My Favourite Peruvian?
SANTA CEVICHE
C/ d'Hostafrancs de Sió 11 (Sants)
Metro: Hostafranc
during the week only open for lunch 13:00-16:00, Fridays & Saturdays Dinner 20:00-23:00, Mondays closed
People who know me know that I’ve been living in Perú sometime ago and spent the time of my life back in Lima at university.
Although, I am one of the few people who did not unconditionally fall in love with the Peruvian cuisine. I am aware that this is not a very popular opinion, but for a vegetarian it can be very hard over there. But since I eat fish (call it pesce-vegetarian) I still enjoyed the seafood based dishes that you can get in the coastal cities. Of course, first of all, the country’s most famous signature dish: Ceviche!
I remember eating a lot of excellent ceviches, fish soups and seafood dishes back in Peru that’s why until now I was never really flattered by the offer Peruvian restaurants offer in Barcelona.
Usually the traditional Peruvian places go for lomo saltado, anticuchos, pollo al aji and other meat-based classics, which might be really good, but not with my diet. And then there are the fancy places that offer Japanese Peruvian fusion food specialised in ceviches and sushi rolls with aji & huacaina sauce.
That’s why I was so happy when my friend showed me this place which is a quite authentic Peruvian tavern but specialized on different fishes and ceviches. Also, everywhere where I can order a Chicha Morada (corn juice), I am happy!
The place only opens for dinner on the weekends, but ceviche for lunch tastes better anyway (same as paella). SANTA CEVICHE is not very big and especially on the weekend you should better call to book your table.
The negative part is the location: Just behind the Hostafrancs market SANTA CEVICHE is quite off-track for most of us, except you stay at Plaza España or Sants!
About the menu: The portions are huge and the ceviches are mentioned as starters but you should count them as a full course. The prices are moderate - good value having in mind the size of the plates.
- total on bill: 20-25 € for shared ceviche, dish & drinks
Venezuelan Bakery (Try Arepas!)
BENDITO PECADO
C/de Comerc 8 (Born)
Metro: Arc de Triompf
opening hours: Tuesdays to Sunday 10:00-19:00h
BENDITO PECADO is a very popular Venezuelan bakery shop. It is very small and you can either order stuff over the counter and take it away of sit on one of the few small tables in the cramped inside eating area. Eventhough, the place is perfect for a full breakfast - they prepare fresh juices, too.
The Arepas there are amazing, fully stuffed with delicious Latin cheese and other ingredients, and you can get vegetarian options, too.
They expanded and opened a proper restaurant, BENDITO PECADO LATIN FOOD (C/Princesa 53), just around the corner, which opens for dinner, too. They have the same delicious Arepas from the bakery but also offer a lot of bigger elaborated latin american dishes, such als pabellón or patacones.
- arepas aprox. 8€
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
Temple of Tacos
LA GÜERITA MEXICANA
C/ Manso 53 (Sant Antoni)
Metro: Sant Antoni
open wednesday to mondays 13:30-00:30H , tuesdays closed
website & carte here!
LA GÜERITA MEXICANA is our latest discovery and just a few weeks on business (date: 04/2019) in Sant Antoni neighbourhood.
We were pleasantly greeted by the owner of this Taquería, la Güerita, who named the place after her proper nickname: the Blondie.
The food is simple & very tasty and the value is excellent. The vegan tacos al pastor (in the picture) were made from roasted eggplant. I enjoyed everything I tasted. We simply could not resist to order tacos, although I would have loved to try the veggie “tortita” sandwich. Guess that I have to go back there to try it very soon!
- total on bill: around 15€ for vegan tacos & michelada beer
Venezuelian Tapas in Rabipelao!
RABIPELAO
C/de la Mercé 26 (Barri Gòtic) & C/ Riera alta 50 (Rawalistan) & C/ Torrent dén Vidalet 22 (Gràcia)
Metro: Drassanes & Sant Antoni & Joanic
open from Monday to Sunday: 20:30-3:00h (Gòtic) & 19:30-3:00h (Raval) & 19:00-2:30 (Gràcia)
On this point I must be biased: The RABIPELAO for a long time was my favorite bar in Barcelona!
After discovering it I 've been to it several times a week and I still take every single friend who come to visit to have at least one Guarapita drink with me.
The Rabi is a venezuelan cocktail bar with by now three locations in Barcelona: the original cocktail bar in downtown Barrí Gòtic, the 'Rabipeladita' in Raval and the spacious and more quiet one in Gràcia. I like them all, though due to it's location the Rabipeladita in Raval is the most centric one.
The Rabi offers a whole big list of different rums from all over the caribean. Also you can also order venezuelan tapas and small dishes such as empanadas, ceviche and frejoles and lot´s of vegan options, too.
The cocktails have reasonable prices and are freshly prepared.
¡que viva mexico cabrones!
LA TAQUERIA POBLENOU
C/ Pujades 172 (Poblenou)
Metro: Llacuna
open monday to sunday 13:00 - 23:30h
The owners of LA TAQUERIA discovered just what was missing in the neighbourhood of Poblenou: a really good, unpretentious Mexican restaurant.
