Best of Barcelona
Where locals eat in Barcelona
Start with La Cova Fumada in Barceloneta for la bomba, El Xampanyet for pa amb tomàquet with anchovies and cava and Can Solé in Barceloneta for seafood or black fideuà. Here are all 12, with what to get at each.
- La Cova FumadaBarceloneta · Bombas
Get: La bomba (potato and meat croquette with its spicy sauce), grilled sardines, octopus, cuttlefish with chickpeas, clams
No sign on the door, and the original bomba inside. Barceloneta institution in a no-frills tavern setting, famous for inventing the bomba and great fried seafood.
- El XampanyetPa amb tomàquet
Get: Pa amb tomàquet with anchovies and cava
A tiled cava bar, standing room only. Classic Barceloneta-area cava and tapas bar, standing-room-only and known for anchovies, conservas, and cheap sparkling cava by the glass.
- Can SoléBarceloneta · Fideuà
Get: Seafood or black fideuà
Century-old Barceloneta seafood institution known for rice dishes, fresh fish, and a classic old-Barcelona dining room.
- Granja M. ViaderCrema catalana
Get: Crema catalana
Historic old-school granja dating to the 1870s, known for cacaolat and traditional hot chocolate with xurros.
- Ca L'EstevetCrema catalana
Get: Crema catalana
Historic Barcelona restaurant with a classic Catalan menu, known for its old-world dining room and traditional dishes.
- Bar TomásSarrià · Tapas bar
Get: Patatas bravas, with the garlic and spicy sauce
The bravas Barcelona argues about, in an old neighborhood bar.
- Bodega QuimetGràcia · Vermouth bar tapas
Get: a vermouth and the grilled octopus. Fills with locals before lunch
A wall of bottles and tinned-fish montaditos. Classic Gràcia bodega known for vermouth on tap and simple, old-fashioned tapas at the counter.
- El Quim de la BoqueriaCiutat Vella · tapas, seafood
Get: Fried eggs with baby squid
A counter inside the Boqueria market. Famous market counter inside La Boqueria, packed for fried eggs with baby squid and fresh seafood tapas.
Bar CañeteRavalGet: Counter tapas with lightly fried fresh fish and seafood; arroz caldoso is not mentioned in the source read
- La PubillaGràcia · Catalan
Get: the esmorzar de forquilla, a hot fork breakfast by the Llibertat market
Small Gràcia neighborhood restaurant known for seasonal, market-driven Catalan cooking and a cozy vibe.
- Mercader de l'EixampleEixample
Get: the canelons and the trinxat. Catalan home cooking in the Eixample
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Save the whole listAsk Chef for morePlan my Barcelona food tripWhere locals eat in Barcelona: questions people ask
What are the local restaurants in Barcelona?
Chef Amazing’s picks start with La Cova Fumada (Barceloneta), El Xampanyet and Can Solé (Barceloneta). All 12 places are on this page with what to get, where they are and a map.
What should I order?
At La Cova Fumada, get la bomba (potato and meat croquette with its spicy sauce), grilled sardines, octopus, cuttlefish with chickpeas, clams. At El Xampanyet, get pa amb tomàquet with anchovies and cava. At Can Solé, get seafood or black fideuà. At Granja M. Viader, get crema catalana.
Which neighborhood is best for local restaurants in Barcelona?
Most of these are in Gràcia and Barceloneta. The map on this page shows every one, numbered like the list.
How does Chef Amazing pick these?
From Chef Amazing’s city guide and lists for Barcelona: the places critics, chefs and locals keep recommending, checked and kept current, with what to order at each. Nobody pays to be on them.
More in Barcelona
Local restaurants in other cities
Places change: check hours before you go. Pins come from addresses and OpenStreetMap and can be a little off. Updated October 25, 2026.