Definitely worth a visit. Opened during the first year of the Spanish Civil War (1937) this place is still standing proudly. The decor is rich and interesting, the staff is prompt and attentive, and the food is fresh and wonderful. [Disclaimer: we have had neither the paella nor the sangria. And please... forget sangria! That's a tourist thing. Ask for a "tinto verano" instead. You're welcome.] We always begin with some tapas to share. The "pan de cristal con tomate" is a Catalán staple. It seems a shame to start a meal without this. Their "patatas bravas al estilo Monumental" are very tasty and artistically presented. ...and although the "Espárragos verdes gratinados con queso de cabra y virutas de jamón" (asparagus, jamón ibérico and grilled goat cheese) is designed as an entree, we enjoy it as a tapa to share before the main course. By our third visit here, we know to go for the house specials. For example, they have four different ways of preparing bacalao (cod) "Bacalao 4 estaciones," each tastier than the other, or so it seems. Our favorite is their preparation with miel (honey) and nuts. The honey cuts through the saltiness. It is superb! One of our party had the "Raviolis de rabo de Toro," which are oxtail ravioli. Also outstanding! Their dessert carte is nice enough, although I'll admit I'm a sucker for their "Rissoto arròs amb llet," a rice pudding that has an extraordinary texture. It makes me smile just to think about it! My wife's favorite is their "Esponjosa de crema catalana," a light, mousse-like dessert served with an almond ice cream that will make you weak in the knees. Their house wine is decent enough to enjoy with any meal. So really... what's not to love? read more

Our last dinner in Barcelona, and we used both Yelp and the hotel's recommendation to find Bodega Monument, a 75-year old restaurant specializing in Catalan-style tapas. This means more seafood, which is great since we've been eating so much pork lately. We ordered a number of dishes. I would rate a solid 4 stars for the seafood items. Service was great overall. Polpo (octopus) was tender and had a bit more spicy kick with the paprika generously added on. This dish also had a nice potato wedge and plenty of olive oil. Grilled Asparagus with ham and goat cheese was not our favorite dish, since the asparagus while very thick, didn't seem as fresh or crispy. The ham was OK, but the goat cheese was a bit too strong here I think. The mixed mussels (cockles) and clams were excellent - very strong garlic flavors. Clams had among the largest and juiciest meats I've had for a while! 90% freshness on the mussels with just 2/20 not opening. Mixed Grilled Seafood is a bargain at 20€, with a nice assortment of razor clams, large prawns, half lobster tail, lobster claw, a large crayfish, and more mussels and clams! Everything here was fresh and good - definitely made for messy eating! Desserts were mixed. Rice pudding with cinnamon is a classic dessert often found in Mexican cuisine, but here the rice seems a tad chewier than we liked. Their creme brulee however was outstanding! It was a light white cream on top with some ice cream below it - so no egg yolks as in the French version. The flavors of the Catalan version are much more interesting I think. Overall a very good restaurant, especially for the seafood items! read more

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Food is little too salty. Ingredients are below average. Not recommended. My wife and I ordered seafood rice dish. $40 and we're not really happy with it. Tasted okay, but very basic. Shrimp is very small and not cleaned. read more

Bodega Monumental - Tapas Bars Near Me - Barcelona, B

An unexpected gem in Barcelona. Thank you Yelp once again for leading us to a lovely dining experience! AMBIANCE/SERVICE: ---------------------- Upon walking in, we were immediately taken by the lovely decor. We knew it would be an enjoyable environment for a sit-down meal before heading out for the day. We were greeted by a very gracious friendly server who switched to fluent English as soon as he realized we were American. This is not common in Barcelona, so if was a nice surprise to be able to easily communicate with our server. FOOD: ------- Our travel group of four was all about sharing several dishes on this trip so we could have as much variety as possible. I highly recommend this if your group is adventurous and food curious. We started off with Vino, of course! Per the server's recommendation, we had the **Verdeo 2015**, which was an excellent white wine. 4 stars. One of our appetizers was the **Pan Con Tomate** (bread with tomato), which is a staple in Spain. 4 stars. Also when in Spain, I am always compelled to order Jamón (ham) no matter what. I just can't get enough! So we got the **Jamón Serrato** (sliced ham) and it was everything I could have wanted. 4 stars The **Calamari** was a little drier and saltier than I would have liked, but it was a decent snack. 3 stars. Paellas here have a "minimum size for 2 people", but the **Seafood Paella** was ridiculously large (yay!) and fed all 4 of us easily. This paella was a bit too salty for me (not yay) but still really delicious and a step up from the ones we have here. 3.5 stars. The star of the meal was the **Scallops with Jamón**. Really fantastic combination of flavors! 4.5 stars. Overall the food was a little salty for my taste, but the stellar service more than compensated for it. TIP: Only come here if you are not in a rush. Enjoy dining the Barcelona way! At a very nice, calm pace. DATE TIP: The ambiance alone will win your date over for sure. Expect una noche fantástica after that! read more

