Barcelona Restaurant Recommendations

[nimzo]

I'll put it down to being the last night before the annual holiday, the kitchen was obviously very talented but completely let down by the service.I'll try again in a few months but when holiday time is so valuable it is asking a lot to volunteer for bad service in a city with so many great places to eat.

[paulbrussel]

How very sorry! When I was there a couple of months ago, it was one of the two best meals I had in BCN, and service was fine with me.

But I must admit, I went for lunch, and there were not that many guests, although Xavier Pellicer told me in the evening (when I had dinner at his Àbac) that he had spotted me, so there was a table which could have been given more attention to then mine.

[lesz]

We are going to Abac next month for diner- in general what is the dress for these kinds of restaurants-do most people wear a jacket or is it not necessary- trying not to be a ugly american. thanks

[vserna]

Don't wear Madras shorts. Otherwise, jackets are required almost nowhere in Spain.

[Schneier]

Is there someone with a Spanish Michelin (or other restaurant guide) who can give me a hand?

I'm travelling, and I need to make some Barcelona restaurant reservations. I need someone to look up some restaurant phone numbers for me.

PM me if you can help, please.

And thank you,

Bruce

[vserna]

You can look it up yourself easily:

http://www.viamichelin.com/viamichelin/gbr.../MaHomePage.htm

http://www.guiacampsa.com/eng/infinito/gca...?Nivel=0&userg=

[paulbrussel]

Don't wear Madras shorts. Otherwise, jackets are required almost nowhere in Spain.

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True, but nevertheless, I found Àbac the most formal restaurant of BCN and people are more dressed up there then in the other modern restaurants, like Comerç 24, Alkimia or hisop.

[dfunghi]

Wow this is a great thread!! My wife and I wil be in BCN April 2005 for our 10th anniversary. We are staying just 2 blocks off Plazza Cataluna ( good choice?) in an apartment

http://www.gobcn.com/PASEO_DE_GRACIA/Paseo_de_Gracia.htm

for 95 euros a night. Six nights. One block from P. Gracia . We will not have a car until we leave and head for Figueres. We will probably go to Colibri for sure and would like one other top shelf reccomendation that is in town. What we really need are Rec's for little special places that are much more affordable. A friend said to try La Sopeta Una, but I couldnt find anything on the web. Any help? Any thoughts on this place? I know it is 7 months away but we like to plan, and the planning helps whet the appetite for all this travel.

We will be going to the Pyerenes after BCN so we are open to suggestions. Then it is off to San Sebastian for a return visit, we were there in 2000 and loved it. Then we were going to go into the Picos De Europa: Cain, Sotres, Valdeon, anyone know if it will be snowy then. We were there in Sept last time and it was glorious weather. From there it is off to Santiago and Galicia. We have about 2 weeks after we leave BCN. Any Galicia rec's for fresh seafood?

Thank you all ,

David

I am in Los Angeles USA if anyone needs advice.

[Bux]

In my opinion that's an excellent location from which to see Barcelona. There are many who prefer the gothic quarter, but I prefer your location and you're just minutes from the gothic quarter. My preference is to be just a few blocks north of the placa de Catalunya around the rambla de Catalunya and it seems you are right there.

You will certainly not need or want a car while you are in Barcelona unless you want to make a day trip outside the city and I'm not sure even that would be better made by public transportation. Lunch at Can Fabes or Sant Pau would be two top shelf dining destinations that I believe are accessible by train.

For inexpensive restaurants I've mentioned Can Majo before and I believe L'Olive was inexpensive and not far from where you are staying. Personally, I would not miss Jordi's Cinc Sentits having followed its creation here, but Barcelona has too many good restaurants to cover in a short stay.

[docsconz]

Try this thread for a good discussion on places in the Catalan Pyrenees.

I am looking forward to a visit to Cinc Sentits myself next week. I will report back on there and my other experiences.

