Barcelona, Spain has amazing food, I have made this point clear in the past. It has been too long since I visited this city, I still miss all the wonderful things it has to offer. If one asks me what to eat in Barcelona, I will say…everything. Bring an extra stomach and some sweatpants, you are going to want to consume all you see.
Barcelona, Spain fell to third on my list of best restaurants of my favorite food tourism locations, linked here. That ranking does not diminish its great food scene. In my original post it was number one, but Lisbon and Palermo, Sicily are just too tough to beat. As in all Mediterranean countries, Spain excels in freshness. Everyone knows this country for it’s tapas, but in my opinion that is just the beginning of their great food culture.
In this post I plan on going into depth as to what to eat in Barcelona along with where you can discover these items. The city is big and eating times are odd, but I do not think you will have a problem finding amazing food if you are hungry. It has been some years since I have been to this city and I know the disease that shall not be named has certainly hit Spain hard. Some of these spots maybe closed, still the foundation of what to eat in Barcelona remains. Below are the highlights of the food in Barcelona.
Seafood
All the Mediterranean countries I have been to have amazing seafood for the obvious reason of being so close to the water. Spain is no exception, maybe people think of tapas when they think of Spain, but the creatures pulled from the Mediterranean and put on your plate an hour later are why you go to this country to eat. I had great seafood all over Barcelona, but to get the best (or what I felt was the best) you need to go to a market.
Mercado de La Boqueria
When discussing food in Barcelona, I would be foolish if I did not mention the Mercado de La Boqueria. This market is heaven for anyone who owns taste buds. Walking in you can grab a $5 mojito from the stand outside, after which you are hit with the smells of any good market. You will also be greeted with an array of fresh juices, which may ruin you because you will never drink Tropicana again.
In any good market you need whole animals that are sliced up to scare the hell out of any kids you may be with. Mercado de La Boqueria accomplishes this task in the most joyful of ways. People want to believe meat is born in hot dog form, but shockingly it is not. Moving away from the meats and toward the seafood, you see an even greater amount of freshness.
The best part of this market are the little restaurant counters thrown into the mix. There are many places where you can sit down have a drink and an exquisite seafood feast, for a fraction of what you would pay in the United States. I went repeatedly to a variety of stands and was not disappointed with any of them. One famous place was on both Somebody Feed Phil and one of Bourdain’s shows (I believe No Reservations), that is El Quim de la Boquería.
El Quim de la Boquería
We went for breakfast and had a tasty meal here. It is nice when a place mixes fresh baby squid with eggs (see above) for breakfast, something Denny’s just has not added to their menu. Seafood for breakfast is king here as in most of the market, but there are plenty of other options. On the show, Phil ordered a Foie Gras on his eggs that looked outstanding. This is one of those first stops off the plane kind of places when deciding what to eat in Barcelona.
El Quim de la Boquería does not hold a monopoly on good food in the market. As mentioned, a stop at any random stall should satisfy you, especially because your first choice may be too crowded. The above dish has beautiful shrimp, razor clams, mussels, and some other creatures sprinkled around the plate. I bow my head in prayer for those of you allergic to shellfish.
Sardines & Anchovies
I lumped these together because both come in disgusting forms in the United States. Spain must be Bizarro world (Superman reference) because both of these fish are delicious in this country. First, let me start with sardines. To be fair, they are good in many countries in the region, they all pull the fish from the same sea. Sardines in Barcelona are not those inedible slivers we get in tins from the supermarket. They are big, meaty, and delicious. They also do not have that overwhelming fishy taste that is so common with American sardines
Anchovies are the biggest shock in terms of what to eat in Barcelona. I could not get enough of these while visiting the city. There is something special about a fresh anchovy spread onto a piece of bread with a little olive oil on it. Just thinking about it reminds me how the simplest food can be amazing when fresh.
One could probably write a book on all the great seafood in Barcelona. The gist of it is, when trying to figure out what to eat in Barcelona, seafood should be your number one choice… although your number two choice is not bad either.
Tapas
Clearly, I had to mention tapas, they are the food most people think of when visiting Barcelona. Rumor has it tapas were originally created to protect your drink from flies. I guess it is better to have flies on your food then in your wine. Tapas are a small, bite size piece of food most likely on a piece of bread. When it comes to tapas, there is Spain and there is everyone else. What I love about tapas is that it matches my style of eating. Jumping from one place to the next trying a million things is preferable to sitting down to one meal.
Tapas can be cold or hot and are usually eaten around happy hour (in United States time) This is due to the fact that Spain serves dinner after 9 PM. The variation of tapas is almost unlimited. Technically the aforementioned anchovies on bread would be considered a tapa, but they are getting much more sophisticated. Some popular forms of tapas are fresh prawns in a sizzling olive oil sauce, a mini Spanish omelet, as well as an endless variety fanicer and creative inventions.
My advice to you would be to go nuts and gorge on everything in your vicinity, but that is usually my advice when it comes to food. A more helpful piece of advice is to avoid the places where you see tapas just thrown all over the restaurant, sitting out exposed. These are not fresh and much of the time they are sitting unprotected from the elements and insects. I prefer to at least be fooled into thinking they are fresh when they come out of the kitchen.
