I was staying at the hotel and on a whim decided to meet up with a friend on a Friday night and asked if they had any available tables. The only seats available were at the sake bar, which wasn't an issue because I have no problems sitting at the bar And from the moment that we walked in, we were met with such warmth and hospitality. At the sake bar, you cannot order off of the tasting menu, which ended up being perfect because I don't eat seafood, and I did zero research before dining here, not realizing that the majority of the menu is focused on seafood. That's my bad. Everything that I could eat, that was not seafood food I ordered one of. There wasn't a single thing that I tried that wasn't delicious. It's very clear why they deserved their Michelin star and you feel that all throughout your dining experience. I'm sure that if we were at the back area or on the terrace, our experience would have been different but there's no world where I think it would not have been positive. If you're looking for somewhere in Barcelona, that is a fusion between Japanese and Spanish food doing both of them justice and respecting both cultures. This is absolutely your place. I highly recommend making a reservation and not operating on the vibes of the universe as I do. :) read more

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Extremely lucky and grateful that Michelin one star Dos Palillos was able to accommodate a solo diner on a last minute, same-day seating for their tasting menu. Because the restaurant was full, I could only be seated at their adjoining sake bar, which has an old school rustic charm of its own. I could easily imagine I was in Japan rather than Spain. The food, to no surprise, was stellar. While I will not go into the details of each dish, which can be viewed on the Dos Palillos tasting menu, the ingenuity of combining Japanese and Spanish ingredients in hybrid dishes was not only exceptional but produced courses of uniquely exquisite flavor. While I do appreciate a well prepared Spanish or Japanese meal, I never would have imagined a combination of the two. I hope the photos do the meal some justice and invite other diners to consider this hidden gem read more

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Extremely impressed with the service and the courses for the meal. We booked a reservation for the 18 course meal which featured a lot of Japanese-Influenced dishes with a touch of creativity to it! It's not a budget meal but worth the experience! I would recommend it to people that want to have that finer dining experience. We Sat by the Chef's bar and it was truly like an Omakase style setup. read more

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We came here for dinner with a reservation. It was a course dinner with 13 or 14 courses. As we were eating, we found out that the owner and the executive chef are both Japanese. No wonder the this place was named Dos Palillos (= two sticks = chopsticks) We wanted to order a la carte but we were told that with reservations we do not have the option of going for a la carte instead of a course menu. So be it. We started to enjoy the course dinner. Every dish was small and unique and often delicious. It was a great experience at this Michelin starred restaurant. read more

