El born restaurants: El Born | Spanish Restaurant in Brooklyn, NY

The best restaurant recommendations in El Born neighbourhood

El Born is where just about everything fashionable happens in Barcelona – great art, fabulous clothes and jewellery design, innovative restaurants and cool wine bars. DestinationBCN has carefully curated a section of the best restaurants and tapas bars in El Born for you to discover. The tree-lined Passeig del Born is the pedestrian-friendly central thoroughfare of Born and is book-ended by a 19th-century market building and the beautiful 14th-century Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar. Highlights of the less touristy part of El Born, Sant Pere include Domènech i Montaner’s magical Palau de la Música.

Located just behind Mercat Del Born is La Parateda (one of their 4 canteen-style seafood restaurants in the city) where you can eat some of the best seafood in Barcelona on a budget. If you’re looking for authentic tapas in El Born, Bar del Pla and Cal Pep are great bustling places loved by locals. Discover why Barcelona is obsessed with vermouth in the gorgeous little bar Casa Lolea, which serves up tapas and drinks including their own blend of artisan sangria.

Restaurants in El Born PDF download

Bar del Pla is conveniently located in the heart of El Born and serves delicious tapas all day long. Selling itself as more of a bar that also serves great food or a restaurant with the relaxed atmosphere of a bar…

Tapas

Price: €

Carrer de Montcada 2, 08003 Barcelona
T: +34 932683003
Bar del Pla

You often find queues out into the square with people trying to get in, so be prepared to elbow your way to the bar. Sample Catalan classics at this tapas bar, among the 70+ dishes available. Omelette with crumbled sausage, Trifàsic (combination of calamari, whitebait and prawns) and Baked artichokes stuffed with onions and black olives are examples of what you can find on offer here.

Catalan classics and tapas

Price: €€€

Plaça de les Olles 8, 08003 Barcelona
T: +34 933107961
Cal Pep website

This cosmopolitan and bohemian styled bistro is reminiscent of an upscale literary café in Paris. It is well known for its fish, so much so that they refuse to serve it on a Sunday because they can’t get it fresh. Galician oysters, razor clams and hake are just some of what you’ll find on the menu. Meat eaters can look forward to crispy duck Wontons, Beef tenderloin and more!

Seafood (except on Sundays!)

Price: €€

Carrer de la Fusina 7, 08003 Barcelona
T: +34 933151776
Café Kafka

This little vermuteria, decorated in red, white and black offers vermouth, wine, cocktails, artisanal Lolea-brand sangria and a selection of classic tapas and aperitivo dishes.

Classic tapas and small dishes

Price: €€

Carrer de Sant Pere Més Alt 49, 08003 Barcelona
T: +34 936241016
Casa Lolea

A popular semi ‘self-service’ seafood restaurant. Fresh seafood is ordered from the counter as if you were on the market. They prepare it however you want and you can pick it up from the counter afterwards. A unique, casual, no frills, great price/quality offer.

Seafood

Price: €

Carrer Comercial 7, 08003 Barcelona
T: +34 932681939
La Paradeta

Located on a side street across from Palau de la Musica, this little Italian restaurant serves typical pasta dishes as well as regional specialities such as Burrata in a cosy, charming setting.

Italian

Price: €€

Carrer de Verdaguer i Callís 4, 08003 Barcelona
T: +34 932690780
Le Cucine Mandarosso

The owners Fran Heras (chef and gastronomical director who previously worked with Ferrán Adriá at elBulli) and Eva Arbonés (head chef and interior designer) have a restaurant in Asturias and decided to share their culinary cuisine with Catalunya. In this former bodega, you can expect tasty dishes such as Tuna teriyaki, Langostinos de Trigueros, Arroz negro and plenty more. Great for pica-pica.

Spanish (Austurian) and small sharing dishes

Price: €€

Carrer de la Fusina 5, 08003 Barcelona
T: +34 933196250
Llamber

A very good seafood restaurant. You don’t order, they keep bringing you dishes and cava (about 8 courses). Very authentic restaurant located in Born area. From the street you can’t see the restaurant. There is a bank on the corner of the same building called ‘La Caixa’ with a yellow logo. You enter through a narrow hallway; the restaurant is in the back.

