I'd seen a couple of negative reviews and wasn't sure what to expect, but once we arrived, it became pretty clear that some folks might just be viewing the experience through an American lens. When we showed up for our reservation, an American couple without one was shocked to hear they couldn't be seated. They argued, the hostess eventually gave in, and the couple ended up being loud and more than a little tipsy. Moments like that make it easier to understand how misunderstandings happen when traveling. A little politeness, not arguing, and making even a small effort with the local language go a long way. Self-awareness helps, too. As for us, we had a fantastic time -- warm service and excellent food. It's an upscale place, but we paid only €135 for a starter sampler, paella, lamb chops, a spinach side, two oysters, and three glasses of wine. We left very happy. Please try it! Relax and enjoy the fact you are experiencing another culture. read more

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I am writing this review as a warning to others, particularly to people of color and tourists visiting this restaurant. Our group of five -- four Black diners and myself, a white man -- had a reservation for 6:00 PM on Mother's Day. One of the guests was a mother being celebrated for the occasion. We were not seated for 20 minutes after our reservation time. Once seated, not a single staff member acknowledged us. No water, no bread, no greeting -- nothing. We watched in real time as tables seated after ours were promptly welcomed, offered drinks, and served food. After 25 minutes of being completely ignored, I personally got up and approached the hostess to ask where our server was. She gave a vague non-answer. We waited another 15 minutes. Still nothing. We left without being served. I want to be clear about what we witnessed: this was not a busy night gone sideways. This was a pattern. Other tables were being cared for. Ours was not. Whether this reflects racism, anti-tourist bias, or both, I cannot say with certainty -- but I can say with confidence that the treatment our group received was unacceptable and humiliating, particularly on a day meant to honor a mother. Avoid this restaurant. read more

Our favorite restaurant in Barcelona. One of Barcelona's most iconic and historic restaurants, 7 Portes was founded in 1836 and is renowned for its classic Catalan cuisine--especially rice dishes and paella. Located under the arcades of the Porxos d'en Xifré near the waterfront, it has long been a gathering place for artists, writers, and intellectuals, blending traditional gastronomy with a rich cultural legacy. Excellent food and service-- read more

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I mean I am not from around these parts, but where I am from if you bring bread and put it on my table without me asking for it you do not turn around and charge me for it. We were dismissed immediately, assuming because we are American, and getting someone to take an order and deliver the food was a chore. Ordered the paella because that is what you should order in Spain and its only seasoning was salt. Rice was not done right and the dish just fell flat. Do not come here if this is the dish you desire. read more

I hate to complain, BUT, our Pallas was way over cooked, the mussels we not impressive and dry., the cannelloni was tasteless. Almost feels like a tourist trap, very disappointed with service and dinner. The waitstaff wasn't attentive at all, extremely slow as well. Just a complete disaster of a meal, very sad as I was excited dine here. read more

7 Portes hosted us for a bachelorette dinner on our first full night in Spain and it was pretty good. Our dinner reservation was at 21:30 and like all Spanish/Catalonian meals, we didn't leave until close to midnight. They are known for their large portions of paella here so I was glad to see there was a vegan-friendly one with a medley of veggies including aubergine. My friend and I were able to split their House Salad (€11,50) and just one portion of paella (€20,50), which was honestly perfect for the two of us. The salad was fresh with excellent tomatoes but we found the paella to definitely be on the saltier side. I think I enjoyed the salad more at the end of the day. Ask for oil and balsamic on the side - otherwise they pour a LOT on top of your greens. Service here was pretty good and our waiter took good care of us. With a large group, we dined at our own little corner so it felt like a private room at the end of the day. Food overall was fine but nothing mind blowing. Fun fact: we apparently ate at the same table that Harrison Ford once dined. Must be why they consider themselves to be a popular restaurant in Barcelona. read more

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Food was very good and service impeccable. Atmosphere was also very nice. We enjoyed this great restaurant!

