Salamanca
Down on the waterfront overlooking the Mediterranean, Salamance is a bona fide Spanish restaurant that serves sumptuous seafood and tasty paella at decent prices. You can opt to sit inside or on an outdoor terrace and there are two restaurants. A top tip is to get a seat in the local part as they tend to charge you more if you sit in the tourist side.Salamanca can get very busy at peak times and you may have to wait a fair while for your food, however it is reasonably cheap and well worth the wait.
La Bombeta
This is another great option for tapas on the waterfront. If you do decide to go, the bombas, a mashed variation on patatas bravas, come highly recommended although everything on the menu is good.Again, it can get crowded, so, don’t be put off if you have to wait a bit.
Les Quinze Nits
Serving anything from fish soup to mushroom ravioli Les Quinze Nits has a fantastic selection on its menu and is another place that’s good if you’re on a budget and is popular amongst locals- Catalans know their food so that’s a good sign!
The portions are generous and the views over a beautiful palm tree square backed by classical architecture aren’t bad either!Els Quatre Gats
This is a real cultural hot spot and a must for art fans. Rumour has it that Els Quatre Gats has been the hangout for many famous Catalan artists including Picasso and Rusiñol. It is even said that Picasso designed the menu cover!The food itself is your traditional Catalan fare but doesn’t come cheap. If you aren’t put off by the prices then try the Crema Catalana- a local dessert which is very, very tasty.
La Fonda
La fonda is a three leveled restaurant which serves excellent Spanish and Chinese cuisine. This isn’t a cheap eat but it represents good value for money at €20-30 for the quality of the cuisine you get.Again, it’s popular among locals and queues often form outside the restaurant before it even opens!
Shoko Restaurant & Lounge
Shoko is one of best Barcelona’s most well known club/restaurants. Sitting proudly on the beach front it has gone down a storm with Catalans but is not somewhere to go if money is tight.The menu is full and varied from Modern European cuisine to Oriental and Asian dishes with a twist like the chef’s special, ‘hot sushi’, which takes the classic sushi roll and cooks it deep fried tempura style. Delicious!
Shoko provides the complete package- pre-diner drinks right through to losing your cloakroom ticket for the way home!
Sinatra
Sinatra is another cheap eat foodie. The menu is a little on the small side but the wine list is good and you won’t be disappointed whatever the dish you choose.The Raviolini and Taglioni are amongst the most popular dishes but it is Sinatra’s unique atmosphere that makes it stand out. As the name suggests it features the dulcet tones of old blue eyes himself. Book early to avoid disappointment though as it does get busy after 9 pm.
PORTES
7 Portes has a reputation for having one of the best seafood paella’s in town. Quite a claim, but it can’t be bad as it’s always busy and popular among the locals.The restaurant is set in a big greystone building with marble floors and, yep, you guessed it, seven doors!
Besides the Paella Parellada speciality, it serves a number of other great Catalan dishes such as Botifarra amb Mongetes del Ganxet 7 Portes (Catalan sausage with ‘7 doors’ White Beans.
If you’re on a tight budget, go before 6 pm and take advantage of its early bird special.
If all this talk of Catalan food has got your juices flowing for Barcelona then head to our website and book yourself a Barcelona hostel now. If you need a bit more convincing or inspiration on what to do while you’re there then check out our 48 hours in Barcelona blog for further inspiration.
La Paradeta
La Paradeta is every seafood lovers dream. If you’re looking for well-prepared seafood at a reasonable price then La Paradeta is the place to go.You get to line up at the counter and choose what you want from the mouth-watering selection in front of you. Then pick up your numbered ticket, select a drink of choice and find yourself a table while they cook up your selection.
Simple, fresh and remarkably cheap, La Paradeta is a fun and tasty place to eat.
There are four in town but the restaurant at Sants is the original and widely considered as the best.
Quimet i Quimet
This is one of the best tapas bars in Barcelona and is especially good for its fine selection of wine and cheeses. If you’re not worried about your cholesterol levels then get the four quesos (cheeses) which all come on the same plate: neval (a tangy goats cheese), cabrales (a strong Spanish blue cheese, zamorano (a nutty sheep’s milk cheese) and torta del Casar (a soft, creamy farm cheese).You can wash it all down with a glass of chilled cava or one of the countless wines that are literally on display everywhere.
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