A Brummie visiting Barcelona: 5 Of My Fave Bars And Restaurants!
Barcelona as a destination for the best bars and restaurants.
I’m not going to beat around the bush here. Barcelona is excellent. If you can pre-plan the classic tourist list, you can get straight down to sampling Barcelona bars and restaurants. I mean… the various architecture including various Gaudi treats, the Magic Fountain, The Barcelona Pavilion, the Gothic Quarter etc etc are all about as culturally rich as it gets, but in tandem, there is so much food and drink exploring to be had.
The Barcelona food and drink scene is phenomenal. Food market counters, fine dining, tapas bars, wine bars, cocktail bars, specialist coffee and the city wide craft beer offering are all superb. And the more you look, the more you find. These are just a handful of what I did this time around (I think my 7th time). I could do loads of these blog posts and have different places for every one. It’s such a great city, and ever changing. One of the best things to do in Barcelona is to mooch, but here are a few Barcelona bars and restaurants that could just be the backbone to your trip. My favourite non-Birmingham B Town .
Five of my Best Bars And Restaurant Finds in Barcelona
La Forquilla, Carrer d’Arago, Eixample.
I have known Vidal for 10 years now because of his restaurant, and every time my wife and I go to Barcelona, we go to see him. In fact, he is sort of the main reason we go to Barcelona. His restaurant is special. He answers the door, seats you, pours the wine, cooks the food, serves the food and describes each dish in superb detail. His hard work has paid off and La Forquilla was recently included in the 2024 Michelin Guide.
Vidal takes great pleasure in describing the wines perfectly too. He manages to obtain some exquisite numbers, from Spanish producers. Limited runs, batches only produced when the grape is right. Absolutely gorgeous. He knows as much about the wines as he does the food.
And the food. Wow. We went for the 9 course tasting menu, and we opted for the wine pairing. Each course comes out, and described in full by Vidal. At the time of writing, all of the above comes in at UNDER £100 PER PERSON (conversion as favourable as it is at the moment).
The snacks come out, and are phenomenal. Suckling pigs ear crackling, reduced vegetable stock, pressed into crisps…and so on. Then the actual courses start coming out with superb descriptions. Mind blowing. Every single course. The salmon tataki started us, and then the next course was made up of seasonal white asparagus with corn, summer truffle and cocoa. A superb yet unexpected combination. The turbot, the crispy beef, the crayfish, the strawberries with muscovado, the yoghurt with bergamot. All interesting, delicious and enthralling, with perfectly chosen regional wines to pair. I already can’t wait to go back. My key pick of the bunch of Barcelona best bars and restaurants.
Garage Brewtap (Eixample/Universitat)
If, like me, you get excited about craft beer, then Garage is a must when in Barca. I’ve come across their beers so many times that I’d be mistaken for thinking that they were in the UK. And the taproom is just as good as the beer itself. Slightly industrial, with a rough and ready feel – maybe even dive bar in nature, it’s a great place to while a few hours away. I chose to work my way through the fantastic selection on the beer list, or even the can fridge.
The microbrewery is located at the rear of the long space, and the two main guys, James and Alberto originally set up here to brew their 4 core beers. I started with a 10% Impy, and worked down from that. Definitely worth a visit. There is more than one venue, but this is the original – for all of you beer pilgrims. A must-visit for a Barcelona best bar!
Nomad Coffee (Passatge Sert)
Speciality coffee shop, roastery, coffee lab and training facility. If you like your V60, flat white or cold drip, these guys know how to make the best. Located up a little alley out of the way, you’d never know it , and as you enter, the place is teeming with fans of great coffee, lining the customer area. Bide your time and a seat will come free and you can watch the skilled team go through the entire coffee making process as each of the bits of kit are used to the full.
The space is very slick too. Simply decorated, focusing on the coffee making process along the long coffee bar. Again, I only really know about Nomad through drinking coffee made with their beans at Pause in Kings Heath (time and again with great recommendations). A very lovely experience indeed.
Biercab, Carrer De Muntaner, Eixample.
As I had no idea we were going to Barcelona until we were in the departure lounge (such a lovely surprise trip!), I didn’t get any time to look up what’s good at the moment. Luckily, my ‘current wife’ had already done so, and I was led here. Spectacular.
Thirty keg lines offer a vast range of superb and interesting craft beers. Sours, Hazy IPAs, Impys, DIPAs, Pilsners and Westies. The beers are from all over Spain, Estonia, France, the USA, and Sweden. A very mixed beer menu indeed. They also have a huge bottled beer fridge too.
There is food available here, and I was grazing in each bar, so only went for the honey and ham croquetas, which were insane. Almost a dessert. This place is great all round, and with a very slick interior too. A great entry for the list of fave Barcelona best bars and restaurants.
Hermos (Llibertat Market)
Counter service fish bar, set in a local’s style neighbourhood market. Booking essential, and all dishes cooked freshly to order. The market itself is fun, lively and largely Spanish speaking, and there are various stalls selling their wares as you walk through. And some fantastic stuff too. But the crown jewel of the market is Hermos. 10 bar seats offer an exclusive place at one of the hottest tickets in town. With a hot chef and a cold chef, the menu is simple and fresh. Same owners of the swish La Pubilla.
I started with a Wild Seabass Ceviche, which was perfect for the heat of the day. Small explosions of texture and flavour left me thinking I should have just ordered loads of those. Luckily I didn’t, as next up was Fried Red Mullet. My current wife doesn’t eat things with faces left on, but with some expert coaching, all was fine. Luckily, the grilled red prawns’ faces are too small to see. And they were just what you expect from a market like this. Perfect.
Next was the main attraction. The off-menu Tuna Belly with Thai Aubergine. WOW. Sensational, meaty, freshly seared tuna with a dark red centre.
If that wasn’t enough, I also then ordered a plate of the scallop and ‘piparra’ skewers. All washed down with a countertap of cold Spanish lager.
Take me back!
A nifty, locals feel gaff that promises and delivers excellently cooked fresh fish and seafood.
Final thoughts on my food and drink trip to Barcelona
Barcelona is a food and drink playground. Barcelona’s best bars and restaurants are plentiful and can be incredible. There are some superb wine bars and cocktail bars too, and our short time there (this time) meant that we couldn’t hunt as many things down. But that’s the point. There are way too many things to do. One trip isn’t enough.
There is history, culture, architecture. There are beaches. And THEN there is a list of what feels like endless restaurants and first-class bars. I’ll be back before long. I always am. And I’ll remember my under the arm money holster, as it’s a ‘safety first’ destination. It’s why I tend to avoid La Ramblas. There are soooo many places if you travel out just a bit. Research before you go. Nos vemos Barcelona!
If you enjoyed reading about my trip to Barcelona, and my 5 recommendations, and you want to read more from me, explore my website by clicking here. I hope you have enjoyed my blog post! Alternatively, follow me on Instagram to see the fab places around Birmingham and the West Midlands, with the occasional away day 😉
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