Fine dining is wonderful, don’t get me wrong and there are many options to choose from as noted above – 19 at the time of writing (I will list the Michelin starred restaurants at the bottom of the Blog, if that helps) but one of the best ways (in my opinion) of enjoying Barcelona is by experiencing and enjoying its little restaurants and tapas bars and rubbing shoulders with the local Barcelonians. This is something that Barcelona does very well indeed, in my opinion. Don’t expect to find matching cutlery or even plates, but that adds to the charm! The little tapas bars on the corner may even just serve you the tapas on a serviette and accompanied by a wonderful glass of wine to wash it down with. Doesn’t sound to bad, does it!

The Michelin guide now also offers some thing called ‘Bib Gourmand’, which is named after it’s official mascot, the Michelin man named Bibendum. Where a restaurant is awarded with a Bib Gourmand this means Michelin recognizes that although the restaurant doesn’t hold a Michelin star, the guide still appreciates that the restaurant is friendly and offers good food at moderate prices. Now, in our opinion, for this category, Barcelona should have hundreds of restaurants listed with the Bib Gourmand award, but as of time of writing, I can only see 6 listed with Bib Gourmand status, which did surprise me.

This is where my opinion differs to Michelin, as most little Tapas bars in Barcelona deserve one of these awards in my opinion! There is just something about these little bars that I love. Wander in. Sit at the bar. Glass of red wine. A couple of little tapas dishes. Listen to the loud conversations going on around you (not understanding a single word, but still enjoying the atmosphere) and then on to the next for another glass of wine and another couple of tapas dishes! That is a good evening, in my opinion! Good food. A couple of glasses of wine and my wife and kids with smiles on their faces!

That’s one of the other differences between Barcelona (and most of Spain) and the UK. In the UK, if you go to a bar and order a glass of wine (not a bottle), the wine will be measured so it’s the correct ‘serving’ for you. In Barcelona, if you go to a tapas bar and order a glass of wine, they will just pout you a glass of wine and likely splosh some over the side in the process, but that is part of the charm of Barcelona!

We offer two great options for food lovers.

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Barcelona Food Market Lunch Tour

A Barcelona Food Market Lunch Tour which gives you the opportunity to join a guided tapas adventure in Barcelona and includes 10 tapas servings from 5 separate stops! Just click the link for full details.

Barcelona Food Market Lunch Tour Tickets

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Montserrat & Wineries

An incredible opportunity to escape Barcelona for the day and travel to Montserrat in the mountains that look down on Barcelona and enjoy a tour of the winery and a traditional lunch. This tour includes a guided visit of the Montserrat Monastery, Cogwheel train ticket, small group (max 18 people) and a multi-course traditional meal with wine and seasonal ingredients. Followed by a guided visit to a family-run traditional Catalan winery and of course, a tasting of 3 local wines. A great day, this one. Just click the link for full details.

Montserrat & Wineries Traditional Meal & Wine Experience Tickets

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Barcelona Restaurant Directory

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Michelin Starred Restaurants Barcelona:

  • ABaC ***, Avenida del Tibidabo 1, Barcelona, 08002 | Tel: +34 933 19 66 00
  • Hofmann *, La Granada del Penedes 14-16 , Barcelona, 08006 | Tel: +34 932 18 71 65
  • Via Veneto *, Ganduxer 10, Barcelona, 08021 | Tel: +34 932 00 72 44
  • Hisop *, Passatge de Marimon 9, Barcelona, 08021 | Tel: +34 932 41 32 33
  • Xerta *, Corsega 289, Barcelona, 08008 | Tel: +34 937 37 90 80
  • Atempo *, Corcega 200, Barcelona, 08036 | Tel: +34 937 34 19 19
  • Oria *, Passeig de Gracia 75, Barcelona, 08008 | Tel: +34 935 48 20 33
  • Lasarte ***, Mallorca 259, Barcelona, 08008 | Tel: +34 934 45 32 42
  • Cocina Hermanos Torres ***, Taquigraf Serra 20, Barcelona, 08029 | Tel: +34 934 10 00 20
  • Disfrutar **, Villarroel 163, Barcelona, 08036 | Tel: +34 933 48 68 96
  • Aurt *, Paseo del Taulat 262-264, Barcelona, 08019 | Tel: +34 935 07 08 60
  • Moments **, Passeig de Gracia 38-40, Barcelona, 08007 | Tel: +34 931 51 87 81
  • Angle **, Arago 214, Barcelona, 08011 | Tel: +34 932 16 77 77
  • Caelis *, Via Laietana 49, Barcelona, 08003 | Tel: +34 935 10 12 05
  • Alkimia *, Ronda San Antoni 41 – 1, Barcelona, 08011 | Tel: +34 932 07 61 15
  • Cinc Sentits **, Entenca 60, Barcelona, 08015 | Tel: +34 933 23 94 90
  • Koy Shunka *, De Copons 7, Barcelona, 08002 | Tel: +34 934 12 79 39
  • Dos Palillos *, Elisabets 9, Barcelona, 08001 | Tel: +34 933 04 05 13
  • Enoteca Paco Perez **, Marina 19, Barcelona, 08005 | Tel: +34 934 83 81 08  

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Barcelona Restaurants with Bib Gourmand Award

  • Sao, Cesare Cantu 2, Barcelona, 08023 | Tel: +34 935 66 39 68
  • Vivanda, Major de Sarria 134, Barcelona, 08017 | Tel: +34 932 03 19 18
  • Avenir, Carrer de l’Avenir 72, Barcelona, 08021 | Tel: +34 691 90 71 38
  • Berbena, Minerva 6, Barcelona, 08006 | Tel: +34 691 95 77 97
  • La Mundana, Vallespir 93, Barcelona, 08014 | Tel: +34 934 08 80 23
  • Cruix, Entenca 57, Barcelona, 08015 | Tel: +34 935 25 23 18

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Barcelona is one of those wonderful places that offer some incredible culinary experiences. Be it in one of its multiple Michelin starred restaurants (I believe 19 at the time of writing this article) or in one of the hundreds of its many wonderful little restaurants and tapas bars that are dotted here, there and everywhere.