[pedro]

You will certainly not need or want a car while you are in Barcelona unless you want to make a day trip outside the city and I'm not sure even that would be better made by public transportation. Lunch at Can Fabes or Sant Pau would be two top shelf dining destinations that I believe are accessible by train.

I would include Can Roca as another top self destination which is accessible by train. And worth the trip.

[Bux]

I would include Can Roca as another top self destination which is accessible by train. And worth the trip.

←

Indeed worth the journey from further away than Barcelona, but I wouldn't miss the chance to spend a day in Girona as well. Thus I don't think of it as a lunch trip from Barcelona.

[Silly Disciple]

I am looking forward to a visit to Cinc Sentits myself next week. I will report back on there and my other experiences.

←

I took some friends to Jordi's last week, for my third time there. Let me say the Artals are just getting better and better at it. We had the omakase tasting menu along with the wine pairing. Both the food and the service Jordi and his family offer are superb.

here's a list of what we had along with the wine provided by Amelia in a neatly printed sheet (so all errors are mine). She even gave me the spanish version, and my american friends the english one. Then my wife asked for the calatan version, and she got that as well :

snacks:

- shot of maple syrup, cream, cava sabayon and maldon rock salt

- foie gras torchon, crushed carquinyoli (described as Catalan biscotti) and violet marmalade.

-asparagus velouté with sea water gelée, berberecho, lemon peel marmalade, martini bianco.

wine: noilly prat (marseillan,france)

-langoustine with chilled ajoblanco soup, cubed melon and silvered marcona almonds.

schmitges erdeneer treppchen riesling spatlese 03 (vdp mosel, germany)

-soft poached egg with salmon confit, trout caviar and hollandaise sauce. This one is my wife's favourite.

oro de castilla sauvignon blanc (do rueda, spain)

-monkfish filet with orzo risotto, langoustine reduction with mascarpone.

cervoles 03 (do costers del segre, spain)

-artesanal foie gras, mango granité, vanilla oil. (this one is actually a cheat on our part. the dish isn't part of the tasting menu, but knowing that Jordi has access to amazing quality foie we specially asked for it).

chateau megyer tokaji aszu 95 (hungary)

-pan seared beef tenderloin, sauteed asparagus spears, demi-glaçe

care 01(do cariñena, spain) my argentine taste called for a stronger wine here, but that's just me.

-tomato granité, extra virgin olive oil, cabernet-sauvignon vinegar syrup

desserts:

-mascarpone mousse with cherry compote, crushed carquinyoli cookies, papantla vanilla ice cream.

moscatel mr (do magala, spain)

-kalamansi glaçe with white chocolate espuma, marcona almond brioche, citrus "shake".

vino naranja par (do condado de huelva, spain) orange flavored wine, quite interesting.

-petit fours.

The following day we went to Hisop. I will post my report soon on it, but let me say that Cinq Sentits' almost obsessive (in a good way ) care for detail, atmosphere and presentation, along with its super food beat Hisop easily. I'm going again in a few weeks to try Jordi's autumn menu. I wouldn't miss it for the world.

Silly.

[dfunghi]

This all sounds so good! Im in the right area and have found the right restaurants. Nice wine pairings at cinc. If Jordi reads this let me offer to bring some real old German wines that just love to go with Fois. '64 Finst Auslese ( Karthauserhoff) '71 Von Simmern BA, too name a couple. I have to see i think I have some '67 Von Shubert as well. BCN sounds like a great city. I cant wait.

David

[docsconz]

Out of these hotels, which one would you recommend?

Majestic, Condes de Barcelona, Claris, Avenida Palace.

I just stayed at The Condes de Barcelona. While it is a lovely hotel in terms of location (perfect) and the accomodations (very comfortable), the service left a bit to be desired. My understanding is that The Majestic is the better place to stay. They also have a highly regrded restaurant on the premises - Drolma. Om is another hotel I've heard some good things about. They have the restaurant Moo run by the Rocas.

