Going to Barcelona? Here’s a guide of where to eat and drink! Both cheap and more expensive ones – but nothing’s really expensive in Barcelona 😉
Note: especially during weekends, it’s necessary to book a table at all places mentioned in this blog post! (some of them does not take reservations). It’s not possible possible to book tables at the mentioned “drink” places.
Additional note: all the places mentioned offers vegan and vegetarian dishes!
Eat – the cheap ones
Pintxos in the bar at Zodiaco
Zodiaco
Zodiaco is a pintxos bar in Poble Sec and is without a doubt my favourite pintxos place! Pintxos are more traditional in Catalunya than tapas and are small pieces of bread with a lot of stuff on top. I often describe it like this: it looks like they had a competition of who could stack most weird stuff on top of a piece of bread. It might not sound delicious, but I promise it’s good! Each piece costs 1€ and I recommend to drink a glass of their vermouth while you eat. Vermouth is a fermented type of wine, which is also very traditional to Catalunya. As I’ve mentioned in What to do in Barcelona, Poble Sec is home to many great, local restaurants.
Address: Carrer de Blai 39
Eating stuffed flowers at Flax&Kale
Flax&Kale
Now this! Is one of my all time favourite restaurants in Barcelona! Flax&Kale serves mainly raw and vegan food – don’t let i scare you, they serve fish too! They care a lot about allergies and special preferences for food, so in their menu, you can see what each dish contains, for example if it’s gluten free, lactose free, contains fish or is vegan. And all of their food is insanely delicious and their decoration is exactly my taste – light and Nordic with palm trees!
Address: Carrer dels Tallers 74B
Alsur Cafe
Okay. I admit it. I have many favourites. And they will all be mentioned in this blog post. But Alsur Cafe is probably the one I visit most often – mainly because I live right next to their cafe in El Born. They serve a variety of delicious dishes, including Red Velvet or Oreo waffles, and Carrot Cake pancakes! They also have five different cakes (chocolate, carrot cake, lemon pie, red velvet and cheesecake), which are all equally mouth drooling – I can’t decide which one is the best! Need I say more?
Addresses: El Born – Plaza de Sant Cugat 1
Palau – Carrer de Sant Pere Mes Alt 4
Lluria – Carrer de Roger de Lluria 23
La Luna
La Luna is a traditional tapas place, hidden right next to Santa Maria del Mar. It serves a delicious variety of tapas, including many vegetarian and vegan dishes – way to go!
Address: Carrer del Abaixadores 10
La Vietnamita
A small Vietnamese restaurant in El Born, right across the street from Museu de Xocolata. They also have restaurants in Sant Antoni and Gracia. La Vietnamita makes delicious food and is without a doubt some of the best vietnamese food I’ve found in Barcelona! They offer gluten free, nut free, vegetarian or vegan dishes, which I loooove, haha!
Addresses: El Born – Carrer Comerc 78
Sant Antoni – Carrer Comte Borrell 85
Gracia – Carrer Torrent de L’Olla 78
Kaiten Sushi
I am a big sushi lover, so of course I have to mention a sushi restaurant as well! And Kaiten Sushi is one of the only places I’ve found in Barcelona, that has running sushi! They have many different ones, including vegan options, so don’t worry!
Address: Carrer de Pau Claris 72
Pizza Paco
I adore this place. Mostly because they have VEGAN pizza! More of this please! Even my non-vegan friend tasted my pizza and she got so jealous of my (amazing AND vegan) pizza, that she didn’t even wanted her own (“normal”) pizza anymore! Pizza Paco is located right next to Upiaywasi and the same owner also has a tapas bar on the other side of the street, called Casa Paco.
Address: Carrer de l’Allada-Vermell 7
Eat – the more expensive (not that expensive)
Rasoterra
Okay, if I have to spend a bit more money when I go out – this is the place! Holy mother of God, I’ve rarely had this good food! Rasoterra is without a doubt my favorite restaurant in Barcelona and is completely meat free, but don’t let it scare you if you like your meat. I brought family here, and my dad joked around saying that he would need a trip to McDonalds afterwards. But he admitted it was the best food he had the entire trip! Omg, my mouth is drooling just by thinking of their food, it’s mind blowing! The service is not bad either! The waiters are happy to guide you through their selection of tapas and to suggest a wine that goes with it.
Address: Carrer de Palau 5
Sensi
Now, Sensi has five different restaurants with different menus, but I’ve tried them all and they’re all equally good! Take a look at their different menus here. Sensi likes to take traditional tapas and make them untraditional. The service is great here and you really feel welcome. All of their restaurants are so popular that you need to book a table in advance!
Address: all located in Gotico, but look at their website for more info.
Casa Lolea
One of the first tapas places to win my heart. Everything from the dots, that are everywhere, to the atmosphere, to the interior! Casa Lolea serves a broad variety of both traditional and different tapas. You have to try their Truffle Risotto and the pan con tomate, the latter which is a traditional Catalan dish. This restaurant is also so popular, that you need to book in advance.
Address: Carrer de Sant Pere Mes Alt 49
OneOcean and its beautiful settings
OneOcean
Okay, so OneOcean is a members only club. But iiiiif you should happen to be a member (in which case you probably know), their food is delicious – but nothing beats their location! It’s located in Port Vell, and if you’re lucky, you can get a table right next to the water and in the sun – doesn’t get more perfect. They don’t offer many vegetarian or vegan dishes, but I’ve gotten addicted to their shiitake sushi. If you go, dress up, this is an exclusive place!