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Rating (maximum points = 5) Value for money: 4.5 Cleanliness: 5 Food Quality: 5 Customer Service: 5 Look and Feel (Ambiance): 5 Thank you, Come Again?: 5 Dos Palilos (DP) is a force to be reckon with in the culinary world. I see why this restaurant was in the Michelin Guide. DP strives to try flavor combinations that would leave the tasting palette with delight. DP was very accommodating to my food allergies. Prior to our arrival, my cousin helped us make a reservation and communicated my allergies to the staff. Although there were two times the staff tried to give me dishes that would trigger my allergies, they were able to quickly fix the situation and give me something else as a substitute. 18 course meal costed around €120 (Please note that I didn't capture all 18 dishes. I wish had brought a notebook to write down all my thoughts but oh well. The other option was to keep my phone open to write down the notes of the dishes, but I didn't want to let my phone cause more distraction from my meal.) Cherry tomato tempura - Fresh burst of tomato with a crunchy skin from the tempura. This was a refreshing and savory start to all dishes. Traditionally tomatos aren't included in tempura baskets at Japanese restaurants. This was a nice change of taste. Mochi croquette - This dish reminded me of another Cantonese dim sum dish called the "football". Basically a fried chewy rice cake with a crispy panko crusted exterior. Ganjang gejang' crab - I could taste this dish because of my food allergy to crusteceans but my party loved this dish. The fresh crab was marinated in a sweet and savory soy sauce. Some members of my party even drank the sauce at the end. No waste! Cuttlefish usuzukuri - Wow. This dish took me on a ride of surprises. Slices of white cuttlefish was laced with iberico pork fat. It's hard to describe but you could taste the land and sea in one bite. I was left in awe and shock. Sheer brilliance was in this dish. My mouth salivates as I think about it. Yuba and broad beans - This dish had a specific order to eat. It was served on a leaf shaped plate. We were instructed to eat from the bottom to the top. The silky yuba lead you up to the top of the fish with a hint of fennel/licorice sauce. This dish was light in flavor and helped set the bar for future heavier dishes. Fig tempura - If you weren't a fan of figs before, this dish just might convert you. The sweet fresh fig has a savory twist with the tempura crunchy coating. Great balance of freshness and deep fried comfort. Cocochas al pil pil Japanese - This seemingly simple plate was fully of fatty fish goodness. The salty soy based brown sauce paired well with the white fish neck. I have never seen a restaurant thet serves this. It's such a hearty savory bite. Cold chicken pho - Everyone at our table are huge pho lovers but have never tried a cold version of pho. Once again, I'm am pleasantly surprised with this dish. The cool broth was such a delight. The rice noodles aren't traditional but it holds up against the cold broth. Strawberry mochi - Refreshingly light with gentle sweetness. This was a crowd favorite. I wish I could order a full dozen of these little strawberry Mochi. The Mochi was prepared fresh and had a nice chew. Please note that these dining experiences and set tasting menus are not for the casual diners. If you're an adventurous foodie and have an open mind to new flavors, then this is the spot for you. The price of the tasting menu is quite pricey (as seen in the 4 euro sign) and wouldn't be worth it for those who are not open to trying new flavor combinations. I've seen a few reviews where customers stated the flavor combinations were strange or not good. Keep an open mind and enjoy the flavor journey. If there is something that you don't like, the staff is open to getting feedback and will allow you to try something new instead. Would you go? Let me know. Follow me for all the sips and trips. read more

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We went to the restaurant in July 2022. We were a family of 4 and they recommended us to take the tasting menu. They don't mention that the price of the Tasting menu is 110 Euros per person on the Website and when we made our reservation. We thought that one menu at 110 Euros would be enough for four. It cost us 450 Euros for our diner. If you go there and choose the menu a la carte, price and food is ok. But, the tasting menu is not good. It's too expansive, unclear if it's a price per person or not and the food is too strange and special. There is 12 tapas in the menu and we stopped after 7 before we got sick. Imagine, 450 Euros for one dinner, you can easily have 3 or 4 great dinners with your family in Barcelona for that price. They are unfriendly, they don't care about complaints and clients. Don't go there. read more

This restaurant was a disappointment. The fish was not fresh. There is no excuse for that. In particular since it's supposed to be a sushi fusion restaurant. The only things that were eatable were the vegetables and rice. So, you should skip it and go to a vegan restaurant. LOL read more

Dos Palillos - Veggie soup - Mediterranean Near Me - Barcelona, B

One of the best meals of my life!! Genuinely can't comprehend the haters of this place other than to assume they are either morons or those people who down rate to seem like they know what they are talking about! Our 22 bite, €90 menu was a journey of insane flavour! From the sake edible cocktail to start they just keep coming at you. With seating for around 30 diners around an open kitchen there is literally nowhere for the chefs to hide! Somehow waiters hidden as chefs manage to keep your wine glass full! SNEAKY! The wagyu steak...row! The faux nigiri all wow! My words aren't enough! Just go and try it read more