This place is a spin-off of the well known and very popular one in Sagrada Familia. In short time it transformed into one of the regular must-go-places in the neighbourhood when you are looking for a tasty cocktail, an excellent Michelada beer or delicious Mexican food.
They work with traditional Mexican ingredients & imported products and offer an extensive menu with a lot of popular dishes and traditional classics off the beaten track. There are several vegetarian dishes and I recommend to try one of the difference options with ‘Nopales’ cactus (in the picture).
- total on bill: 20€ for dinner with beers
Peruvian Vibes
LA PICANTERÍA DE L'ESCRIBÀ
C/ Maria Agiló 59 (Poblenou)
Metro: Poblenou
open every day 13:00-01:00h
This is a real fusion: The famous ESCRIBÀ family, known for pastries & paellas at the beach opened this place in the heart of Poblenou to offers Peruvian dishes as well as Japanese, Brazilian and Mexican tapas.
The 'latino-catalán' lunch menu (12€) is a popular option among locals, and it might be tricky to get a table around that hour. The place is quiet small with a limited number of tables and few spots at the bar.
They offer sophisticated cocktails as well, which are generous but a bit pricy. The atmosphere inside LA PICANTERÍA is elegant but casual and the interior decoration is modern and fun. The staff is very friendly and happy to explain you about the exotic ingredients of each dish.
Must-try: Peruvian dish Ceviche Costeño
- total on bill: around 30-35€ p.P. for dinner with wine
Mexican Desire
EL PACHUCO
C/ de Sant Pau 110 (Raval)
Metro: Parallel
open every day 13:30 - 3:00
The PACHUCO is a miniature mexican gastro bar in the center of Raval.
You order by noting your dishes & drinks on a paper menu and hand it in to the waiters. Quite a big deal is the popular mexican spiced beer 'michelada' and you can choose to combine the substantial mixture with the brand of beer of your choice.
A plate of nachos costs nearly 12 Euros but it's totally worth it (see picture) - even if you order the vegetarian option, missing the chicken. The homemade corn chips are covered with black beans, sour cream, guacamole, coriander and a loooot of cheese. This is not a starter, it's a full dish.
In general the dishes are very big and the savory michelada beer does the rest to make you leave full and happy.
IMPORTANT: You should be prepared to wait for a table, or a place on the counter for at least 30 min and since the place is quite small the atmosphere inside is quite buzzing and you might have limited space to eat.
- total on bill: around 15-20€ per person (they accept cash only!)
NEWS: Due to the success, the owners opened a second restaurant in El Gótico in 2019, which is called LA PACHUCA! The menu only slightly differs but the place is more spacious & even if you have to calculate some waiting time anyhow, you might have a cocktail or a Michelada at the bar in the meantime. IMPORTANT: You can only pay cash here, too.
LA PACHUCA: C/ d'en Carabassa 19 (metro: Drassanes)
The Mexican Cevichería
COSTA PACÍFICO
Plaza de Sant Augustí (Born)
Metro: Jaume I
open mondays to wednesday: 13:00- 16:00h & 20:00- 0:00h, thursday to sunday continuly
This place has been quite a lucky discovery for me. In the depths of Born, on plaza ..., the COSTA PACÍFICO serves one of the best tacos I have ever tried in Barcelona. Well, I might not be completely impartial in this point: As I don't eat meat, which is usually an essential ingredient of the Mexican dish, I really felt for the seafood alternative at COSTA PACÍFICO.
If I remember correctly the entire menu doesn't include any meat, but indeed some veggie options.
As it's name let conclude, the Cevichería Mexicana serves up different kinds of ceviches, small pieces of raw fish marinated in lime or lemon juice, with onions and spices, from the classic one (see picture) to the spicy "Aguachiles", marinated with different hot, Mexican chile peppers.
But back to my favourite taco: Tacos Governador (2u/7€) are a wild mix of flavours: tortilla with langostinos in a sauce made of black beans, cheese & huitlacoche mushrooms & finished up with some fresh coriander.
The best way to try the different options at COSTA PACÍFICO is to share different of the medium sized portions, tapas style. Best accompanied with a michelada, the Mexican beer of your choice spiced up with a savoury Mexican sauce.
Depending on the hour you might have to get on the waiting list for a table, especially if you want to sit on the sunny outside terrasse.
- total on bill: around 30€ each for shared ceviches, tacos & beer
Straight From The Old Aztecs
OAXACA
C/ de Palau 19
Metro: Barceloneta
open: daily 13:00 - 16H and 19- 23:00h (kitchen), Fridays & Saturdays until 2:00 (drinks)
reservations here
This Mexican restaurant has been recomended to me so many times, before I finally tried it. For me, it was defineatly a special treat.
Oaxaca offers extraordinary Mexican cuisine, with a lot of fish & seafood and traditional dishes with Aztec roots.
The restaurant has two different entry doors and seperate dining rooms connected by the kitchen. The decor is tasteful and autentic and imediatly gets you in the mood for a cocktail.
The aguachile as a starter was an excellent choice and the vegetarian …. is defineatly something I would like to repeat.
- total on bill: 50-60€ per person including cocktail
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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