Had a great server (Josué)! Was helpful with recommendations and explaining the different dishes. Was attentive but not pushy or overbearing. He also had a good sense of humor! The cod croquettes were amazing! Tried the esqueixada (cod salad) and it was prepared well but just wasn't for us. The seafood paella was good but would need to try other restaurants to compare. Sangria was very good! read more

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We came at maybe around 8 pm on a weeknight and were seated right away without a reservation. It was fancy inside and a lot of people. Each dining table had a little plaque saying which famous person sat there before like Picasso or Robert De Niro. Our server was very nice and service was decently quick. We got the paella ( 2 servings ), roasted vegetables, Canolenes 7 Portes, and a seasonal artichokes with Jamon Iberico dish. Everything was very very good, our favorites being the paella and canelones. We even got some free little booklets and a tour of the entire restaurant! Very friendly and great service and great food! read more

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Best meal we had in Barcelona so far. Great seafood, very fresh and perfectly cooked. Side veggies were amazing. Implacable service and highly personalized. Very charming and classy restaurant. A bit pricey but certainly well worth it. read more

7 Portes - Crema catalana - Mediterranean Near Me - Barcelona, B

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Went here on a recommendation from our hotel. The complementary bread was so delicious! We tried several paella's but not ones with seafood due to allergies. Paella was okay, had better at other restaurants but the other items we ordered were delicious. Good service and accommodation for a large group was great. read more

October 7, 2023. Saturday. 11:00 PM. Dinner. I made reservations for this restaurant over a month in advance. This would be our first meal in Spain and I wanted it to be special. We had booked a flamenco show at Tablao Flamenco Cordobes at 9:00 PM, before this meal. However, due to flight delays, we had to reschedule our flamenco show for another day. By the way, if you are in Barcelona, it is well worth seeing this flamenco show! We barely made our reservation to 7 Portes due to there being several hotels with similar names. Needless to say, we showed up at the front desk of 7 Portes with luggage in tow. The host accommodated us, locked up our luggage and sat us immediately. Our waiter, Sebastian, gave us a tour of the upstairs. This had a special private room for two overlooking the outdoor seating area and several group rooms. This place has been in business for over 120 years and the marble tiles, impeccable service and attention to detail tell why. We ordered Paella Parellada (26.50 euros), Paella Manolete (25.50 euros), a bottle of Pago de Carraovejas red wine (60.50 euros), water without gas (3.60 euros), and my wife had flan (7.70 euros). The waiter recommended the red wine. They charged for the bread (2.80 euros) they brought us, but so do all restaurants across Europe. The wine paired beautifully with the two paellas. Of the two paellas, we both enjoyed the Parellada paella more, it contained: chicken, pork loin, squid, Catalan sausage, king prawn, mussels and half a lobster tail. The Manolete has: chicken, sausage, pork loin, cuttlefish, king prawns, mussels and crayfish. The meat and seafood were not overly abundant, but they weren't too skimpy either. They brought generous portions of bread and butter. I liked the nice touch of listing a famous person that had previously sat at our table in the bill. Our famous person was the Italian writer, Andrea Camilleri, who died in 2019. This beautiful, ancient restaurant does indeed have 7 doors, clean bathrooms and outstanding service. Make sure to make a reservation in advance. Although the outdoor seating was nice, I'm glad we choose to eat indoors because we experienced more of the tradition of the restaurant. read more

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We got the squid paella and the mixed paella as well as the Catalan crème brûlée. The food was fine, but not amazing. The servers were not very attentive. It is fun that there is so much history here and the atomosphere was cute. We loved strolling the port beforehand its and a great location. read more

The food is way too salty and the staff are very unfriendly. I wouldn't recommend this place at all.

Decent restaurant, good attention and pricey. Food was good but nothing out of this world.

We had early dinner reservations at 7 Portes since we had a bar booking later that night. We arrived around 4:45pm for our 5:00pm reservation and they were able to sit us early. To start, we had an order of the seasonal mushroom croquettes. They were quite good - very crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside. We had 2 portions of their lobster and seafood paella. This was fine, but nothing earth shattering or something that I felt like I needed to write home about. For dessert, we had the crema catalana, which was really nice and our first time actually having it in Barcelona. Service as very friendly and attentive. All in all, I thought it was a fine meal. I'm not sure I would recommend this meal to anyone who is asking for recommendations. read more

We got the traditional lobster paella and the T-bone steak. The paella tastes just ok but probably because we prefer paella with meat and just want to try out. The T-bone steak on the other hand is a definite hit! Great wine pairing from the staff as well! read more

The paella was excellent but so gigantic and overpriced. I ate 1/3 of it despite there being 5 of us. Had snails for the first time. They were cold and in the shell, so they were hard to get out. Not my cup of tea. I'd rather try French escargot for the first time The live pianist played classics Imagine, Here Comes the Sun, and Frank Sinatra read more

7 Portes - Paella - Mediterranean Near Me - Barcelona, B

Food and service were excellent. The atmosphere was subdued but cool. The paella was delicious as was the sangrias we had. read more

