ITALIAN

The charm of this Italian restaurant is not only the quality of the food but its  reasonable prices and relaxed atmosphere.  The pizzas are particularly good – so thin and freshly made in-house. The style is Neapolitan, which means the pizzas are wafer-thin. That said, do try the pasta too. Situated in one of the busiest plazas just north of Barceloneta, at the seafront, the best way to dine here is to reserve a table outside and watch the world go past. I saw film director Francis Ford Coppola once. Do reserve or you will be left waiting a while.

TAPAS

El Vaso de Oro
c/Balboa,6
Barceloneta
Tel: 93 319 30 98
Price range: Medium
Metro: Barceloneta

This tapas bar combines great food with pure theatre as the white-uniformed staff do not just serve the clientele, but make jokes, tease them and – if they are lucky – finally serve them. The bar itself is almost always full but this is not simply because the bar is so narrow that everyone has to squeeze in; it is down to the quality of the food. Their seafood is invariably very fresh, but also worth trying are their peppers and patatas bravas (roast potatoes served with hot sauce). The diners are a mixture of  foreigners, locals from what is still a rough area and passing trade.

If you only want to try one tapas bar in Barcelona, this should be the one. As you walk into what is a tiny bar, you are surrounded by hundreds of bottles of every kind of drink you can imagine stacked up to the ceiling.  It is quite simply dazzling. But this is not simply a bar, because there is a good selection of tapas to accompany whatever you fancy drinking. I would recommend a glass of chilled cava and a plate of anything with octopus, anchovies or perhaps some fresh prawns, but don't let me influence you. For those with big appetites, this might be the ideal place to come for some tapas before moving-on for a sit-down meal elsewhere.  Not cheap, but well worth a visit before you move on. 

BASQUE

You can sit down at the tables, but that would be missing the point. The fun here is eating deliciously innovative Basque tapas – or 'pinxhos' – at the bar while you stand. All the dishes are spiked on sticks and when you are finished you leave them on your plate. At the end, the staff count up the sticks and charge you accordingly. If your 'pinxhos' were on a yellow plastic 'sword' it means it will cost you a bit more. But I doubt you will mind, as many of the concoctions are a great mixture of fish, fresh crabs or prawns or vegetables. They keep changing their menu to ensure regulars return. Don't miss the waiters pouring your wine, or cider, from an impossibly high point into a tiny glass with great precision. This is as much a fun night out as an eating experience.

MEDITERRANEAN

Dimly-lit and with subtly understated décor, Basilico is a relative newcomer on the exhausted Barcelona restaurant scene. The food is a mixture of styles from across the Mediterranean, mostly combining French, Italian and Spanish touches. A charming dish, for example, is a tomato-bread soup with a basil ice cream, in homage to the restaurant's name. Or another main course worth trying is 'spicy' prawns in sauce with spaghetti, though it being Spain, these will not burn you. Not at the cheaper end of the market, you may walk away with little change from EUR 30 note for a dinner for two. One of the appeals is how quiet the place is – a rarity in Spain. There is an excellent choice of  wine and the temptation to imbibe will, of course, bump the bill up still further. But given the quality, you will have few qualms. This is the kind of place you end up coming back to time after time.  

This is the place the stars like coming to, judging from the autographs of film director Pedro Almodovar, among others, on the wall. The ambience is sober, smart and chic. Part of the fun of dining here is not just star-spotting but enjoying the sharp design of the place.The food is described as "creative Mediterranean" and that is about right. One dish which is a speciality, for instance, is carpacchio de buey (ox) with fois gras but there are many others. Barcelona's smarter set dine here for good reason and it is also popular with first-time visitors to the city.

MEDITERRANEAN SEAFOOD

Looking out on the sea from one of their tables while you dine, you can understand why this is one of the most sought-after restaurants in the city. It manages to combine a simple elegance and is the perfect place for a romantic supper for two. A speciality is rice and seafood. One plate is cod with saffron or many types of risotto served with fish. Strangely a touch of Italian mixed with seafood. The clientele are mostly tourists, foreigners and well-heeled Spaniards.

PAKISTANI

Pakistani and Indian food is all the rage now in Barcelona as many more immigrants from that part of the world do what they do almost everywhere – open restaurants. This place will be a surprise, though, as it offers very little in the way of creature comfort, and leaves all that to the food, which is superlative. Not on the hot side of things, you may have to ask if you want a curry to leave you with that scorched-earth feeling. Simple but great and at a reasonable price. The acid test is you will see many Pakistani diners in here.

NOUVELLE CUISINE

For a once in a blue moon experience, this is it. Where else can you have courses like this: 'Peas cream with chorizo (sausage) ice cream' or 'rabbit with snails, caramelised apple and mushroom sausage'. And don't worry, they cater well for vegetarians. Course after course is a surprise, and they change the menu regularly to stop people getting bored. Though each course doesn't add up to much, after seven of them, you are full and cannot take anymore. Another nice touch is the place is very quiet, unlike many Spanish restaurants. A meal for four will not come cheap – ours was EUR 260. But though this might sound a lot, it is actually value for money, not just for the novelty factor, but the quality of the dishes.

SPANISH

Fine Spanish food served in delightful surrounds. You can sit outside and look out across Montjuic, the mountain which dominates the Barcelona skyline and, as such, the highest point in the city itself. The gardens are secluded and there are only three or four tables, which adds a certain intimacy to a meal. Some outstanding dishes are the jamon Iberico, risotto with special mushrooms, fresh shellfish or just fish and foie gras. The quality of the produce is clearly very good yet it is cooked very simply. Really for special occasions, this restaurant is worth taking most of the evening over. Perhaps it would be a good place to impress visitors who have come to see you from home.  The name comes from the cats who really do linger around the fountain at the restaurant.

October 2004

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Subject: Barcelona restaurant guide, living in Spain