El Atril is quaint, charming and perfect for anyone hoping to get a taste of Spanish cuisine at an authentic Spanish restaurant setting. It's good for both the diner looking for a more intimate experience with just one or two others, or for anyone looking to plan a larger gathering -- El Atril was kind enough to let me make a reservation for a party of 10 for my birthday and was able to seat all of us at the same table. They even offered a glass of cava on the house provided that we ordered dessert, which I thought was very kind of them. The food is pretty good as well. My table tried out the tapas and were satisfied with our choices. The winners were the kangaroo meat, which tastes like a tougher version of beef meat laden with spices and the patatas bravas, or deep friend potato chunks drizzled in hearty sauce. If your party is trying to grab drinks after the meal, I suggest checking out Limehouse, which is a fun, casual bar less than 30 seconds walk from El Atril. read more

This cool spot opens out into a courtyard with at least four other restaurants. So glad we stopped here. Great casual outdoor seating, and attentive service. My husband had the chicken salad after we confirmed it was not a chicken salad salad, but in fact, a green salad with chicken, it was so good and made him feel good eating vegetables today. I had the Seabass with truffle, a sprinkling of cocoa powder, drizzled in aïoli and presented with asparagus. So light and tasty. We also ordered the bombitas - so flavorful "meatballs" - mashed potatoes with a beef filling. That was just the right amount of seasoning and texture and ratios. Between the two of us, we ordered a picture of red sangria which tasted very smooth, but it was sleeper because it was a great value and we had to finish the pitcher:) Had to walk it off! We would do this meal all over again. read more

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Really the best food we had in Barcelona. The rest was touristy crap. Loved the grilled octopus

Amazing quality. Fast service. Their mushroom cookies were amazing rich and delicious. Company with the Cod was also delightful read more

El Atril - Spanish Near Me - Barcelona, B

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Pretty cute and cozy tapas place. It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and feel like we could relax and take our time eating. We sat outside and our server brought us over some menus. We ordered drinks and she took care of us pretty speedily. I started with some sliced meat and a cheese plate. The cheese was very good and some of the best I had while in Spain. For my meal, I ordered the butifarra sausage which was very tasty. It was hot and sliced, and wasn't too salty. Sometimes sausage can be incredibly too salty so this was very welcome for me! My sister got the guacamole and chips and the guacamole was VERY fresh. I'm not even a huge guacamole fan and I actually liked it here. The prices were reasonable but it took or server a long time to bring us our check. She sort of disappeared for a while and then we finally found her and were on our way. Definitely a good choice if you're looking for simple but delicious tapas. read more

El Atril - Sausage and cheese - Spanish Near Me - Barcelona, B

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Just finished a nice late night meal at El Atril. We arrived near closing time but the staff was kind enough to accommodate us. Ordered the chorizo, shishito peppers, Cajun eggplant with cheesy polenta, and.... kangaroo steak!? That last was a first (not an oxymoron). Interesting flavor, a bit gamey, but not all that different from beef. But now I feel a bit guilty about eating the image in my head: a kangaroo wearing boxing gloves with a baby kangaroo in the pouch. Ah well... (Chomp, chomp, chomp) read more

El Atril - Eggplant Cajun, chorizo, kangaroo, and green peppers - Spanish Near Me - Barcelona, B

A cosy, romantic, peaceful spot with delicious, great value tapas. We stayed for almost 3 hours and there was no rushing us out despite the place filling up. The waiter didn't speak much English but communicated as best as he could with hand gestures and a warm smile! We ordered the chorizo, the prawn rolls, the foie gras, the tomato bread and the garlic mushrooms (we'd been walking around all day and worked up a solid appetite!). The foie gras was one of the best I've ever had and the prawn rolls were fresh and crispy. To this we added a white chocolate and pistachio cheesecake which was so creamy, and the pistachio added a great edge. The only reason this place doesn't get 5 stars is because the place we ate in the night before was out of this world, which is probably a little unfair but Born is a competitive area. I'll definitely be back next time in Barcelona. read more

El Atril - A cheeseboard with red onion marmalade and walnuts - Spanish Near Me - Barcelona, B

Because of the good reviews here, we decided to have dinner here. I ordered a piece of meat and it tasted good. Unfortunately it was a bit crowded and the waiter was all by himself. So we had to wait very very long for everything. 20 minutes for order taking, 40 minutes for the bill. The restaurant also did not had very nice atmosphere. I don't recommend this place. read more

