Where to Eat in Barcelona: Tapas Bars, Markets and Lunch
Where to eat in Barcelona: the tapas bars most guides agree on, the market counters, and how lunch works, with hours from each place's own page.
Eat at a tapas bar, stand at the counter and order a few things at a time. The 14 guides read for this page agree on that much, and the picks below follow how many of them name each place. They’re written in English, Spanish and French, and they range from a tourist board to independent food blogs. Hours come from each place’s own page or the city council, not from those guides, so check the page on the day.
The list is shorter than a typical top 50, on purpose. Anything named by only two or three guides is in the last section as a less common pick, and anything named by one is left out. For what’s on during your dates, open the events page or the map, and see live music for gigs.
The short list
| Pick | Guides naming it (of 14) | Where | From its own page |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Xampanyet | 9 | El Born | Check its page for hours |
| Quimet & Quimet | 5 | Poble-sec | Monday to Friday, no reservations |
| Bar Cañete | 4 | El Raval | Reservations on its site |
| El Quim de la Boqueria | 4 | Inside the Boqueria market | Market hours apply |
| La Cova Fumada | 4 | Barceloneta | Check before you go |
| Bar Pinotxo | 3 | Boqueria per the guides, Sant Antoni market per its own site | Check where it is |
| Cal Pep | 3 | El Born | Closed Sundays |
| Cervecería Catalana | 3 | Eixample | Check before you go |
El Xampanyet
Recommended by 9 of 14 guides read.
The one name that comes up in guide after guide, and it’s on the tourist board’s own list too. It’s a bar in El Born that the guides pair with cava and tinned anchovies. Look at its page for hours before you go.
Quimet & Quimet
Recommended by 5 of 14 guides read.
A standing-room bar known for montaditos, small toasts piled with tinned fish and cheese. It’s at Carrer del Poeta Cabanyes 25 in Poble-sec. The bar’s own site lists Monday to Friday, 12:00 to 16:00 and 18:00 to 22:30, and says it takes no reservations and serves people in order of arrival. See Quimet & Quimet.
Bar Cañete
Recommended by 4 of 14 guides read.
A tapas bar in El Raval. Its site gives the address as C/ de la Unión 17 and links to a booking form, so reserve if you’re after a table. See Bar Cañete.
El Quim de la Boqueria
Recommended by 4 of 14 guides read.
It’s a counter inside the Boqueria market. The market is open Monday to Saturday from 8:00 to 20:30, per Barcelona City Council, and individual stalls can keep their own hours.
La Cova Fumada
Recommended by 4 of 14 guides read.
A Barceloneta bar that guides send you to for the bomba, a fried potato croquette. La Cova Fumada isn’t open all day, so look at its page before you walk over.
Bar Pinotxo
Recommended by 3 of 14 guides read.
The guides place this counter inside the Boqueria. The bar’s own site gives its address as the Mercat de Sant Antoni, Carrer del Compte d’Urgell 1, stalls 18 to 21, and lists no hours, so check where it is before you go, per its site.
Cal Pep
Recommended by 3 of 14 guides read.
Seafood tapas at a counter on Plaça de les Olles in El Born, per the guides. Cal Pep’s own site lists Monday from 19:30 to 23:30, Tuesday to Friday from 13:00 to 15:45 and 19:30 to 23:30, Saturday from 13:15 to 15:45 and 19:30 to 23:30, and closed on Sundays. The bar is walk-in, and the 26-seat dining room is worth booking ahead by phone or email. See Cal Pep.
Cervecería Catalana
Recommended by 3 of 14 guides read.
A tapas bar in the Eixample. Look at its page for hours and whether it takes bookings. See Cervecería Catalana.
How lunch works
Pa amb tomàquet. Named by 7 of 14 guides read. Bread rubbed with tomato, a Catalan staple that seven guides list among the things to order.
The menú del día. Named by 5 of 14 guides read. A fixed-price lunch. The guides call it the cheapest way to eat a sit-down meal, and it’s lunch only.
Eating at the bar. Named by 2 of 14 guides read. A few bars, Quimet & Quimet among them, are standing-room only. Order a little at a time and share.
Less common picks
Bar del Pla (2 guides) is on Carrer de Montcada, open Monday to Thursday from 12:00 to 23:00 and Friday and Saturday from 12:00 to 24:00, per its own site. Lluritu (3 guides) is a seafood bar in Gràcia. Disfrutar (2 guides) is a tasting-menu restaurant, see Disfrutar. Mont Bar and 7 Portes (2 guides each) round out the picks.
Markets get two guides each. The Boqueria, Santa Caterina and Sant Antoni are the ones named, and Sant Antoni’s stalls are open Monday to Saturday from 8:00 to 20:30, per the market’s site. Stalls can keep their own hours.
Which place to pick
- One bar crawl in El Born: El Xampanyet, then Cal Pep.
- A snack at the market: El Quim de la Boqueria.
- A group or a late table: Cervecería Catalana.
- Montaditos: Quimet & Quimet, on a weekday.
No restaurant prices are printed, because none has been checked against its own page. See things to do in Barcelona and Barcelona travel tips for the rest of the trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where should you eat tapas in Barcelona?
El Xampanyet is the one the most guides name. Quimet & Quimet, Bar Cañete, El Quim de la Boqueria and La Cova Fumada follow with four or five guides each.
What’s a menú del día?
A fixed-price lunch, served at lunchtime only. Five of the 14 guides read recommend it as the cheapest way to eat well.
Do Barcelona tapas bars take reservations?
Some do and some don’t. Quimet & Quimet takes none, Cal Pep’s bar is walk-in and its dining room takes bookings, and Bar Cañete links to a booking form.
Is the Boqueria market good for lunch?
It’s good for a counter lunch, and El Quim sits inside it. The market is open Monday to Saturday from 8:00 to 20:30.
Should you eat on La Rambla?
Most guides that mention it say no. Eight of the 19 guides read for the travel tips guide advise against eating there.
Sources: 14 guides in English, Spanish and French, and 6 official pages
Guides in English
- Top 20 tapas places in BarcelonaApartment Barcelona blog
- Best tapas restaurants in BarcelonaRed Fedora Diary
- Best restaurants in BarcelonaHungry Huy
- Best tapas restaurants in BarcelonaCookly
- Best tapas in BarcelonaWorld of Mouth
- Barcelona guide: tapas and diningGalavante
Guides in Spanish
- Los mejores bares de tapas de BarcelonaBarcelona Tickets
- Dónde encontrar las mejores tapas de BarcelonaTurisme de Barcelona
- Restaurantes de tapas en BarcelonaBarcelona.com
- Las mejores tapas de BarcelonaSalir.com
Guides in French
- Que manger à Barcelone : les meilleures adressesMeininger Hotels
- 5 adresses à Barcelone où manger comme un catalanGénération Voyage
- Meilleurs restaurants de BarceloneThe Better Vacation
- Où manger pas cher à Barcelonelepetitjournal.com
Official pages
- La Boqueria on Barcelona City Council's sitebarcelona.cat
- Quimet & Quimetquimetiquimet.com
- Cal Pepcalpep.com
- Bar del Plabardelpla.cat
- Bar Pinotxopinotxobar.com
- Mercat de Sant Antonimercatdesantantoni.com
Places in this guide
Photos show the actual places, licensed under Creative Commons and credited to their photographers.
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