Food exists to accompany wine, or so one could be led to believe here. In this ‘Land of Bacchus’, one of the joys is sampling from the extensive wine list and choosing bites to go down with the nectar. You might try the various cheese platters or select a dish of high-grade Joselito cured ham. More substantial dishes range from risotto to steak tartare.

EMBAT Map MEDITERRANEAN €€

93 458 08 55; www.restaurantembat.es; Carrer de Mallorca 304; meals €30-35; lunch Tue & Wed, lunch & dinner Thu-Sat; Girona

Enthusiastic young chefs turn out beautifully presented dishes in this basement eatery, whose brown and cream decor might not enchant all comers. You can eat three courses for around €20 to €25 at lunch, indulging perhaps in raviolis de pollo amb bacon i calabassó (chicken ravioli bathed in a sauce of finely chopped bacon, zucchini and other vegetables) followed by melt-in-the-mouth lluç amb pa amb tomàquet, carxofes i maionesa de peres (a thick cut of hake on a tomato-drenched clump of bread dressed with artichoke slices and a pear mayonnaise).

TAPAÇ 24 Map TAPAS €€

93 488 09 77; www.carlesabellan.com; Carrer de la Diputació 269; meals €30-35; 9am-midnight Mon-Sat; Passeig de Gràcia

Carles Abellán, master of Comerç 24 in La Ribera, runs this basement tapas haven known for its gourmet versions of old faves. Specials include the bikini (toasted ham and cheese sandwich – here the ham is cured and the truffle makes all the difference), a thick black arròs negre de sípia (squid-ink black rice), the McFoie-Burguer and, for dessert, xocolata amb pa, sal i oli (delicious balls of chocolate in olive oil with a touch of salt and wafer). You can’t book.

CERVESERIA BRASSERIA GALLEGA Map TAPAS €€

93 439 41 28; Carrer de Casanova 238; meals €30; Mon-Sat; Hospital Clínic

You could walk right by this modest establishment without giving it a second glance. If you did, you’d notice it was chock full of locals immersed in animated banter and surrounded by plates of abundant Galician classics. The fresh pulpo a la gallega (spicy octopus chunks with potatoes) as starter confirms this place is a cut above the competition. Waiters have little time for loitering, but always a quick quip. The setting is simple, the meat dishes succulent and the fideuà full of seafood flavour.

LA BODEGUETA PROVENÇA Map TAPAS €€

93 215 17 25; Carrer de Provença 233; meals €25-30; daily; Diagonal

The ‘Little Wine Cellar’ offers classic tapas presented with a touch of class, from calamares a la andaluza (lightly battered calamari rings) to cecina (dried cured veal meat). The house speciality is ous estrellats (literally ‘smashed eggs’) – a mix of scrambled egg white, egg yoke, potato and then ingredients ranging from foie gras to black pudding (morcilla). Wash down with a good Ribera del Duero or caña (little glass) of beer.

INOPIA Map GOURMET TAPAS €€

93 424 52 31; www.barinopia.com; Carrer de Tamarit 104; meals €25-30; dinner Tue-Sat, lunch Sat; Rocafort

Albert Adrià, brother of Barcelona’s star chef Ferran and something of a kitchen celebrity himself, runs this popular corner tapas temple. If you can’t grab one of the handful of tables, don’t worry, just stand inside or out and select a pintxo de cuixa de pollastre a l’ast (chunk of rotisserie chicken thigh) or the lightly fried, tempura-style vegetables. Wash down with house red or Moritz beer.

KOYUKI Map JAPANESE €€

93 237 84 90; Carrer de Còrsega 242; meals €25-30; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, dinner Sun; Diagonal

This unassuming basement Japanese diner is one of those rough-edged diamonds that it pays to revisit. Sit at a long table and order from the cheesy menu complete with pictures courtesy of the Japanese owner – you won’t be disappointed. The variety of sashimi moriawase is generous and constantly fresh. The tempura udon is a particularly hearty noodle option. Splash it all down with Sapporo beer.

TAKTIKA BERRI Map BASQUE €€

93 453 47 59; Carrer de València 169; meals €45-50, tapas €20-30; lunch & dinner Mon-Fri, lunch Sat; Hospital Clínic

Get in early as the bar teems with punters from far and wide, anxious to wrap their mouths around some of the best Basque tapas in town. The hot morsels are all snapped up as soon as they arrive from the kitchen, so keep your eyes peeled. The seated dining area out the back is also good. In the evening, it’s all over by about 10.30pm.

