The best part about living in Spain is the food! After a year abroad in Barcelona, I can say that my favorite thing about it was getting to try so many styles of Catalan cuisine. I was constantly in search of new restaurants to check out, but out of the many that I had a chance to visit, five of them top my list.
1. Cervecería Catalana $
Fast and casual, the food is affordable and of excellent quality. The eggplant chips are to die for and all type of seafood is top class. I used to be a regular, couldn’t stay away for more than a week.
2. La Pepita $$
Best fried calamari in the world! No joke, they serve it with a Kimchi mayo that is off the charts. Their specialty is “pepitas”, which is a toasted thin bread topped with different toppings such as chorizo or steak.
3. Bar del Pla $$$
The restaurant takes classic Catalan dishes and gives them a modern twist. My favorite dish was the squid ink croquettes.
4. Hofmann $$$
This Michelin star restaurant is also a cooking school, most of the employees are culinary and hospitality students. They serve Catalan food with a modern and molecular twist. The service is A+ and the food is even better!
5. Passadis del Pep $$$$
White tablecloth décor and classic style of service, they serve classic Spanish food with no menu, just with what’s on season. Everything from the snails to the ham is extremely good.