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food is so so but the restaurant staff are rude and less than truthful. They say pick pocketing is bad in Barcelona but never expected this-with in 10 minutes of forgetting our camera we returned to get it to be told they did not see it. It was placed where only the staff would have access to where it was left. the manager was rude and less than helpful in this. read more

They get a five, food was delicious, croquetas amazing, The paella Catalan style was delicious, fresh seafood. Our server Carlos was fantastic attentive, knowledgeable And so pleasant, made great suggestions. If ever in Barcelona a must go. read more

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Recommended! Unique experience and historic restaurant. Staff were pros. The paella and veal were excellent.

I had high hopes for this restaurant. We went recently for our wedding anniversary and wanted a special place to celebrate. I will say the 100 year old interior is lovely, and the food is fine- 7/10. The service was absolutely abysmal. Not only did our server seem annoyed by our presence, he also intentionally ignored us after getting our initial order. He brought bread and olives to the table that we assumed were free, as they were nowhere on the menu. It turns out they were 12€ for 3 pieces of bread. My son ordered a grilled seafood plate, he charged us an additional 40€ because we decided to each have some and the price was "per person" WTF?! It took 25 minutes to get an espresso at the end of the meal, the ice cream we ordered arrived mostly melted, our server inexplicably disappeared for a very long time. There is SO much amazing food in Barcelona, this is not a place I'd recommend to anyone. Skip it unless you like surprises when you get the bill. read more

Delicious food and friendly service to tourists! We made a reservation, and were quickly seated outside. One thing to note for tourists: it's very difficult to get tap water served to you. More likely than not, you will be given bottled water that is around two euros. The croquettes are a star! Super crispy on the outside, filled with soft, creamy potato and cheese on the inside, you can't get enough of these. The seafood paella is superb! A serving of four really will feed a group of four for two meals. The lobster tail is tender and lightly seasoned, not too heavy. The rice is flavored very deeply; there are many nuances to the rice that will keep you coming back with your plate. It is a little heavy, but that is usually all paella. The rataouille is delicious! Light, well seasoned, and filled with veggies, it is a welcome reprieve from the heaviness of paella and croquettes. Overall, a delicious introduction to Barcelona. read more

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7 Portes in Barcelona, Spain was recommended to us by locals. We were not disappointed. The environment was old school classy. The noise level was low which allowed for conversation. The service was on point. Our server helped us to navigate the menu and recommend very good wine. The food was delicious and our server's recommendations were on point. I enjoyed the dining experience and recommend 7 Portes. read more

Alberto was our amazing waiter. the food and ambiance was great. a great authentic restaurant where you will feel welcomed

Came here because it was touted to have the best paella, but meh.. hard pass. The paella was soggy and lacking flavor, which was a big disappointment. We had the grilled mushrooms and the octopus, both were good but not wow. Service is extremely slow and prices are on the high side. You can definitely get way better food elsewhere. read more

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Came here for dinner on Saturday night. The ambiance was very touristy. All filled with Gringos and Americans. Piano bar was playing the usual cocktail favourites and some Cold Play melodies. We each ordered Senora CARMENES fish plates. It was Cod with a dough topping and some white beans. Good enough Me thinks. read more

7 Portes - Piano bar - Mediterranean Near Me - Barcelona, B

This place needs more 1 star reviews. We came here our second to last night in Barcelona after over a week of wonderful food and restaurant service. Had we gone on our first night we probably would have enjoyed it more but after 8 days of authentic Spanish cooking, coming here felt like a tourist trap. Do I think that a famous person has sat in every one of those seats? No! Was the entire restaurant only filled with American tourists? Yes! Paella was the worst we had this week. If we had had it in the states people would review this place as unauthentic. the prices are horrible and raised higher than other places because you are paying a "tourist tax". it was the most expensive ticket we had whole trip. if you haven't never traveled to Europe and Barcelona is your first stop/trip. I'd recommend going here. The atmosphere is catered to tourists and Americans so it's a nice first stop to dip your toes in before getting a little more adventurous/authentic. And as other people have mentioned the ambiance is nice. read more