BODEGA SEPÚLVEDA Map CATALAN €€

93 323 59 44; www.bodegasepulveda.net; Carrer de Sepúlveda 173bis; meals €25; lunch & dinner Mon-Fri, dinner Sat; Universitat;

This tavern has been showering dishes (which they like to call tapas) on its happy diners since 1952. The main dining area is out the back and downstairs, with a small, low-ceilinged nonsmoking area upstairs. The range of dishes is a little overwhelming and mixes traditional (cold meats, cheeses and Catalan faves like cap i pota, a dish of chunks of fatty beef in gravy) with more surprising options like carpaccio de calabacín con bacalao y parmesán (thin zucchini slices draped in cod and parmesan cheese). You can hang out until 1am.

BAR VELÓDROMO Map TAPAS €€

93 430 60 22; Carrer de Muntaner 213; meals €25; daily; Hospital Clínic

The reopening of this once-classic tavern in 2009 brings back a fine-looking establishment in which to take breakfast, stop for an aperitif or sit down for a meal. The low, corner building retains much of its original look, with timber omnipresent. Food largely consists of tapas and smallish renderings of fairly typical Catalan and Spanish dishes. More than anything, this place is about its history and atmosphere.

CERVESERIA CATALANA Map TAPAS €€

93 216 03 68; Carrer de Mallorca 236; meals €25; daily; Passeig de Gràcia;

The ‘Catalan Brewery’ is good for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Come in for your morning coffee and croissant, or wait until lunch to enjoy choosing from the abundance of tapas and montaditos (canapés). You can sit at the bar, on the pavement terrace or in the restaurant at the back. The variety of hot tapas, salads and other snacks draws a well-dressed crowd of locals and outsiders. It has expanded the premises to deal with demand.

CASA AMALIA Map CATALAN €€

93 458 94 58; Passatge del Mercat 4-6; meals €20-25; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, lunch Sun Sep-Jul; Girona

This restaurant is popular for its hearty Catalan cooking using fresh produce, mainly sourced from the busy market next door. The orange and white decorated joint has split level dining that makes the most of its space. On Thursdays during winter it offers the Catalan mountain classic, escudella. Otherwise, you might try light variations on local cuisine, such as the bacallà al allioli de poma (cod in an apple-based aioli sauce). The four-course menú del día is exceptional lunchtime value at €12.

CASA ALFONSO Map SPANISH €

93 301 97 83; www.casaalfonso.com; Carrer de Roger de Llúria 6; meals €20; 9am-1am Mon-Sat; Urquinaona

In business since 1934, Casa Alfonso is perfect for a morning coffee or a tapas stop at the long marble bar. Timber panelled and festooned with old photos, posters and swinging hams, it attracts a faithful local clientele at all hours for its flautas (thin custom-made baguettes with your choice of filling), hams, cheeses, hot dishes and homemade desserts. Consider rounding off with an alfonsito (a miniature Irish coffee).

EL RINCÓN MAYA Map MEXICAN €

93 451 39 46; Carrer de València 183; meals €20; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, dinner Mon; Passeig de Gràcia

Getting a seat in this Mexican eatery can be a trial. The setting is warm, modest and, thankfully, devoid of the excesses of pseudo-Mexican decor. The pocket-sized serves of nachos, guacamole and fajitas all burst with flavour. You’ll also discover lesser-known items like tacos de pibil (pork tacos) and tinga, little pasta pockets of chicken. There are also more-substantial dishes for €9.50. The owner-chef spent much of his life in the restaurant business in Mexico City.

RESTAURANTE JARDÍN ROSA Map CHINESE €

93 325 71 95; Avinguda Mistral 54; meals €15-20; daily; Espanya

As in any other city, there’s no shortage of cheap and cheerful Chinese joints, but this is the real McCoy. Go for the first part of the menu where you’ll find anything from pig’s-blood soup and black chicken in ginger to frogs’ legs and strips of eel with leek. The chintzy decor one normally associates with Chinese eateries is considerably more sober here.

AMALTEA Map VEGETARIAN €

93 454 86 13; www.amalteaygovinda.com; Carrer de la Diputació 164; meals €10-15; Mon-Sat; Urgell;

The ceiling fresco of blue sky sets the scene in this popular vegetarian eatery. The weekday set lunch (€10.50) offers a series of dishes that change frequently with the seasons. At night, the set two-course dinner (€15) offers good value. The homemade desserts are tempting. The place is something of an alternative lifestyle centre, with yoga, t’ai chi and belly-dancing classes.

CAFÈ DEL CENTRE Map CAFE €

93 488 11 01; Carrer de Girona 69; 8.30am-midnight Mon-Fri; Girona

Step back a century in this cafe, in business since 1873. The timber-top bar extends down the right side as you enter, fronted by a slew of marble-topped tables and dark timber chairs. It exudes an almost melancholy air by day but gets busy at night.

CAFÈ ZURICH Map CAFE €

93 317 91 53; Carrer de Pelai 39; 8am-11pm Sun-Fri, 10am-midnight Sat; Catalunya;

It doesn’t have the atmosphere of the cafe of the same name that once occupied this prime spot, but not even the hardest of hearts can deny the location is impeccable. Pull up an outdoor pew for the human circus that is Plaça de Catalunya, or huddle over a paper on the mezzanine on a winter’s day. In summer it stays open as late as 1am.

