When we think of Barcelona, two things instantly come to mind: the breathtaking architecture and the incredible food. It’s a paradise for food lovers, and we’ve had some of our most memorable meals here – often without breaking the bank! Whether you’re craving classic tapas like croquetas and patatas bravas, trying pintxos and paella, or looking for the trendiest brunch spots to kickstart a day of exploring, Barcelona has it all. The food scene is buzzing, so we’ve handpicked our favorite places to help you discover the best bites this city has to offer. If you’re looking for the trendiest food hotspots in Barcelona, keep reading and we will tell you more!
Table of contents
- 1. Brunch & Cake
- 2. Eat My Trip
- 3. Gabby’s
- 4. El Arbol
- 5. Elsa y Fred
- 6. Bar del Pla
- 7. La Taverna del Coure
- 8. El Puestu
- 9. El petit Firo
- 10. Bar Mono
- 11. IRATI Taverna Basca
- 12. Mercat de la Boqueira
- Where to stay in Barcelona
1. Brunch & Cake
One of the trendiest hotspots in Barcelona is Brunch & Cake. This place is known for its dishes that are a true work of art and was on our bucket list for a looong time. When we finally were able to visit, we were not disappointed!
We went for the Next Level Avo Toast, because never enough avocado. We also chose the Big Brekkie Burrito. It’s a giant burrito filled with cheese, chicken, eggs, sausage, peppers and so much more. Both dishes were very tasty, they were also very large portions at a reasonable price so definitely worth it.
To get the best seat and not have to wait too long, we recommend arriving as early as possible. We noticed it got crowded really quickly like 10 mins after we arrived! This, coupled with the fact there were only 2 waiters for the whole place, means you’re in for a long wait if you arrive too late. This applies to most brunch spots by the way. The later you arrive, the longer you’ll have to wait and the less likely you are to get a cool spot!
Having said that, we couldn’t really complain about the waiting time. We got our drinks (a glass of cava and a freshly squeezed orange juice) under 5 mins after ordering. Our food arrived less than 10 mins after our drinks so really nothing to complain but just make sure you arrive early!
Check the locations here.
Good to know
If you choose a spot on the terrace, there is a small supplement price you pay, so don’t be surprised when this is added to your bill. This was the case with us a few times, it is always mentioned on the menu (near the bottom).
2. Eat My Trip
Another brunch spot we had our eyes out for months, was Eat My Trip. This place was only a ten minute walk from the place where we were staying as well! You can choose to either eat inside or outside, because the sun was already there we decided to eat outside.
The menu contains both sweet and savoury dishes, so there’s something for everyone. Thysia had the guacamole toast and Kelvin went for the chicken thai burger. Both the presentation and the taste were good, and on top of that, it wasn’t expensive at all! For about € 20 we had two dishes, a fresh smoothie and a chai latte. Definitely not much money for such good food.
We really recommend visiting this place if you’re in for a great breakfast at a low price. Eat My Trip is also located about 15 minutes walking from any major attraction in Barcelona. No matter where you’re staying having breakfast/brunch here is always a possibility!
Where: Carrer del Consell de Cent, 378
3. Gabby’s
One of our favorite brunch hotspots in Barcelona was definitely Gabby’s. Although every brunch spot we visited had creative dishes, Gabby’s stood out even more. Here’s why: bottomless mimosas for only € 12,95. Do we need to say more? 😉
But that’s not all, if you like original, never-had-before dishes, you MUST try the Kimchi Belgian Waffle. Topped with fresh avocado and sweet chili sauce, this was undoubtedly the most delicious and original brunch we have ever tasted. One bite might be the sweetness of the waffle, the next one is more spicy because of the chili and kimchi, really amazing combinations. A must-do when visiting Barcelona!
We also had a Bikini Croque Madame, which can be described as a grilled meat and cheese sandwich topped with 2 fried eggs. All around the plate, they added some roasted baby potatoes and truffle mayo as well which was literally to die for!
They divide their dishes into sweet or salty as well. If you’re looking for some regular American pancakes or French Toast with caramelised banana make sure to check the “sweet-part” of the menu!
Only downside we have to mention, is that Gabby’s is less centrally located than the other spots we mentioned. It was a 15 minute walk from our room near the Arc de Triomf. If you’re located around La Sagrada Familia (30 min walk) or Plaça de Catalunya (35 min walk) put on your hiking shoes or order a cab through Cabify!