Address: Moll de la Barceloneta 1
Drink – the cheap ones
L’Ovella Negra Ramblas
This big bar is one of those little hidden gems. It’s hidden in a little alley next to Las Ramblas. You have to go through a small door and through a small passage before you go into the actual bar. High ceilings, big tables, table football, pool tables and no music is the characteristics for this extraordinary place. L’Ovella Negra is a place to go with friends, not family. This is a great place to get really drunk – they offer 5 liter Sangria towers for only 27€! Is this heaven or what? I have to admit, I’ve tried to finish the tower a couple of times with girlfriends, and we’ve never succeeded.. Shameful, I know!
Address: Carrer de les Sitges 5
Bar Marsella
THIS IS A MUST SEE! This is the oldest bar in Europe! How cool is that? AND Hemingway used to be a regular! I was close to mentioning this bar in What to do in Barcelona, because it’s a must see! This bar screams of older generations and is really an experience. The ceiling is hanging, the mirrors are spotted and the dust lies inch thick on all the old bottles, that are displayed around the walls. I swear it’s an amazing place! The bar used to only serve absinthe, but now serves other drinks too. If you really want to follow in Hemingway’s footsteps, try an absinthe in the bar – and notice how they’re just lined up, because almost everyone here drinks absinthe.
Address: Carrer de Sant Pau 65
Upiaywasi
I come here a lot. Mostly because I live right upstairs. But also because Upiaywasi is a nice place, where you can sit outside. I really like their Sangria, because it’s containing a lot of alcohol, haha! You can get a little tipsy, just from one of their Sangrias.
Address: Carrer de l’Allada-Vermell 11
Bormuth
Many Barcelonians favorite! Bormuth is a nice and cozy little place, where I often go to get a glass of wine and some of their delicious olives. I can also recommend their vermouth, which they are quite known for. They also serve tapas, but I’ve not tried them myself (yet), although they look delicious!
Address: Carrer del Rec 31
Drink – the more expensive ones (still not expensive)
Sangria with quite a view
1881 per Sagardi
This one is a secret! Not really. But not many know of this hidden little gem – with one of the best views in Barcelona. Sagardi 1881 is a rooftop restaurant and bar, located on top of the Museu d’Historia de Catalunya, and you have to enter through the museum to find the elevator, that’ll take you to the rooftop. Enjoy a drink on their rooftop terrace with a view of Port Vell – you’re welcome.
Address: Placa de Pau Vila 3 (4th floor)
Traditional Catalan Cava in the sun at OneOcean Bar
OneOcean Bar
Again, this is a members only club. But you’re lucky! OneOcean Bar has opened up for the public twice a week – every Thursday evening and every Sunday. On these days they host public events, so please note that there will be a lot of people and louder music than normally. The drinks you can expect to costs a bit more than elsewhere, but again you pay for the settings. But the drinks are still some of the most beautiful drinks I’ve ever gotten!
Address: Moll de la Barceloneta 1
Creps al Born
This is without a doubt my favorite bar! And one of the best cocktail bars in Barcelona! The drinks are a tiny bit more expensive than at other bars – but so worth it! Here you get entertainment and a fantastic vibe. The real name is Creps al Born. But I call it “the bar with the swinging lamps”, because as it implies: their lamps are swinging! Every time a good song comes on, the bartenders grab a lamp each and gives it a swing! They also throw cups of ice and drums the bottles! Their staff is friendly, open and makes sure you’re having fun. It’s simply a fantastic experience drinking at this bar! The drinks are all some of the best drinks I’ve ever tried. I’m planning to drink myself through their entire menu. I highly recommend you to go here, when you visit Barcelona! The bar is located right behind Santa Maria del Mar.
Address: Passeig del Born 12
La Vinya del Senyor
Creps al Born might be the best cocktail bar in Barcelona. But La Vinya del Senyor is the best wine bar! I come here a lot. As mentioned in my other blog post What to do in Barcelona, you can sit outside and gaze up at Santa Maria del Mar, while you drink a glass of wine. This cozy little wine bar is located right in front of Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar. They change their wine menu every two weeks and are more than happy to assist you in picking a good one. They also serve “pica pica”, which are small plates (tapas), that goes well with the wine.
Address: Plaza Santa Maria 5
Wine with a view
W Hotel
A fantastic hotel with a fantastic view. W Hotel has the most amazing rooftop bar with a great view of Barcelona. I highly doubt you’ll find a place with a better view to have a drink! The prices are a bit more expensive, but you also pay for the settings. When you come in, take the left elevator, which usually has a red carpet and a hostess welcoming you. You then take it all the way to the top floor. Make sure to admire the view before going to the bar. Even the bathrooms have a better view than many other places. If you go on weekends it’s more like a club than a bar, so I prefer to go on week days. Then it’ll also be possible to get a table by the window.
Address: Placa de la Rosa dels Vents 1
The beautiful terrace at Cotton House Hotel
Cotton House Hotel
Another hotel bar made the list. Cotton House Hotel is really like stepping into an enchanted world. This hotel is so beautifully decorated, that you can’t help but love it. Walk upstairs and find some of the biggest lamps you’ll ever see. Turn left and you’ll find their bar and behind it the terrace. You can’t help but want to take pictures of this place. I enjoy sitting on the terrace (which is more like a garden) and drink a glass of their house cava.
Address: Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 670
Note: at all the more “expensive” places listed here, please dress up!
Now if you’ll excuse me, I got all hungry from writing this post and will go find some food.
Note to self: do not write about food before dinner! Find me at Alsur Cafe!