Hungry for tapas in Barcelona? There are plenty of places to choose between in the Catalan capital, but which ones serve the tastiest dishes? Here’s our roll-call of where you can find the very best tapas in Barcelona.
All places are deliciously picked from our updated, English-language city guide for Barcelona, momondo places. Download it for free to your iPhone!
Cervecería Catalana
Enjoy excellent beers and tapas at Cervecería Catalana
This is a classic tapas joint, complete with bright lights and a long, horseshoe-shaped bar heaving with an impressive array of tasty treats. There’s a dining area at the back and a pavement terrace, but the prime seats are along the bar where you can enjoy the best view of the tapas.
In addition to the traditional favourites, such as croquetes and patatas bravas, this bar also serves a huge range of montaditos – baguette slices with all kinds of toppings – and good seafood. Try the ‘xipirones’ (fried baby squid) or the grilled razor clams, which are the perfect accompaniment to a freshly poured ‘canya’. Cervecería means ‘beer house’ in Spanish, and you’ll find an excellent selection of international beers on the menu, along with regional wines.
Where: C/ Mallorca 236
Tel: +34 932 160 368
Nearest station: Diagonal or Pg. de Gràcia
Taller de Tapas
Taller de Tapas serves excellent tapas dishes
Ordering tapas can be a daunting task for the inexperienced. Faced with the language barriers, lack of menus, confusion on when you need to pay and the sheer noise level of most tapas bars, many may just lose their appetite. Luckily, Taller de Tapas takes the hassle out of it all, with sit-down tables and easy-to-digest, multilingual menus.
That’s not to say the tapas have fallen into a secondary role; everything here is top-notch, from the ‘pimientos del padrón’ with a spicy kick to the crispy patatas bravas and superb grilled prawns and steamed mussels. There are various locations in the Ciutat Vella, though the Born branch is the largest and buzziest.
Where: C/ Argenteria 51
Tel: +34 932 688 559
Nearest station: Jaume I
Lateral
The tapas at Lateral are real crowd-pleasers
If you are in the mood for a fancier version of the traditional Spanish tapas, this is the place to go. Lateral, a well-known Madrid institution, finally expanded to Barcelona with a brand new space in the heart of the cosmopolitan neighbourhood of Eixample. The huge space is a collision of the old and new, with traces of vintage décor alongside seating that is a bit more new-age.
The atmosphere is electric and the restaurant is always busy. Most importantly, the tapas are real crowd-pleasers, faithful to the traditional flavours but with a touch of class. Don’t miss the mini-burgers and the sea bass ceviche!
Where: C/ Consell de Cent 329
Tel: +34 93 485 67 93
Nearest station: Passeig de Gràcia
Velódromo
Slicing the meat at Velódromo
The Velódromo, built in the 1930s, was a Barcelona institution for more than half a century. During the Civil War, members of the Republican government held their meetings here, and it later became a hub for the city’s intelligentsia. After it closed down, it languished for a decade before Barcelona beer company Moritz, in tandem with celebrity chef Carles Abellán, reopened it in 2010.
The sumptuous Art Deco interior has been magnificently restored and is complete with a glossy wooden staircase, a delightful skylight and polished marble floors. On the menu, you’ll find a huge range of upmarket tapas, which run the gamut from oysters to ‘bombetas de la Barceloneta’ – fried potato balls served with alioli and a spicy tomato sauce – along with grilled fish, meat and vegetables.
Where: C/ Muntaner 213
Tel: +34 934 306 022
Nearest station: Hospital Clínic
Euskal Etxea
Get pintxos up at Euskal Etxea
Pinxtos are Basque-style tapas, and you will find plenty of them in Barcelona. Sometimes it seems like every bar’s counter in the old town is heaving with huge platters of delectable-looking pintxos, but not all taste as good as they look. Euskal Etxea is a true slice of the Basque Country in the Born. Get there early (around 7:00-8:00pm) and elbow your way to the bar for the best pickings.
Pintxos are a ‘serve yourself’ affair. You will be handed a plate upon arrival, and you keep the toothpick that is speared through each pinxto. When you’re done, the staff tally your bill based on your toothpicks. Wash your pintxos down with a glass or two of crisp white txakoli (slightly sparkling, very dry white wine) and you’ll have a fine start to your evening.
Where: Placeta de Montcada 1-3
Tel: +34 933 102 185
Nearest station: Jaume I
Bar Mut
Tradition meets avant-garde on Bar Mut’s plates
Book a table well in advance at this charming tavern that has warm wooden décor and bottle-lined shelves. Although the interior evokes the feel of an old-world Parisian café with its chalk-scrawled blackboards and marble-topped tables, Bar Mut is actually a relatively recent arrival on the Barcelona gastronomic scene.
The tapas are pricier than those found in most city taverns, but the ingredients are impeccably sourced and the menu changes according to what is freshest at the market. Traditional recipes, such as ‘cochinillo’ (roast suckling pig), are prepared with an original twist, and there are usually a few more avant-garde dishes too, such as the sea urchin carpaccio. As a plus, the wine list is excellent.
Where: C/ Pau Claris 192
Tel: +34 932 174 338
Nearest station: Diagonal
Mosquito
Mosquito tapas’ taste more like Asia than Catalonia
Cheap, friendly, delicious. If you want to try the Asian tapas at Mosquito, or one of their specially brewed beers, you’ll probably have to wait in line – but it’s worth it! Mosquito is generally brim full of youngsters having an enjoyable time provided by one of their brilliant dishes and the very friendly service. The Chinese duck and pork dumplings are always a big hit, but this lively joint is a vegetarian haven too, with a wide variety of veggie options that are prepared right at your dinner table while you salivate! Don’t make a reservation – just drop by and have a good time!
Where: C/ Carders 46
Tel: +34 932 687 569
Nearest station: Jaume I
Paco Meralgo
Paco Meralgo is there place to go for upmarket and creative tapas
This is an upmarket gastro bar which ticks all the right boxes: pale wooden benches and counter tables, modern art on exposed brick walls and blackboards scrawled with the day’s specials. The tapas are creative, and might include anything from a courgette flower stuffed with mozzarella in a tempura crust to succulent beef with black peppercorns. The salads are good, too, particularly the tuna with Raf tomatoes and caramelised onions.
You can finish up with Paco Meralgo’s original interpretations of classic desserts, such as the Torradeta de Santa Teresa (a custardy bread pudding). The wine list is short but select with some unusual regional wines on offer. Book ahead, especially for weekend and evening reservations.
Where: C/ Muntaner 171
Tel: +34 934 309 027
Nearest station: Hospital Clínic
Tapas24
Tapas24 serves classic tapas with a modern twist
Tapas24 is another of Carles Abellán’s restaurants in Barcelona and this is the most affordable of his ventures. The place provides a fashionable take on the traditional tavern, giving classic tapas a thoroughly modern twist. Although you won’t find the foams and the gold leaf that are the trademarks of his Michelin-Starred flagship, Comerç 24, Abellan’s legendary inventiveness comes into play in simple dishes like the ‘bikini’ (a cheese and ham toasted sandwich), prepared and served with truffle oil.
All of the produce is impeccably sourced, which ensures that even the simplest dishes – such as, say, the fiery little green peppers known as pimientos de padrón – are mouth-watering. No reservations are accepted, so expect to queue.
Where: C/ Diputació 269
Tel: +34 934 880 977
Nearest station: Pg. de Gràcia
