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    La Mestressa

    4.4 (25 reviews)
    Closed 1:00 pm - 3:00 am (Next day)

    La Mestressa Photos

    LA MESTRESSA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

    Recommended Reviews - La Mestressa

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    Out front
    Matt U.

    On the south side of a lovely little square in Barcelona lives this little restaurant that is now in the conversation as one of most memorable meals we've ever had! We showed up at 6:30, grabbed a bottle of wine and sat out in the square for a half hour before being seated. It was magical! Make sure to sit out front of the restaurant as the flanking tables belong to the restaurant they sit in front of. The waiter was great! He was bilingual (or more) and was wonderful at being gracious as I stumbled through ordering in broken Spanish and then just helping us order in English when I frustrated myself enough to quit trying! The breadth of options was legit! Our meal ranged from charcuterie to peppers, croquettes to veal and introduced us to a version of huevos rotos - runny eggs and other pleasantries over potatoes (in this case fries). The huevos rotos came two ways - first with foie gras and onions, and second with crispy ham (legit bacon) and mushrooms. These were two of the favorite dishes we've ever had - they go on my favorite things list! The charcuterie was beautiful and equally delicious. We also grabbed a beef dish with a rosemary and thyme that was lit on fire on the plate. It too was delicious! We ended up with something like 8 or 9 dishes for the group (4 adults and 3 kids) and a couple bottles of wine. We all left very satisfied, but not so full that we had to roll ourselves out. The vibe of the place was upbeat and fun, the food was delicious and thoughtful, and the price was perfect! We paid less for 7 of us than we generally do for 2 of us back home. During our short time in Barcelona, this spot was the an absolute perfect place. Sitting at our table and in the square before, it was as great of a night as we can remember. If you're in Barcelona, we highly recommend stopping in!

    Sangria
    Rocket K.

    Great food and Sangria. Highly recommend the Octopus and Beef & Rosemary Tapas. Overall great atmosphere despite the smaller size.

    Sarinya P.

    I'm a regular at this place. They never disappoint me and my colleagues. Avoid a glass of sangria and order a pitcher instead. A pitcher per person I mean lol. It's the best sangria in Barcelona and it's super cheap. Their tapa menu is a little limited if compare with other places but I don't mind coz I always enjoy what they have to offer. The only dish I don't like here was a "squid in its own ink". It's not their fault though. I just wanted to experience something new and I don't mind pay for it..it's just too extreme for me I guess lol. (I don't return food unless it's not fresh) The service here is very friendly and that's one of the reasons why I love to come here. My favorite dishes are patatas bravas, shrimp & asparagus with fried egg, and roasted padron peppers. Highly recommended this place!!

    Catalan Sausage with Cuttlefish (tapas; 8,50€)
    Xinyu Z.

    The two of us came here on a Wednesday evening, and many of the streets around this plaza were dead. The plaza, however, was full of life--with a crowd outside this restaurant in particular. My impression (from other reviews) is that this is the norm here. We sat down, and the service was a bit delayed, but understandable given how busy it was. We ordered the Cava Sangria (made with champagne), Catalan Sausage with Cuttlefish (tapas), and the Veal (14,80€ option, main course). The sangria was tasty and had a very fragrant taste. One order is a liter of sangria, which was a bit too much for the two of us--perfect for three, though. The table next to us ordered the Wine Sangria, which came out in a dark red ombré color in the jug, and was much more picture-worthy. The Catalan Sausage with Cuttlefish was excellent! Each type of food (light and dark sausage, cuttlefish, potato) had its own distinct flavor, but they blended harmoniously. The crispy pieces were my favorite--they created a wonderful texture. It was a little bit oily near the end though (see picture). The Veal was also very good, and was served with mild whole peppers and potatoes in a sweet wine sauce. Again, the flavors worked very well together. The veal ranged from medium to medium-rare, depending on the size of the piece. You could try asking for it cooked to your preferred done-ness; we forgot to!

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Great food small neighborhood place. We had vegetables, calamari, olives, salad, mozzarella with tomato. Everything was delicious!

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    4 years ago

    We had the most amazing duck tacos here and the croquettes were phenomenal! Cute and quaint inside too.

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    8 years ago

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    La Mestressa Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - La Mestressa

    All were delicious and I especially loved the spicy tomato sauce that came with the patatas bravas.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

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    Cerveseria Catalana - Lenguado con calamares

    Cerveseria Catalana

    4.4(1.8k reviews)
    2.6 kmL'Eixample
    €€€

    Food was amazing! I don't remember the names of the tapas we ordered but everything was delicious!read more

