
Lunch at Bar Cañete
We spent a little less than 48 hours in Barcelona but we managed to eat and drink at about 12 different restaurants and bars all over the city. So in this post, I want to share everywhere we went and highlight my must-visit for your trip. IMO 48 hours was not enough I could have spent another two days just eating then two more just visiting the surrounding areas on excursions (and eating) – next time!
I did a lot of research so I will also list the names of a few in each neighborhood I had marked down as good but didn’t get to try myself.
Step 1: Make a rest at Bar Canete! If it’s just two I highly recommend sitting at the bar – the best restaurant and experience we had in Barcelona (see more details below)
El Born Neighborhood
El Born was our favorite neighborhood and I wish we had spent more time here. The streets are narrow and beautiful and you feel like this is really Barcelona. I wish we had been able to spend more time in this neighborhood and I had lots of places pined on my google maps (listed below) that I can’t wait to go back and try.
El Set Barcelona – I wanted to try Eldiest a wine and cheese bar in El Born but when we got there they were not open yet so they suggested we try El Set. El Set was perfect! We each tried a different glass of red and ordered the Catalonia cheese plate and loved it.
Dr Stravinsky – Wow this cocktail bar was next level. The cocktail book pictured below had a map of how you found your drink based on your preferences. We each tried 2 totally different cocktails and loved them. In my second one I asked for something tequila but not mescal and I got the whiteish-looking cocktail pictured above. I took a sip and thought yum! Another sip, “wow this tastes like something I love”, another sip! “Sir what’s in this cocktail?” to which he responded “Queso” BHAHAHA this cocktail was tequila, queso, and avocado with a bit of salt – it sounds weird but like a Mexican restaurant in your mouth.
Other in El Born to Try spots to try
- Bar Del Pla
- Vila Viniteca old wine bar
- Bormuth
- Bodega La Puntual
- Cal Pep – Born
- Xurreria dels Banys Nous – Tapas Bar
- La Xampanyeria – Tapas Bar
- Bodega Vaconia – Tapas Bar
- Vila Viniteca – Best Cheese shop
- Eldiset- wine & cheese bar – we tried to go here but it had not opened yet so we ended up at El Set
- Tapeo
- San Pedrtio> Mexican
- Costa Pacifico > Mexican
- Gallo Nero > Italian good bar sandwiches and drinks
Garcia Neighborhood
This cute neighbor is way less touristy and more local neighborhood. Barcelona really slows down in August as everyone goes on vacation for a few weeks. We visited this particular neighborhood on July 31st so a few spots we wanted to visit were closed and others were just about empty. However, we found some really great spots that I highly recommend.
Bar Bodega Quimet – I had this saved in my notes as “an Authentic Gracia Gem” and I would agree. We had a great glass of wine and some lovely grilled squid. I love grilled squid so I ordered it almost everywhere we went.
Casa Figari – After Bodega Quimet we tried to go to Extra Bar but it was closed so we walked up the street to Casa Figari. This bar was our jam – an amazing cocktail and killer music. Ro, the owner, is from Equador but lived all over including NYC before settling in Barcelona and opening the coolest live jazz bar in town. We were on the earlier side so we didn’t get to see any music but a must-visit!
Somodó – We did the 6-course tasting menu here for $39 euros – yea a freaking steal! Everything we had was very creative and delicious! I could do an entire post on everything we ate here! Our server was also so sweet and helpful.
Other Spots to try in Garcia
- Ancestral Bar – tapas bar
- Viblioteca – Cheese and Wines – need reservations
- Gula Pizza Bar
- Berbena – wine bar + tapas
- Extra Bar – We tried to go here but it was closed rave reviews
- Lluritu seafood bar – highly rated seafood
- Raspall – gives one free tapa with a draught beer, wine, or vermouth.
Where To Eat & Drink in El Raval
Bar Canete – This is my #1 must-visit in Barcelona. I wasn’t sure we could get a reservation but we were able to make one for Lunch the day of! Go ahead and make a resy now, Bar Cante could be great for dinner too very old-school classy with severs in white almost like dinner jackets. We talked to our servers about what we liked and they suggested a number of things to try and some special and unique dishes and we loved all of them. Also, the margarita was great! Our server then recommended we go visit his brother at a bar across town and we did!
El Quim De La Boqueria – Tapas in the Market – We went here and sat at the bar. The market is really cool and the history is crazy. We weren’t terribly hungry so we went for oysters and were disappointed. The woman next to us ordered this Asian-inspired shrimp dish (we had to ask what it was) so we got those and loved them! IMO stick to oysters at an oyster bar with a larger selection.
Other Spots To Try In El Ravel
- Chaka Khan Ravel
- Els Sortidors del Parlament – wine bar
- Joel’s Oyster Bar – Rave review from a friend but closed when we visited
Hot Tip – At the plaza – Plaça de Sant Josep Oriol – in El Ravel, we found a little art market and got some beautiful artwork there and met the artist!
El Pablo Sec
We visited El Pablo neighborhood on our Tapas Food Tour and visited a number of tapas bars in the area. Denassus was our favorite! I will do a separate post on our food tour. While I really enjoyed it with our limited time in Barcelona I wish we had done a more “Touristy” neighborhood vs across town in a more local spot. Other tour seemed to be in Born or Ravel which were so damn cute we wish we could have explored there more.
Quimet & Quimet – Okay we didn’t make it here but it’s Anthony Bourdain’s favorite and our food tour guide says it’s one of the best tapas spots in Barcelona so you gotta try it!
Denassus– This was the last stop on our food tour and our favorite. The Duck Confit Dumplings were out of this world good. Also an incredible selection of wine.
More Spots in the El Problo Sec Neighborhood
Benzia – Highly rated Italian restaurant
Eixample Neighborhood
While we did walk through this neighborhood we actually didn’t make it for any meals. We had dinner reservations for Besta but after our tapas tour we were so full we had to cancel.
- Besta – this place has stellar reviews and the menu changes quite often, top of my list to try when we return.
- Hemmingway Bar – This bar was recommended by a few followers
- Tickets – The restaurant to visit by famous Spanish chef Albert Adrià, all of his restaurants were closed for COVID when we visited
- Bodega Lito – Another recommended vermouth and wine bar in ExaEixample around the corner from Tickets
Have you been to Barcelona! I would love to know your favorite spots – drop a comment below.