[robert brown]

John, the Condes de Barcelona is my hotel of choice as a result of staying there soon after it opened in the early 1990s and liking it enough never to stay anywhere else. It’s a decent deal for the money. I do share your observation about the service, however. Last summer the front desk got the dates wrong of a few restaurant reservations and only after some pleading and arm-twisting did they force one that was fully booked to let us in. The manager reduced our bill as an apology. In the hotel’s favor is its very nice location across the street from Gaudi’s Casa Mila and a couple of blocks up the street from La Casa Battlo; the short walk to Cacao Sampacka; and within fairly easy walking distance to the old part of the Rambla and, of course, La Bocqueria market. The seventh floor of the newer building has some rooms with a balcony that look on Casa Mila and, from a distance the Sagrada Famillia. Ask for one.

[docsconz]

One thing the Condes de Barcelona did very well was cater our initial get together with various tapas. The best one was immaculately fried sweet shrimp right out of the fryer. Those were outstanding and still inspire profound salivation.

[bcnchef]

Nice wine pairings at cinc. If Jordi reads this let me offer to bring some real old German wines that just love to go with Fois.  '64 Finst Auslese (Karthauserhoff) '71 Von Simmern BA, too name a couple.

David -- How could we refuse an offer like that ?!

Email me when your travel dates get closer and we can nail things down.

J.

[Judith Gebhart]

Here is an article that mentions Alkimia, Colibri, Comerc 24, Hisop and Sauc...

Also mentions Arola - which is now open in the Hotel Arts...  Anyone been there yet?

http://foodandwine.netscape.com/invoke.cfm...43DFAE796DA74D8

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Yes and it was dreadful. I am speaking about Arola's efforts at the Arts hotel. It was as bad as anything could be for the Arts hotel. Until the Arts changes their major dining room restaurant's major chef, we will not support any food effort initiated by the hotel. J Gebhart

[docsconz]

What were the problems?

[Judith Gebhart]

What were the problems?

←

This was Serge Arola's Barcelona connection. We ate there thinking that La Broche's superb chef would contribute to the Arts long history of good chefs for their most prestigious dining room. WRONG! The impact of Arola's contribution to our dining experience in May, 2004 was grim. It was without a trace of Arola's talents.

The ambience of the dining room was a tribute to the hip 20's year old crowd. The music and bar scene had nothing to do with fine dining. The service was indifferent. It was a monumental, culinary disaster. We will never return until we have some reassurance that some talented chef is truly in charge. Gourmetour 2005 rated it 5 out of 10, their LOWEST classification. The Arts is a desirable hotel. Their serious dining location fails to deliver a decent meal. Judith Gebhart

[Judith Gebhart]

If there is any interest in BCN hotels, I would like to suggest two relatively new hotels on the P. de Gracias. We found the most architecturally balanced old and new, small boutique hotel to be the Prestige at no. 62, P de Gracias. The best rooms have a terrace overlooking the P. de Gracia and offer a marvelous view of Gaudi's Batlo. It has a marvelous young staff that is extremely helpful. The breakfast room is beautifully arranged and offers fare that competes with the best of the Claris and the Majestic. The price is right for the location.

The other newest architectural gem is the Casa Fuster which is a Modernista design of Montaner. This remarkable architectural masterpiece was carefully transformed into a lovely hotel on the P. de Gracia, just north of the Diagonal. It is very pricey. It is worth your scrutiny for its rich architectural features. It has a very nice dining room with an excellent chef as of October, 2004. There are some decoratiion decisions that can and should be challenged. The entire renovated environment is a pleasure to behold. It is worth at least one night to experience one of the greatest, Modernista talents available to the public.

