This is probably the best tapas restaurant I've ever tried in Barcelona (and I have been to many). The tapas are really unique, and the taste is magic! The staff makes you feel like you're a regular customer, really nice, passionate about their job, and keen to explain all the menu if you let them. One of the best experience in Barcelona's food tasting. I recommend it wholeheartedly! read more

Gata Mala - Your best tapas destination in Barcelona - Tapas Bars Near Me - Barcelona, B

What a great tapas bar! We just showed up and they say us. That was really amazing as the place was so packed! The owner was amazing and sat is right away. The food was very delicious and to die for! I loved this place so much I wish we had this type bar and place in DC! ;) read more

Gata Mala - Finished foie! Yum - Tapas Bars Near Me - Barcelona, B

Excelent place, incredible food, amazing hosts. The tapas are extraordinary and the staff superb. Thank you Gata.

Ate here on a whim after another spot we planned on going to was completely packed, and we were incredibly hungry. We called in advance to ensure that it was open (a lot of places that said online that they were, weren't) & Pilar (the owner) answered & told us they were open and they'd hold a seat for us. When we arrived she immediately recognized that it was us (do all tourists share the same "am I in the write place?" look?) and was so incredibly friendly and welcoming. We asked her to just order us her favorite things from the menu, and ended up with an assortment of the most incredibly food and wine. Pilar made us feel at home, and before we left she told us to come back any time we were in town, and that we were family now. I can't say enough good things about the people, the place, and the food. I recommend it to any friends who travel to this area - my parents are even going this week while on vacation! this is a MUST if you're in Barcelona! Pilar or any of the Gata Mala staff - you have an open invitation to break bread with us any time you're in New York!!! read more

Favorite "local" experience in Barcelona. Best food hands down.

I went here last night with my friends to show them a typical tapas experience here in Spain. If we hadn't been too eager to eat all the delicious food, I would've taken pictures because all of the tapas were beautiful, and they tasted even better. We started off our night with a typical tortilla de patatas, which this place does very right. We interspersed the rest of our meal with dishes with potatoes, tomatoes, and meat. Also, highly recommend the bombolas with spinach which come with a tomato paste, very typical in Spain, on the side. While the staff do speak mostly Spanish, the host was very welcoming and made sure that the lone group of young Americans felt at home. She makes the Gata Mala the kind of place at which you want to become a regular. 10/10 would recommend. ¡Muchas gracias! read more

My husband and I are visiting Barcelona from the US and came here for dinner. The place is great! Very kind servers. Funky ambiance, a bit hipster. It is quite small, so get there before 9 if you want seats. When you order an alcoholic beverage, you get a tapa for free....real, freshly made tapas! Wow, so yummy! And the prices are great! read more

Pilar, the hostess, makes sure that everyone feels most welcome. The place is tiny! The food ridiculous! Mostly locals. Pilar has no idea how her place rates on Yelp. She writes reservations on a piece of paper folded in her pocket. We had chorizo, the leek and cheese pie, quail egg tapas and the only killer desert! read more

I really wanted to like this place since Pilar was amazing, but the horrible experience that I had upon entering, was enough to outweigh any great thing that Pilar did. My partner and I decided to go to a more local place in the Gracia area where we were staying and saw the amazing Yelp reviews here. We thought we'd be in for a treat and boy, were we. Instead of being greeted upon entering, we were interrogated. We said "hola" to the person working at the counter and in Spanish, my partner asked if it were okay to sit in some nearby empty seats. The woman at the counter asked "do you have a reservation?" and we said "no" to which she responded "you don't have reservations, then you can't sit there" and waved us off. Mind you, the place wasn't really that busy. My partner was a bit taken aback at how rudely we were treated (though I didn't understand it at the time since they were speaking Spanish). As we turned to leave, Pilar came to our rescue. She was very nice; she asked us where we were from and tried to connect to us on a personal level. As a few people walked out, she asked us if we wanted to sit down and that's when we just resolved to eat there despite the strange, weirdly pretentious experience we had upon entering. Now on to the more "telling" aspect of this review: the food. It's really nothing to write home about. Absolutely nothing. I won't go into much detail, but I can tell you that I was unimpressed and I'm not that picky AT all. The steak: bland. The potato salad: blah. Bread and manchego: okay. Nothing special. I was hopeful that the food experience would overshadow what had happened earlier but it only intensified my negativity for this place. What's more, at the end of our meal, we didn't receive any receipt of purchase. Not sure if this is commonplace, but thus far, we've been to a bunch of different places in Barcelona and have never just been given a verbal shoutout of the price. I'm not even sure what we spent 30 euros on at this point. Anyway, I really don't know if we were treated in this weird way because we're tourists. I've resolved to that kind of thinking since everyone who came in after us were treated with respect and acknowledgement, but were apparently locals. But I do know this: if you go here, don't expect much. Expect the spectacle that is Pilar, but don't expect any semblance of respect otherwise. It's really not as if we weren't humble upon entering or that we were so brazen enough to not speak the language. We did everything we were supposed to do. To me, it was just very backwards that this hole-in-the-wall place carried this undeserved air of pretentiousness. We've been to many places in Barcelona thus far, from high-end eateries to mid and low-level restaurants and this is the first time I've had such a horrid experience. Not sure who is writing these reviews and I can't tell you if their experiences are legit (they might be); I can only speak for myself that you should avoid this place by any cost if you're a tourist. I wish them all the best, but I felt it absolutely necessary to share my experience. read more