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My husband and I travelled for the first time with our 7 month old infant and his parents (back up babysitters!) to Barcelona for a week to attend a wedding in Montbui, sightsee all the attractions, but mainly EAT all the delicious foods in the area!! 7 Portes was recommended on our friend's wedding website as a good sit-down place for paella. I was excited that there was an option to make reservations through theFork so I happily made it for our last night prior to our departure the next morning. Unfortunately, during the day of the reservation, the in-laws were not feeling so great so they decided to stay in and watch the baby and my husband and I would go on a romantic date and bring back food for them. We arrived right on time for our reservation at 630pm and informed them that unfortunately, there was only 2 of us instead of 4 adults + baby. I can see the hostess whispering back and forth to the host and that, my friend, is when everything started to go downhill. We were lead to the back corner area and sat in what we found to be the "American" corner as there was a large group of loud, obnoxious, Americans behind us. Our server did not come to greet us until 10 minutes after we sat down. We ordered the steamed vegetables for the appetizers, the vegetable & meat paella for the main dish, and decided to split a bottle of wine for dinner as this was our last night. It took nearly 20 minutes for the server to come back to our table with wine and another 10 minutes for our "steamed" vegetables to arrive. I attached a photo to this review as the vegetables came out COLD and drenched in OIL. My husband and I decided to just let it go and was thinking maybe its our fault for trying to order steamed veggies as an appetizer (seriously... that was my husband trying to be healthy LOL). Then, 20 minutes later.. our paella finally arrives and we were both starving and ready to dig in! Sadly, we were both so shocked and disappointed to find that they made the wrong paella! They brought out vegetable only paella when we wanted the vegetable & meat paella!! We told our waiter this and he tried to argue with us that we only ordered vegetable only. It was totally ridiculous as I heard my husband order it loud and clear. The server then left and ignored us for the next 15 minutes. It was so unprofessional and we were shocked that we were receiving such horrible treatment at what seemed a "fine dining" establishment. Finally, a manager came who was dressed in black, came to see us and we explained the situation. I think it was shift change as a new server arrived too who was updated about our situation as well. We pretty much told them we wanted the Traditional Paella to go for the parents and then to pay the bill for our appetizer and wine (we didn't touch the paella). The manager and new server wanted to "do us right" and told us to choose a quick cooking item (basically non-paella item) and they will make sure we enjoy our dinner. Both of my husband and I really wanted to bounce but decided to give them another chance since we had a new server who seemed eager to make us happy. We decided to stay and ordered the Cannelloni to share. The dish came out quick but it was was just overwhelmingly bland and nothing to write home about. After everything, we received the bill and saw that they didn't comp us the cannelloni that they tried to "make up" for our bad experience and even tried to charge us extra for the bread that we didn't even touch!! I was beyond furious. It was such a horrible experience from start to beginning. What was meant to be a nice last meal in Barcelona was just a horrible experience that left a bad taste in our mouths. I would not recommend this place even to my worst enemy. read more

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Not impressed. Wife had Spicy Rice Paella with Rabbit and it wasn't spicy. Rabbit was dry. I had traditional Paella and it was average at best. Pricy for an average meal. Save you money and look elsewhere read more

Josué nos atendió de maravilla muy buen servicio. La comida estuvo muy deliciosa recomiendo la paella.

For the service and atmosphere I want to add another star. We were seated outside, speaking strictly about food, so I'll leave my rating as is. The waiter was great, very hard working and juggling the 6 tables with patrons outside. They provided heaters that really did the trick for the evening chill. Catalan style spinach with roasted pine nuts and raisins. Hear me out, it was very thoughtfully prepared. Clearly made to serve. The pine nuts were fresh and the raisins were gentle without excessive sweetness. Romaine salad was super generously portioned. Definitely focused on the grandeur of the plating rather than the edibility. It was served plain, but each table was given house olive oil and balsamic. Both were good! Paella seemed to be the star of the restaurant but we weren't too impressed with the seafood being over cooked. The rice itself was great not over cooked and nicely balanced with saffron and bay leaf. Definitely sharable despite it being sold as a portion. Tip: get a reservation, order a few things to share. Worth the try, but maybe we were there on a busy day and the paella suffered. read more

More of a tourist trap, but 7 Portes isn't bad either. The paella isn't the best in Barcelona, but still solid. The appetizers are decent as well. read more

Super yummy spot for paella in Barcelona! Definitely need a reservation for this restaurant as it gets very busy. The vibe in the restaurant is old timey and high scale at the same time, there are even names on the walls of famous people who have eaten at the restaurant. We ordered the sangria pitcher (it was very big, filled more than 5 glasses) and that was great. The bread was nice and fluffy too. For our meal we ordered the traditional paella with lobster....YUM! It was filled with chicken, mussels, lobster, scallops, so much goodness. The serving for 3 could have easily served 4 people. For 3 people to eat, the cost was about $127 including tip. The only downside was that the server was not very attentive and it took us a long time to get his attention at the end of our meal. Loved the paella though! read more

