When you think of Spain you might think of medieval time era, spanish dialect and languages, or architecture. However, something that defines Spain and different regions all throughout the country is its recipes and food.
The great thing about Barcelona is no matter the weather, people are always outside. The locals typically have a large lunch and then a super late dinner. You'll find restaurants closed from 4-7 or 8pm and prime time to eat dinner at 9pm. There are a ton of restaurants with heat lamps for outdoor seating even when it's a little chilly out. Thankfully, we have a full list of tapas, restaurants and bars we went to for a great view and time during your stay in this beautiful city. We included a mix of tapas (small bites/dishes), desserts and drinks during our trip.
Top Tapas & Dishes To Try:
Paella: This is a must in Spain in general. The origin of paella started in Valencia but over time cities all over Spain put their own spin on the dish. The "real paella" is rice with rabbit, chicken and pork but our favorite is the seafood paella. You can find this dish almost anywhere! You can also find great cooking classes to prepare this even at home.
Potatas Bravas: Fried chopped potatoes with pink sauce. This is a common thing to see on all the restaurant and cafe menus, commonly had during lunch or dinner.
Pa amb Tomàquet: Better known as a warm, lightly toasted bread rubbed with garlic and the juice of a tomato and seasoned with olive oil, salt, and pepper. France can move over when it comes to bread. This is such a speciality in Spain and great to start with.
Pulpo a la Gallega: A boiled octopus dish that has been a main ingredient for centuries. It is typically seasoned with olive oil, paprika, and salt. This was one of our favorite dishes!
Pimientos de Padrón: This dish is similar similar to shishito peppers. It is cooked with olive oil salt and pepper.
Bombas: Barcelona is known for their croquettes and bombas are basically their croquette on steroids. This tennis-ball size croquette is usually served with a garlic aioli or a spicy red sauce. You can find meat and seafood versions of this!
Bocadillo: You'll notice signs for bocadillos at all the cafes. It's super common to see people walking down the street with baguettes and wine. This is similar to a sandwich and made with a Barra de pan and whatever meat they have (FYI the jamon (ham) in Barcelona is to die for! You'll also see this everywhere you go and is staple here.)
Churros con Chocolate: Churros with warm chocolate is irresistible here. In Catalan, churros are xurreria. The xurrerias all ver Barcelona but the best churro spots are in the Gothic Quarter and down La Ramblas.
Sangria: We typically don't ever get sangria because it's too sweet but we had this at a few places and it was just perfect. Some of the best we ever had! You can also get an entire pitcher for less then 10 Euros.
Cava: Even before sangria, you must try Cava here. This is a Catalonian/Spanish specialty to have. It is their sparkling wine similar to a champagne.
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