From Barcelona’s towering churches and bustling avenues to the sun-drenched beaches and idyllic plazas, it’s obvious why this city captures visitors’ hearts. You can also eat incredibly well here, and often for not very much money — though Barcelona loves a tasting menu and the World’s 50 Best Restaurant list awarded Disfrutar the No. 1 spot last year. Despite Barcelona’s famed cuisine, it’s also easy to have a downright disappointing meal if you settle for any old paella-slinging bar along Les Rambles (known in Spanish as La Rambla) or La Barceloneta. (Tip: If a restaurant has to pay someone to stand outside and hassle pedestrians, the food isn’t worth it.)
Start with some classic tapas and paella (both great but neither entirely Catalan) and be sure to seek out local gems like bittersweet vermouth, seasonal seafood, and homestyle Catalan cuisine. But after writing and revising this list for nearly a decade, I have to insist you don’t overlook the city’s burgeoning global cuisines; save room for Calabrese paninis, Northeast Asian sharing plates with natural wines, towering fried chicken sandwiches, South Indian fish stews, and nose-to-tail yakitori.
Though this list works perfectly well for someone who lives in Barcelona, I’ve designed it as a crash course for visitors in town for about a week who want to try both what’s traditional and what’s trending. If it’s on this list, it’s worthy of one of your precious meal slots on a trip that will never be long enough.
In this latest refresh, we’ve revamped our write-ups to include even more relevant info for diners, including a rough range of pricing for each destination — ranging from $ for quick, inexpensive meals with dishes largely under $10 USD (or the equivalent in euros), to $$$$ for places where entrees exceed $30.
Eater updates this list quarterly to make sure it reflects the ever-changing Barcelona dining scene.
New to the map in June 2025: Brabo, an asador (grill-centric restaurant) that’s versatile enough to fit a special occasion or a casual night out; Taktika Berri, a 30-year-old Basque bar with a mid-’90s vibe and excellent pintxos, steaks, and codfish omelets; and Colmado Múrria, a restaurant and wine bar inside an iconic modernist-era grocery store, founded in 1898.
Sam Zucker is a freelance writer, photographer, filmmaker, travel Instagrammer, and gastronomic tour guide in Barcelona. He has contributed to Monocle, National Geographic’s “48 Hours” guides, Culture Trip, and Vice Travel, among others.
