Tapas in Barcelona, an exhilarating culinary journey
Barcelona is a multicultural and cosmopolitan city built by generations of people – and their cultures – who’ve settled here over time, all leaving a variety of traditions and customs behind as gifts to the city, giving Barcelona a distinct personality of its own.
And this veritable melting pot can be seen nowhere more clearly than in the city’s food scene, with a wide range of restaurants and bars that win over the palates of every visitor through their quality creations. Andalusian, Basque, French ‘nouvelle cuisine’ and, of course, Mediterranean and Catalan dining all converge in Barcelona to become one of the city’s greatest attractions.
Alongside world-class restaurants and cuisine based on the revered Mediterranean diet, Spain is also known for its unbeatable tapas bars. And Barcelona is no stranger to great tapas either, with plenty of wonderful, laid back dining spots where you can enjoy this miniature culinary art at its finest.
Over the decades, Barcelona has seen parts of the city spring up that are tapas destinations in their own right, thanks to the warm hospitality and great menus you’ll find there.
Most popular places in Barcelona for tapas
One of the most popular places in Barcelona for tapas is Mercado del Borne, which you’ll find next to Ciudadela Park and just fifteen minutes from the HCC Montblanc hotel. Better known simply as El Born, this neighbourhood perfectly blends classic and authentic eateries with others that are firmly committed to embracing the modern world, and your dining options here have certainly grown in number over recent years.
Here you’ll find everything from tapas bars paying homage to traditional Basque cuisine and those serving up the best ‘pintxos’ in town, which come from San Sebastian or Bilbao, for example, to others that serve up classic montaditos, as well as those putting a whole new twist on traditional stews and casseroles, like albóndigas, butifarra and fideuá.
As El Born merges into the Gothic Quarter, you’ll find lots of great tapas bars that have opened up here in recent years, right on the doorstep of some of the top tourist attractions in Barcelona. The most traditional tapas wine bars rub shoulders with the most daring and modern dining spots in this part of the city that never stops pushing the boundaries.
Tapas bars in Barcelona
Like in many other capitals, tapas bars in the Ciudad Condal are located in places that are highly attractive to tourists. Another example is the Las Ramblas area, where you’ll find a good number of establishments with plenty of allure. It’s particularly advisable to explore the vicinity of La Boqueria Market to savor Barcelona’s finest homemade creations crafted with great care.
Tapas hopping in the city is incomplete without a visit to the Gracia neighborhood. It’s another key sector in this gastronomic journey. Gracia blends eateries featuring cuisine from various corners of the world with highly creative venues that emphasize the presentation of tapas and the decor of their spaces.
An area that has been gaining prominence in recent times is the Eixample district. In a neighborhood where you’ll find the HCC Regente, Taber, and St. Moritz hotels, tapas take on more alternative and sophisticated forms thanks to a series of establishments aiming to distinguish themselves from the rest of Barcelona, giving this district its own unique character. It’s a way to break away from the ordinary and sample new and daring proposals to conclude another stage of this exciting culinary journey through Barcelona’s tapas scene.
Categories: barcelona
