Comerç

With a welcoming, cheerful and informal atmosphere, another attraction is the terrace, with views of the Arc de Triomf. This bar/restaurant, is ideal for an aperitif and tapas such as patatas bravas, or for a meal prepared with fresh ingredients and served by friendly and attentive staff. Its menu, with classics such as aubergine Tepuy, combines Spanish cuisine (from Andalusian-style squid to Iberian ham croquettes or fried organic eggs) and international (fish and chips, ceviche, steak tartar, vegan and meat burgers, risotto, pasta such as tagliatelle flambéed at the table on a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese), recipes from Mexico (nachos, tacos) and Asia (baos, salmon tataki, chicken teriyaki). Something for everyone! They serve a set lunchtime menu on weekdays. 

Living history in the Eixample Dret neighbourhood. Opened in 1873, it was a casino until the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera, who banned gambling. It then became a brewery and later a bustling café which, in 2021, was sold by the family that owned it to the Grup Confiteria. A respectful refurbishment preserved the pastera –an octagonal table with a slot where the croupier kept the baccarat chips– and modernista features.  Considered an iconic locale and establishment of interest, and now a bar/restaurant, with the chef from the neighbouring Betlem bar at the helm in the kitchen, it welcomes visitors with its new takes on classic tapas. Certain dishes seem to reflect the spirit of to the expression that was heard within its walls 151 years ago: ‘Make your bets’. The Olivier salad with ventresca fish belly and piparra peppers is served on a croissant, the bomba breaded ball is made with cod and chipotle romesco, the empanadillas are filled with black sausage and caramelised onion with herb sour cream, and the eggs Mimosa are accompanied by cubes of red tuna. The beef tartare with pickled mustard is among the must-try dishes. And for dessert, a new take on the whisky tart. Waiter Quim, with decades of experience at the Pitarra restaurant, which has since closed, is on duty.

Located since 2016 in the Sant Antoni neighbourhood, this cute little bodeguita pays homage to ‘all the women who turn their kitchens into a show’. For example, the owner's great-grandmother and also her namesake, the entertainer Bella Dorita, who close by, on Paral·lel avenue, seduced her audience with another, equally fiery, art. Casa Dorita seeks to make us remember of flavours, aromas and sensations that we may have forgotten, of authentic market cuisine, traditional dishes that respect the excellence of the raw material. They are committed to simplicity, but also like to surprise, and that is why the daily suggestions vary according to the season, working with the products at peak freshness. On the menu, spoon and fork tapas, which include everything from their own Iberian ham and cheeses found nowhere else, to an acclaimed grilled pork loin or pluma cut. To drink, vermouth, wine and cava.

This Michelin-starred restaurant integrates ingredients from foreign pantries into the Mediterranean recipe book. At the helm of this eclectic and well-travelled creation are the Barcelona chef Frank Beltri, who has lived in London and Indonesia, and Nico de la Vega, from Mexico. They met a fortnight before opening the restaurant and are now great friends. Passionate about powerful flavours, spicy dishes and well-balanced acidity, their approach is based on seafood and vegetables, two tasting menus with their corresponding pairings, and they make the experience dynamic with discipline, technique and a great deal of creativity. The open kitchen is overlooked by two bars, designed for couples, and the chef’s table, the most fun for group bookings, followed by a dining room. 

One name, two different concepts. The La Gastronómica restaurants offer a choice between carefully elegant tapas and dishes, and gourmet burgers paired with craft and speciality beers. The owner, after more than twenty years in the restaurant industry, decided to embark on a personal project in 2017. In 2020, he opened the second restaurant, but when the pandemic forced it to close temporarily, he introduced a menu of burgers to take away. In 2021, the first restaurant was turned into a burger bar. La Gastronómica on Calàbria street encourages guests to try dishes to share, such as octopus, or the iconic Duroc pork rib. The bar next to the open kitchen provides you with a front-row view of the cooking process. La Gastronómica on Vilamarí street offers burgers with matured beef, shredded ribs, chicken and homemade vegan one with pardina lentils.