COSMO Map CAFE €

93 453 70 07; www.galeriacosmo.com; Carrer d’Enric Granados 3; 10am-10pm Mon-Thu, noon-2am Fri & Sat, noon-10pm Sun; Universitat;

This groovy space with psychedelic colouring in the tables and bar stools, high white walls out back for exhibitions and events, a nice selection of teas, pastries and snacks, all set on a pleasant pedestrian strip just behind the university is perfect for a morning session on your laptop or a civilised evening tipple while admiring the art.

CRUSTO Map CAFE €

93 487 05 51; www.crusto.es; Carrer de València 246; Mon-Sat; Passeig de Gràcia

A French-inspired bakery and pastry shop, the wonderful perfume of freshly baked bread, baguettes, croissants and countless pastries will be enough to convince you that it’s worth pulling up a stool here for a long and tasty breakfast.

ESCRIBÀ Map CHOCOLATE €

93 454 75 35; www.escriba.es; Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 546; 8am-3pm & 5-9pm Mon-Fri, 8am-9pm Sat, Sun & holidays; Urgell;

Antoni Escribà carries forward a family tradition (since 1906) of melting barcelonins’ hearts with remarkable pastries and criminal chocolate creations. Try the Easter bunyols de xocolata (little round pastry balls filled with chocolate cream). Escribà has another branch in a Modernista setting at La Rambla de Sant Josep 83 Map).

TO MARKET, TO MARKET

One of the greatest sound, smell and colour sensations in Europe is Barcelona’s most central produce market, the Mercat de la Boqueria (Map; www.boqueria.info; La Rambla). It spills over with all the rich and varied colour of plentiful fruit and vegetable stands, seemingly limitless varieties of sea critters, sausages, cheeses, meat (including the finest Jabugo ham) and sweets. It is also sprinkled with half a dozen or so unassuming places to eat, and eat well, with stallholders at lunchtime. According to some chronicles, there has been a market on this spot since 1217. Mind you, nowadays it’s no easy task getting past the gawping tourists to indicate the slippery slab of sole you’re after, or the tempting piece of Asturian queso de cabra (goat’s cheese).

La Boqueria is not the only market in Barcelona. The city is bursting with bustling markets, which for the most part are tourist free. Try Mercat de Sant Antoni (Map; Carrer del Comte d’Urgell; Sant Antoni); Mercat de Santa Caterina (Map; Avinguda de Francesc Cambó; Jaume I); Mercat del Ninot (Map; Carrer de Mallorca 157; Hospital Clínic); Mercat de la Llibertat (Map; Plaça de la Llibertat; FGC Gràcia); Mercat de l’Abaceria Central (Map; Travessera de Gràcia 186; Fontana) and Mercat de la Concepció (Map; Carrer de València 332; Girona). Markets generally open from Monday to Saturday from around 8am to 8pm (although some close around 2pm on Saturday). They are all at their animated best in the morning.

MAURI Map PASTRIES €

93 215 10 20; Rambla de Catalunya 102; 8am-9pm Mon-Sat, 8am-3pm Sun; Diagonal;

Since it opened in 1929, this grand old pastry shop has had its regular customers salivating over the endless range of sweets, chocolate croissants and gourmet delicatessen items.

CREMERIA TOSCANA Map GELATO €

93 539 38 25; Carrer de Muntaner 161; 1-9pm Tue-Sun Oct-Easter, 1pm-midnight Tue-Sun Easter-Sep; Hospital Clínic;

Yes, you can stumble across quite reasonable ice cream in Barcelona, but close your eyes and imagine yourself across the Mediterranean with the real ice-cream wizards. Creamy stracciatella and wavy nocciola…and myriad other flavours await at the most authentic gelato outlet in town. Buy a cone or a tub! There’s another branch with similar hours in El Born (Map; 93 268 07 29; Carrer dels Canvis Vells 2; Barceloneta).

ORXATERIA SIRVENT Map ICE CREAM €

93 441 76 16; Ronda de Sant Pau 3; 11am-2pm & 4-9pm Oct-Apr, 11am-9pm June-Sep; Sant Antoni or Paral.lel

Barcelonins’ favourite source of orxata/horchata (tiger-nut drink) since 1926, this busy locale serves up the best you’ll try without having to catch the train down to this drink’s spiritual home, Valencia. You can get it by the glass or take it away. This place also purveys ice cream, granissat (iced fruit crush) and turrón (nougat).

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GRÀCIA & PARK GÜELL

Spread across this busy barri are all sorts of enticing options, from simple tapas bars to top-class seafood. Gràcia is loaded with Middle Eastern and, to a lesser extent, Greek restaurants, which are chirpy and good value. Several classic Catalan taverns tick along nicely with a strong local following. There’s little of interest, however, around Park Güell.

