Barcelona Restaurant Tips by Jetgirly

Restaurant Name: Les Quinze Nits

I ate at this restaurant five times during the month I stayed in Barcelona! It is so central, plus the food is great and prices are very reasonable. You can get a full dinner with (cheap) wine for about EUR 13. It is located in Placa Reial, just off the Ramblas near the Liceu train station.

The restaurant has a beautiful second floor with dim, goldish-red lighting. The first floor is nice as well but brighter and colder. The patio is very close to the line and buskers come to your table looking for money, I would not want to sit out there.

The food is really good and beautifully presented. Most dishes are not served with accompanying vegetables and some don't even come with rice, so beware of ordering a fish dish because you may only receive a piece of fish! Service leaves something to be desired, as twice we found more than ten euros worth of food we hadn't ordered (or eaten) on our bill.

This is what I usually order:

Starter - Tomato Soup with Pesto Oil Garnish
Main - Fresh Pasta Medallions (...)
Dessert - Coffee and Bailey's Ice Cream


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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 93 317 30 75
Address: Placa Reial, 6
Directions: Just off Las Ramblas.

Restaurant Name: Organic

This is definitely my favorite restaurant in Barcelona, and I only wish I had discovered it earlier! It is a very spacious organic restaurant and tea shop. Each day they create about four plates of the day, and you can have just the plate, or combine it with salad, soup and dessert. The salad bar is phenomenal, with the freshest, tastiest vegetables I've had in this city! I had the Classic Plate as well, which was lentils, seaweed, rice and vegetables- AMAZING!

Plus, they have Zen Bathrooms with rocks and candles on the floor!

UPDATE: I went for dinner last night and it turns out they use a slightly different format for lunch and dinner. At lunch, you can buy a combination meal that includes soup, salad, a daily plate and dessert. At dinner, each of these items is a la carte and you will be paying a lot more for the same amount of food.


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Theme: Vegan/Vegetarian
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: C/ de la Junta de Comerç 11
Directions: Near the bottom of the Ramblas, turn right on a street that sounds like Hospital and then left on Junta de Comerc.

Restaurant Name: Juicy Jones

Juicy Jones is a brightly painted juice bar and restaurant located just off the Ramblas. It is a small restaurant and groups larger than four should be prepared to sit seperately. The food is absolutely amazing, with really fresh ingredients and perfect seasonings and spices. My only complaint would be how slow service is... call it laid-back if you will, but we waited endlessly for our food and then our waitress disappeared without giving us utensils. That being said, she was kind enough to give me my fresh-made mint lemonade for free when it took forty-five minutes to arrive at the table! We also received a free bowl of soup as it took so long to arrive!

I had the daily dahl plate (they call it thali), which was a large, round metal plate with rice in the middle. Around it were bowls of dahl (lightly curried lentil paste), curried vegetables and mint chutney that you could mix up and eat with the rice as you pleased. Prices are fantastic, coming in at under ten euros for soup, entree and dessert.


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Theme: Vegan/Vegetarian
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: C. Cardenal Casanas 7
Directions: Near Liceu Metro
Website: www.juicyjones.com

Restaurant Name: Pans and Company

Pans and Company is a major chain of fast food restaurants in Spain. They specialize in bocadillos (sandwiches served on baguettes). Not outstanding, not even that fast, but there is one on every corner so you can't avoid them! My favorite dish was the Bocadillo Fondue (like a grilled cheese sandwich on an olive baguette, with brie and two other cheeses) and fresh squeezed orange juice.

PS- Questionable hygeine of some employees.


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Theme: Fast Food
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Several Locations
Directions: Everywhere, but there is a very busy one at the top of the Ramblas by Plaza Catalunya.

Restaurant Name: Foodball

One of the most unique dining concepts I have ever encountered, Foodball is owned by uber-trendy foowear company Camper. Their mission statement involves "Sharing natural products [and] respecting both the environment and ourselves." In practice, this means dishing up healthy, organic rice balls filled with ingredients ranging from seaweed and tofu to chicken to chickpeas. Meat-and-potato types might find the food a bit bland (no barbeque sauce), but people accustomed to eating healthy, natural foods will appreciate the delicate flavours. Rice balls can be accompanied by sauces- I recommend the coconut curry or soy ginger. Foodballs are served cold on a bed of lettuce leaves, and eaten by hand.

