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    El Macareno

    4.8 (20 reviews)
    ModerateBars, Tapas/Small Plates
    Open 9:00 am - 3:00 AM (Next day)

    El Macareno Photos

    EL MACARENO ATMOSPHERE

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    Recommended Reviews - El Macareno

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    Fried Brie and eggplant with goats cheese (the eggplants were delicious!)
    Ruhia J.

    This was a random walkby restaurant choice on our first day in Barcelona. They advertised a fixed price tapas menu for €15. Included came 8 tapas items and a glass of yummy sangria. Included came: patatas bravas (fried potatoes with dipping sauce), fried calamari, chicken strips, fish croquettes (they were black from squid ink and wonderful!), eggplant with goats cheese, breaded and fried brie with jam and nuts, we also had the bread with tomatoes (a typical Catalan starter) but this was just average. The bread felt a bit stale and flavourless. Overall everything was quite yummy and a great start to the vacation! And reasonably priced. The service was also great. Very friendly. Definitely worth a try.

    Exterior
    Sarah W.

    This place was less than five min from our hotel, and I'm so glad we decided to give it a try. Friendly, warm service; tasty and reasonably-priced tapas; great location. I highly recommend if you're in the area and looking for somewhere to treat you well and feed you well, too.

    steve g.

    Fantastic food at very reasonable prices. Bar is downstairs and there a nice room upstairs for meals.

    Rhona W.

    Great alcohol, food and atmosphere . We ordered the potato bravas and guacamole. Both were very fresh and tasty. Also very affordable and good sangria :)

    Loved the staff here! Wish we were locals
    Chelsea L.

    Favorite place we ate in Barcelona! Great location, right near La Boqueria. Food was well priced and so delicious. Best Sangria in Barcelona and cheap! The service is fabulous. We were told that the two owners were 2/3 people working, and they all always greeted us warmly. I told our waiter my sister was visiting soon and he said to come to them for help or questions if she needed...above and beyond service Thank you guys for making the trip!

    Carlos V.

    Awesome tapas cold beer and nice sangria. It was so good we went there twice during our stay in Barcelona. That staff is super friendly and attentive. Definitely a great stop every tapa was great.

    eggplant, croquetas

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    El Macareno Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - El Macareno

    I fell in love with the crispy delicious eggplant.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

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    Cañete - lobster croquettes

    Cañete

    4.6(573 reviews)
    0.7 kmEl Raval
    €€€

    Wow, this meal was so good I literally made another reservation after we left. This place might be…read moreadvertised as a tapas restaurant, but it's much more than that. The service was excellent, our server spoke English and knew so much about American pop culture. He even sang NSYNC songs to us while serving us dishes. As for the food let's get into it: - Lobster Croquettes (8/10) We've had a lot of croquettes this trip, but these were on another level, get one per person. - Paella (7.5/10) Different style of paella from other places we went. It was almost like a paella curry, which was still rich and delicious. - Squid Sandwich (10/10) This is hands down the best appetizer I've ever had. The squid was packed with flavor and the mayo sauce they used paired perfectly. Order one per person, and be prepared to order another to go. - Garlic Shrimp (8/10) Solid entree paired with sourdough bread. Dip that bread into the sauce and you'll be satisfied. - Aged Beef Steak w/ Foie Gras (9/10) This might be one of the best steak dishes I've had traveling abroad. It was cooked perfectly, and came with a potato crust on the bottom and Foie Gras on top. Definitely a must order. Overall a great experience, from the service and ambiance to the quality of the food, this is a must try when visiting Barcelona. Would I go again? Absolutely!

    BLUF: not only one of the best meals I've had but also one of the best dining experiences I've ever…read morehad. If you're in Barcelona this MUST be at the top of your list. Cañete was booked out for 2 weeks straight, so we decided to risk it and see if we could get a spot as walk-ins; and were lucky enough to want less than 5 minutes before being sat at the "bar" in front of the open kitchen, which is honestly the best seat in the house IMHO. You get to see all the 'action' and interact with the friendly and often funny staff. Everything in the menu we tried was fantastic, but a few standouts for me were the squid sandwich (do yourself a favor and try it, even if you aren't a "squid person" the bread is fresh, and the butter garlic sauce they use should be sold in bottles at the supermarket), the lobster croquet was refreshing, and the aged beef steak with foie and truffle sauce was delicious and cooked to perfection.

    Photos
    Cañete - Packed with locals - Faiyoh!! (Uncle Roger)

    Packed with locals - Faiyoh!! (Uncle Roger)

    Cañete - Lobster croquettes

    Lobster croquettes

    Cañete

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    Restaurant La Tasqueta de Blai - Pinchos at La Tasqueta de Blai

    Restaurant La Tasqueta de Blai

    4.5(256 reviews)
    1.3 kmEl Poble-sec

    Has two inside seating areas and outdoor patio So Cheap…read more Lots of Variety! I will say this was one of my first experiences with real tapas. I love that there were so many options. I don't know if it's just me as an American or what, but the temperatures of the foods was my only "complaint" per se. Some of the tapas I thought would be hot were lukewarm at best. So, I'll have to try more places to just see what's normal for Spain.

