Close to our hotel and set within a pretty bustling courtyard with great acoustics and local activity, we grabbed some adult beverages and something to eat at this little tapas bar with big flavor. We went a little crazy and ordered a LOT of food...but loved everything we ordered (with the exception of the fried calamari--came out cold :( ) and ate everything! The house red wine I ordered went well with all the dishes we ordered. Our server was attentive and informative. We met the very hospitable owner and experienced the cuisine of a very creative and talented chef. It was a stumble-upon, let's-give-it-a-shot restaurant that I would recommend to anyone staying near the Arco de Triunfo de Barcelona. Though we had one dish that was not perfect, the chef and the owner made up for it with a very delectable croquetas de pollo(?). For that 5 STARS, BABY! FOOD HOSPITALITY AMBIENCE VALUE Visited Time of Year: APRIL 2023 | 12.30 to 14.00 | 55°F/12°C Little chilly. Bring layers. The courtyard has some sun, but it was fully shaded by approximately 3pm. read more

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The food was great and so was the service! The prices were reasonable and the drink were good! I would definitely return. They do have outdoor seating as well. Cute place! read more

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Omg- the olives here will blow your mind. Dont order the nachos, fools! Get the local platos typicos- olives, catalayan wine, etc. The aubergine (eggplant to us Yanks) was spectacular. Outdoor seating Contactless payment All the things- stop here Mid day prix fix meal with your attention! read more

Upon arrival and ditching our bags at the Hotel, we explored the neighborhood. Loved this little square, and our first meal in Barcelona. The two waiters we had taking care of us were fantastic. Our cocktails were delicious, and every other drink we saw come out looked great. We went light picking the Burrata and Rocket Salad with Tomato Bread, also tried the croquettes. The square played a big part in our experience, it was shady and cool, and provided for excellent people watching read more

La Candela - Tomato Bread, Burrata/Rocket Amazing Cocktail - Mediterranean Near Me - Barcelona, B

I enjoyed a quick meal at this neighborhood tapas spot. I went with the tuna tataki and the chicken wings, and both were quite tasty. read more

La Candela - Tuna tataki and chicken wings. Apparently dog friendly too. - Mediterranean Near Me - Barcelona, B

The hostess was rude and she complained about my friend in Spanish. The food took incredibly long and we were so tired after walking and getting lost in the Gothic area, looking for a Chinese dim sum place. Despite all these shortcomings, they were the best unplanned restaurant in our Barcelona trip. The seating outside was plentiful, the locals milled about the bar and basked in the night air and the tourists were encouraged to sit inside. The restaurant is charming, and the Catalan cuisine is locally sourced. We tried the tomato bread, fried Jalapeños, risotto, pad thai x 2, and pineapple dessert. The fried peppers were perfectly seasoned with sea salt and had a smokey flavor. Their pad thai was plentiful with seafood. The pineapple dessert was amazing! It was crunchy and crisp phyllo dough wrapped around a grilled pineapple slice. I loved that we got lost and found such a gem. If we had more time, I would have wandered the Gothic area some more and had another meal here. read more

Perfect place to eat dinner outside, and people watch Food was fantastic and service was quick read more

Delicious food, great service and set in a beautiful square. Spent a lovely evening here, worth a visit for the prawn tacos alone. read more

La Candela - Exterior of restaurant from our seats in the square. - Mediterranean Near Me - Barcelona, B

This place is right next to the apartment that I'm staying in so it's a great stop for me before I go out or after when I'm on my way home. I ordered the green salad but I asked for tuna on top and the tuna they put on it was incredibly delicious. It was raw marinated tuna and it made the salad 100 times better even though the salad itself was already beautiful. I like this place because it's mostly locals, not very touristy, and so I feel like I'm living part of the Barcelona life. The staff are great- very friendly and attentive. Only thing that disappointed me was that they were out of croquetas two days in a row. read more

La Candela - Outdoor seating, just divine - Mediterranean Near Me - Barcelona, B

Came here yesterday for dinner with a few friends. Since I was in Barcelona, I wanted some local food. I wanted a restaurant with a TV so I could watch a World Cup match (great advice every four years) but this restaurant does not have one. It has outdoor seating which is a plus :) (but go there around 7pm/19hrs because it gets hot). Their menu does not have many things here which is kind of dissapointing for a tapas bar. I ordered some potatoes which I did not know it was potato skins (it was my first time trying it and I liked it) which were good. I also ordered a tortilla con patatas and it was ok, tasted like a mix of mashed potatoes and scalloped potatoes. Service here was kind of slow even though there were a few other people there. I would not really recommend this to anyone (my airbnb host did) unless you want different stuff in a tapas bar. read more

Awesome place! So nice to sit and enjoy Barcelona! Very good food! The best patatas bravas I eat in Barcelona. Very friendly and authentic waiters! read more

3-1/2 stars. This place is exactly what it should be, no more no less. It's a small bar serving inside and to the square of Placa de St Pere. Two of us stopped here for breakfast, sat at the bar inside, and got coffee, tea, croissants, pan amb tomaquet, and zumos. The orange juice was fresh squeezed, but somehow not as flavorful as I would have expected? The coffee was fine (but bistro-standard too-hot), the croissants were tough. Perhaps breakfast did not show La Candela in its best light... we'll try again later at night for tapas and drinks! read more

This place will give you cafe con leche con hielo no question to asked do spanish people actually eat tapas? hors d'oeuvres are my favorite food, if i had a choice all food would be served on toothpicks and I'll force myself to go to an event if I know there are hors d's being served read more