BOTAFUMEIRO Map SEAFOOD €€€

93 218 42 30; www.botafumeiro.es; Carrer Gran de Gràcia 81; meals €70-80; 1pm-1am; Fontana;

It is hard not to mention this classic temple of Galician shellfish and other briny delights, long a magnet for VIPs visiting Barcelona. You can bring the price down by sharing a few medias raciones to taste a range of marine offerings or a safata especial del Mar Cantàbric (seafood platter) between two. Try the percebes, the strangely twisted goose barnacles harvested along Galicia’s north Atlantic coast, which many Spaniards consider the ultimate seafood delicacy.

RESTAURANT ROIG ROBÍ Map CATALAN €€€

93 218 92 22; www.roigrobi.com; Carrer de Sèneca 20; meals €70-80; lunch & dinner Mon-Fri, dinner Sat; Diagonal;

This is an altar to refined traditional cooking. The textures de carxofes amb vieires a la plantxa (artichokes with grilled scallops) are like a whiff of artichoke wafting over the prized shellfish. It also does several seafood-and-rice dishes and offer half portions for those with less of an appetite.

CON GRACIA Map ASIAN-MEDITERRANEAN €€€

93 238 02 01; www.congracia.es; Carrer de Martínez de la Rosa 8; meals €70-80; lunch & dinner Tue-Fri, dinner Sat; Diagonal

This teeny hideaway (seating about 20 in total) is a hive of originality, producing a delicately balanced mix of Mediterranean cuisine with Asian touches. On offer is a regularly changing surprise tasting menu or the set ‘traditional’ one (€59), which includes such items as sopa de foie y miso con aceite de trufa blanca (miso and foie gras soup with white truffle oil) and a nice Chilean sea bass. At lunch, only groups are accepted. Book ahead.

IPAR-TXOKO Map BASQUE €€

93 218 19 54; Carrer de Mozart 22; meals €40-50; Tue-Sat Sep-Jul; Diagonal

Inside this Basque eatery, the atmosphere is warm and traditional. Hefty timber beams hold up the Catalan vaulted ceiling, and the bar (tapas available) has a garish green columned front. Getxo-born Mikel turns out traditional cooking from northern Spain, including a sumptuous chuletón (T-bone steak for two – look at the size of that thing!) or a less gargantuan tortilla de bacalao (a thick salted-cod omelette). Then there are curiosities, like kokotxas de merluza, heart-shaped cuts from the hake’s throat. The wine list is daunting but Mikel is on hand to explain everything – in English, too.

BILBAO Map NORTHERN SPANISH €€

93 458 96 24; Carrer del Perill 33; meals €40; Mon-Sat; Diagonal

It doesn’t look much from the outside, but Bilbao is a timeless classic, where reservations for dinner are imperative. The back dining room, with bottle-lined walls, stout timber tables and a yellowing light evocative of a country tavern, will appeal to carnivores especially, although some fish dishes are also on offer. Consider opting for a chuletón (T-bone steak), washed down with a good Spanish red.

TIBET Map CATALAN €€

93 284 50 45; Carrer de Ramiro de Maetzu 34; meals €35; lunch & dinner Wed-Sat & Mon, lunch Sun; Alfons X, 24 or 39

In a semi-rustic setting not far from Park Güell, this restaurant has as much to do with Tibet as the author of this book does with Eskimos. For 50 years it has been sizzling meat on the grill and dishing up snails, one of the house specialities. There’s not an item of seafood in sight.

SURENY Map CATALAN €€

93 213 75 56; Plaça de la Revolució de Setembre de 1868; meals €30-35; Tue-Sun; Fontana

Appearances can be deceiving: the cooks in this unremarkable-looking corner restaurant dedicate themselves to producing gourmet tapas and raciones, ranging from exquisite vieiras (scallops) to a serving of secreto ibérico, a particular tasty cut of pork meat (near the porcine equivalent of the armpit, perhaps that’s the ‘secret’). The menú del día is decent value at €9.90.

CAL BOTER Map CATALAN €€

93 458 84 62; Carrer de Tordera 62; meals €30-35; Tue-Sun; Joanic

A classic eatery that draws families and noisy groups of pals for cargols a la llauna (snails sautéed in a tin dish), filet de bou a la crema de foie (a thick clump of tender beef drowned in an orange and foie gras sauce), and other Catalan specialities, including curious mar i muntanya (surf and turf) combinations like bolets i gambes (mushrooms and prawns). Finish with a xarrup de llimona amb mar de cava (lemon sorbet drowned in cava). The menú del día (lunch Tuesday to Friday) comes in at a good-humoured €9.80.

