The Pintxo Street: Carrer Blai

This is not an actual recommendation for a restaurant, but you will find good and value food anyway: The Carrer Blai (Blai Street) is a very popular pedetrianized street in Poble Sec where you can find quite a number of pintxo bars and usually a great ambience. 

Pintxos are typical Spanish appetizers: a simple slice of white bread with different toppings. They are usually displayed on the counters of the bars, you get a plate, chose and pick them yourself and order your drinks with the staff.

The prices in the restaurants in Carrer Blai are about 1,50€ per pintxo, some extravagant or warm ones might be a bit more expensive. Check out the variety and prices before sitting down - there are plenty of other bars.

Excellent area for bar- & pintxo-hopping!

- total on bill: 1,50€ per pintxo

Delicious Carbs

This place is really humble option:

Price value is excellent, if you don’t expect haute cuisine. Down-to-earth tapas and an enormous selection of ‘bocatas’, the Catalan word for sandwiches with all different kind of ingredients. If you don’t mind greasy, then you should try the ‘patatas bravas’. 

The location between Raval and Sant Antoni it really convenient if you are strolling in the center.

The decoration is just as rustic and simple as the food: a mainly window-less space with quite a few tables. It’s the perfect place for a cheap lunch/dinner or an informal hang-out to have beers and snacks with friends.

- total on bill: <10€ p.P. for beers & tapas

NOTE: The picture is from Google. Please excuse, next time i'll take a decent photo myself. 

Cava cult in Barceloneta

Known by all locals and a must-recommendation to all tourists coming to Barceloneta the CHAMPAGNERIA is the perfect place to get tipsy on daytime.

The cult bodega is the selling point of their own catalan champagne, the famous cava. The Can Paixano rosé cava (Rosado) is light and sweet and costs only 1,10€ a glass (yes, that’s correct!!). But with the drinks you have to order at least one shared tapa, which can be one of their cold iberian ham or cheese sandwiches or warm sausages (chorizo, chistorra, morcilla,…).

The CHAMPAGNERIA is extremely popular and always overfilled with people so it can be hard for you to find a spot and you may have to count with some cava getting spilled over you. But the lively and authentic atmosphere is definitely worth it. Also you could please help me to find how on earth the waiters behind the bar manage to match all the faces with the orders, because although the place is a chaos of drunk and hungry people they somehow manage to get everything right on your bill before leaving.

In the very same bodega they a little shop corner where you can by their cava bottled.

Caution: Their shop closes at 20:00h.

- total on bill: 7,85€ for 4 glasses of rosado and a plate of Manchego cheese

A cheap & healthy lunch

VEGGIE GARDEN

C/ des Àngels 3 (Raval)

Metro: Universitat /Liceu

open every day: 12:30- 23:30h

Solid Place for breakfast

The 365 is a bakery chain and a coffeeshop which you can already find on several locations in Barcelona. The variety and the quality of the products are quite good and the prices very reasonable (Donuts 2x1 1,20€).

The shop in Calle Princesa has a very spacey area where you can sit on chairs or sofas and enjoy your coffee. It is also a very recommendable breakfast spot in the Born neighbourhood.

- total on bill: < 5€ for a sandwich or a piece of pastry and a milk coffee

Tourist magnet: Paella

Ok, I have to admit, I was not sure about publishing this one. Because at first glance the CHIRINGUITO DE MONCHO'S has a lot in common with the tipical guiri (tourist) traps:

• it's location right in the first line of the beach esplanade
• paella is not a typical Catalan dish, though a national Spanish favourite
• you will always see a bulk of hungry tourists and lightly clad beach folk infront

But in my opinion it is NOT a tourist trap, given that the value for money is really good: the succulent, rich seafood paella is 15,95 Euro per person, which is perfectly fine especially given it's situation and the great view on the busy Nova Icária beach.

If posible I recommend to get a table on the covered terrace with it's cool decoration and it's compfy chairs and benches - which by the way you will not only share with guiris but with a lot of locals and families.

- total on bill: ~25€ per person for a shared entry, seafood paella and wine

Old style bodega

This very authentic bodega close to the Sant Antoni metro station serves beer, drinks (vermuth!) and an assortment of spanish and catalan tapas. The 'tortilla de patatas' is simple but extremely delicious.

It is always very crowded and noisy - I think it is almost imposible to get a table on thursday or friday night - that's why I defineatly recommend de RAFEL more for a pre-party-drink with friends than for dinner.

And don't be surprised if a local abuelo greybeard complains to you about stealing his usual spot.

NOTE: Rafel, the original owner of this place retired in 2023. Luckily after many struggles they found new managers that wanted to keep the essence of the place. Rafel still comes by to say Hola every day.

Mussel lover's paradise

LA MUSCLERIA

C/Mallorca 290 (Eixample)

Metro: Girona

Open every day: 13:00- 16:00h & 20:00- 24:00h

www.muscleria.com

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 magic lies within

EMPANADAS ARGENTINAS is an argentinian Take-Away that stricly concentrates on his one and only power: Empanadas!

The small and very lovingly/patriotically designed store is just on the corner of Plaça Joanic .

The empanadas, our favourite south-american turnover pastries for 1,80€ each, have a variety of savoury fillings: From typical argentinan favourites like beef, chicken with herbs or humita (corn with grated nutmeg) to edgy but yummy interiors like caprese, goat cheese or sourcrout with sausage.

If you can not get enough you can also order bigger amounts for caterings and events.

La vida es rosa

Starting with the most important fact here: delicious cocktails for 3,50€!

The ROSA DE RAVAL is a very colorful and lovely decorated mexican bar that serves food and cheap but very tasty cocktails.

The restaurant & bar has two different locations in the city centre: the Rosa Negra en Vía Laietana y the Rosa de Raval. I recommend the Rosa de Raval just infront of the MACBA (contemporary art museum) though it's the smaller one and you might risk a little queue. Although the food might not be the most creative nor the most authentic mexican the lively atmosphere and the yummy daiquiris and mojitos are more than convincing to visit be Rosa de Raval for a perfect start into a barcelonian party night out.