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Lovely resto- great tapas at reasonable prices- if you're on the Touristic red bus line, it's right at the Creu Coberta stop- The bread was delicious, as was the marinated salmon salad with avocado- yum read more

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I think This place is very impressed with itself. To be sure, the service was fantastic during our visit, but, in my opinion, the food was just OK for the price. Still, if you're looking for very upscale Spanish food in a non-touristy environment, this place will deliver in spades: I'm not really big on foie gras and dishes with squid ink in them, but I try to keep an open mind. At the end of the day, I'll usually keep things pretty simple. The exception for me was the sliced raw pork that is served with a hot, salted stone so that you can cook the meat yourself at the table. That was pretty different and very tasty. Be sure to toss some if the fat on there early to render it and help crisp the other meat. It makes a tasty bit to eat at the end as well. read more

Really fantastic food with great flavor. I had the catch of the day and my daughter the oxtail ravioli. Polite and professional service with a smile. I highly recommend this family owned restaurant. read more

Bodega Monumental - The chef and my daughter. - Tapas Bars Near Me - Barcelona, B

This place is awesome. I was walking around plaza espanya & found this place. It was after 3 & though everything is done later in Barcelona, a decent crowd in the place is usually a good indication that It's good. Prices are reasonable. I ordered the ultimate seafood platter; freakin' amazing & for only 20e it was a heck of a deal. Experience makes me want to move to Barcelona, true story. Go here if you're in the area read more

Bodega Monumental - Ultimate seafood platter - Tapas Bars Near Me - Barcelona, B

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I don't understand the 5 star review. I stood in front of a server for 5 minutes before he acknowledged me and it only went downhill from there. There are so many other options in the area. Don't waste your time. read more

Came here looking for lunch, was attracted by the reviews. The decor here is great. Themed like a marina, complete with vintage sailing photos, mosaic flooring, and sailor-themed accoutrements, it's definitely eye candy. We ordered from Platos del dia, or menu of the day. We got the squid and the sausage. Of course--we also added a jarra of sangria. Yum! They bring out little pop chip type apps, those were good. I think they are pork rinds. The sausage was phenomenal. It comes with white beans that are perfectly seasoned and a white sauce, reminiscent of garlic aioli. The calamari comes with white rice which is just the perfect complement. Definitely worth a stop at this place for lunch. Also, trust yelp. The one time I didn't use yelp in Barcelona we regretted it! read more

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Came here on our first night in Barcelona. Sangria was great. Tapas were generally a 3.5/5. Paella was a disappointing 2/5. Nice restaurant but they could do better with the food. read more

this spot is pretty well known by the locals we had their sangria, mixed paella (seafood & meat) and the mussels the mussels were good at first but the tomato sauce was too overpowering and salty the paella was fine as well nothing very special about it the sangria was great overall, an a-ok spot read more

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The food was palatable but not extraordinary- I mean I've had better €50 meals for 2 before- but the rioja de mesa was CHEAP, CHEAP and plentiful. I drank myself into a stupor during this giggly 2-hour dinner with one of my best friends. The best thing about Spanish wine is it doesn't get you stupid drunk, just happy drunk. My friend ordered the swordfish which honestly looked kind of leathery and was perched atop a soupy substance that I think was pureed carrots. Kind of weird. I had the patatas bravas, the bomba and something else that I can't even remember. It was a lot of potato for one meal. If we had to do it all over again, we would have ordered the paella. You have to order for a minimum of two people which turned us off but had we known that this was pretty standard at all Spanish restaurants we would have caved. A few other tables ordered it and it looked phenomenal. If you are considering what to do around this area, we took the hop-on/hop-off bus to Plaza España for the fountain display show at 9pm (Fri/Sat in the spring and summer) up the hill near the huge museum. I expected it to be a cheesy tourist spectacle but even I, Courtney the Cynic, was impressed. This was my favorite memory of Barcelona- cheese, wine, coffee with Bailey's, people-watching galore, witnessing the sun set from the top of a one of Barcelona's most beautiful monuments, and being around hundreds of others enjoying simple things. I liked it more than Park Guell, the Sagrada Familia, and the harbor front. After the masses dispersed, we walked the short hike to Bodega to cap off the rest of a wonderful evening. The metro is at the Plaza and runs late on the weekends. read more