Great Spanish food! I had a bit of trepidation regarding Spanish food and I didn't know what to expect but this was an excellent dining experience. Very reasonably priced. My friends and I ordered multiple dishes and we just sampled each dish and that was quite filling. I'd recommend this restaurant to anyone in the area. Would eat here again! read more

My first experience was quick: the bar was empty, with only half an hour before all reservations came in. 1rst lesson: always make a reservation if you wanna go on weekends. We felt rushed to get in and than leave, which was bad, but other than that the staff was really nice. I ended just having one beer and leaving, so a more complete eval will have to wait.. read more

Excellent food great vibe make sure to make a reservation if you're coming late they can get pretty packed in there highly recommend this place. read more

Gata Mala - Cool place for cat lovers. - Tapas Bars Near Me - Barcelona, B

Great tapas. Good fair price. I could tell that food was prepared fresh. You get a small tapa with each drink and the owner introduced herself. Intimate. Get there early for seating. Opens at 630 pm weekdays. I'll be back. read more

Tiny gem in a totally nondescript neighborhood. Pilar is THE draw, along with the food, to this tapas bar. Everything we tried, from the simplest patatas bravas, to the more complicated dncarnitas was just so delicious! We left with smiles on our faces. MUST TRY!!! read more

What an amazing experience. Pilar was so accommodating to our lack of communication skills, and gave great recommendations based on our preferences. We were lucky enough to get a seat without a reservation on a Tuesday evening, so I highly recommend calling ahead! read more

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Group of 3 of us walked in on a Thursday around 6:30. We didn't know that reservations are suggested, but we were seated at the counter within 5 minutes-awesome! Drinks were served quickly and bread was provided. The staff here is incredible. They are constantly busy but so quick at serving food. We ordered 3 different tapas, all delicious. We finished within 30 minutes and left quickly. There was a line waiting and we were more than satisfied. Before walking out a woman who I am assuming is the owner shook our hands and wished us well. Great experience! read more

First off, this place is small. Tiny. But tiny and amazing. Pilar, the owner, greets you at the door and gets you tucked into a seat. The artwork is amazing - largely in part to Pilar's girlfriend, Lucy, who is American. The food here is incredible. We let Monica guide us and there were no bad recommendations. Oh, and Van Morrison was playing the entire time - so how about that for ambiance? read more

Ate here with two close friends while visiting Barcelona. Great food and tapas, and the owner was just so lovely.

Tiny place and easy to miss but Pilar with her quirky charm and delicious tapas won us over. The marinated eggplant with goat cheese and the grilled steak with potato purée (entranita) were sublime. We will be back for more. read more

Gata Mala - Eggplant with goat cheese - Tapas Bars Near Me - Barcelona, B

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Great food, good service and atmosphere. Make reservations. Gata mala combo and steak is a must. Would definitely come back.

Service was impeccable! So accommodating, the team was happy to explain everything on the menu and even the regular patrons helped out. The food was great, we went late, so some items not available. read more

Best Tapas place in Barcelona. Very laid back environment, great music. The food is delicious , Entrañitas are great, so is the Tortilla Española. Make sure you go early or make reservations, the place is small. It was one of the highlights of our stay in Barcelona. read more

From the moment we walked in, to the moment we walked out, we felt welcomed. The food was delicious, the beer cold, the service amazing, the decor artsy, with a voice, and funny. Pilar the owner and the rest of the staff were just top notch, and we will definitely go back before we leave town. For the first night and meal in Barcelona, we couldn't have asked for a better place. read more

This has been our favorite tapas experience in Barcelona so far. The two sisters made us feel at home. While we dined on authentic tapas, we felt like we were eating straight from the kitchen from the two sisters who served us. Don't miss this off the beaten path tapas joint if you're in Barcelona. Kid friendly. Really kid friendly!!! read more

What a great little place!! Pilar is the greeter extraordinaire and makes you feel like she's known you for years. Food is great and the service is so warm and friendly. Definitely worth a visit. read more

Fantastic local spot. Got there right when it opened, was buzzing with people within minutes. Popular for good reason! Superb gin and tonic, excellent tapas, and ordered the patatas bravas which were to par with everything else. Loved it, and highly recommend! read more