El Atril - Spanish Near Me - Barcelona, B

Very laid back restaurant hidden in the alleys around La Catedral. Prices were surprisingly low for such a touristy area. My friends and I ordered the patats bravas and a flat bread with calamares. Both dishes were tasty and the flatbread was surprisingly flavorful and not at all dry. Paired with a nice cold caña it was a perfect tapa stop. read more

El Atril - Bocadito Dr calamares - Spanish Near Me - Barcelona, B

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Our favorite restie in Barcelona. Mostly cuz it's a block from our pad in El Born. Friendly and the food is great, authentic Catalonian cuisine. Ambiance is ok but there is plaza seating which is nice. They have a couple nice salads- tuna, spinach, sun dried tomato, tapenade; and a quinoa salad. We also had a salmon filet over wakame and a glaze which was really nice. They also have the best patatas brave we found in the city- which says a lot! They would do well to add a spanish omelette or some eggs on the menu for peeps like us who want to go there for every meal. read more

We floated into this place on a high of dance-step-following an amazing drum line from a nearby square. We were in a very positively charged happy place, and this place did NOT harsh our buzz. On the contrary: the excellent atmosphere, delicious cold beer, warm service, and sublime tapas made us think it's a whole wonderful world. We were a hungry four, so we shared: guacamole (fresh delicious!) ceviche (same!) kangaroo....? (yep! a.....different....flavor, but glad we put it in our mouths!) foie gras (not kidding! on toast, with a dab of sweetness? perfecto!) patatas bravas (perfect patatas & THE BEST bravas sauce i've ever put in my mouth!) I'm absolutely a fan and only wish I were able to pop in any ol time I fancied. read more

Of all the hundreds of Tapas places I've tried in Spain, this is still one of my favorites. When I first stumbled upon this place a couple of years ago, there was nothing in that courtyard except an old Roman wall, and little else. Now that square has several hip restaurants, and the area has a pretty good vibe. I never ate inside, only outside on the patio. Prices were reasonable, service was relaxed and friendly. This is a keeper. oh - i'm told that they also have live music on the weekend... I'll have to try going there on a weekend night soon! read more

If you are close to this please you have to visit. This place doesn't look like touristic. And food is fantastic indeed. Reasonable price, good atmosphere, kind service. Top! read more

El Atril - Octopus - Spanish Near Me - Barcelona, B

The good reviews here have been the main reason for us to stop at El Atril. And honestly, I can't confirm them. I have been to Barcelona for days this time and we had good food and good service at restaurants. Sometimes even both at the same restaurant. Non of it we had at El Atril. The athmosphere, the furniture is well choosen at the restaurant and it is located nicely at a square with chairs/ tables outside on two sides (street and square). The food was mediocre. I'd recommend to leave out the tapas. Not a fair value. You can have much better tapas at other bars. But we can give a recommendation for the main dish with the mussels. They are tasty and the portion is quite big. The service was lousy. Ok, we have been there "late" - but hey, we are in Spain. Dinner is not over at 8pm. And I expect at least a friendly waiter who acts annoyed the moment he/she realizes that tourists with limited spanish skills are sitting in front of him/her. Customer is king - but not at this location. We loced Barcelona and will come back very soon. But there are much better locations where you can have a good time and good food. read more

We stopped by twice and were pretty satisfied with the food and drinks both times. We got a few pretty standard dishes, patatas bravas, seranno peppers, and a few local hams, etc., and everything was rather good. They also had live music on one of the nights we were there. Cool spot. Worth a visit. read more

Delightful dinner at this cosy, bright, tasty spot. It was a little but rainy and we were so happy to be tucked away! Great service, tasty house wine, delicious tapas for starters and really unique main courses including a duck timbale, grilled salmon, and fillet. Tasty desserts rounded off a wonderful meal, good value and an all round treat. read more

El Atril - Happy faces! - Spanish Near Me - Barcelona, B

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This place was amazing. The food was so delicious and prices were great. We order from the menu of the day. I was so impressed. You must come and try!!! read more

El Atril - The food was delicious. - Spanish Near Me - Barcelona, B

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Great place. A lot of variety of food. Great tapas and cool environment. All the dishes we tasted were delicious.i I'll definitely come back. read more

We went to El Atril two times for lunch during our 5 day stay in Barcelona. We liked it because it's outdoors, they have a pretty extensive menu, live music playing intermittently (nothing obnoxious) and it's in a great location in El Born. Here are our reviews of what we had over the course of our two visits: (1) Cheese plate: very good, especially for the price! (2) Tomato bread: decent, not the best (3) Shishito peppers: very good! (4) Iberian Jamon: it was okay; a little fatty for my taste (5) Iberian Jamon on toast: much better, would recommend this over the plate of jamon (6) House salad: this was OK; the tomatoes in it were very big and not cut into bite size pieces and kind of grossed me out My boyfriend had sangria, which was decent, my wine was not great, but drinkable. I think the first time we went, it was only our first true day in Spain, so without having much to compare it to, I felt it was very good. After returning on our last day in Spain, I was not as pleased, but would still recommend it. I'd say go for Sunday brunch, or lunch, get drinks, cheese and the shishito peppers! read more

