Stylish Hangout: Café, Cake & Art
GALERIA COSMO
Enrique Granados 3 (Eixample Izquierda)
Metro: Universidad
open: daily 10:00 - 22:00h
Just in the heart of Eixample: A charming corner offering yummy cakes, good coffee and delicious brunch options. The GALERIA COSMO is a big, but cozy space with an exceptional interior, featuring contemporary art & design.
Enjoy good coffee, fresh juices, salads, sandwiches and classic brunch favourites. And try their various
homemade cakes, offering also vegan options.
- total on bill: 8€ for cake & coffee
Barna's best tapas
LA FLAUTA II
C/Aribau 23
Metro: Pl. Universitat
open from Monday to Saturday: 8:00- 1:00h
Sundays closed
In the heart of Eixample, just around the corner of Diagonal streets bossy business towers we find one of the best tapas Restaurants of the city centre. LA FLAUTA II does not just offer the
typical spanish tapas and catalán classics such as (patatas) bravas, seafood, gambas and the popular ‘huevos cabreados’ (angry eggs) but also seasonal delicatessen like
alcachofas fritas and calçots (artichokes and grilled escallions).
The FLAUTAS´ name comes from the restaurants most special feature: their special crunchy flute shaped bread – the daily custom baked for the the Flauta I & II restaurants. Which for me
makes one of the best ‘pan con tomate’ in town.
The atmosphere in the FLAUTA is very welcoming and the modern dining room with lots of wood panelling is not only appropriate for dinner with your parents on visit, but also for some after work
tapas/beers with your colleges or friends. The prices are more than reasonable – given I never left with an empty stomach plus a natty tipsiness for more than 25€ each.
My favorite must-trys:
Escalivado con queso de cabra: Goat-cheese topped tower of grilled veggies
Flauta Cuatro Quesos: a little flauta bread covered by a looot (!) of cheese
- total on bill: around 20€ per person including wine
NOTE: The FLAUTA II will close their doors in Calle Balmes. Go check out LA FLAUTA I in Calle Aribau!
The Smell Of LemonGrass
LAMUN CUINA THAI
C/ Viladomat 73 (Eixample Izquierda)
Metro: Rocafort
open 13:00-16:00 and 20:00-23:00H , Tuesdays closed
website & carte here!
When you enter LAMUN an intensive smell of lemongrass welcomes you and directly makes you curious and hungry.
For a long time my favourite Thai restaurant in town has always been PETIT BANGKOK in Poblenou. Now, I finally found a place which can hold up with it and offers lot's of modern and traditional Thai dishes, in Eixample, in the mere city centre.
The staff is very friendly and not only recommended us some dishes outside the menu, but also helped us with customising the spiciness of each dish.
What I highly appreciated is, that they have an extense vegetarian & vegan section on their menu. Most of the traditional Thai dished which usually contain chicken or prawns are also available with tofu. And I even saw a vegan "duck" on the menu - but I haven't tried it (yet).
- total on bill: ~20€ for dinner with beers
Vegan Sushi
ROOTS & ROLLS
C/ Concell de Cents 401 (Eixample Dreta)
Metro: Girona
open Thursday to Saturday 13:00- 16:00 & 20:00-23:00h, Mondays closed
This place is not only a recommendations to all vegans, but to all of you! ROOTS & ROLLS takes sushi to another level and is a fresh (and 100% plant-based) twist on the popular Japanese original.
Of course you can find other dishes on their menu as well, but let's be honest - you came here for the sushi rolls. The recipes are very complex and you might ask the waitress or waiter for a recommendation. Anyhow, don't miss out to order shitake mushroom tofu gyozas as a starter, they are amazing!
The restaurant is spacious and elegant - usually there is no need to do a reservation.