7 Portes - Traditional paella with lobster - Mediterranean Near Me - Barcelona, B

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Food here is 3 stars ... average. Atmosphere is 5 stars. So that averages to 4 stars. If you are coming for the Paella (as we did) ... know that its nothing to write home about. It wasn't bad but didn't taste like anything I hadn't had before at any other Spanish restaurant. In fact, to me it tasted like a less salty/soy sauce version of Chinese pork fried rice. The fish dishes are what stood out here. There are small pin bones in a lot of the fish, we noticed. Nothing will ruin a vacation like a swallowed pin bone ... so proceed with caution. You could tell whomever portioned the fish knew what they were doing and it was incredibly fresh tasting. Lots of olive oil. The atmosphere here was our favorite part. There was a piano player and felt a lot like Harry's Bar in Venice ... upscale with waiters in white coats. We found everyone to be very friendly. The host (in a black coat) helped us get a perfect table to watch the piano player, despite initially being placed in a back (overflow) room ... which was nice but not the same vibe. This has a classic vibe ... you could imagine Hemingway or Picasso strolling in. There are little gold placards on the back of the booths indicating what famous person sat there. Picasso ... Dali ... The Queen of Spain. If it is your first time, the waiters will give you a little history speech. You can also sit outside, which has a nice vibe. I was shocked and dismayed to see the great number of Americans and Brits dining in logo t-shirts, athletic shorts, sneakers and sandals. I cannot even fathom walking into a place this classy looking like I just went on a jog. Frankly, it brings down the experience for everyone else when the dining room's white jacketed waiters walk around patrons wearing clothing that high school students would wear. It was really annoying ... not the restaurant's fault but society now has a rule that people do whatever the fuck they want at any time. Overall, I'd say this is overrated for Paella. But ... its a classic that youbwon't regret spending an evening at. The house wines were 4 Euro per glass and dinner for two with drinks and bottled water came to around 90 Euro with tip. Very nice! read more

Do not I repeat do not eat here !! Words, Service Ever, Food Taste horrible and super expensive . Service sucks If I could give negative stars I would!!!!! read more

Set Portes is supposed to be "the place" to go in Barcelona. It's not that good. Service was very mediocre. We felt we were inconveniencing the lead waiter. Food was okay. Tried both the traditional paella and the fish paella. It was okay. I did think the Catalan style spinach side dish was well prepared. We are from Washington, DC which has La Taberna del Alabardero which is truly the best Spanish restaurant in the world. Go there instead - much more attentive service. Set Portes was a huge disappointment. The best part of the ambiance is the piano player. He was quite good when you walk in. I would not recommend this restaurant. It was lack luster. read more

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7 Portes has a huge menu, but I think their best item is the paella. Although their traditional paella is known to have received awards, we got their seafood paella because we like seafood. The rice is perfectly al dente, not mushy or undercooked. There is a nice burnt crust on the bottom which I love. The flavors are cooked into each rice grain. This is something that I can eat over and over again. We also got a few other dishes that seemed mediocre. The appetizer sampler is a good way to share between two people, but they are items widely available in the rest of Barcelona and Spain. We ordered a "special" fish that was baked in a salt crust. Once the waitstaff removed all the salt crust, skin, and bones, the remaining fish was minimal...and it didn't taste like anything "special" (1 star off). For dessert, I ordered a mandarin and cava sorbet, but it lacked any cava taste (1 star off). This is a family-friendly restaurant with customers of all ages -- from babies to old seniors. There are large tables, so it's good for large groups. If you are looking for a classic Catalan restaurant, this is a good choice, especially if you like paella. If you are looking for something more innovative, you should walk through other portes. read more

We went to 7 Portes on a family trip to Barcelona. It happened to also be our wedding anniversary. The space is nice inside. Very old school in a good way. However, the service was absolutely abysmal. My wife ordered a grilled seafood plate. Only when we received the bill did we realize they actually brought two servings, essentially charging us double. We ordered espressos after dinner. They took a solid 20 minutes to arrive. The server was downright rude and seemed to care less. Food was so-so at best. Barcelona is loaded with incredible restaurants, arguably more than any other city in the world. This place is a definite skip. read more