Tragaluz is an elegant restaurant just off La Rambla in a quiet street. There's a Japanese restaurant on the ground floor, and Tragaluz is on the first and second floors.
We arrived for lunch at 1:30, and the restaurant was still empty; it began to fill up around 2:00 or 2:30 as the locals came in to eat.
The menu is quite extensive, and I would describe it as "Contemporary Spanish". They don't have a fixed-menu lunch deal like other tourist restaurants, but spruced-up versions of the same dishes are on the menu: jamón iberico, croquetas, pan con tomate, etc.
For lunch I shared the octopus and potato dish as a starter, and then had the miso-glazed salmon as my main course. Everything was well-prepared and tasty.
The space itself is impressive; "Tragaluz" means "swallowing light", no doubt a reference to the enormous, angled glass ceiling on the dining room. The tables are spaced apart nicely so that you can have a private conversation.
The service was quite good; our waiters all spoke English, and they had the right pacing of leaving us alone when appropriate, but being available when needed.
The only drawback to all of this goodness is that it's quite expensive. Mercifully, I wasn't responsible for the bill, but I would estimate that it cost 60-80 Euro per person including a bottle of wine and coffees at the end. I would recommend this place for special occasions or for people with expense accounts; otherwise there are probably better values out there. read more