Best traditional restaurants in Barcelona

The Mediterranean diet is one of the most famous in the world for its variety and its natural products that, when cooked in a good kitchen, turn into delicious dishes. And Barcelona is a city that offers some of the best traditional restaurants of this type. Here is a list of the best places to enjoy traditional Catalan cuisine with all kinds of dishes and prices.

Restaurant L’Olivé

Located on Balmes street, between Consell de Cent and Aragó, in the heart of the left Eixample, this elegant restaurant stands out for its traditional Catalan and market cuisine. Inside, it has spacious dining rooms and its Mediterranean menu includes the following dishes: duck terrine with sweet apple, strawberries and muscatel; grilled octopus with Iberian bacon; and black rice with cuttlefish and baked kid’s back.

The average price is 45 € per person and it is open on Sundays. It has access for people with reduced mobility and round tables to enjoy lunches and dinners with friends and family.

7 Portes Restaurant

One of the most famous restaurants in Barcelona, not only for its menu, but also for being next to what was one of Pablo Picasso’s childhood homes. It is located in Passeig d’Isabel II, in front of Pla de Palau, in the Born district. And it stands out for its menu of rice dishes and paellas, as well as fideuàs, seafood and truffled cannelloni.

It was founded in 1836 and is already a classic of the city that is worth knowing for its history and architecture. The average price per person is 40 €. During the evenings there is usually a pianist who accompanies the dinners with the best live music.

Antigua Restaurant

It is one of the most outstanding traditional restaurants in the Sant Gervasi neighborhood. Located in Marià Cubí street, blends the Mediterranean diet with the creativity of its daring chefs. in dishes such as: poached free-range egg, crispy potato straw, onion compote, sobrasada and truffle aromas; or marinated and marked prawns, scallops, coral emulsion, touches of tartufo bianco and mousse of lemon grass. And many more examples with details of this type, which make this restaurant ideal for romantic dinners.

The price per person of the menu ranges from 35 € to 50 € and has options for celiacs and round tables for large groups.

Can Ramonet

One of the most emblematic restaurants in Barcelona, located in the heart of Barceloneta, on Carrer de la Maquinista between Sal and Mariners. It is housed in a building with more than 250 years of history, an emblem in the old fishermen’s quarter of the city.

A must for lovers of seafood cuisine, its menu includes seafood and broth rice dishes, monkfish and the assortment of fried fish, within a menu with an average price per dish of 35 €.

Paco Meralgo

An upscale traditional tapas place in the heart of Barcelona’s Eixample, located in Muntaner between Còrsega and París. With a menu price ranging from 35 € to 50 € per person, it is not a cheap place, but it is worth trying its preparations for the unparalleled quality of its tapas. The following dishes stand out from the menu: baby squid, Galician razor clams, grilled Palamós prawns and zucchini flower with mozzarella. Two things: an excellent wine list and it is advisable to make reservations because it is usually very full.

Els Pescadors

Located in the Plaça de Prim in the Poblenou neighborhood, it is one of the most famous traditional seafood restaurants in Barcelona. Catalan cuisine, rice, fish and other fresh market products in a menu that, per person, can exceed 50 € and reach 60 €.

It is about an old fisherman’s tavern which opened more than a hundred years ago and today is a legend in the city, where it has earned a well-deserved prestige for dishes such as “chipirones de Sant Carles de la Ràpita”, creamy green rice from Sant Carles de la Ràpita, “arroz verde cremoso de kokotxas or fried cod with samfaina.

Ca L’Estevet

The most famous Catalan cuisine restaurant in the Raval, which has existed since 1890 and is still in existence today with unbeatable dishes such as snails, Lluçanès duck, escudella, carn d’olla and squid. It was founded as Fonda Navarro and, in its origins, it was a wine cellar and soon became a restaurant. In 1940, the restaurant changed ownership and was renamed Ca L’Estevet. It is located in Valldonzella street and the average price per person is 35 €.

Carmen Restaurant

Carmen is a great option for traditional and economical cuisine in the Sants neighborhood, in Carrer de Valladolid. For an average price of 25 € per person you can enjoy delicious grilled meats, calçotadas, crayfish and paellas, all with the freshest products from the market. Ideal for lunch or dinner with the family and large groups, with the possibility of reserving tables for up to 24 people. They have many options for lunch and dinner menus, weekend menus and tasting menus.

Cal Trapella

Located in the Gracia district, it is also a good alternative of traditional cuisine at an economical price, between 25 € and 35 € per person. Its star dishes are fresh cheese with truffled honey; goat cheese and smoked salmon montadito; tomato jam with toasted onion; and meatballs with almond sauce.

Ideal to go for tapas as a couple or with friends and enjoy its informal and comfortable decoration, with good music and the option of dishes for celiacs.

Garlana

Located in the area of Sarrià-Pedralbes, one of the most exclusive neighborhoods of Barcelona, everything would seem to indicate that they have a very expensive menu, but, on the contrary, it is one of the restaurants of traditional Catalan cuisine with the best quality-price ratio. The average price per person is 25 € and with an exquisite menu of rice dishes, paellas and Mediterranean food. There are also options for vegans and vegetarians, such as their great paella with seasonal vegetables.

3 Focs

A brasserie located in the center of Barcelona, on Carrer de València between Enric Granados and Balmes, with a price per person ranging from 25 € to 35 € to enjoy the typical recipes of a traditional farmhouse.

The highlights of the menu are the grilled vegetables (especially artichokes and calçots) and a huge variety of meats such as butifarra de payés, beef chuletón (steak) or pork hands with cava. And their homemade desserts deserve a special mention. An ideal place to have lunch or dinner in large groups of friends or family.

L’Antic Magatzem

A quality restaurant with the best of traditional cuisine, located next to Barcelona’s Paral-lel, in the heart of the Sant Antoni district. A large hall is available for large group celebrations: weddings, birthdays, communions, etc.

Highlights of the menu include cod fritters, asparagus pie and lobster rice. The average price per person is 35 €. It has a varied wine list and access for people with reduced mobility.