    For me, this is hands-down the best pintxo spot in Barcelona! La Tasqueta de Blai is top-shelf --…read morethe selection is incredible, everything is fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. Pair it all with a cold Estrella and you've got yourself a 5-star winner! I loved the fun learning curve here: grab a plate, pick whatever pintxos catch your eye, and keep the toothpicks (of all shapes and sizes!) so your total can be tallied at the end. Some toothpicks were just holding things together -- I had to laugh at that -- but it's all part of the charm and experience. La Tasqueta was so good that we came back a few days later for another round, only to find it temporarily closed due to a plumbing issue. Sadly, we couldn't wait since we'd already hiked all over Montjuïc earlier that day. We tried another pintxo place down the block -- it was okay, but honestly, not even close to the same level. This place is amazing -- friendly, fun, and absolutely delicious. Sit inside and be dazzled by the colorful pintxos lined up along the counter, or grab a spot outside under an umbrella and watch the world go by. Loved this place... 5 stars all the way!

    Photos
    Restaurant La Tasqueta de Blai
    Restaurant La Tasqueta de Blai - Pinchos at La Tasqueta de Blai

    Pinchos at La Tasqueta de Blai

    Restaurant La Tasqueta de Blai - Pinchos at La Tasqueta de Blai

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    Pinchos at La Tasqueta de Blai

    Tapeo - Tomato and buffalo mozzarella

    Tapeo

    5.0(26 reviews)
    1.0 kmSant Pere, Santa Caterina i la Ribera-Born
    €€

    Second trip back to Barcelona. Had to make the right restaurant choices for my favorite tapas…read moredishes. I was definitely right on the mark as all restaurants I've walked by before dinner wasn't as crowded as this. And this place had a line out the door. Pan con tomate (toasted bread with tomato spread) was done sooo right here because they used crisp brioche bread and the tomato spread had a nice balanced ratio of olive oil blended into it. The patatas bravas (brave potatoes) took me back to the first time I had this in 2018. Such good crisp skin, soft fluffiness and that aioli mayo signature sauce on top - I swear I feel they make their own sauce for this dish. Grilled octopus here is special as instead of a tentacle - you get a fatty piece with multiple cuts of the octopus. Even better just as you would get multiple pieces of fatty toro in an omakase. I just loved the ease of dining in Barcelona where you share small intricate flavored plates with a glass of wine to balance these dishes. It was a nice long but roomier restaurant in the back. Very deceptive to the eyes but in a good way. You get to see the chefs cook near you that makes you appreciate the work of art put into the food. And can't forget the oxtail dish that's uniquely in the form of a patty and broken up into shredded meats. Fabulous to everything.

    Great food and vibe with friendly service. We went here without reservations on a Friday night, but…read moreit being early(6pm) we were seated without a wait. We got the pinxto morano (lamb skewers) which were the favorite of the meal, glazed beef cheeks and grilled octopus with chick peas, all of which were good. For dessert with got the dark chocolate with olive oil and salt served with bread to top off a great meal. They do have other dishes that we would look forward to trying next time!

    Photos
    Tapeo - Tapeo, busy and friendly vibe

    Tapeo, busy and friendly vibe

    Tapeo
    Tapeo - Ice cream sandwich

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    Ice cream sandwich

    Ziryab Fusion Tapas Bar - charcuterie board

    Ziryab Fusion Tapas Bar

    4.9(38 reviews)
    0.9 kmSant Pere, Santa Caterina i la Ribera-Born

    This place had wonderful service and a cool atmosphere. Plenty of tapas options and we tried a…read morebunch.

    Ziryab fell onto my radar as a popular tapas spot in Barcelona. I didn't make that many dining…read moreplans in advance before visiting the city, I just knew I wanted tapas. Ziryab seemed to fit the bill, so we made plans to stop here during our first night in the city. Ziryab is located close to the Gothic Quarter, on side street. It's kind of inconspicuous from the outside, but the interior gives way to a really welcoming space. The restaurant is separated into two main areas, with an earth-tone color scheme that has a rustic, almost cave-like aesthetic. The high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows keep the dining room open and spacious. The tapas menu had a good selection, and we decided on several items: pan con tomate, sweet potato rolls, chicken cannelloni, bacon-wrapped figs, croquettes, falafel, and a charcuterie board. All the tapas were great - my favorites were the chicken cannelloni, pan con tomate, and the charcuterie board. The cannelloni especially was a standout - definitely a unique dish, and the chicken was super flavorful. We opted for dessert, and got the feta whip cheesecake - this was great as well. The combination of tang and sweet was a good finisher to our meal. Service was great - everyone was friendly and our dishes were served at a good pace. Overall, I'm glad I tried out Ziryab - the tapas were delicious and atypical of ones you find elsewhere in Barcelona. I would have no qualms returning here for another meal.

    Photos
    Ziryab Fusion Tapas Bar - One of 3 interior rooms

    One of 3 interior rooms

    Ziryab Fusion Tapas Bar - Pan con tomate

    Pan con tomate

    Ziryab Fusion Tapas Bar - Tasting dips

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    Tasting dips

    El Macareno - bars - Updated May 2026

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