Barcelona is a gastronome’s dream, with some of the best fine dining restaurants in Europe. The Catalan capital is home to no less than 102 restaurants appearing in the Michelin Guide, so deciding where to eat out in this foodie city can prove daunting. No fear, that’s where 7* Life comes in. This handy guide whittles it down to the must-eat restaurants in Barcelona by cuisine type.
Catalan
Can Ferrán is a family-run restaurant that’s always full and has been delighting local palates since 1949! Located in a wooded area alongside a main road, it boasts a pleasant terrace, an attractive entrance hall and several spacious, bright dining rooms with a functional, contemporary feel and simple table settings. The cuisine here is focused on Catalan dishes with pride of place given to grilled dishes, including sausage, rabbit and pigs’ trotters, alongside a variety of local specialities such as the famous Mongetes del Ganxet – tender white beans which are only grown in this part of Catalunya.
Classic Cuisine
Almost everyone in Barcelona is aware of the legendary culinary status of Via Veneto! Even after half a century of service and change, the Monje family has retained the true values of this restaurant that seems anchored in the past, but which has been able to move with the times without losing an ounce of its personality. To an elegant and genuine Belle Époque backdrop, young chef David Andrés maintains the culinary status quo here through cuisine that underpins its classical heritage, albeit with a focus on a more modern technical approach and a select array of ingredients. Delicious game dishes (hare royale, red partridge with stewed cabbage, loin of venison etc) are also on the menu in season. Guests can visit the superb wine cellar, 6m underground, which boasts an outstanding collection of Spanish and French wines. A favourite dish here is the pressed roast duck cooked in its own jus and served two ways (for a minimum of two guests), which has featured on the menu since 1967!
Traditional Tapas
A tapas bar that defines itself as a “high tavern” of this culinary art. Choose from a menu of open sandwiches (montaditos), daily specials, delicious meats, and fish direct from the ocean, as well as the occasional rice dish at lunchtime.
Tasting Menu
Once over the threshold, a fascinating experience awaits at Cocina Hermanos Torres – one that transports guests to a world where time has stood still thanks to the magical setting and highly delicate Mediterranean cuisine that takes us away from our everyday day lives. The Torres twins (Sergio and Javier) dreamt of incorporating their culinary microcosmos into the heart of the dining room, transforming the culinary experience into a true spectacle, hence the three cooking stations that dominate the centre of the room, around which tables are arranged beneath romantic “clouds” of light. The cuisine here is centred on a superb tasting menu that invites guests on a gourmet journey extolling the very best seasonal and local ingredients, using them in such a way to extract maximum impact and flavour with a minimum of intervention. The menu features stunning dishes that will delight guests, such as the classic Sea and Mountains, eel pil-pil on a bed of Cristal piquillo peppers and black garlic, and the Iberian suckling pig with apricot and tamarind.
Fusion Food
Located in a residential neighbourhood in the Sants district, La Mundana is a former “vermutería” (vermouth bar) converted into a gastro-bar – and one that is always full! Here, chefs Alain Guiard and Marc Martin enjoy toying with flavours from around the world to create dishes with plenty of culinary personality and creativity, most notably through the flavours of the Mediterranean, France and Japan. In this relaxed atmosphere, with tables set close together and an open-view kitchen, choose from a menu designed for sharing, on which two “absolute musts” stand out: the Mundana “patatas bravas” and the Asian calamares. The extensive choice of vermouths is equally impressive.
Seafood
Fishølogy is a new project born to make known its philosophy regarding the sea and the products it offers. A restaurant concept based on examining and updating ancestral techniques used for the preparation and preservation of fish, canning, salting, maturing, pickling and smoking are just some of the techniques learned, developed and modernised that you can find in the Fishølogy Restaurant.
Vueling, part of IAG, is a major European low-cost airline and a leader in connections between the UK and Spain. The airline operates a daily service from London to Barcelona, offering an average of 53 flights per week throughout the winter season with single-fare prices starting at £26.19. Barcelona-El Prat Airport is Vueling’s main hub, operating a total of 86 connections to the rest of Spain and other destinations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. For more information: www.vueling.com/en