O’ GRàCIA! Map CATALAN €€

93 213 30 44; Plaça de la Revolució de Setembre de 1868 15; meals €30-35; Tue-Sat; Fontana;

This is an especially popular lunch option, with the menú del día outstanding value at €10.50. The arròs negre de sepia (black rice with cuttlefish) makes a good first course, followed by a limited set of meat and fish options with vegetable sides. Serves are decent, presentation careful and service attentive. There’s a more elaborate tasting menu at €24.50.

ENVALIRA Map CATALAN €€

93 218 58 13; Plaça del Sol 13; meals €30; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, lunch Sun; Fontana

Surrounded by cool hang-outs, Lebanese eateries and grunge bars, you’d barely notice the modest entrance to this delicious relic. Head for the 1950s time-warp dining room out the back. Serious waiters deliver all sorts of seafood and rice dishes to your table, from arròs a la milanesa (savoury rice dish with chicken, pork and a light cheese gratin) to a bullit de lluç (slice of white hake boiled with herb-laced rice and a handful of clams).

LAC MAJÙR Map ITALIAN €€

93 285 15 03; Carrer de Tordera 33; meals €25; Mon-Sat; Verdaguer

You could easily miss this cosy slice of northwest Italy while striding along the quiet and unusually leafy lane outside. Inside, all sorts of home-cooking delights await, including the house specials, gnocchi and trofie. The latter are twists of pasta, usually served with pesto sauce, from Liguria. Try the mascarpone and ham variant followed by, say, a saltimbocca alla romana (a veal slice cooked with ham, sage and sweet Marsala wine).

LA PANXA DEL BISBE Map TAPAS €€

93 213 70 49; www.lapanxadelbisbe.com; Carrer de Rabassa 37; meals €25; Tue-Sat; Joanic

With low lighting and a hip, young feel, the ‘Bishop’s Gut’ is a great place to indulge in some gourmet tapas, washed down with a fine wine, like the Albariño white from Galicia, for a surprisingly modest outlay.

EL GLOP Map CATALAN €€

93 213 70 58; www.tavernaelglop.com; Carrer de Sant Lluís 24; meals €25; Joanic

Step inside this raucous eatery decked out in country Catalan fashion, with gingham tablecloths and no-nonsense, slap-up meals. The secret is hearty serves of simple dishes, such as bistec a la brasa (grilled steak), perhaps preceded by albergínies farcides (stuffed aubergines) or calçots in winter. Try the tocinillo, a caramel dessert, to finish. Open until 1am, it’s a useful place to have up your sleeve for a late bite.

A CASA PORTUGUESA Map PORTUGUESE €

93 368 35 28; www.acasaportuguesa.com; Carrer de Verdi 58; snacks €20; dinner Tue-Fri, lunch & dinner Sat, Sun & holidays; Fontana

As well as being a convivial halt for a glass or two of fine wine (ask waiters for advice) or a simple vinho verde (‘green wine’, a typical, simple Portuguese white wine), it is a good spot to fill up on snacks (cheeses, little pies and pastries), all in the name of getting to know the Iberian neighbours better. There is always a buzzing atmosphere and exhibitions are frequently held. Try a couple of pastéis de Belém (delightful little cream tarts) and stock up on goodies from Portugal, Brazil and other one-time Portuguese colonies.

LA LLAR DE FOC Map CATALAN €

93 284 10 25; Carrer de Ramón i Cajal 13; meals €20; Fontana

For a hearty sit-down meal at rock-bottom prices, the ‘Hearth’ is hard to beat. At lunch, it has a €9 menú del día. You could start with a mixed salad or empanadita (big slice of tuna pie), followed by chicken in a mild curry sauce or costellas (ribs). Go for flan for dessert, as the ice creams are on a stick.

HIMALI Map NEPALESE & VEGETARIAN €

93 285 15 68; Carrer de Milà i Fontanals 60; meals €15-20; Tue-Sun; Joanic

Spacious and simple, with gruff service and paper place mats, this is a great spot for Nepalese chow and vegetarian dishes. A vegetarian set dinner menu costs €14.95; the carnivores’ version, €16.95. Carnivores can also opt for mixed grills with rice and naan, or kukhurako fila (roast chicken in walnut sauce). Mains come in at €8 to €10.

NOU CANDANCHÚ Map TAPAS €

93 237 73 62; Plaça de la Vila de Gràcia 9; meals €15-20; Wed-Mon; Fontana

The liveliest locale on the square, Nou Candanchú is a long-time favourite for various reasons. Many flock to its sunny terrace just for a few drinks. Accompany the liquid refreshment with one of the giant entrepans (filled rolls) for which this place is famous. Otherwise, it offers a limited range of tapas and reasonable grilled-meat dishes.