We went for the lunch menu so we got 4 small courses for a more reasonable price than their a la carte menu. The tuna sushi was the best of the meal and it was one of the best sushi I've ever had. That's a high compliment since I eat a lot of Japanese food and it's one of my favorite cuisines. The rest of the meal - wonton, yakitori and others were not very memorable. They taste similar to what you'd get in an authentic Asian restaurant. The portions were small since the dishes are tapas, so it is a bit pricey for the amount of food you get. Overall, the experience was still great so I'm happy I tried it; but it's not special enough for me to return to when I go visit Barcelona again. http://monkeyseemonkeyfeast.blogspot.ca/2012/08/dos-palilos.html read more

Enjoyed eating here. Had dinner at the bar on two occasions during my brief stay in Barcelona (was en route to Roses). Dos Palillos was created by Albert Raurich who was the chef de cuisine at elBulli for 8 years and Japanese chef Takeshi Somekawa. The restaurant is pretty casual - you enter through a traditional Spanish tapas-type bar and in to a seating area that is small and situated like a sushi bar, in a "U" around the cooks and chefs preparing the food. Dos Palillos offers a tasting menu (as well as a la carte) in its dining room and bar area. Service is friendly and efficient. I devoured 2 portions of the caramelized walnuts with my beer. I enjoyed the cherry tomatoes in tempura batter (with wasabi) and the Japanese burger (very cool). The Cantonese Iberian pork belly was pretty good but my favorite was the grilled oyster in sake. The tasting menu is a good way to experience a variety of the items on the menu at a reasonable price (a la carte - tapas-style - can add up!). read more

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I was extremely thrilled to try this restaurant! As a veteran of cooking in a restaurant and being from San Francisco (50 restaurants with michelin stars), I couldn't wait. My boyfriend and I were "not" greeted by a female bartender. She was unfriendly at best! She didn't offer us the menu. She didn't offer us a drink. She didn't offer us a seat at the bar, even though the bar was empty. We inquired if we could sit at the chef's counter, she looked us up and down and said, "no." No explanation. No apology. No smile. No warmth. We asked for the menu. She pointed to two menus on the counter a few seats away. Needless to say, the worst service ever. I've had better counter service at McDonalds! We were discriminated by the way we dressed and the way we looked, is how it felt. Shocking! I would understand, if we didn't speak english and we're totally American. We spoke Spanish, but she remained aloof! Dos Palillos, although you're food delicious, the front of the house needs to service the guests as good as the food as you execute. Something you need to learn from San Francisco Michelin starred restaurants, the front of the house is just as good as the back of the house. We treat everyone equally no matter how they're dressed or what they look like. Please thank your female bartender for such a tremendously horrific dining experience. I would never recommend Dos Palillos restaurant. I will never return. If only it was possible to give zero stars... read more

It's actually mind boggling to me that Dos Palillos isn't unanimous 5 stars across all reviews. I'm writing this review a week after returning back to the states after my recent trip to Barcelona, and I can still remember the absolutely phenomenal meal that I was treated to at Dos Palillos. I visited dozens of excellent restaurants during my visit, including other Michelin starred restaurants, and this was my favorite for several reasons. First reason was ingredients. I thought there was an absolutely masterful selection of ingredients that brought amazing flavors and imagination. The mushrooms with pine oil and sugar was incredible--I felt like I was picking mushrooms from an exotic jungle and putting them straight in my mouth. Next, innovation. "Small fish caught in a fisher's net" was beautiful, told a story, and tasted fantastic. I've never had anything like that before--both delicious and artistic. Hamachi marinated in fermented rice was also amazing--I was really curious how they would put a twist on basic sashimi but they pulled it off. Lastly, progression. The tasting menu really did a great job at rising action, climax, and falling action. It was a complete experience that left me incredibly satisfied. This is my new favorite restaurant in Barcelona! read more

This restaurant is AMAZING!!! Unfortunately, we could not sit in the dining room or order off of the main menu, because they were booked solid. We sat in the bar and ordered off the bar menu. The food was incredible. Next time I am in Barcelona I definitely want to come back to Dos Palillos and be able to enjoy the restaurant. read more