We have never liked the Majestic. We have always loved the Claris. Our first BCN greatest hotel love is now priced beyond our pocketbook. It is a first rate destination. Judith Gebhart

[RickBehl]

Hi there,

I will be spending 3 nights in Barcelona from this Saturday and was wondering if anyone could point me in the direction of the best food available on a limited budget. I know a lot of mention has been made of places like Comerc 24 and Alkimia, etc but I think these may be quite expensive for me. What kind of prices can I expect to pay for a meal in a place like these ? My budget is probably between 30 and 60 Euros a head (including drinks and service).

Also, I have heard that a speciality of Spain not to be missed is the milk-fed lamb. Is there anywhere in Barcelona which is famous for this dish ?

We are actually thinking of driving to Figueres and/or Cadaques so any recommendations there would be appreciated too. I believe El Bulli is also located close to this region. How much does a meal cost there ? And how far in advance does one need to book ?

Thanks in advance

Rick

[Silly Disciple]

Hi Rick,

most of your questions have been answered in previous threads. Just search for the restaurant names and you'll find more information than I can re-hash here. Alkimia, Comerç 24 and the like will set you back about 70-90 euros a head. There are other, very interesting places that are a tad below that, such as Cinc Sentits, Hisop or Colibri (this last one might be actually a bit more expensive, not sure).

elBulli is both out of budget (thing 250 eur a head), plus it's nearly impossible to get a reservation, the booking season opens in October and closes within a few days.

However do not miss Figueres and Cadaques, they are both lovely.

For cheap good places in Barcelona, please see this thread, or this one, or this one

Hope it helps,

SD

[Bux]

. . . .

elBulli is both out of budget (thing 250 eur a head), plus it's nearly impossible to get a reservation, the booking season opens in October and closes within a few days.

. . . .

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I believe the actual meal cost is 155 €. Wine is additional, as is mineral water and coffee. A couple can get out for perhaps 200 € a head if you don't drink much. There are plenty of wines for under 30 €. Silly Disciple negleted to mention that plenty of people sent in a reservation request the same day the reservations were opened, yet didn't get a reservation. If you have to ask when to book at elBulli, you're not going to get a reservation.

By milk fed lamb, I believe you're more accurately speaking about suckling lamb, which I believe is cordero lechal (Expect Pedro to arrive with the correct spelling any minute. I will continue to let him embarrass me by exposing my illiteracy in Spanish. Hell, I'll let him correct my English as well as long as he continues to introduce me to Madrid's less known, but exceptional worthy restaurants.) Milk fed lamb might suggest older lamb that's been fed a milk diet. These are exceptionally young lambs that are still suckling. Think of veal or suckling piglets. Barcelona is not particularly a place known for such a dish, though I suspect it may be available at one of the asadors, restaurants that specialize in roast meats.

Silly Disciple give lie to his name with his good suggestions. Much of the information you want is already in the forum. Members are more likely to post information that is fresh in their mind than to rehash what they've already posted. You can eat espensively or inexpensively in Barcelona and you can eat poorly or well all along the range. Tapas are inexpensive, but dining on tapas can be deceptively expensive if your appetite is large. I think guides such as those of Michelin and Campsa are often more useful at the low end than at the high end. It often seems as if everyone knows the great restaurants. It's the local neighborhood restaurant recommendations that are often most useful from Michelin and Campsa. A good guide for the tourist is to avoid most places that are in the areas you're likely to be in. They are often tourist traps, and the best restaurants in these parts of town are those that cater to the well heeled gastronome. Restaurants generally (always by law?) post a menu outside of the restaurant. If you speak Catalan, look for a restaurant that doesn't post menus for tourists. Barring that, if you speak Spanish, look for a restaurant that offers a Spanish menu for tourist use. A restaurant with an English menu is more likely to be catering to tourists at the low end. At the high end, it's a different story as the very best multistarred restaurants all cater to international gastrotourism and will have menus in English and waiters who speak English. English is the lingua franca of both business and gastronomy in Europe. The Germans and Japanese order in English along with the Americans and British.