    Oh my goodness this is so good. If I ever go to Barcelona again I would come here…read more Must get: Steak with foie gras on bread 8/10: sooo decadent and luxurious. It's abt 8 euros a piece. Very flavorful and fast experience. Oxtail and mashed potatoes 10/10: the oxtail meet is so tender and flavorful. The mashed potatoes pair so well with the oxtail. Mushroom, steak, and egg yolk 9/10: soo flavorful and balance of veggies and protein. Amazing textures and flavors. Sparkling sangria: 8/10 I don't normally live the taste of alcohol but this was great. Not tooooo strong and if tastes pretty good if you mix it with the orange juice. Fresh orange juice: 10/10 so tangy and delicious. I can't recommend it enough. Patatas bravas: 9/10 solid no complaints! Dessert Tapas: - bread dessert (Tarija): 11/10 amazing dessert that is creamy, cameralized, and has a mochi like texture. This fried chewy dessert is not too sweet and such an affordable price. - coconut pudding 9/10 solid and refreshing if you like flan - bread, chocolate oil, salt 7/10: I live the complex flavors. The chocolate mousse was light and the bread to mousse ratio was perfect. It's a smaller dessert tho I wouldn't recommend it if ur sharing. Service: amazing! Staff I'm everywhere so it was very easy to order more food. Also we were sitting buy the area where they made dessert and they allowed me to record them making it!! Comfortable ambiance great for date night or casual meals!!!

    Photos
    Cerveseria Catalana - Dining room

    Dining room

    Cerveseria Catalana - Beef tenderloin with foie gras

    Beef tenderloin with foie gras

    Cerveseria Catalana - Fried artichoke

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    Fried artichoke

    Leku - Tuna

    Leku

    4.1(8 reviews)
    1.2 kmLes Corts
    €€

    An English restaurant right in the middle of Barcelona…read more No - the food is not English. It's as Spanish as Spanish can be. But the concept here is the core concept associated with good British cooking. Good ingredients. Simply prepared. The cook should bring out the flavor of the original materials. The ingredients here are excellent, The cook's interventions are subtle. The flavor of the very good ingredients shine through. This does not mean there is no spice involved. My wild bison meatballs had a tomato sauce and definite elements of fire. The mussels had a soupcon of garlic. But what was served was high quality British cuisine. * * * Two exceptions to the above rule - and one caution. There is one good exception and one bad exception 1) The good exception. The British always make exceptions for desserts. Desserts are sweet, yummy and show off the skill of the baker or the skill of the pudding maker. The same applies here. We had a carrot cake and a red velvet cake. None of them tasted like the carrot cakes or red velvet cakes we get at home. Both of them were just lovely. We would order them again ... and again ... and again ... and again. 2) The vegan casserole my wife got did not impress. Everything tasted like mushroom even though there were other things besides mushrooms in the pan. Some of the vegetables notably the artichoke hearts were so tough as to be nearly inedible. She was not provided with a knife .... Which gets us to the third point ... 3) Service is terrible. The people are nice, friendly and willing to please. But don't expect to see them very often. And they sold you the food on the menu. They did not sell you silverware to eat it with. They will bring you a fork. Then they are done. Not only our table but other tables around us had to deal with the "how the heck do I eat this problem"? We just went ascetic and went without. People at other tables went up to the service rack to get the hardware they were lacking. The same benign neglect went to providing beverages. I would have been happy to build my tab for the night by ordering seconds or thirds on my drink. I never got my chance - and left the restaurant thirsty. (I have a nice bottle of mineral water I bought from a bodega to make up for the lack.) * * * These quirks aside, the food when it hits is really really fine. I ate very well, with wild boar meatballs that could be considered memorable. Fortunately, you need neither a knife nor a spoon to eat meatballs.

    I went on a month long trip in Europe - Italy, Spain, and France - and Leku was one of, if not the…read morebest, dining experiences that I had. And I ate out every night. What I wanted was a chance to sample some traditional Catalan food, and luckily a friend of a friend was native to the area and took me to Leku. It certainly had that, and more. First, you may notice that it is a completely family run business. It feels that way. One waiter had a lengthy conversation with my friend about who knows what in Catalan. There were no bright line distinctions between who did what. The chef who also runs the place is part owner with I believe his mother. He was at times our waiter, our bus boy, and also of course the concerned chef who asked how each course went. And the food sure was fantastic and new. The ingredients were fresh, and almost entirely made in house. Some dishes were more traditional, while others were inventive but still inspired by the Catalan palette. For example, I had a fish dish that was paired with a mayonnaise dressing mixed with bacon! Apparently the people of Catalan mix meat and fish all the time, but it was a completely new flavor for me. A more traditional dish I had were these fried shellfish, something between a shrimp and a lobster, purchased fresh from the fish market that day. Ox tail wasnt weird at all, and it was very juicy and full flavored. The squid-ink croquets were probably my favorite, could have eaten ten of those. For dessert, I had a mojito flavored whipped cream and a cheesecake flavored yogurt. Maybe the greatest part of this restaurant was the quality combined with the authenticity of the Catalan culture. I know some spanish, but Im not sure I heard a lick of Spanish in that place. There was a large group celebrating what seemed like an anniversary. There was another older couple having dinner, and young couples perhaps on their first date. This place was not a place that tourists swarmed, which is something that by that time I had enough of. This was a place that a person native to the area would suggest, and it was a wonderful serendipity that I was introduced to it. They say you may not know how people treat you, but youll always remember how they make you feel. Well, not only did Leku treat me like an upper-class man, but as an outsider they made me feel welcome. I'll remember that most of all. Thanks guys

    Photos
    Leku - Dessert

    Dessert

    Leku - Lobster

    Lobster

    Leku

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    Zarautz - Basque cheesecake. Simple berry mash on top.

