Where to Eat and Drink in Barcelona

Trip Journal

Options here are endless...here are my recommendations based on what you are looking for:

Best Food Options:

Pincho J — Best tradition-styled tapas and pintxos. Super fun street to grab a few pintxos at one restaurant then hop to the next.

El Nacional — Fancy food court-like setting with multiple restaurant options based on what you are looking for. We went with the seadood option and were not disappointed.

Honest Greens — Fast and easy food but still clean and delicious. I thought about this place for many months after I left.

Carambola — My favorite gelato.

Parking Pita/Parking Pizza — Great option if you are over tapas. Can get super busy.

Sensi Tapas — Delicious and they own two other restaurants which I am sure are just as good.

Llamber — A more elevated food experience.

Churrería Laietana — Super fresh churros with thick chocolate to dip into.

Bo d Be — Classic study abroad location for cheap sandwiches.

The Bagel Hood — Great if you are missing classic American Bagels.

Recommendations from locals (sadly got these at the end of my trip but will go back to Spain for these):

Ales truites — Specializes in Spanish tortilla.

Can Paixano- Traditional tapas and sandwiches. Plenty of wine options as well.

Bar Jai-Ca - Historic tapas bar. Heard the atmosphere is great and sounds like you will find a lot of locals here.

Can Culleretes — Catalonian restaurant.

Cañete — Produce and fish all come from local markets.

Barraca — Known for their Paella. Located right on the water.

Can Cortes — Beautiful views. Try their calçots (sweet spring onions). They also hold calçotades which are Catalan barbecues.

La Mundana — Tapas with a twist.

**I highly recommend taking a cooking class. You will learn to cook a few traditional dishes and meet some amazing people. The teacher at my cooking class gave me all the local recommendations above. I took my dad to Barcelona Cooking right on La Rambla.**

Best Drink Options:

Casa Lolea — Best sangria hands down.

Paradiso — Unlike any bar I've been to. It was named the world's best bar the year I went (2022) so the line was long. The atmosphere, the drink presentations, and overall experience made the wait worth it.

Ovella Negra — A massive beer hall. Great pregame place for study abroad students.

Rooftop 83.3 — Great place for drinks with a view.

Cocovail — The perfect bar to watch American sports.

Dow Jones — A very fun concept based on the stock market. Prices are based on consumption and you just might experience a market crash.

Bobby's Free — Mellow speakeasy.

Snookers — Great for a drink and some pool.