Where: Carrer de Ramon Turró, 93
4. El Arbol
If you’re looking for an affordable but cool brunch spot, El Arbol is the place to be. For less than € 13 we had a sandwich with goat cheese and an avocado toast with a poached egg. This was definitely a good breakfast spot for the price because the dishes were fairly simple yet tasty.
What really made us put El Arbol in our list was the value for money. We got large portions, the quality was fine but the prices were so low we had to include them!
That’s why when you’re in Barcelona only for a couple of days, we recommend checking out our other recommendations first. If you are visiting Barcelona for a longer period of time, it’s definitely worth coming here to have a budget brunch that’s still very tasty too.
Where: Pg. de Sant Joan, 33 or Carrer d’Aribau, 36
5. Elsa y Fred
Elsa y Fred is one of those hidden gems in Barcelona! This cosy place serves delicious tapas with a modern twist. We had dinner here and the food and atmosphere were soooo good! To be sure they weren’t fully booked, we made a reservation online in advance. We recommend doing this too, especially in the evening, as the queue of people hoping for a free table kept on growing during our time there.
Everything on the menu looked delicious so we ordered a lot of food! We decided to go for some tomato bread, patatas bravas, kimchi croquettes, an Iberian ham croquette, burrata with tomatoes, and to top it off the grilled octopus.
Looking back, this may have been a little too much, but as mentioned earlier, everything sounded so good that we wanted to try everything that could fit in our stomach. We certainly don’t regret it! Our absolute favorite was the grilled octopus. We have never eaten such a tender, perfectly grilled octopus. It really melted in our mouth! The kimchi croquettes are definitely worth tasting too, so full of flavor and a little spicy, just how we like it.
If we may mention something negative, we also ordered the scallop bao buns but they forgot this dish. In the end, we didn’t mind because we were already so full that we probably didn’t get to finish this anyway. This certainly didn’t ruin our evening, they even gave us a limoncello shooter to make up for it. Looking back, it was such a great experience and we would definitely come back here!
Where: Carrer del Rec Comtal, 11
6. Bar del Pla
Popular among both locals and tourists is Bar del Pla, a surprising tapas bar in El Born. We had heard of this place before visiting and were curious to see (and taste) what all the fuss is about. Initially, we hadn’t planned to visit on that particular day, but we stumbled upon it when strolling around the magnificent and authentic El Born neighborhood.
The menu has various traditional tapas of really good quality. We ordered (once again) the tomato bread, (once again) some patatas bravas, the cod fish croquettes, and the mussels to finish it off. Each dish was delicious, and eating it in a traditional Spanish bar made it even better! They even managed to upgrade a simple dish like tomato bread. This place is anything but a tourist trap. Even though it has become a well-known spot in Barcelona, they haven’t lost their local feel and Spanish (read: affordable) prices. Bar del Pla also has a large choice of wine. We went for a fruity white wine, it was one of the best wines we had in Barcelona. We paid around € 3,50 for one glass, compared to our Belgian prices this is very affordable!
If you’re looking for high-quality tapas for good prices an a laid-back atmosphere, then Bar del Pla should definitely be on your to do list.
Where: Carrer de Montcada, 2
Pro tip
Bar del Pla take reservations online but you can make a reservation by phone. We visited around the late afternoon without a reservation, it wasn’t busy yet so we were able to enjoy their delicious tapas without all the hustle. When we left, we noticed more and more people were coming in so keep that in mind!
7. La Taverna del Coure
La Taverna del Coure, located in El Born, is another one of our favorite hotspots in Barcelona. We tried different tapas here (what else), like shrimps with garlic, grilled squid and also some fried padrón peppers. All three dishes were simple but tasty, especially the shrimps. The wine was also very nice.
What drew us to this restaurant was the authentic Spanish (Catalonian) vibe. It is located at a tiny square (Plaça de Jacint Reventós) where you can eat either inside or outside. Since it was evening when we visited and it was already getting colder, we decided to eat inside. Also, as with a lot of restaurants in Barcelona, eating/drinking outside on the terrace adds between 10 and 20 percent to your bill so bear that in mind. La Taverne del Coure is the perfect spot to enjoy delicious tapas in a cozy neighborhood.
Where: Carrer de l’Argenteria, 53
8. El Puestu
Another hidden treasure we came across in Barcelona is El Puestu, located near the Arc de Triomf. It’s located on a small strip (or boulevard) which suggests it is overpriced and of the food of low quality, but nothing is less true. This restaurant is a great choice if you are in the mood for tasty tapas at a very reasonable price. We had the cheese croquettes and cod fritters, the boiled langoustines, the octopus with potato cream and, yet again, patatas bravas. For us, tapas is not complete without patatas bravas, as you’ve probably noticed. Admittedly, presentation-wise the dishes were nothing to write home about, but the actual dishes were sublime!