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Great, unique tapa experience. Combination Asian-Spanish fusion. We had a 10:15 reservation, upon arrival the waiter/ host/ bartender seemed not to care that we were even there, granted he's working the "non-fixed menu" tapas bar. He finally acknowledged our reservation but gave us no indication as what was to follow or ask us if we wanted a drink. However, I poked my nose into the back "fixed menu bar area" and that really got this guy's attention. As he stopped me and clearly communicated (finally) that he had passed the message onto the folks in the back. All in all food is worthy of a Michelin star, spoken from someone who's dined at multiple Michelin star Restraunt's around the world. However the service will need help if they are to continue on the Michelin path. The sommelier was professional and on point with the wine pairings. read more

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The concept of the Dos Palillos is "Asian tapas, but Spanish style". The restaurant is situated in Raval area quite close to the MACBA. You enter the restaurant through a bar which looks like one of the hundreds of other bars in Barcelona with a long counter and high seats. They also serve some of the dishes served in the restaurant at the bar, so if you are curious as to what you might expect, the bar can give you low-risk preview. The restaurant itself has Asian-style open kitchen from which the food is served directly to your place. While the styling is rather modern, I did not really like the atmosphere as it failed to create an environment in which you want to enjoy the tasting menu which is priced at 75 or 90 Euro depending on the number of courses you want. The "small" one is definitely tummy filling with a unusual high number of small tapas. Of course serving a high number of small dishes creates logistical problems, however this should not effect the selection of food. In my opinion however, a number of dishes was prepared in advance and while pre-prepared food does not necessarily taste worse than just prepared food, it lowered the perception of value for me. Some dishes were very delicious, others just same-same as in non-gourmet Asian or Spanish restaurants. I was honestly disappointed at the overall experience. Not to say that I did not enjoy the food at all, but the value we got for what we spent was not up to par. I would rather choose amongst one of the other excellent restaurants in Barcelona where you don't feel ripped off after paying the bill. read more

Favorite place in Barcelona. Got there right when it opened and managed to snag a coveted spot at the bar. We didn't have a single bad dish. Sea cucumber, chilled red prawns and ramen with beef were our favorites. read more

Going to this restaurant I knew exactly what to expect. I was booked in for the tasting menu and I was sitting at the bar counter surrounding the chefs at the back. I also knew that it should be an awesome meal, and by the end I wasn't disappointed. The food, the kitchen theatre and the alcohol pairings were simple perfect and it made for one unforgettable dining experience. read more

Dos Palillos - A selection of the 17 or so courses on the tasting menu when I visited - Mediterranean Near Me - Barcelona, B

This is my second visit and second review; I brought my wife this time. It is an elegant, quiet, restful restaurant, with an Asian/Mediterranean fusion cuisine with multiple small plates. It is Michelin starred, and was a destination for us again. We had a lunch menu, not fixed-price, but similar to my earlier review, with 6 courses. It took us over two enjoyable hours, with a couple of glasses of champagne. Pickled vegetables; salmon and rice with noroi; grilled shrimp, eaten in one bite and then sucking the shell; tempura'd vegetables, and xiao long bao. And of course the tiny fois gras'd bit of grilled steak on a tiny bun -- I won't call it a "hamburger." Just an extraordinary, relaxing meal, with friendly, gracious service and knowledgeable sommelier also. We couldn't possibly eat a dessert. This is artistic, pretty food, yes; but the flavors, the cooking, the attention to preparation are paramount. Dos Palillos is I believe a pretty well-known institution, but to my mind it is not coasting; the meal was as good as last year, and the chef has been there 9 years. If you want really serious, "grown-up" food in a lovely environment, satisfying to the eye and the heart, go. read more

Amazing food! The mixture of tastes offered in this restaurant makes my mouth water every time I think back of the dishes I ate that evening. If money is not an issue for the evening I recommend going all out as it is definitely worth it! I had the full tasting menu and was left flabbergasted at the tastes each bite had. read more