- total on bill: around 30-35€ for shared starter, sushi rolls & dessert
All-Veggie Gastro Bar: Quinoa
QUINOA ARAGÓ
C/ d'Aragó 209
Metro: Plaça Universitat/Psg. de Grácia
open every day: Thursday to Saturday 10:30- 23:15h, Monday to Wednesday lunch only until 16:00, Sunday closed
This small gastro bar is a great option to have a quick lunch or an informal dinner: vegan burgers, creative mixed bowls, salads and delicious deserts are just some items on their all-vegetarian (and vegan) menu. Everything we tried was super yummy and we have been told the juices & coffees are amazing, too.
They have two locations: in Gràcia (Quinoa Bar: Travessera de Grácia) and in the centre of Eixample close to Rambla de Catalunya.
- total on bill: 20€ incl. beer or juice
Chic Tapas
CERVESERIA CATALANA
C/ Mallorca 236 (Eixample)
Metro: Passeig de Gràcia
open every day: 8:00 - 1:30h
The CERVESERIA CATALANA is not longer an insider tip to have real good tapas in Barcelona! Actually nearly every day you have to be pacient and wait around 1 - 1,5 hours after you have been registered on their waiting list to get a table in the Catalana.
Is it worth it? Yes, indeed. So you can have a glass of wine just around the corner or start with a beer on the busy counter in the entrance of the restaurant.
The CATALANA sells tapas á la carte. From the same owners like the Flauta the food is really good and the service is really quick. The food is also very much the same like in the Flauta, means delicious spanish snacks and creative montaditos.
The prices are reasonable and the simple but elegant decoration of the restaurant makes it a really good value for money.
- total on bill: 20-25€ per person including wine
Basque Pinxos
TABERNA MAITEA
C/ Casanova 155 (Eixample)
Metro: Hospital Clinic
open monday to saturday 11:00 - 24:00h
Telephone for reservations: 0034- 934395107
For an authentic taste of the traditional basque cuisine you have to go for dinner at MAITEA.
This spacious, rustic tavern offers pinxos, tapas and dishes from the north of Spain. The basque cuisine is famous for it's variety of seafood, beef and simplicity of the ingredients.
At MAITEA you should start with cold pinxos (bites for 1,70€ each) that you can simply take yourself from the variety at the counter and maybe order some typical basque dish or soup from the menu. Nevertheless around 21h the waiters start offering hot pinxos (1,70€) to the guests passing table by table.
I recommend to call in advance to reserve a table given that it tends to get very busy. (Attention: Even on the tables there are only small stools without back rest.)
-total on bill: < 20€ per person including wine or beer
Sometimes it is difficult to keep the overview on the prices with such a big selection of yummy pinxos. But the waiter told me the average amount of pinxos is 6-7 pieces each. To prepare the bill they count the picks left on the table.
Mussel lover's paradise
LA MUSCLERIA
C/Mallorca 290 (Eixample)
Metro: Girona
Open every day: 13:00- 16:00h & 20:00- 24:00h
The belgian restaurant in the heart of Eixample concentrates on the basics: mussels and french fries!
The simple restaurant in a basement with just a small terrasse in the street serves quite generous and very economic portions of mussels with all kind of flavouring spices, stews, salsas and toppings. The homemade potato fries are delicious and - after having certain doubts about it - perfectly go with the mussels.
- pot of mussels & portion of fried potato: around 10€
- total on bill: <20€ per person
My Seafood Favorite: Galician Feast
O'RETORNO
C/Urgell 168 (Eixample)
Metro: Hospital Clinic
Tuesday to Sunday 8:00- 02:00h, Mondays closed
The O'RETORNO is an unpretentious Galician restaurant in Eixample, which is known for it's abundant platters of seafood.
The place is nothing fancy though: corny decorations and the facts it's always busy and a bit noisy definitely gives it a local vibe.
The Galician cuisine from the north of Spain is known for its simple savoury flavours without need of a lot of spices. Octopus and shellfish are the main typical dishes people usually want to order when frequenting a Galician restaurant in Spain.