What really stuck with us, was the octopus with potato cream! We had no idea that such a simple dish could be such a flavor bomb. The combination of squid and (mashed) potatoes, finished with paprika and other spices really is a perfect combination. If we hadn’t ordered so many other dishes we would have definitely ordered a second serving of this!
Where: Carrer de Ribes, 39
9. El petit Firo
When visiting Spain, you must have eaten paella at least once. El Petit Firo, located in the Eixample district, is the perfect place to have one. The seafood paella that we ate here as lunch tasted so good. We got a big serving for two with different seafood.
The paella was about € 30 for two, which is certainly not a lot of money for such a big serving of fresh seafood. Definitely recommended if you are looking for a tasty and affordable paella. It is located only a few steps away from the beautiful Sant Pau Recinte Modernista which, if you have the time, really is a must see! Talk about killing two birds with one stone. 😉
Where: Avinguda de Gaudí, 83
10. Bar Mono
Bar Mono is one of the restaurants we had our eyes on even before visiting Barcelona. When you’re in the Gothic Quarter, you should definitely visit Bar Mono. They offer a wide selection of tapas and street food and have such a pretty interior. We went for the patatas bravas (again, we know!), the pastrami sandwich and the shrimp bao with avocado. The quality of the food was exquisite, hats of to the chef!
Other than the patatas bravas (which were great and abundant, by the way), the portions were rather small. Kelvin finished his pastrami sandwich in less than five bites and the bao bun was, well, a tiny bao bun. Since we already had an extensive brunch, we didn’t mind that much. I you’re looking for an extensive dinner, be prepared to order a lot of food! The food was very nice and our waiter was very friendly.
We must admit this restaurant is relatively expensive compared to others, especially for the small portions. For some small tapas in a really nice setting, Bar Mono is definitely worth it though!
Where: Plaça de Sant Josep Oriol, 4
11. IRATI Taverna Basca
Located in the Gothic Quarter (only 2 minutes away from Bar Mono, actually) you can find IRATI, a popular spot thanks to its excellent pintxos. Pintxos are traditional Basque tapas, served on top of bread and speared with a toothpick.
When entering IRATI, you immediately find a full bar full of cold pintxos. The assortment is very varied with different types of meat, fish and cheese. The cold, self-serve pintxos are amazing, but make sure to taste the hot pintxos too! There is a waitress walking around with hot pintxos, once every 5 minutes or so. They offer a wide range of hot pintxos, going from merguez to different sorts of (fish, meat, veggie) croquettes to tiny hamburgers.
You can take a seat right across the bar and enjoy the experience of eating pintxos. We jumped right in and tasted about 15 pieces in total, which was quite a lot. Our personal favorites were the cod fish croquettes and the merguez sausage, but the others were also very tasty. The variety of pintxos was really mind-blowing, they have pintxos for everyone! IRATI is without doubt one of the best food hotspots in Barcelona.
Where: Carrer del Cardenal Casañas, 17
Fun fact
The bill is calculated at the end according to the number of toothpicks you return.
12. Mercat de la Boqueira
You can’t make a list of the hotspots in Barcelona without mentioning the Mercat de la Boqueira, strategically located less than a minute away from La Rambla.
This bustling market is a must for foodies, you can not only buy food here but also eat here! You can find a lot of stands here that sell fresh and ready-to-eat food. There is a wide selection of fresh meat and fish. In the middle of the market you can even find a whole stand full of fresh seafood. We could walk around here for hours, each stand was fascinating in its own way.
There are also some bars where you can sit and order food, but they’re so crowded that you do have to wait a while for a spot. That’s why we chose to order gyozas and chicken teriyaki skewers on-the-go. We also tried some local cheese and Jamón Ibérico, really good! Since we are both big fans of truffle, we bought some truffle salt and truffle oil here as a souvenir for our loved ones. There was also a wide range of fresh juices and fruit, we unfortunately did not try these but they looked delicious!
Although this place is really touristy and not really a “hidden gem” anymore, we reaalllyy loved it here because of the great variety of foods and just to do some window-shopping as well. So when you’re visiting La Rambla, make sure to stop by this place to wander around and try some great dishes.
Where: La Rambla, 91
Where to stay in Barcelona
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