We stumbled upon El Atril by accident one of our first nights in Barcelona. We got one of the last tables they had and we're excited to enjoy some Spanish tapas. We ordered a pitcher of sangria. It packed a pretty good punch and would definitely recommend it. We went with all the traditional tapas. We loved the calamari, potatas bravas, and tomato bread. Ordered quite a few more as well and we were happy with every other dish. If you want some traditional tapas I would highly recommend Atril. Much better than any touristy restaurant you will go to. read more

Delicious food. Perfect portions. Couldn't have asked for anything more. Left with my stomach entirely full but no regrets. Drinks were amazing as well. read more

Clean classic atmosphere in old city. Our server was great with good english(my Spanish is horrible). FUN and yummy tapas. I'll dream of the salmon wrapped date with marscapone and a sesame oil drizzle. Really good sangria; mmm! Inexpensive and open while others were closed. read more

So delicious! Came here for lunch (which is a steal) and had the most outstanding seafood soup and pasta. A must try for authentic and amazing meal. read more

The atmosphere is nice, but the food was bad. I ordered the calamari and the trio veggie dips. I was waiting to order a third plate and im glad i waited. The hummus, guacomole, and baba ganouj had almost no taste and a LOT of water in them. It was served w sub par vegrables and box ceackers. It was like really bad bar food. The calamari was okay, not great. It's also more expensive than the other restaurants around. Those two dishes cost me 17.70 euros. I had better food at McDonald's. My stomach hurts so much right now, i think it may have been BAD food. I went to La Boucherie last night, it was amazing, WAY cheaper. Or go to Mcdonald's. Or just don't eat, i would rather have not eaten, i wouldnt be out almost 18 euro and my stomach wouldnt hurt and i wouldnt have this terrible taste in my mouth. Or go to an udon place nearby, i went there for lunch, i had soup and a meal and a coffee for less and it tasted amazing. read more

I really liked Atril. The food was good here and the service was even better. The croquettes and patatas bravas are good. The cheese platter was also tasty. The one thing we really liked about this place is that they serve dinner at 7pm which most restaurants don't do in Barcelona. So if your looking for a place to have a early dinner, I would recommend this place. read more

Like most have said before, Barcelona does not have a shortage of "tapas" places to choose from and most being tourist traps at best, but this little hidden gem off the beaten path was a welcome surprise. Somewhat inconspicuous in its locale, as are often some of the best places to eat at, the experience here did not disappoint. The flavors within the dishes were superb. We had patatas bravas (cooked to a slight crisp with an amazing sauce drizzled over them), fried calamari (typical but still very good) and the salteado, which was heavenly. You will not be disappointed at all. And the prices were fair to boot! read more

Traveling about...no regrets with our stop at the busy Atril in Barcelona. Order: Cheese plater with the sweet onion marmalade 4.6 Ceviche 4.0 Smoked Salmon w/Dates 4.2 Mussels 4.7 3 cheese bread 3.0 Aubergine + polenta 4.6 Service 5.0 (friendly and patient with our understanding of Spanish) read more

Nice restaurant. Shrimp tails fried in phillo dough -hubby loved it! The shrimp were sweet. Salad with beets, papaya, cashew and citrus vinegarette... Really good and not overly sauced or anything. Solid house wine and cava. I would order those two items for a good meal or snack read more

Excellent real tapas. Very good quality, prices and portions. Great location. Highly recommended.

I have eaten at El Atril three times over the past month (two lunches and one dinner). It was wonderful each time. For lunch, I sat outside and had the menu of the day. The last visit I had a mussels appetizer. The broth was so good I soaked all my bread in it. The main course was bonita with vegetables. Excellent. The little square where they serve outdoors is pleasant and I was entertained by two different street performances, one a dance and the other music. At dinner, we sat inside and sampled a number of tapas. There is a very good variety in the menu and the service was attentive. read more

Good food although not all the usual tapas options available, cosy location, very friendly service.

You pass an endless number of tapas bars in Barcelona, it's hard to know which to choose. I really enjoyed this one. The service was very, um, European (read: slow), but the dishes were great and a good bargain too. read more

It's still the best place for tapas in Barcelonare where I have been so far. Really good patatas bravas!