EL ROURE Map TAPAS €

93 218 73 87; Carrer de la Riera de Sant Miquel 51; meals €15-20; Mon-Sat; Fontana

This old-time locals’ bar is what Hemingway meant by a ‘clean, well-lighted place’. Sidle up to the bar or pull up a little wooden chair and tuck into a choice of good-value tapas from the bar, washed down by a few cold Estrellas. The bunyols de bacallà are delightful battered balls of cod that demand to be gobbled up. The place is full to bursting most of the time.

VRENELI Map CAFE €

93 217 61 01; Plaça de la Vila de Gràcia 8; 8am-9pm Tue-Fri, 9am-9pm Sat & Sun; Fontana

For banana or carrot cake and a cup of coffee on a grey winter’s day, this long, narrow bar with soft mood music is a good place to come in out of the cold.

LA NENA Map CAFE & CHOCOLATE €

93 285 14 76; Carrer de Ramon i Cajal 36; 9am-2pm & 4-10pm Mon-Sat, 10am-10pm Sun & holidays; Fontana

A French team has created this delightful chaotic space for indulging in cups of rich hot chocolate (known as suïssos) served with a plate of heavy homemade whipped cream and melindros (spongy sweet biscuits), fine desserts and even a few savoury dishes (including crêpes). The place is strewn with books and the area out back is designed to keep kids busy, making it an ideal family rest stop.

MONTY CAFÉ Map CAFE €

93 368 28 82; www.montycafe.com; Carrer de la Riera de Sant Miquel 29; 8am-10pm Mon & Tue, 8am-midnight Wed & Thu, 8am-2am Fri & Sat; Diagonal;

Italian-run and nicely laid back, this cafe with terracotta floor, art on the walls and classic marble-top tables has a series of varied, secondhand lounges down one side and a bar at the back. Great for coffee, a long list of teas and cocktails, it also offers food, from pasta to bruschette. It’s a great place to lounge around over your laptop.

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LA ZONA ALTA

Some of the grandest kitchens in the city are scattered across La Zona Alta, from Tibidabo across Sant Gervasi (as far down as Avinguda Diagonal, west of GrÀcia) to Pedralbes. Plenty of places of all cuisines and qualities abound, often tucked away in quiet, unassuming residential streets far from anything of interest to tourists. Eating in La Zona Alta can be both a culinary and, with a couple of notable exceptions, a genuinely local experience.

VIA VENETO Map CATALAN €€€

93 200 72 44; www.viavenetorestaurant.com; Carrer de Ganduxer 10; meals €90-120; lunch & dinner Mon-Fri, dinner Sat, closed 3 weeks in Aug; FGC La Bonanova;

Dalí used to regularly waltz into this high-society eatery after it opened in 1967. The vaguely art-deco setting (note the oval mirrors), orange-rose tablecloths, leather chairs and fine cutlery may cater to more conservative souls, but the painter was here for the kitchen exploits. Catalan dishes dominate and the mouth waters at the mere mention of, say, rodaballo al horno con espárragos blancos, alcachofas y navajas del Delta del Ebro (oven-cooked turbot with white asparagus, artichokes and razor clams). The service is so good you barely notice the waiters’ presence.

HOFMANN Map MEDITERRANEAN €€€

93 218 71 65; www.hofmann-bcn.com; Carrer de Granada del Penedès 14-16; meals €80-100; Mon-Fri; FGC Gràcia;

What’s cooking here are the trainee chefs, helped along by their instructors. Dishes are generally elegant renditions of classic Mediterranean food, followed by such delicious desserts that some people prefer a starter and two sweets, skipping the main course altogether.

LA BALSA Map MEDITERRANEAN €€

93 211 50 48; www.labalsarestaurant.com; Carrer de la Infanta Isabel 4; meals €70; dinner only Mon, lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, lunch only Sun, in Aug dinner only 9pm-midnight; FGC Avinguda Tibidabo;

With its grand ceiling and the scented gardens that surround the main terrace dining area, La Balsa is one of the city’s top dining experiences. The menu changes frequently and is a mix of traditional Catalan and off-centre inventiveness. Lounge over a cocktail at the bar before being ushered to your table. The place is famous for its August dinner buffet (around €30).

COUREMap CATALAN €€

93 200 75 32; Passatge de Marimon 20; meals €45-50; Tue-Sat; FGC Muntaner;

The minimalist decor gives away that a chef with avant-garde ideas is at work in his laboratory-kitchen. The end results are far from over the top, leaning to nicely elaborated dishes such as the cochinillo ibérico con manzana al horno (oven-roasted suckling pig with apple). The set lunch menu (€18) is a great-value sample, popular with office workers all over the area. There’s also a tasting menu at €45. A curtain of copper chains hides the dining area from the bar in the entrance (the name is a play on words, meaning both ‘copper’ and ‘to cook’).