O'RETORNO sells such great amounts of shellfish, octopus & fish everyday you can be sure to always get fresh & tasty dishes. The plates are infact huge and you might ask the friendly staff (in Spanish) to help you to recommend the right dish and amount for you appetite.
I recommend to reserve a table in advance. In case they are booked, maybe you are still lucky in their other local O'Retorninho around the corner.
In the picture: Grilled lobster (18€)
- total on bill: aprox. 25€ for dinner w/wine
Cool drinks & hot beats
CACHITOS
Rambla Catalunya 33 (Eixample)
Metro: Plaza Catalunya
open every day: 10:00- 3:00h
CACHITOS is an elegant tapas restaurant and a cocktail bar in the very city centre of Barcelona, on Rambla Catalunya.
So far I never tried the food there but the gin tonics and mojitos are
spectacular. The atmosphere is léger-chic but cozy at the same time, since there is spare lightning and a lot of compfty sofas.
For the sophisticated drinks, gin tonics and cocktails you have to pay from 8-12€ ... but you get a free plate of jelly babies per table!
Every night at midnight a DJ begins spins popular eletro/pop music although you rarely will see people dance in here (the sofas are just too comfty!).
Mexican Gluttony
LA CHULA CERVECERIA MEXICANA
C/Rosselló 483 (Eixample Dreta)
Metro: Sagrada Familia
opening hours: Mondays 19:00-00:00h, Tuesdays to Saturdays 13:00-00:00h, Sundays 13:00-18:00h
Instagram: lachula_bcn
One of my favourite Mexican restaurants in Barcelona is LA CHULA, this is because, you do not have to wait in line so long for EL PACHUCO, but still get an authentic Mexican gastro experience for reasonable prices.
This place is a spin-off from the famous LA TAQUERÍA chefs and offers not only a wide range of yummy dishes but also - for me - the best cocktail in town: "Soy lo prohibido" with Mango and smoky Mezcal liqueur. So yummy (see 3rd picture from left).
- total on bill: around 20€ with shared starter, dish & drinks
#1 Veggie Burger
TIMESBURG
C/ París 95
Metro: Diagonal
open: daily 13:00 - 16:30h & 20:30-23:00h
other locations in Eixample & in Poblenou: C/Pujades 168 - check www.timesburg.com
TIMESBURG has already different several spots allover Barcelona. Their concept is easy and successful: Hamburgers made with quality ingredients, served in a pleasant, casual hipster atmosphere.
The best about their menu is, that you can change everything according to your taste, so you get your personal, perfect burger!
You can e.g. change the meat from any(!) burger to tofu/vegetable option and create perfect vegetarian & vegan sandwich.
For undecided, I recommend you to just order my favorite: LaVeggie c/ pan de cristal (in the picture). It's very big (two veggie patties, pesto, extra pickles) so you can share, especially when also ordering a big bowl of french fries (1/2 kg).
TIMESBURG is not cheap, you easily let >15€ p.p. for a lunch with fries and a drinks.
Cheap Booze in the Centre - What more?!
BERENJENAL
C/Diputación 215 (Eixample)
Metro: Pl. Universitat
open every day: 22:00- 2:30h, weekends from 20:00h, wednesdays closes at 0:00h
The BERENJENAL is a low budget cocktail bar strategically situated just behind the main university campus in the very city center.
The catch are defineatly the cheap cocktails: mojitos for 2,5€ (until 23h, after: 3,5€) and other sweet and tasty drinks all in the same price range. The bar is quite spacious and has lots of tables and places on the bar to sit or stand and chat with friends.
Good place to pop in and grap some drinks before going out to dance in the centre or in Raval.
Don't trust Tripadvisor, trust me!
Hi, my name is Kristin.
I'm from Germany but for over ten years I have been living, working and eating in Barcelona. Receiving a lot of friends from all over the world I always have been asked for references and recommendations where to enjoy a good meal or having a drink in the city.
Find out more about this blog here! Enjoy!
If you like the content on this page feel free to share it via mail, on Twitter and Facebook.