Some Great Places…
Tapas spots are on every corner in Barcelona, many places compete to win awards. My go to when I was in Spain was Cervesería Catalana. At last look it is still open and avoided the downturn from the virus that shalt not be named. I must have eaten here every other night. I am sure the menu has changed since I was there, but my experiences included cod balls, (not to be mistaken with Rocky Mountain oysters, they are balls of cod), Padrón peppers and fried shrimp skewers.
Quimet & Quimet is another popular tapas restaurant, located closer to the Gothic Quarter. They had a wide selection of tapas as well, but when I went it may have been a little too good. I hardly had standing room; the place was a madhouse. Go at an off time if you want better service and a more comfortable experience. These are really two of thousands of tapas establishments. Try as many as possible and get back to me with the results.
Iberico Ham
This is the gold standard of pork. Iberico Ham is to pork what Kobe beef is to steak. I do not know how to describe this except to say that it is excellent. The meat melts in your mouth. It is extremely rich, like Wagyu beef the fat content makes it feel like butter. To give it a unique flavor to be called Iberico ham the pig needs to be fed acorns in the last few months of its life. I am not sure how they figured this out, but it gives the meat a nuttier taste.
The only way I have seen this eaten is by being sliced in thick pieces and eaten like prosciutto. There are plenty of places to try this delicious meat; one of the top ranks shops is RESERVA IBÉRICA Jamón Ibérico en Barcelona. I also ran across a couple of places selling cones of this ham near the Gothic quarter. It is safe to say that Iberico ham is what to eat when in Barcelona, it is incredible.
Paella
Paella is mandatory when going to Barcelona, like pasta in Rome. This rice dish (for those of you who do not know) is made with some of the outstanding seafood I mentioned earlier. Usually shrimp and clams (at least that is the way I had it). I have heard about them adding rabbit to it, which to me sounds amazing as well. I was able to try this dish in the market. As luck would have it as I explored someone was finishing up a big pot of Paella. Realizing it usually takes some time to develop the flavors (hours), I am not sure how long it was cooking for, but it was delicious none the same. I will say that this dish is extremely tasty and a must eat in Barcelona. Paella is certainly worth the hunt and stomach space.
Churros and Hot Chocolate
Churros and Hot Chocolate are a lethal combination. Spain is known for Churros, a fried pastry covered with sugar. Some people eat these for breakfast, I like to call these people diabetics. Of course, we eat donuts for breakfast, so America is not much better. These treats are found all over the city, I discovered mine in the twisted streets of the gothic area.
After being given one I walked down the road and asked for a hot chocolate, she asked me if I want a normal one or one to dip my churro in. If you love chocolate and someone asks you this question, tell them to dip the churro. Spain does chocolate almost as well as Portugal (read my post here). Hot chocolate combined with a churro is a perfect combination. After a big seafood meal, hunt down some churros and grab some hot chocolate, nothing wrong with that combination.
Empanada
Most people think that empanadas originated in Latin America. They in fact are from Galicia, Spain, (although some swear that they came from Portugal). Either way close enough, these were another staple in my diet when I was not eating tapas and seafood. For those of you that do not know, an empanada is a turnover type pastry usually filled (but not always) with meat and cheese.
Empanadas are the perfect drunk food. If you are not drunk when you find a good shop, sit down, and order a pitcher of sangria, that will help you get any buzz needed. I spent many hours in Barcelona eating these pastries and sipping on sangria (a wine with fruit cut into it.) Empanadas are a must exploring the food scene in this city.
As far as what to eat in Barcelona, those are the big ones in my book. There certainly are a lot of more localized Spanish dishes to try, but those will be consumed by me at a later date. Before I end this post, I would be remiss not to mention my best eating experience in Barcelona, the restaurant Spoonik.
Spoonik
One of the best things about this restaurant is that it is still open, even after the unfortunate events of the last year. Spoonik in Barcelona was more of an event than a dinner. It is a treat for all your senses, one of the best eating experiences of my life. It is almost difficult to put into words that capture the full story of this meal. Spoonik offered what amounted to a 14 (plus)-course dinner. All of which are small plates (thank god) … complete with a wine pairing.
Starting with the atmosphere, there a few large tables set up. You are very cozy with whoever is eating next to you. As a side, there was a guy on a first date right beside us, it is strange to me to have a first date on a 4-hour event, but I digress. Moving on, what was interesting about the meal, there was a light show and music to match the theme of whatever course you were eating. It was an extremely different experience.
The food was amazing in the restaurant, it was unique as well. I had my first course in the kitchen, followed by between 14-20 other courses and wine…lots and lots of wine. The food ranged from great seafood bites, cold soups, small steaks, things I can’t even describe, and a variety of desserts. The night was capped with a complimentary champagne toast. Again one of my best eating experiences and memories of Spain. I thought I needed to mention this restaurant when discussing what to eat in Barcelona, since I loved it so much.
Conclusion: What to Eat in Barcelona
Even as I write this article, I realize I need to go back to this city. I visited Barcelona before I really knew how to travel. I ate and ate well in this city, but I can do so much more damage! My eating experience will not change too much, seafood will always be supreme in Spain. Currently, as I sit here, I just want to inhale a wider variety of tapas. This article should be sufficient in directing any first-time visitor towards great food.