CAN TRAVI NOU OFF Map CATALAN €€

93 428 03 01; www.gruptravi.com; Carrer de Jorge Manrique, Parc de la Vall d’Hebron; meals €45-50; lunch & dinner Mon-Sat, lunch Sun; Montbau;

This expansive 18th-century mansion has several dining areas that stretch out across two floors. The warm colours, grandfather clock and a wholesome, rustic air make for a magical setting for a Catalan splurge. The risotto de formatge (cheese risotto) makes a hearty starter, but the generous mains will please you even more. The arròs caldós amb llamàntol i cloïsses (rice stew with lobster and clams) is irresistible and it also does some tender grilled steaks.

CAN CORTADA OFF Map CATALAN €€

93 427 23 15; www.gruptravi.com; Avinguda de l’Estatut de Catalunya; meals €40; Montbau;

More than anything else, it is the setting and the hearty welcome that make this 11th-century estate (complete with the remains of a defensive tower) worth the excursion. Try for a table in the former cellars or on the garden terrace. Lots of Catalan fare, like pollastre amb escamarlans (chicken and crayfish), dominates the menu.

INDOCHINE Map PAN-ASIAN €€

93 201 99 84; www.indochinebarcelona.com; Carrer d’Aribau 247; meals €35-40; Tue-Sun; FGC Molina;

This uptown Asian eatery could almost pass for a florist. Once through the French doors and greenery you will be presented with a selection of Thai, Vietnamese and Cambodian dishes. Although somewhat westernised, the food is enticing. You could start with a light green-papaya salad and follow with pescado al estilo camboyano (Cambodian-style fish, lightly steamed and done in a vegetable sauce). Those with flexible legs can sit on the floor.

CASA FERNÁNDEZ Map SPANISH €€

93 201 93 80; www.casafernandez.com; Carrer de Santaló 46; meals €30; 1pm-1am; FGC Muntaner

Immensely popular with bar hoppers suddenly aware they have skipped dinner when it’s gone midnight, this bustling, cheerful eatery is a classic. Food is hearty and service hectic but pretty fast even when the place is brimful with carousers. There’s plenty of choice of local and foreign beers and a reasonable wine selection.

BAR TOMÀS Map TAPAS €

93 203 10 77; Carrer Major de Sarrià 49; meals €15-20; Thu-Tue; FGC Sarrià

Many barcelonins have long claimed that Bar Tomàs is by far the best place in the city for patates braves, prepared here with a special variation on the traditional spicy tomato and mayonnaise sauce. The place is a rough-edged bar, but that doesn’t stop the well-off citizens of Sarrià piling in, particularly for lunch on weekends.

CAFFÈ SAN MARCO Map CAFE €

93 280 29 73; Carrer de Pedro de la Creu 15; 9am-9.30pm; FGC Reina Elisenda

For one of the best coffees you’re likely to have, it is hard to beat this place. It boasts a charming atmosphere where you can settle in to read the paper or simply watch passers-by.

FOIX DE SARRIÀ Map PASTRIES €

93 203 04 73; www.foixdesarria.com, in Spanish; Plaça de Sarrià 12-13; 8am-8pm; FGC Reina Elisenda

Since 1886 this exclusive pastry shop has been selling the most exquisite cakes and sweets. You can take them away or head out back to sip tea, coffee or hot chocolate while sampling the little cakes and other wizardry.

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MONTJUÏC, SANTS & EL POBLE SEC

Montjuïc is largely bereft of notable eating options, for the obvious reason that it is mostly parks and gardens. In gruff old El Poble Sec, however, you’ll turn up all sorts of priceless nuggets, from historic taverns offering Catalan classics to a handful of smart, new-wave eateries. The pickings in Sants are slimmer, but there are still some worthy exceptions.

ROSAL 34 Map GOURMET TAPAS €€

93 324 90 46; www.rosal34.com; Carrer del Roser 34; meals €45-65; Tue-Sat; Poble Sec

Exposed brick and stone walls and a sinuous bar, accompanied by wafting lounge sounds, set the scene for a gourmet experience. You can opt for one of two tasting menus (€48/60) or search the menu for such numbers as saltejat de xipironets de platja amb trompeta de la mort i ou escalfat (sautéed small beach cuttlefish with mushrooms and egg).

MIRAMAR Map MEDITERRANEAN & ASIAN €€

93 443 66 27; www.club-miramar.es; Carretera de Miramar 40; meals €40-50; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, lunch Sun; 50 & 193

With several terraces and a cool designer main dining area, this restaurant’s key draw is the views it offers over Barcelona’s waterfront. Hovering just above the Transbordador Aeri cable-car station, you can linger over a coffee or tuck into an elegant meal with a creative Catalan and Mediterranean slant, or opt for an extensive Asian menu.