‘Quedem a Els Ocellets!’ (Let’s meet at Els Ocellets!) children in the Sant Antoni neighbourhood would shout in the 1970s. The meeting point: the Los Pajaritos (‘the little birds’, or ‘els ocellets’ in Catalan) bar. While they waited for their friends, the kids pressed their noses up against the window and watched, fascinated, as the ‘eight-armed gentleman’ skilfully and swiftly operated all eight handles of the coffee machine by himself. One of those boys would open Els Ocellets in the same location, in 1984. Its welcoming style attracted artists, intellectuals and sportsmen who could be found seated at its tables, helping to create a unique atmosphere, which remained unchanged after the refurbishment of 2005, and which survives to this day, as the space continues to be a meeting point for locals and bohemians. Catalan-Mediterranean cuisine featuring a few tributes to dishes from Can Lluís, a restaurant founded by the boy’s grandfather in 1929. Unusual desserts.

A new culinary show is on at what used to be Albert Adrià’s Tickets. After being at the helm of Enigma and 41º Experience, chef Oliver Peña, with the help of the RiasKru Group, presents, in a unique setting, a surprising and fun experience in the form of small bites to eat with your hands, taking traditional tapas a step further. These modern and creative tapas, the result of the personal background and technical mastery of their creator, are a great choice whether you want to nibble on something extraordinary or treat yourself to a feast. The show can be à la carte or tailor-made, known as the Surprise Selection. And once all the acts are over (Fingerfood, Oysters, Cold, Hot, Epic Scenes and Sweet Epilogues), you can’t leave without discovering what’s going on behind the scenes at Backstage Cocktails & Snacks. 

If FC Barcelona is more than a club, Cal Soci is more than a bar. Inspired by the fishermen’s pubs of the Ciutadella in Menorca, where you can eat until late, two friends, who had worked in the haute cuisine sector as waiter and cook, decided to give wings to their own project: a place with the essence of the bars of yesteryear, not elitist, with an inclusive menu, attentive to different preferences and dietary needs, and with an interest in spreading the cuisine of Menorca, unrepresented in Barcelona at that time. Its menu includes everything from cheese boards and island cured meats to a vegan salad, mussels with butter and sage, a trinxat with cuixot (a kind of cold black sausage made by a family member) and meatball ‘pilotes’ with tomato sauce, to be accompanied by some good beers. But Cal Soci is, above all, a meeting place in the Sant Antoni neighbourhood, where you can feel at home.

Located next to the Mercat de La Concepció, its distinguishing features include its environmentally conscious management of the water it consumes and the waste it generates. Founded in 1950 but with new owners and interior since 2020, it has become a can’t-miss spot in the Eixample neighbourhood, and in the city. An open secret that reached the ears of celebrity regulars such as film director Bigas Luna, comedian Pepe Rubianes, musician/actor Ovidi Montllor and actor José Luis López Vázquez. It was originally an eatery providing hearty, hot breakfasts for those working in the adjoining market square. It later became a restaurant celebrating, respecting and getting the most out of the fresh and seasonal produce that was so close at hand. That’s why today, on their digital menu, they indicate the stops at La Concepció and name the suppliers of certain ingredients. Their approach is rooted in tradition but with a taste for ‘transformation’. Grandma Pepi’s cannelloni, rice dishes, pig’s trotters, cod confit with tarragon mousseline, Mallorcan panalena (deconstruction of grilled aubergine with sobrassada, Iberian pork jowl and honey), homemade egg crème caramel with whipped cream... Quiet terrace on a pedestrian street. Open every day.

A pioneering restaurant in Barcelona in serving vegan sushi and with a 100% plant-based menu, it takes its inspiration from Asia, and provides a tasty, healthy and appealing experience for vegans and vegetarians, as well as for curious people interested in expanding their culinary horizons. The premise: the products the chef works with must have had a root. They believe that vegan food should be tastier than conventional food, and their menu, which changes every month, brings together creative, light and energising dishes. Cauliflower popcorn with shichimi togarashi and aioli; a sushi festival made with fruits, vegetables, spices, mushrooms, wakame, Heüra plant-based protein, cashew cheese and rice with black quinoa; miso ramen, pad Thai or a bao with marinated bamboo and pickled onion, and to finish, a dessert such as a deconstructed lemon tart. There are two tasting menus that also invite you to enjoy this philosophy, promoting an appetising and responsible change in diet, because at Roots & Rolls, culinary pleasure and sustainability go hand in hand. To drink, plant-based and classic cocktails. It has a private room, and dogs are allowed and welcomed with vegan snacks.