Foodballs form the majority of the menu, but Foodball also serves a daily soup and fresh fruit, plus a great variety of organic beverages including a fantastic bancha tea with apple. Pour yourself a free glass of water from the pitcher being purified with a huge chunk of carbon! When it's time to sit down and eat, bring your wooden tray to the second room and sit on a woven map on concrete bleacher-style seating. With no tables, the atmosphere is friendly and very chatty. Near the seating area there is a great bulletin board with posters for people teaching yoga, looking for roommates, and seeking langauge exchanges.

Foodball is definitely alternative, and definitely delicious! It's a great way to get an economical lunch and dinner in a totally new, environmentally-concious environment.


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Theme: Health Food
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: 93 270 1363
Address: C. Elisabets, 9
Directions: Coming from Las Ramblas, take the second right (onto C. Bonsucces) and keep walking straight for a few blocks. It's near the MACBA.
Website: http://www.camper.com/web/en/foodball.asp

Restaurant Name: Buenas Migas

There are several Buenas Migas locations around Barcelona, including one in Placa Bonsucces, one on Passeig de Gracia and another just behind the Cathedral. Order at the counter, take your seat and they'll serve you at your table. Their menu centers around traditional Genovese foccacia, covered pizza-style with fresh ingredients. Try one with roasted vegetables, a combination of eggplant and cheese, or ham and onions. Slices of foccacia are served warm on a cute wooden plank. A slice is enough for a good breakfast, light lunch, or mid-day snack. They serve other food items as well, like vegetable tarts (really good) and sandwiches. Prices are very reasonable and service is usually great. See the website for location maps.

Placa Bonsucces is just off Las Ramblas. From Placa Catalunya, take the second street on your right and you'll find the cafe in an atmospheric little square with tables inside and out. There is another location just behind the Cathedral, at Baixada de Santa Clara 2, with indoor seating only.


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Theme: Bakery
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Passeig de Gracia 120
Directions: Near Metro Diagonal (Passeig de Gracia 120), Metro Jaume 1 (Baixada de Santa Clara 2) or Metro Catalunya (Placa de Bonsucces 6).
Website: http://www.buenasmigas.com/buenasmigase.html

Restaurant Name: Starbucks

Spanish people love their coffee... so I can't figure out why they serve it in such a small cup. When you've had enough of the tiny little cafe con leches served all over Barcelona, head to your friendly (not so) neighbourhood Starbucks for a Venti Caramal Macciato!

Favorite Dish: Frappucinos! And BIG cups of coffee! In paper cups! To go!

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Theme: Coffeehouse
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Several Locations
Directions: Try the one on Via Laietana between Urquinaona and Jaume 1 metro stations.
Website: www.starbucks.com

Restaurant Name: L'Avia

L'Avia is one of the oldest pizzarias in Barcelona and now serves pasta and meat dishes as well as pizza. Service is slow but food is incredibly cheap. I would recommend pizza or empanadas (EUR 1) over the pasta, as sometimes the pasta isn't heated all the way through to the centre. This restaurant stands out for it's low prices- fresh-baked pizzas, oh-so-cheap!


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Theme: Italian
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Carrer de Cera 33
Directions: Metro Sant Antoni.

Restaurant Name: Restaurant Punjab

Restaurant Punjab is owned by a couple who is half Indian, half Ecuadorian. There are two menus here, with the Indian being the cheaper of the two. Decor is bright and kitschy, tables are close together, and the atmosphere is very casual.

I ordered the more expensive Indian menu (at a whopping EUR 6), choosing the vegetarian options. I started with a curried lentil dish and then had a blend of curried cauliflower and potatos served over rice. For dessert I chose rice pudding. Everything was great but I didn't get the naan bread the menu said I should expect, and I didn't feel comfortable asking. They also added up my bill incorrectly, so double-check before you pay. It was all good, especially for the price.


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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Joaquin Costa 1
Directions: Metro Sant Antoni or Plaza Catalunya, VERY near MACBA.

Restaurant Name: Gran Café

The men at our hotel recommended the Gran Cafe for dinner one night. We arrived right at opening (7.30 pm) and were quickly seated then brought complementary "shot glasses" of watermelon puree. We were both minimal-meat-eaters so none of the main dishes appealed to us, instead we each had a salad for a started and risotto with a parmesan cheese crust as the main course. My salad had baby spinach, blackberry vinaigrette and warm camembert cheese- yum! The risotto was excellent but a small (first-course size) serving. The staff were a bit overbearing at times and we felt a bit of pressure to order more expensive wines.


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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$21-30  » Currency Converter
Phone: 93 318 7986
Address: Carrer Avinyo 9
Directions: Not far from the Cathedral, Metro Jaume 1.