Cuina Catalana, as you’ll hear the locals calling it, is a cuisine of delicious contradictions. Its eclecticism comes from the passion of those who honor tradition and refine it with modern techniques. Tucked in between the sea and the mountains, the region provides a repertoire rich with produce of both, generously drizzles them with olive oil and spices them up with aromatic herbs. When in Barcelona, don’t waste all of your time on fancy restaurants, but share a table with the locals instead. This selection of traditional eateries will serve you an uncostly, wholesome and heartwarming meal.
1. Agut
Warm and inviting, Agut is one of the local eateries with the longest tradition. From 1924, when the restaurant was founded, all throughout the 70’s when it reached its peak in the contemporary culinary scene of Barna, this homey place has modernized only slightly, but still retained its emblematic ambience, care and attention. If feeling startled with choices, you definitely have a reason – Agut offers every kind of hearty traditional dish, from veal brains and frog legs to duck gizzards and baby beef ribs.
Whatever you choose, don’t miss baked potatoes with aromatic herbs, sautéed artichokes and a truffle sauce on the side. Packed with locals and heavy with a 50’s bohemian touch, Agut is for those who eat hearty and dwell in the past.
Must-try: grilled squid with morcilla sausage and pine nuts
Website: restaurantagut.com
Address: Carrer d’en Gignàs, 16
2. Cal Boter
Cal Boter is everything but pretentious. As Catalans themselves, this neighborhood bistro is all about a good ol’ wholesome meal and authentic atmosphere. The interior has changed very little since 1986, when the restaurant was first open, and still insists on staying a worthy guardian of the past. To feel the gentle passage of time, order a pinto bean stew with pig’s ears and feast on sun-faded postcards until your dish arrives.
Superb orders are also scrambled eggs accompanied by fresh asparagus and fried anchovies – nothing spectacular, but straightforward and properly nutritious. If excited about eating like the locals do, get there earlier to avoid the long queues.
Must-try: pork skewer cooked in charcoal
Facebook page: fb.com/restaurantcalboter
Address: Carrer de Tordera, 62
3. Can Culleretes
Founded in 1786, Can Culleretes is the oldest Barcelonian you’ll ever have the privilege of meeting. It’s only natural that this charming time-machine of a restaurant has been honored with a page in the Guinness Book of Records – guileless as it is, its menu has successfully withstood the test of time for two centuries. Pay little for a plentiful order of traditional white beans with botifarra sausage and season it with wild boar stew. The wines are as delicious as they are inexpensive, and the vintage ambience is refreshed with soothing canvas seascapes.
Must-try: spinach cannelloni with cod
Facebook page: fb.com/canculleretes
Address: Carrer d’en Quintana, 5
4. Leku
Over at Leku, the characteristic tang of Catalan cuisine is revivified and refined with a touch of Mediterranean cruise. With Sergi Amos’s culinary expertise in charge, the restaurant offers a warm vibe and demonstrates a quite fresh approach. Surprise your palate with mille-feuille with fried egg or chick peas with scallops. It’s at Leku that traditional meets the modern and results in a remarkable fusion of bold spices, fresh local produce and attentive service. Intentional or not, a modest ambience will keep your senses occupied with savory delights.
Must-try: suckling pig
Website: restauranteleku.es
Address: Carrer de Joan Güell, 189
5. Freixa Tradició
The story of the Freixa family is what culinary dreams are made of. Father and son, both Michelin star winners, have merged their unique interpretations of recognizable Catalan fare and devised a truly memorable journey. In the sleek and cool atmosphere of Freixa Tradició, the dining remains lush and hot, while the minimalist presentation of dishes misleads the senses.
Find out what the stellar restaurant is all about in pig’s trotters with prunes and pine nuts and cuttlefish with artichokes or simply order a plate of fuet (a long, thin, cured sausage) – it comes with a serving of pa amb tomàquet (coca flatbread rubbed with tomato) and it’s as forthright as it gets. Pay attention to all the tiny details.