Seafood tasting menus

Price: €€€€

Pla de Palau 2, 08003 Barcelona
T: +34 933101021
Passadis del Pep

BEST RESTAURANTS IN EL BORN, BARCELONA

Born is one of those places in the world where time flies. A little quarter from Barcelona with narrow alleys and short streets where you can get lost admiring its authentic shops and eating at el Born restaurants. And you only realize how late it is when you start feeling hungry!

If you’ve been walking around for a long time shopping or sightseeing, it’s time to discover the best restaurants you can choose in this singular neighborhood of Barcelona. Ready?

AROUND THE ALLEYS OF THE BORN WITH US

These are our favorite restaurants in El Born:​

Montiel​

This nice and well decorated restaurant in El Born near the Picasso Museum was awarded on 2014 as the “Travellers’ Favourite Fine Dining Restaurants” on Tripadvisor. Its chef defines its restaurant as a “gastronomic space” with slow food philosophy: it means good, fairtrade and quality products. They offer a menu with a supplement for wine pairing if you wish. Or “à la carte” where there’s always some improvised dish depending on what’s fresh from the market and the cook’s inspiration that day.

READ REVIEWS AND BOOK YOUR TABLE >>

Pla de la Garsa

A restaurant off the beaten path serving Catalan cuisine. Their menu is short but full of interesting choices such as the Tou dels Til·lers cheese as well as traditional dishes such as their canneloni (upgraded with a cep bechamel – yum). It’s antique decoration that transports you back to the early 1900’s make it for a romantic dinner as well.

READ REVIEWS AND BOOK YOUR TABLE >>

Sagàs​

The Rovira’s family is from Sagàs, a little town north of Catalunya where, as the majority of the local population, they work as farmers. They cultivate the land and grow their animals, and finally they decided to cook their food and use all their products at their family restaurant: from land to the plate.

DISCOVER THE BEST TAPAS IN EL BORN WITH US

Now in their Born restaurant they offer sandwiches and salads, but also some main Catalan dishes as well. Their hamburgers are worth trying, as well as their patatas bravas and their desserts.

READ REVIEWS AND BOOK YOUR TABLE >>

Cal Pep​

The only 20 stools in Cal Pep are some of the most coveted el Born Barcelona restaurants: people starts lining up by the bar door way before it opens. Fresh, delicious and local products make for a traditional cuisine conceived to be served as tapas. It’s a pricey meal, but a memorable one.

They don’t take reservations, but if waiting in line before they open isn’t your thing, you might want to check out their sister restaurant Passadis del Pep, just one block away. Just be warmed: there’s no menu there. They’ll start bringing you food and more food until you can’t take any more!

BOOK YOUR TABLE IN PASSADIS DEL PEP >>

Llamber

After its successful restaurant in Avilés (Asturias), Fran Heras and Eva Arbonés decided to open LLamber Barcelona in an old fruit warehouse. They kept the original characteristics of the warehouse and preserved its charm by mixing rustic and industrial decoration. 

Their aim is creating minimalist creative tapas dishes to share. And in order to approach its cuisine to the general public, they offer a free tapa with every glass of wine ordered at the the bar (they offer 30 different wines by the glass).

READ REVIEWS AND BOOK YOUR TABLE >>

AND FINALLY! What El Born restaurant is our favorite to go for tapas after visiting the Picasso Museum?

Bar del Pla​

Located near the Picasso Museum, you’ll be surprised that the crowds of tourists haven’t discovered it yet: instead it’s mostly frequented by local foodies… and our guides with their guests! Make sure to order their amazing croquettes and their patatas bravas. It’s always a good idea to order a bunch of dishes to share.

SKIP LINES AT THE MUSEU PICASSO WITH US

READ REVIEWS AND BOOK YOUR TABLE >>

Do you know any other awesome restaurants in el Born?​

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AUTHOR BIO

Marta is the founder of ForeverBarcelona. She is a passionate tour guide that loves Barcelona and loves writing too. She is the main author of our Blog, and is committed to sharing her knowledge about Barcelona and her best tips with our readers.

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