XEMEI Map VENETIAN €€

93 553 51 40; Passeig de l’Exposició 85; meals €45; Wed-Mon; Poble Sec;

Xemei (‘twins’ in Venetian, because it is run by a pair of twins from Italy’s lagoon city) is a wonderful slice of Venice in Barcelona. To the accompaniment of gentle jazz, you might try an entrée of mixed cicheti (Venetian seafood tapas), followed with bigoi in salsa veneziana (thick spaghetti in an anchovy and onion sauce). The suprema de San Pedro (tender white John Dory) is a fine choice, as is the Tuscan meat intruder tagliata (sliced rare beef with rocket and shavings of Parmesan cheese).

HIGH IN THE SKY

For a five-star dining experience beneath a transparent UFO-style dome, 105m above ground, grab a cab to Restaurant Evo (off Map Click here; 93 413 50 30; www.hesperia.com; Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 144; dinner Mon-Fri, lunch & dinner Sat; Hospital Bellvitge; ), located in Hotel Hesperia Tower in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat. This is gourmet dining literally under the stars (of which one comes from Michelin). Lean lines dictate decor, with lacquer-finished tables, low white chairs and the inside of the dome lit up. The high point is the presentation of Mediterranean market cooking (say, the consomé de faisà amb els seus raviolis de foie i tòfona negra – a pheasant consommé with foie-gras ravioli and black truffle).

TAPIOLES 53 Map INTERNATIONAL €€

93 329 22 38; www.tapioles53.com; Carrer de Tapioles 53; meals €35-45; dinner Tue-Sat; Paral.lel;

A stylish place housed in a former umbrella factory, this barely lit gem has a limited yet constantly changing international menu. Ingredients are sourced daily from the city’s markets. Asian touches are sometimes present, but you might just as easily find yourself with a Moroccan-style tajine. Start at the bar and proceed to one of the stout wooden tables. Book ahead.

ZARAUTZ Map BASQUE €€

93 325 28 13; Carrer de l’Elisi 13; meals €30-35; 8am-11.30pm Mon-Sat Sep-Jul; Tarragona;

A short hop away from the train station, you can take in some quality Basque tapas at the bar any time of the day, or retire to the restaurant for a full meal, such as carpaccio de carn amb formatge Idiazábal (beef carpaccio with a tangy Basque cheese). The owner is a dessert specialist, so save some room. It’s a rough-and-tumble-looking joint, but don’t let that put you off.

LA BODEGUETA Map CATALAN €€

93 442 08 46; www.labodeguetabcn.com; Carrer de Blai 47; meals €30; lunch Fri-Sun, dinner daily; Paral.lel

For a homey Catalan atmosphere (complete with wine barrels, an old Frigidaire and gingham tablecloths), pop by this cheery spot. Options are limited to classic local favourites, including an array of charcoal-grilled meat dishes, such as a thick entrecot con Cabrales (steak with strong northern Spanish cheese). Balance with a graellada de verdures (mixed grilled vegetables) and wash down with a generous ceramic jug of house red.

TAVERNA CAN MARGARIT Map CATALAN €€

93 441 67 23; Carrer de la Concòrdia 21; meals €25-30; dinner Mon-Sat; Poble Sec

For decades this former wine store has been dishing out dinner to often raucous groups. Traditional Catalan cooking is the name of the game. Surrounded by aged wine barrels, take your place at old tables and benches and perhaps order the conejo a la jumillana (fried rabbit served with garlic, onion, bay leaves, rosemary, mint, thyme and oregano). Dishes are abundant, wine flows freely and time seems to have stood still.

QUIMET I QUIMET Map TAPAS €€

93 442 31 42; Carrer del Poeta Cabanyes 25; meals €25-30; noon-4pm & 7-10.30pm Mon-Fri, noon-6pm Sat; Paral.lel;

Quimet i Quimet is a family-run business that has been passed down from generation to generation. There’s barely space to swing a calamari in this bottle-lined, standing-room-only place, but it is a treat for the palate. Look at all those gourmet tapas waiting for you! Let the folk behind the bar advise you, and order a drop of fine wine to accompany the food.

LA TOMAQUERA Map CATALAN €

93 441 85 18; Carrer de Margarit 5; meals €20; Tue-Sat; Poble Sec

The waiters shout and rush about this classic, while carafes of wine are sloshed about the long wooden tables. You can’t book, so it’s first in, first seated (queues are the norm). Try the house speciality of snails or go for hearty meat dishes. The occasional seafood option, such as cassola de cigales (crayfish hotpot) might also tempt. And cash is king.

LA BELLA NAPOLI Map PIZZA €

93 442 50 56; www.bellanapoli.net; Carrer de Margarit 14; pizza €7-21; daily; Paral.lel

There are pizza joints all over Barcelona. And then there’s the real thing: the way they make it in Naples. This place even feels like Naples. The waiters are mostly from across the Med and have that cheeky southern Italian approach to food, customers and everything else. The pizzas are good, ranging from the simple margherita to a heavenly black-truffle number.