The 30 best restaurants in Barcelona

What is it? A spot with out-there, imaginative cuisine that stimulate all five senses (hence the name).

Why go? You’ll be blown away by their range of superb, original dishes, like the surf ’n’ turf platter with crispy pork cheek, saffron aioli and grilled squid. Or try chef Jordi Artal’s ember-roasted sweet potato, which gets roasted for a full hour before being stuffed with the foam of its own pulp, herbal bread, butter and hazelnut cream. In the centre are two quail eggs cooked for exactly 100 seconds, and finished with an injection of oaky smoke. It’s a treat, for sure, but this is bucket list-worthy dining in Barcelona. 

What is it? BaLó doesn't refer to football; it's a blend of Barcelona and London, the hometowns of Lena Maria Grané and Ricky Smith. They’re chefs from the class of 1997 and 1996 respectively, and their style – they met in London while working at Galvin La Chapelle – reflects the name: Mediterranean cuisine with Atlantic touches. The space (previously La Vaqueria) is airy, spacious and filled with light. 

Why go? They create cuisine that’s creatively tranquil, remembered for the flavor and depth of dishes. We love the sea bass with cauliflower and the beurre blanc with grey mullet roe, brimming with citrus notes and indulgent richness. There’s no à la carte menu, only two tasting menus and a lunch menu. You can opt for the Baló Menu or the tasting menu – the latter, a twelve-course showcase of a high-level gastronomic house that doesn’t adhere to any specific tradition but seeks to evoke emotion in each dish: think smoked eel and squid ink fritters, lamb, and beef cheek with celery. 

What is it? Aürt opened at the Hilton Diagonal Mar in 2017. Unlike other Michelin spots where everything is about spectacle, here there just 17 spots at one high table, and the entire cooking process happens right in front of the customer, with the chefs explaining and reasoning the dishes.

Why go? It’s cosy, it’s intimate and it’s one of the best restaurants in Barcelona. Martínez sticks to his self-created label of ‘local exoticism’ and ‘japoterráneo’ (a mix of Japanese and Mediterranean influences), like cuttlefish tartar, or a green curry with horchata instead of coconut milk. 

What is it? Teatro is back, under the direction of the Iglesias brothers. The Michelin-starred restaurant’s spectacular layout hasn’t changed, and watching thirty high-end professionals in action remains a show like few others in the city. It’s led by chef Oliver Peña, a seasoned talent with a background in the culinary world – his previous role was as the executive chef at Enigma, and he’s worked at our faves 41º and Hacienda Benazuza. 

Why go? Peña crafts cuisine that’s much more effective than showy, with a display of technique and creativity that reflects organic growth and a desire to loosen the constraints of haute cuisine in favor of pure enjoyment. Try the beef flautin, a hollow breadstick filled with beef tenderloin, where the addition of beef fat creates the sensation of devouring a grilled T-bone steak in a snack. We also love the breaded sardines with tartar sauce and Iberian ham, which feels like having a very posh afternoon tea. 

What is it? Where Albert Adrià's Pakta, a Michelin-starred temple of Nikkei cuisine, used to be, you'll now find a Mediterranean izakaya or a traditional bodega with an Asian twist, depending on how you look at it. It's run by the very established Jaume Marambio and Vicky Maccarone, who blend Mediterranean and Japanese cuisine.

What is it? With El Bulli closed, what its former chefs Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch and Mateu Casañas offer in Disfrutar is pure techno-emotional cooking that's a reminder of the mothership.

Why go? The dishes are incredibly imaginative and made with outstanding precision, such as the famous macaroni à la carbonara made with ham jelly, for example. In their tasting menu, you'll find an explosion of the senses carried out at just the right pace. 

What is it? Alkimia is divided into two parts: a modern gastro restaurant that's not so much an exclusive eatery but a comfortable one, and a kitchen that carries on Alkimia's tradition of Catalan cuisine.

Why go? For the restaurant's signature Catalan cuisine with a modern, urban spirit. For example, try the caramelised cabbage with cheese and horseradish, or for the more carnivorous, baby squab with chard, carrot and walnut 'toffee'.

What is it? Reopened in August 2022, Albert Adrià has redefined his most personal project for the third time. Enigma has transitioned from what he called ‘fun dining’ – a combination of creative small plates, cocktails, and dancing – to the traditional formula expected from an ElBulli stalwart: a 25-course tasting menu costing just over €200, which will change with the seasons.

Why go? On the menu you’ll find extreme creative avant-garde with the house’s trademark subtlety and sense of humour, in the direct heir to ElBulli. Here you’ll find succulent, playful dishes lke wagyu steak tartare that transforms into an instant sobrasada with the addition of Mallorcan Tap de Cortí pepper as it touches the table. 

What is it? Mae is a high-flying restaurant led by Catalan chef Germán Espinosa (formerly of Fonda España), Colombian chef Diego Mondragón (formerly of Bodega de Can Roca, Àbac, and Fonda Espanya), and Costa Rican restaurateur Mariella Rodríguez. They practise ‘gastronomic glocalism,’ a synergy between globalism and localism to create new dishes. This places Mae with one foot here and the other in Latin America, featuring ingredients like guava, lulo (a fruit that looks like a tomato but has a delicate citrus aroma), tree tomato, and ají amarillo.

Why go? Mae’s cuisine is virtuosic and highly technical, offering two tasting menus and an executive menu, both pretty reasonably priced. The dishes are full of infusions, long low-temperature cooking, curing, soufflé stews, foams, and cryofiltration. Look it up! Think Maresme tomato with almonds and ají amarillo, cauliflower foam, spider crab, and mussel gelée with fresh herbs; corvina cured in kombu seaweed with lulo and radish infusion; and lamb rack with Jerusalem artichoke. Just stunning. 

What is it? Francesc Beltri and Nicolás de la Vega, chefs and co-owners of the creative Michelin-starred restaurant Slow & Low in Sant Antoni, have transformed an old, humble neighbourhood bar into Bar Canyí, a cool, low-key spot dedicated to Catalan and Castilian culinary traditions.

Why go? The menu is short: three grilled options, two marinades, two salads, three fried dishes, two stews, and two desserts. It changes with the seasons and there are no fixed dishes, but you’ll always find classics for nostalgic diners: marinated mussels, meatballs, capipota, fried scorpion fish, fricandó. For proper, old-school Catalan cooking, there’re no where better – and prices aren’t to be sniffed at, ranging from €3.5 gildas to €15 baby squid. To drink, try sparkling, white, rosé and red wines from Catalan and Spanish wineries, especially fortified wines from Jerez.