You already know. Each blogger or website about Barcelona has a list of the best tapas places in Barcelona. Here is mine. It was about time after all the Asian and Latin American eateries I spoke about.
My favourite tapas bars are listed in no particular order. This post is also a “live” post. I will update it as I try more tapas bars.
1. Bar del Pla
Bar del Pla offers high-quality traditional cuisine using seasonal products. It is a short menu, but every dish is well-executed. The cuisine is traditional, sometimes with a twist. For instance, I have seen dishes with wasabi on the menu.
The beef tartare is delicious and served with generous foie gras shavings. It is so good with pan con tomate. I have also tried a pork dish, but I cannot remember its name. I wanted to talk about it, though. It was so tasty with its combination of fat from the meat and the crispy potatoes. Yum.
I tasted the canelones (you know I am a fan). And a dessert, the “milfulles”, a millefeuille. I have never been disappointed by a dish I ordered here.
Bar del Pla is open from Monday to Thursday from 12 am to 11 pm. Friday and eves of public holiday until 12 pm.
Carrer de Montcada, 2 – Barcelona
2. Bar Alegria
I passed by this tapas bar several times during my walks. And I was attracted by its name, Alegria, which translates to happiness or joy in English. Wouldn’t you be attracted too? The red awning also reminds me of the French brasseries style, and I love Paris. For those two reasons, I put it on my list of places to visit.
Little did I know that it was one of Barcelona’s oldest tapas bars, opened in 1899 and conserving some of its modernist charms. Tomàs Abellan, son of the famous Catalan chef Carles Abellan owns Bar Alegria.
The menu is composed of traditional gourmet tapas, sometimes with a twist like the berberecho gallego con agua de Lourdes (cockle with Lourdes’ water). I have not tried this dish. I just found the concept interestingly…holy, haha.
I did try their generously portioned truffled tortilla with its kind of runny insides and the “bikini de mi infancia”, a nod to the owner’s father. These are star dishes in Bar Alegria. We ordered them because we love truffles, and they both contain truffles.
Another reason I ordered the bikini is also because it had Iberic ham instead of the usually cooked ham. All was super delicious.
Book before going, the place is popular. Bar Alegria.
Comte Borrell, 133 – Barcelona
3. La Cova Fumada
You cannot imagine how many times I passed by this tapas bar to try it in the past ten years I lived in Barcelona. It is situated in the Barceloneta neighbourhood, the birthplace of the famous “bomba de Barceloneta“.
This tapas bar de “toda la vida” opened in 1944. I get the Spanish meaning of “toda la vida”. In English, it would translate into an authentic tapas bar that conserved its original spirit even today.
This place is well-liked in Barcelona, but if you look for it in Barceloneta’s market square, you won’t find a flashy restaurant front. It does not even have a sign. Just some plain brown wooden doors, but I will help you, the street address number is Carrer del Baluard, 56, and usually, people queue outside. Here you can eat among locals and tourists alike.
They present their classic unfussy tapas on a blackboard: bombas, gambas, razor clams, bacon, chorizo etc. They offer a lot of fresh fish and seafood dishes. Everything is cooked and presented in a traditional way. Among the dishes that stand out, we love the bombas (of course) and the artichokes, the best we ate in Barcelona.
La Cova Fumada is not a place where you can book a table. The advice is to arrive early. However, pay attention to the opening hours. They are quite random.
Monday to Friday from 9h to 15h/ Thursday to Friday, they also open from 18h to 20h.
Saturday from 9h to 13h.