I'll admit that when it comes to city breaks I have everything from sight-seeing to hotels, public transport and airport transfers planned, to the point where I often have itineraries outlining what each day will entail. However, when it comes to food and drink this is the one aspect of a break I leave until we are at our destination, often depending on our mood, what cuisine we fancy and where we are that day. I also think that other than TripAdvisor and people's personal recommendations, it's hard to find restaurants that are really great without costing an arm and a leg. And of course everyone wants something different from their dining experiences; sometimes I don't mind a cheap tapas lunch with €2 Estrella, other times I want a three course meal that will cost me extra. In Barcelona we tried a variety of restaurants, so here I've described most of the bars and restaurants we visited, for anyone looking for places to try while in the city.
9Nine - Eixample
Without a doubt 9Nine is the best restaurant we ate at during our stay in Barcelona. Beautifully decorated with rustic details and floor to ceiling wine shelves, 9Nine is an intimate restaurant found in the Eixample district of the city, serving unbelievably priced set menus which feature traditional Spanish food. Wanting a slightly more formal meal compared to our previous nights of outdoor tapas, we chose 9Nine because of their high-praise on TripAdvisor. #40 out of nearly 9,000 restaurants in Barcelona, 9Nine has a 4.5/5 rating, which I feel is justified. We were constantly attended to, receiving a glass of Cava and bread with tomatoes upon arrival. We then had a choice of three tapas dishes between the two of us, followed by two steaks (although we payed a small surplus for larger steaks) followed by a dessert and two glasses of wine. For €36 I think it was absolutely amazing value for money, with delicious food and really great service and I didn't feel like we were treated any differently for choosing a set menu. We were given our steaks rare and sliced with an extremely hot plate so that we were able to cook the meat to our liking, a really nice touch. I would 100% recommend to anyone visiting Barcelona.
10/10 TripAdvisor Link Cerveceria Canarias - Barrio Gòtica
Although not the most glamorous restaurant, Cerveceria Canarias is a great spot to people-watch in the plaza real nearby to La Rambla and Port Vell. Compared to some of the prices of drinks along the main la rambla street, sangria was incredibly reasonable at €15 a litre, whilst some places along the busiest tourist areas were charging nearly €10 for only a pint of beer. The food was also very reasonable at this restaurant, with a large tapas menu at around €6-7 a dish. I would recommend for food whilst you're in La Ramblas area as it is tucked away from all the busy streets, whilst also providing a great view of the plaza and fountain.
7/10 TripAdvisor Link La Sureña Maremagnum - Port Vell
Although this has breezy views of the port, allowing you to watch all the boats, yachts and pirate ships drifting in and out of the harbour, the food is not as great as the scenery. Whilst the prices are good here, it is obvious because this is Spanish fast food. Ordering at the till and waiting until your name is called over a tannoy means this is almost self serve, and although I may not have minded this, I was really disappointed by the quality of food. I would instead recommend walking further up towards Barceloneta and eating at one of the beach/wine restaurants here instead.
4/10 TripAdvisor Link Tapa Tapa - Barceloneta
Although a chain restaurant, this tapas bar was well decorated and reasonably priced. That being said it wasn't the freshest or the most 'authentic home-cooked' food we had tried in Barcelona, it was just 'OK' but if I had the choice again I would try another one of the beach bars along the front. The service however was great and our server spoke good English and was very helpful with his own recommendations from the menu.
6/10 TripAdvisor Link Restaurante Bivio - Barceloneta
A beautiful, leafy wine bar on the walk down to Barceloneta beach, Bivio is a gorgeous spot for that golden hour, sipping wine whilst the sun sets over the port. A perfect tapas spot with a great range of some quality wines, this was one of my favourite restaurants during our visit to the city. They served a range of tapas dishes as well as sharing boards, such as the cheese platter shown above which were great with wine after a long day at the beach. A much nicer option than some of the touristy restaurants along the long path down to the beach.
8/10 TripAdvisor Link Restaurant Bar Vall - Gràcia
A great place to stop and eat during the Gràcia street festival, this tapas restaurant and bar was really reasonable, although this may have reflected in the quality of the food. As the food came out suspiciously quick I feel some dishes may have been pre-prepared in time for the festival, that being said it was a good spot for us to watch the live music in the square and the beer was only around €2 each. Personally I would recommend wandering a little further to find something to eat for an evening meal, but this was a good snack for us to stop us ripping each others heads off in hanger.
6/10 TripAdvisor Link La Cerveseria - Gràcia
Another stop for us during the Gracia Street Festival, this restaurant/bar was also found in a plaza allowing us people watch outside while enjoying our food. For around €14 each we were able to finally try seafood paella, as in some places this is only served at lunchtime. Great food and cheap drinks, I would definitely recommend this place if you are wandering around Gracia, during the day or at night (there's even an Italian Gelateria next door for dessert!)
6/10 TripAdvisor Link El Fornet - Eixample
5 minutes from our Hotel, this café/bakery was our favourite spot for breakfast everyday. With coffee around €3 and a huge range of fresh pastries this was a great spot for us to either grab something to go, or to stay in and enjoy in the well decorated cafe. It was always peaceful and quiet in here (plus with amazing AC!), so it was nice to start a chaotic day in the peacefulness of this cafe.
8/10 TripAdvisor Link
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