What a treat! The meal was incredible and the service great. Well worth seeking out if you are visiting Segrada Familia. Starters of zucchini velouté with arugula and a duck and shiitake pasta. Both fantastic. Duck confit with roasted pear entree was wonderful and the lightly seared tuna entree was perfectly rare. With dessert or coffee it was a perfect meal with a great bottle of wine and a couple beers for under €50. They had 3 selections for each course. Dog friendly (made us wish our pooch stowed away). Great little hidden-away place that I hesitate to share because it's so perfect. read more

La Candela - Bottle of great wine, two beers and two 3-course lunches. - Mediterranean Near Me - Barcelona, B

I just returned to my flat after having dinner here tonight. Food was average. The menu didn't have the items pictured here except for the potatoes and they were more like cold, deep fat fried, potato peels. I had the fries, meat, wine and dessert which came to €30. Service was average for Barcelona. My meal ended with a rude/aggressive encounter with a man standing at the bar who was friends with the staff. (Although I don't believe the staff knew what happened.) Unpleasantness was due to me being American. (Which was particularly unsettling after the massacre in Paris this weekend.) Being a lone diner, I paid my bill and left. Won't be returning during the rest of my stay. read more

Was one of the best places I ate at in the Barcelona area. I had four items off the tapas menu, Ham and Chicken Croquettes, Jalapeño Crisp, Mozzarella and Marmalade, & Tomato Bread. It was fantastic. My favourite by far (and i still crave them) were the Ham and Chicken Croquettes. Staff was great, beer was great, food was great. Fairly expensive, but worth it. read more

La Candela - Ham and Chicken Croquettes & Tomato Bread - Mediterranean Near Me - Barcelona, B

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Very nice breakfast. Small and cozy. The coffee is also very good and very welcoming staff.

Molt bonic, good food, but the service was poor. I would have given this little treasure another star, but we sat there one day and just waited for something to happen until I had to demand service. Then, after that, we still had to wait some more... and the place was almost empty... Too relaxed, for a place like Barcelona. read more

One of those rare places in Barcelona that serves meals as well as tapa! We enjoyed the blini with octopus as a starter but the cheese stuffed mushrooms were pretty tasteless (undercooked). For mains had the green risotto and the cod which were both very tasty. read more

Pretty little place with outside tables in a small square. Great for a small stop, a drink and some people watching. Try the French toast with cinnamon ice cream....it's a delight read more

Came back again after first eating here 4 yrs ago. The cod was good, but the salmon ceviche (specials) and fried manchego (tapas) were outstanding. And the Estrella on tap is COLD! Very nice place to stop and eat! read more

Love this place! Girls who work here are a bit "Girl Interrupted" but it's super charming & delicious! Dine outdoors. One particular waitress is very grouchy but the other is sweet. None the less, you should definitely go! read more

A hidden gem!! For 12.50€ you get an appetizer, entree, dessert, and a drink. I had the pumpkin curry soup, the fish entree, and carrot cake. And a glass of wine :) Everything was amazing!!! Each item was full of flavor and the ingredients worked well together. I will definitely be back! read more

Had large group, many appetisers and entrees, all pretty bland. Generic menu, not Spanish. Wine staff very ignorant, not even knowing how to serve bottle of wine, and completely clueless about wines on menu. Table service friendly, but average. On Plaza Real. read more

I live near Candela, i keep on going because it is in extremely good location just round the corner from my home. Sitting outside in the square is just great. The food I had there is also very enjoyable..I loved the tapas, but some staff members are extremely rude ..It happened a few times that i felt frustrated with them as I am a very open and warm person and if I am being polite I expect a waiter to be polite back. Obviously there are also some really nice waiters working there, but there is a specif member of staff that particularly annoys me, and when i see that he is working I feel like i should go and have my coffee or food elsewhere to avoid feeling irritated by his blunt rudeness. This person ( not sure if it's a man or a woman but seems to be a transvestite ) enjoys blanking customers purposely: one day he knew I was there waiting to give my order but he totally ignored me and he just went inside and left me there waiting for 15 minutes until another person served me ( i had to wave and got up to get noticed ) but i could see the transvestite waiter sitting on a stall reading a news paper as if I wasn't even there.. Another day, i saw the same person accidentally pouring a drink over a customer who was an old man on a wheel chair .: the waiter was at first apologetic but as soon as he turned around I saw him giggling with enjoyment out of the episode, and he kept on doing that each time he went back to that table. It made me really angry to see this. I really wish the owners of Candela would read this review teach this person some customer service manners as he is totally spoiling a great restaurant and bar. read more

The food here was just "okay" and way over priced for what you got. Also, they charge you an additional €2 for eating outside. I would never eat there again. Staff spoke English and were friendly. read more

Several times I tried to give it a second chance.., but unfortunately Candela shows the absolute absence of service. You can wait 30 min for the menu, that another 30 to have you glass of wine... No way. Especially in summer. Although the food is ok, I would prefer other places, where waiters treat me well. read more

We stopped here for lunch today and it was delicious - asparagus soup, followed by roast beef with a chimichurri sauce. Both were perfect portion sizes, not too heavy on the stomach! Rounded off the meal with a chocolate brownie and mango syrup and a beer for the great price of €12.50! There is a set menu each day with only a few choices for each course however there was a vegetarian option available. The restaurant is in a lovely setting in a picturesque square, with plenty of outdoor seating. Would definitely visit again! read more

My father and I each enjoyed a three-course lunch with beers for just 25 Euros. The food (penne, roast beef, sea bass) was quite good and the service was excellent. read more