So delicious! This was our first stop in Barcelona when we arrived, and as a huge tapas lover, I can truthfully say this is the perfect spot for authentic Cataluñan-style tapas. Highly recommend the Cava sangria. For food: patatas, croquettes (try both flavors), bruschetta de langosti (green tempura lobster!), & the chorizo. read more

Stumbled into this place by accident near Plaza Espanya. the street it's on has a plethora of tacky places, those with pictures of the food, so when we saw this place and it was close to full, and had nice decor we sat down. Had a delicious dish of fideu, my fave catalan dish, plus good appetizers and probably the friendliest waiters I've encountered in BCN. A bit pricy but you get your money's worth. Will be back. read more

Middling food off the beaten path in Barcelona. The inside is nice. Been around for a while.

With last minute reservation, they were able to accommodate and squeeze us in on the New Year's Eve. The restaurant is quaint with comfortable and homey feeling. The prix fix menu for the NYE was fantastic. We started with soup and seafood tapas. Sorbet to cleanse our palate follow by lobsters and filet mignon. Tiramisu, plate of sweets and coffee topped off the meal. Wine and Cava were free flowing and the mood festive through out the evening. All the guests were given a bag of NYE party favors and a small box of 12 grapes to celebrate NYE down in the Placa de Espana a few blocks away. The staff were cheerful and friendly and were able to accommodate our lack of Catalan communication skills. Will definitely go back and try their regular menu. read more

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The sea bass was good but was lukewarm. Had it been hot and the skin crispier, I would have enjoyed it more. The accompanying sauce and salmon roe was good. Husband had the boneless pork trotters. This was good, gelatinous, flavorful. We shared a tomato bread - I liked how they only served the crust without all the extra bread. Tried friends' vegetarian paella- it was good but i prefer the rice to be more al dente and also crispy on the bottom. read more

Bodega Monumental - Seabass - Tapas Bars Near Me - Barcelona, B

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We dined here last night and ate tapas style. Smaller plates of octopus, potatoes, mussels and local mushroom and baby squid croquettes with ink. Each dish was delicious. We were fortunate to have Baleria as our sever and she was excellent in explaining the menu and serving the food. We expect to be in Barcelona from time to time and will dine there frequently. read more

We were on our bus tour and got off at this restaurant bc we were starving. It was pretty good. Had the lobster in some sort of wet rice thing and the anchovies with the crispy bone was good. We ate light so we could eat again and again throught the day. LOL. read more

We were innocently using a 'neighbor's' table and were offered to eat our lunch at one of their tables. Such a kind and genuine offering. We order the sangria, got to know the owner and staff and came back for three days. We saw kindness, generosity and genuine hospitality offered to every person in contact with these folks. I yearn to return to the same experience and relationship. THE BEST memory of our 30day trip in Europe. Cheers! read more

Once again, after great memories 4 years ago, i came again. With friends. Had amazing dinner, delicious and special tappas. Deserts are simply wow. Will come again. read more

Relatively small menu with limited selection, overall on the pricier side and underwhelming portion sizes/taste.

Not a lot food for the money no matter what you seem to order, quality is ok but I am not thrilled.even for expensive Barcelona I would have expected a little more. read more

Great service, nice decor - has a nautical theme to it. The food is just average, as many others have pointed out.

I was a bit skeptical since the hotel had recommended the place, however, we decided to give it a try. We were quite surprised! We had a great meal including tapas, starters, salads, main course, etc. I had a view into the kitchen and was watching the chef checking all of the dishes as they left the kitchen. The service was awesome. We were there a long time and never felt rushed. I would, absolutely, go back again. read more