Truly awesome experience! Food is prepared with love. Great ambience. The owner and staff are super friendly. If you are looking for a "button-down, let-loose" kind of place where you can relax from the stuffiness and politics of office work, you have to try this place at least once. Tapas are served with your drink order. And they are incredibly flavourful on their own. The eggplant and goat cheese plate is delectable. The Patatas Bravas are simple and rustic, yet full of flavour. The steak was mouth-watering, accompanied with mashed potatoes and pimientos and then pan seared. The dessert was divine, lavished in chocolate with hints of orange and sprinkled with coconut flakes. My first time here was great! Make it yours too! read more

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Favorite tapas place on our trip to Barcelona this month. I did a lot of research looking or some cheaper tapas options while we were there and this one definitely stood out - and for a good reason. The customer service was absolutely amazing. You get a free tapa when you order a drink. We ddnt really know what we wanted and told them to surprise us with 3-4 tapas and it was all fantastic. I've already tried to recreate a few of the items we got!! 100% go here especially if you go to Park Guell because its walking distance!! read more

Every other 5 star review of this place is on point. No need to rehash what they said again.

To this day I am not sure Why I was treated like the scum of the earth here and on top of it all the food was mediocre. Is it because I didn't call to reserve a table? I was very polite when I walked in and yet the people behind the bar were not professional. Thanks for nothing! Bad vibes all around this place gave me the heebie-jeebies. Yuck! read more

This was my girlfriend and my first time in Barcelona (and Spain at all). We were super frustrated with the listed opening and closing times of spots in Grácia on Google and finally settled on Gata Mala, and boy are we glad we did. We called ahead so when we arrived, our server Pilar greeted us full of energy and excitement that we had come to their establishment. We literally asked her to bring us her favorite items and wine, which she did. This included a sampler plate of cheese, peppers, olives, bread, potatoes, etc, a steak dish, and more. Don't skip this spot - and if you do go - ask for Pilar and tell her Josh and Jessica from the US sent you :) read more

Possibly among the best bar/restaurant/tapas bars in Barcelona. Quality of food genuine and dishes so simple that you will feel back to your Grandma's. The owner, Trinity and her wife add value to the magic of this place. Let them guide you through the menu. English spoken. RESERVATION IS FUNDAMENTAL. read more

This review is in two parts- 1. Gata Mala food and atmosphere- amazing and delicious. We started with vermouth and then switched to wine and with each drink got an additional tapas beyond what we ordered off of the menu. We ordered bombolas (meatballs from heaven), and a mixed tapas plate with tomatoes, eggplant, olives cheese, bread and salade russe. I think we barely spoke to each other without starting the sentence with "oh yum!" The inside of the bar is cozy, with a cute chalkboard as the menu and lots of local folks. Firing on all cylinders in my opinion. 2. Now for the real reason I am writing this review - the service. Let's talk about our server Pilar - we loved her and it was clear that she cared so much about this place. She knew every single person that walked into the restaurant. She described the food to us in great detail and told us about how much time and care went into each dish. She clearly wanted us to know how much she loved her guests. When we left she hugged my husband and me and told us "when you are at Gata Mala, you are home." We have traveled far and wide, and this was the most caring service we've ever had!!!!!! We love you Pilar!!! read more

Wow! What a great place. Staff was friendly, food and beer were excellent, and you can't beat the price for such great quality. It was a little tight on space but it almost makes the experience better in its own unique way. Definitely going to be heading back a few more times before leaving. read more

You must try this place!!! It's amazing! Small is true, so you might want to make reservations but we were able to sit at the bar. So good. Wonderful and accepting people. read more

This place is great! So cozy and the staff is so welcoming. The food is outstanding! The beef & mashed potato dish was so good! For every drink you order, you get a free tapa! We had a little bit of a communication issue at first but the chef came and explained the entire menu to us in English. Pilar also came and learned our names, she is great. I highly recommend this place, just get there early or make reservations! read more

Alice Waters of Barcelona_Pilar: Lover of the beauty and essence of foods, their origins, slow cooked potentials and raw artistry. We have a new friend here, having made us feel most welcomed as if we were dining in her kitchen. Go, feel the love, savor the true flavors of Catalonia and surrounding influences. What a gift of an experience we had in the beauty and deliciousness of the food of Pilar and her staff; thank you, thank you, thank you. Can't take our minds off of you....;) Amore, A&B read more

We read the reviews on Yelp and thought we would try. Beautiful food and wine and a very reasonable price and the owner of the restaurant Pilar was very kind, friendly and helpful. For me, the best place in BCN! I recommend to try but make sure you book as it was super busy! Gracias Pilar! read more

Gata Mala - Tapas Bars Near Me - Barcelona, B

Our first night in Barcelona, and it won't be beat! The tapas at Gata Mala were incredible (special shout-out to the Chori, which was the highlight, but everything we had was fantastic) but the friendliness and accommodation of the staff was second to none. I hope we get back here in our short trip because it was terrific. Go here and make a reservation, you won't be sorry! read more

Read about this bar on timeout.com as one of the best Gin and Tonics in the city - they were right. As well as having delicious drinks, free tapas are served with each round. We also ordered Patatas bravas and they're to die for. Step away from the tourists and come here. New favourite bar. read more