This was the worst dining experience I can recall having. Let me give you some context, as I'v e noticed bad reviews of this restaurant span two categories: the truly ignorant and the truly experienced eaters. I'm in the latter category and I have a sophisticated palate, went to culinary school in Florence, eat adventurously regularly, am based among awesome restaurants and new chefs in San Francisco, etc. There is nothing I would rather drop lots of money on than an excellent dining experience. Let me tell you a little about the negative gazillion stars I would to bestow upon this place. Staff members, please cancel my reservation for Thursday night. I will never come back. You'd think if I start the interaction with the place with "hey, I get that you're booked for tonight, and I'd like eat here tonight in the bar where you have room, and also come back another night for your tasting menu on which I will drop 70 euros or more per person plus wine" that they'd maybe want to make sure I actually want to come to that reservation. Not the case. It's too bad, I think the tasting menu at that price at any fine restaurant would actually be quite reasonable, and I was excited about coming back as I sat down this evening. I'm really glad I stayed and had the terrible experience I had and cut my loses there. It was a mix of the worst service on the planet that should NEVER accompany a restaurant with a michelin star no matter how much they dislike a guest or how rude someone is or any number of other things that a customer could do "wrong." I don't think I fall into this category, but it's a consideration-- and a lack of innovation in the food--pretty one-note for the few things we were able to sample due to the crappy service. The soup dumplings were very good, and I always order them when such a thing is available because they are kind of a pain in the ass to make. What wasn't good was having them slammed roughly in front of me and being barked at about how to go about eating them. I understand that they're delicate, they have liquid inside, and you don't want people wasting these concoctions by stabbing them desperately with a chopstick. I am not that customer. And, if you're concerned I am, you could have relayed your instructions in a much better fashion. Furthermore, why are you making it so difficult to eat your food the way you want it to be eaten? If you want me to eat it with a spoon, serve it on a beautiful spoon! I ignored the instructions and grabbed them with my chopsticks skillfully and had no issues. I realize they may have wanted htem in a spoon so that you smell the broth more before consuming but again, SERVE THEM IN A SPOON IF IT'S IMPORTANT TO THE INTEGRITY OF YOUR FOOD. When I ignored the instructions I was given, the service took a further dive and as my glass of wine was finished, I was not asked if I wanted more, as my water was finished, the same, and no effort to make contact me to let me ask for such a thing was made. I understand in Spain it may not always be that they force a menu upon you suggesting that you spend more money..but they should have. We felt like we were getting the cold shoulder all of the sudden. Furthermore, we ordered what was effectively a really straight forward pork bbq bao, which was good, but not mind blowing, and a whopping nearly 6 euros for one bun, which was served by itself to my dining companion (who lives here) while I had nothing, and we also had a vegetable stir fry that was really one-note, just a soy based sauce with no complexity that really drowned out what appeared to be beautiful baby vegetables that would have had their own worthwhile flavors, and we ordered a tuna tataki which was the first thing we ordered and should have been the first thing that came regardless since it is room temperature to warm, and is fish, that didn't come before we were so frustrated with the service that we asked for a check. I couldn't help but write a detailed review of this, because it was so horrific on so many levels. The place was recommended to me by someone who in general I would trust, so if that's what happened to you and you're thinking about going and you've had exposure to real asian cuisine and fine dining before, and you aren't someone who enjoys spending money just because it makes you feel special to pay a lot for something, then steer clear. Go eat at Allium. It's not asian inspired, but it's a hell of a lot better and friendlier and gives an overall better fine dining experience. - inexcusably rude service - not innovative or complex food - due to the above, extremely overpriced - happy to pay lots for great food and service...this is just a disaster. read more

We had an amazing experience. When we saw they had a Michelin Star, it peaked our interest. We didn't have reservations and they were booked solid, so we ate at the bar. We asked the staff to put together a selection of Items and a bottle of wine for us, and they compiled an outstanding assortment of dishes and wine. The food was complex, interesting, and delicious. The staff was extremely friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommended. read more

