Barcelona Food-Restaurants

Barcelona Food-Restaurants information

Traditional

El Convent ** Calle Jerusalem 3 Tel: +34 93-317-1052 Previously known as the Egipte, this restaurant with its ancient décor and excellent Catalan food has always been a Barcelona landmark. Not much is different since it changed its name - it is still one of the best places in town. Book ahead. El Glop * Calle Sant Lluis 24, Rambla Catalunya 65 and Casp 21 Tel: +34 93-213-7058 There are three branches of this popular and comfortable restaurant in the city. One of the best value Catalan specialists around - if you don't mind the music. Pollo Rico * Calle Sant Pau 31 Tel:+34 93-441-3184 A famous cheap and cheerful option in Barrio Chino, where you can watch your chicken roasted before you eat it. It's particularly popular with foreign students. The food is simple and chicken (pollo) is naturally a speciality. Monchos * Moll d'Espanya (Port Vell) Tel: +34 93-225-800 Great tapas and excellent seafood at this cheap and cheerful tavern by the sea. Click on the voucher for a finger lickin' good 10 per cent discount off your food and drink bill.

Other European

Ca l'Isidre *** Calle les Flors 12 Tel: +34 93-441-1139 Upmarket restaurant where the seasonal European and Spanish food attracts a loyal and elegant following. The desserts are legendary. Silenus *** Calle des Angels 8 Tel: +34 93-302-2680 Creative cooking for creative people. This is an unashamedly trendy restaurant close to the modern art gallery. The décor is ultra-modern, the food is imaginative and the clientele are arty.

Vegetarian

Biocenter ** Calle Pintor Fortuny 25 Tel: +34 93-301-4583 A godsend for vegetarians, or anyone who needs to start treating their body a bit better after too much excess. Biocenter serves organic food in utilitarian surroundings. There are even vegan options, which are rare in Barcelona.

Asian

Shanghai 1930 ** Calle Buenos Aires, 11-13 Tel: +34 93-363-4370 Just outside the city centre Shanghai is not just a Chinese restaurant. It also offers surprisingly good Japanese and Mediterranean cuisine in its "Old Shanghai" themed dining room. Although the location isn't the most convenient it is an excellent choice for anyone who fancies something a bit different.

Cuban

La Habana Vieja * Banys Veils 2 Tel: +34 93-268-2504 A lively restaurant buzzing with atmosphere, although complete with cosy tables if you prefer some privacy. The huge portions make it great value for money, and with these prices you'll be able to keep the wine flowing as fast as the music. The ropa vieja (shredded beef), swiftly followed by a mojito (rum, mint and sugar) or two, is a popular choice. Not a suitable venue for vegetarians.

Bars

Barcelona's bar life is a mix of the traditional, the modern and the tourist oriented. Pavement café-bars along the Ramblas are where most people will take refreshment during the day but there are plenty of other options scattered around the old town and the Eixample area. One thing's for sure, café culture is very much alive in Barcelona. Morning rush hour for most people seems to include a coffee stop and the cafés are rarely quiet from open until close. Pubs are also widespread, and Las Ramblas alone boasts several large drinking halls where locals and tourists can be found in the evening. Café de L'Opera Las Ramblas, 74 Tel: +34 93-3024-180 L'Opera is Barcelona's most famous café, and an essential place to have a coffee if you're going to "do" the city properly. A café in the grand style - the waiters are liveried, the décor is sumptuous and the coffee and patisseries delicious. Glaciar Plaça Reial Tel: +34 93-302-1163 The Plaça Reial is just off Las Ramblas and is the best square in the city for people watching. Glaciar is one of the most popular of several bars located here - modern and airy styling attracts the beautiful people to its tables in the plaça. Schilling Calle Ferran 23 Tel: +34 93-317-6787 A popular café not far from the Plaça Reial, Schilling has an eclectic mix of clientele including foreigners and locals. Cava Universal Plaça Portal de la Pau 4 Tel: +34 93-302-6184 Universal benefits from its great location at the end of Las Ramblas and in the shadow of the statue of Columbus (famously pointing American visitors the wrong way home). Grab an outdoor table and watch the hordes of meandering tourists wending their way down to the marina. Kitty O'Shea's Calle Nau Santa Maria 5 Tel: +34 93-280-3675 Just one of several Irish pubs you'll find dotted around the city. Another notable one is the Michael Collins near La Sagrada Familia, but all are much the same. Barcelona's euro-pubs are generally excellent places to meet fellow tourists or locals keen to befriend visitors and practice their language skills. La Bodegueta Rambla de Catalunya 100 Tel: +34 93-215-4894 It's worth mentioning at least one of Barcelona's bodegas. These old wine houses couldn't be further removed from modern day wine bars. La Bodegueta in the Eixample area is one of the better exponents and is a great place to drop in when exploring the district. It offers a good lunch time menu as well, but shuts in the late afternoon until the evening. London Bar Nou de la Rambla, 34 Tel: +34 93-318-5261 Popular with just about everyone the warm welcome of the London bar makes it a popular haunt among the denizens of the Gothic Quarter. El Xampanyet Carrer de Montcada Tel: +34 93-319-7003 Many guide's favourite bar in Barcelona, and that's saying something. A family run bar near the Picasso Museum, El Xampanyet has been serving thirsty customers for 75 years and doesn't seem to have changed much in that time. Hams hang from the ceiling providing tasty tapas appetisers to go with the local Cava wine or Damm beer.