Must-try: mixed wild mushrooms with oil and garlic, scattered with pine nuts
Facebook page: fb.com/FreixaTradicio
Address: Carrer de Sant Elies, 22
6. Senyor Parellada
Expect the Catalan olives and a bottle of irresistible wine. Pre-prepared to welcome the guests, these appetizing servings aren’t the only surprise of the evening spent at Senyor Parellada. Quite unorthodox for a Catalan eatery, the traditional fare restaurant stuns with Art-Nouveau décor and posh atmosphere while serving some of the finest classics of cuisine.
For an eruption of flavors, try deep fried calamari with Romesco sauce, a stew of bacalao (salt cod) and pig’s trotters or duck cooked with figs and paella. Suave and delicious, Senyor Parellada is simply brilliant for a morsel shared on a romantic night out.
Must-try: roasted lamb stuffed with heads of garlic and grilled asparagus with Idiazabal cheese
Facebook page: fb.com/SenyorParelladaBcn
Address: Carrer de l’Argenteria, 37
7. Can Vilaró
To find an empty table at Barcelona’s Can Vilaró is to travel back in time. Beloved for their hospitality, chefs Sisco and Dolors are considered the greatest masters of Catalan home cooking. There’s nothing revolutionary or new on the menu of this quiet and simple bistro – instead, its dishes are plain, invigorating and prepared with respect for the culinary lore and a plentitude of fresh produce.
Enjoy the escudella soup and stew, salt cod or arroz a la cubana (rice topped with tomato sauce and a fried egg). The Catalan-born kitchen staff of Can Vilaró is determined and stubborn in keeping the tradition alive, which makes this eatery a bona fide cultural institution.
Must-try: fricandó, a tender beef with a wild mushroom–based sauce
Website: TripAdvisor
Address: Carrer del Comte Borrell, 61
8. L’Havana
Established in 1897, but renovated for the final time in 1945, L’Havana has since been run by two kindhearted sisters as a family business. And that’s exactly how the restaurant feels – warm and friendly, the staff buzzes around delivering huge, uplifting portions. To get your juices flowing, order a platter of cheese and a bottle of local wine.
When the platter is once again clean, taste the familiar warmth in battered artichokes and aubergines, battered squid rings or Catalan cannelloni with béchamel and superbly enticing filling. The locals usually enjoy meatballs with cuttlefish or stuffed calamari, so be sure to check them out too.
Must-try: crema catalana
Facebook page: fb.com/restauranthavanabcn
Address: Carrer del Lleó, 1
9. Casa Agustí
If Barcelona bistros have taught us anything, it is never to get thrown away by the simplicity of their presentation. Casa Agustí is certainly one of those – as a true old timer, the eatery excels in making its guests feel comfortable, relaxed and well-fed. Share a portion with one of the locals and opt for gazpacho soup, the tripe or cannelloni. For those who already have, the dishes of Casa Agustí have remained a nostalgic reminder of times long gone.
Must-try: oxtail
Facebook page: fb.com/restaurant.casa.agusti.bcn
Address: Carrer de Bergara, 5
10. Casa L’Estevet
The cousin restaurant of Casa Agustí, this little gem of Catalan tradition is yet another of the city’s long-established venues. With a menu almost a hundred years old, Ca l’Estevet have had its ups and downs along the way, welcomed crème de la crème of Barcelona society, witnessed important historical moments, and honored them all with both its collection of old photographs and its classic recipes.
Stain the white tablecloth with lamb’s brain in breadcrumbs, squid rings in batter, shrimps in garlic sauce or sautéed spinach with chickpeas and blood sausage. With traditional techniques perfected over the years and a beaming service, it will be long until Ca l’Estevet is forgotten.
Must-try: escudella I carn d’olla
Website: restaurantestevet.com
Address: Valldonzella, 46
Dating back from the 14th century, El Libre de Sent Sovi is still considered a testament of Catalan cuisine. Inspired by the past and excited about the future, Barcelona bistros deeply cherish El Libre’s classics and prepare them with zest.