I was taken to this lovely restaurant by a dear friend who claims it is the best restaurant in Barcelona! For my more 'common' tastes, it was fine - but I left hungry. Each TINY plate was delicious and beautiful. The service was stellar. BUT there was one thing that stopped me from giving it a 5 star rating - one of the servers was constantly rubbing his fingers through his beard and then touching the food and dishes. Not a good practice for sanitation. read more

Had dinner here on our last night in Barcelona. Sat at the bar and had the tasting menu and was amazed at all the different dishes and flavors. Staff was excellent! Would recommend! read more

Worse restaurant ever. The service was just a mess. Almost 4 hours to finished our food because they keep bringing us the same dishes over and over again. As Caroline C said : It was a mix of the worst service on the planet that should NEVER accompany a restaurant with a Michelin star. For us it was a very disappointed experience and they ruined our night. Tatiana López read more

Service so awful that I cant even remember what we had to eat. even tried a second time to give the benefit of the doubt and eqaully rude and offensive. Am amazed how they still get bookings. read more

Don't go here. Really. They are trying to hard. And not succeeding. Flavors aren't there. Go to Tickets. Much better experience.

I want to give Dos Palillos a 4.5: because it could be just a mite, a smidge, a smattering better for what it aspires to be. Dos Palillos is really excellent but at this level I really do feel I have right to criticize through a bit of nit picking. We got: * Thai Lily Pads: baked baby sardines with thai salts served on a lettuce leaf. Excellent even though I can't quite get my head around eating sardines. It's not my thing but it was prepared excellently * Black Garlic Nigiri: a large baked black-garlic clove, atop a pad of rice with a sprinkle of salted sesame seeds. The garlic was slightly sweet, as you would expect with baked garlic. The rice was unseasoned and actually slightly conflicted with the garlic. I would have gone with a bit more mirin (rice vinegar). But this was truly a unique and fabulous nigiri * SeaBass: This was just excellent * Tuna make-your-own sushi: served with the tuna and rice as nigiri with a assortment of shiso leaves, seaweed leaves and accoutrements (wasabi, candied ginger, soy sprouts, sesame seed spice mix, umeboshi). Excellent idea and very well executed * Lotus root with ume: Fried lotus root disks with a dab of umeboshi (plum paste) in the middle. Excellent combination of flavors. Never would have thought to do lotus with ume! * Vegetable Steamed Dumplings: filled with shiitake, black sesame and something crunchy, perhaps chives? Very very nice! * Green tea icecream in a sponge cake. I loved it. It had zero sugar and tasted like a very very mild sponge-cake with a filling of deeply green green-tea icecream. This is where my other objection is: I loved it, my friend hated it. It would have been good for the waiter to mention that it was not sweet at all, and in fact a bit bitter. * Orange mochi with orange blossom essence. Just excellent. So mild and yet just perfect. * Sherry from Jemez. Loved it. So my only objection is that they should have mentioned about the dessert, and they could have done the garlic a mite better given El Bulli history. read more

Added a star because the food and the service really were outstanding, but I want my review to remain as a warning, especially as during the summer one might arrive in daylight and leave in the dark. To the ownership, with respect: you have a security door, you chose not to use it, you chose not to install cameras, you chose this location. We think your food is outstanding, five stars without a doubt, but you do have some responsibility towards the security of your patrons. read more

This restaurant was recommended to us and it ended up being the worst meal of our vacation. I guess if you like all raw food and food that tastes like the Ocean you will like this place. For those who do not, STAY AWAY!! After they served us raw chicken, I asked the server if the pork was raw and he said maybe I should go to McDonalds. Very rude. This place was horrible and very expensive. I recommend that you go to PLA, which is gourmet at 25% of Dos Palillos prices. read more