AUTHENTIC RAMEN
RYU RAMEN
C/Sancho d'Ávila 178
Metro: Poblenou
open: daily 12:30 - 16:00H & 19:30 - 22:30H, Tuesdays closed
If you want to satisfy your craving for some nice hot ramen, you should definitely try RYU RAMEN. Here you can try the best veggie ramen in town, in my opinion.
Just on a side street from Rambla de Poblenou you can find this unpretentious, simple Japanese restaurant. You can sit outside, where they have about 4 tables on the sidewalk or chose a table inside, the service is efficient & friendly.
They offer a simple menu, that features classic Japanese starters like gyozas or takuyaki and a variety of different types of ramen. My favourite vegetarian version (or vegan without egg) is exceptional, since they give it an extra kick adding spicy peanut butter to the broth.
- total on bill: ~15€ for shared gyozas, ramen & drink
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: ~25-30€ for dinner with beers
Vietnamese Cravings
LITTLE VIET
C/ Cartagena 328
Metro: Sant Pau
open 13:00-16:00 and 20-23:00H, Tuesdays closed
After my vacation in Vietnam in 2023 I crave Vietnamese food from time to time and Little Viet is defineatly one of my favorite go-to-places.
First, the small space doesn’t let you suspect such a long menu. The colorful pictures show their super authentic classic Vietnamese dishes.
And, I especially love that they have several pages of vegan assortments.
Thai Cuisine at it's finest
KHAO THAI
Plaza Mercat 15 (El Clot)
Metro: Glories/El Clot
open 13:00-16:00 and 20-23:00H, Tuesdays closed
I discovered this treasure by pure coincidence, while I was looking for a birthday dinner option with my friends: Khao Thai is in El Clot neighbourhood and defineatly off the beaten track, but somehow close to home and still centric, though.
The treatment from the staff was excellent, even there were a lot of full tables in the busy restaurant. As a group we ordered a lot of variety and all dishes, without exception, were super tasty.
Of course, a classic Pad Thai is usually always a safe choice, but you shouldn‘t hesitate to try their soups, too.
Ever since we last went, I am unpatient to come back and explore more!
Ramen Cellar
KOKU KITCHEN
C/ Comerc 29 (Born)
Metro: Barceloneta/Jaume I
The KOKU KITCHEN is a quite curious place in the basement of an old town building in the El Born neighborhood. In the upper floor the same owner has the "buns" place (asian steamed burgers) and so they divide the businesses and costumers.
The Ramen & Gyoza bar is quite tiny, raw and always loud and hot (due to the steaming bowls of hot ramen soup). If you get there and made it through the waiting list on the blackboard you will probably have to share your table with other hungry Ramen fans.
I tried the 'regular' veggie-Ramen - there is also a spicy, hot one. The bowls are really big, so you might struggle if you also want to try some of the gyozas (Japanese dumplings).
- total on bill: 17€ for veggie Ramen, shared gyozas & a glass of wine
A Colorful Classic: Best Thai food around
PETIT BANGKOK (Poblenou)
C/ d'Avila 87
Metro: Bogatell
open: everyday lunch 13:00-16:00h, dinner Tuesday to Saturday 20:00-23:00h
Book your table online here
This is just what was missing in the neighbourhood of Poblenou: Casual, healthy and exotic Thai food from the same owners as the very popular PETIT BANGKOK branches in Gràcia and Eixample.
The menu offers a huge variety of starters, currys, wok and rice dishes. But without doubt the all-time classic Pad Thai with prawns is one of the star-dishes. Everything is very tasty and the waiters are happy to help you with recommendations, if you want to try something new, off-beat. There are a lot of vegetarian dishes and options to adapt to vegan diet as well.
The restaurant is very big and offers room for a lot of hungry folks - so, usually you always find a table, only on weekdays during office lunch hour it might be a bit challenging sometimes. If you want to eat with a bigger group of people, previous booking might me useful. The prices are very reasonable (main dishes 12-14€) and the portions quiet big.
Don't expect an authentic traditional Thai restaurant though, this place offers popular Asian food in a modern, casual atmosphere.
- total on bill: around 20€ p.P. for dinner w/beer
Asian Tapas: Exotic Flavours in El Born
MOSQUITO
C/ Carders 46 (Borne)
Metro: Jaume I
open tuesday to sunday 13:00- 01:00 & monday 19:30 - 01:00h
This tiny asian restaurant in the Born neighbourhood got famous for it's homemade dumplings (dim sum) and their authentic asian tapas. Actually it has been quite hyped, thats why you can't do a reservation for dinner. If you show up early (on Spanish timetable that means around 9pm) the chances might be good to get a table within 30min or less.
When you get the simple paper menu you can chose between about 20 different tapas, which are inspired by Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese cuisine. According to their website they prepare their noodles and dumplings with local organic flour.
Apart from a very small wine selection the MOSQUITO offers quite a big variety of international beers & craftbeers.
On the picture: Cabbage salad (spicy Kimchi) & langostino dumplings. Both very tasty!
- total on bill: 15-20€ per person incl. wine and shared tapas
Dumplings: Simple Pleasures
DIP DUMPLINGS
C/ Ramón i Cajal 61 (Gràcia)
Metro: Joanic
open: 13:00 - 16:30h & 19:00-23:00, Mondays closed
I discovered this small restaurant offering take-away & delivery in Gràcia recently by chance.
As the name suggests, they serve dumplings (dim sum), but there is in fact a full menu with asian fusion food available. But on my first visit I stuck to the specialities: dumplings.
I chose a take-away box of Veggi dumplings (4,90€): vegan with a filling of cabbage, carrot & shitake featuring the traditional dip (soy sauce with vinegar) and some kimchi, fermented, spicy cabbage. Seasoned with spring onions and sesame they were exceptionally delicious.
The dumplings are being prepared, steamed & fried right in the moment which might cause a short instance for you to wait.The space inside is limited, but if you want to enjoy your food right away, you can sit down.
The decoration of the place is just like the food: simple but just lovely.
- total on bill: from 6,90€ for vegan or shrimp dumplings (6 pcs.)
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!
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