    Zarautz

    4.4(134 reviews)
    0.4 kmSants
    €€

    Well we are in Barcelona , beauty and good food what else can you ask for , the location is not the…read more prettiest, but food is great and service is its equal, started with tapas , chorizo in apple cider cassarole small but enough for 4 of us ,Iberico jamón with the tomatoe toast , and a cubed cheese that is kept in jar filled with olive oil , all delicious, a red wine At $21 great price hood red wine, I had the top sirloin , with potatoes, and Padron peppers ( they are not hot ) but delicious, meat was very tasty the flaked salt added on top of steak is perfect touch . Lived it all , service was really great , server at the bar and tapas area only place to sit without a reservation, he was welcoming and very helpful with our orders . When I'm back in Barcelona I will be back to have and try another meal .

    Never having been in Barcelona, we asked the concierge at our hotel for a dinner recommendation…read more Zarautz was highly recommended, so we gave it a try. Wow, did not disappoint! While the restaurant does not look super fancy, it's got a pleasant atmosphere and a nice decor. We walked over around 6:15, which is early for dinner, even for us. The server explained that they had some tapas available, but the kitchen didn't open until 7. We said we'd be back and he booked us a table on the spot. (lucky us as they had a party of 16 locals and the remaining tables were booked except ours!) We wandered to another place for an outside glass of wine while we waited. At 7, we went back and explained Uncle D's shellfish allergy to Mark, our server and asked about recommendations for things we might try that would work for the allergy. He was so kind and advised against certain items that had shellfish or were cooked in the same oil as shellfish. Bless him! We shared the tapas of a pulled pork sandwich, (in a small bun), and a cheese plate with cubes of cheese in olive oil with black salt flakes, and finished with sharing a main course of oxtail, which we were told takes 32 hours to make! All were delicious and we were thrilled we had gone there. The second and final night in Barcelona we were tired, didn't want to have to figure out where to go that might not be too close and decided to go back. This time we booked a table about 45 minutes before we wanted to be there. Lucky there was a table for 2! When we walked in, we were recognized and greeted like family! Mark even remembered our names, shellfish allergy and the wine we had enjoyed the night before which we wanted again. We ordered the same cheese tapas as it was so delicious, along with the chorizo casserole in apple cider, with a main course of the sirloin steak with potatoes and padron peppers. The steak dish was brought out before the chorizo dish accidentally. We opted at that point to have the chorizo dish after. Steak was cooked a perfect medium rare, potatoes crispy outside and soft inside and the padron peppers tasty but mild. Again, absolutely delicious! By the time we were halfway through the steak dish, we knew we had no room in our tummies for the chorizo dish. We asked if it was possible to cancel the chorizo dish, but if they had already started cooking it then it would be ok. Mark was gracious and canceled it for us. At the end of the meal, Mark brought us a glass of a local liqueur that was wonderful. The food, the service, the atmosphere... and both nights local folks enjoying along with tourists, all fabulous. All that to say... if you have the chance to go to this wonderful restaurant, do it!

    Photos
    Zarautz
    Zarautz - Some of the tapas on display

    Some of the tapas on display

    Zarautz

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    Casa Varela - Razor clams with kimchi aioli ... I think. The translation may be imperfect, though the flavors were not

    Casa Varela

    4.8(58 reviews)
    2.0 km
    €€

    Food. Service. Ambiance. Yes. Yes. Yes…read more The first night we went without a reservation but they managed to accommodate us in a lovely private room. That was a great start to a delicious meal that everyone enjoyed. I wish I could have tried all the appetizers. In hindsight, this might be the way to go! The food and service were so on point that our group went back a second time (with a reservation) in our four days in Barcelona. This time we ordered the epic Chocolate Bonsai dessert to cap the meal. It had a satisfying amount of chocolate with textures and tastes that leave you wanting more. I shared this dessert... and wish I didn't The noise level was high but otherwise this one scores high on every aspect of the dining experience!

    My last visit was in 2022, but as of 2024, they've still got it!…read more Excellent food and service with classic dishes as well as many more adventurous options. Everything is beautifully presented and they handled our large group with ease. Definitely make a reservation, especially if you've got a large group. They may not have a Michelin star, but they're as good as or better than any place I've been that has one. If you're in the main part of Barcelona, it can be a trek out here (it is SO worth it), but if you're staying by the convention center and its nearby shopping mall, it is an easy walk and I haven't found anything else in the area that comes close.

    Photos
    Casa Varela - Remy

    Remy

    Casa Varela - Croquetas Rabo Toro

    Croquetas Rabo Toro

    Casa Varela - Stunning Chocolate Bonzai dessert

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    Stunning Chocolate Bonzai dessert

    Terra d'Escudella

    Terra d'Escudella

    4.2(21 reviews)
    0.1 kmSants

    My experience at Terra d'Escudella was a little confusing…read more But it was kind of my problem because I could not speak or understand Spanish... It was quite challenging. We were hungry and it was late. After trying to drop by a few places in the area and nothing really open for business, we decided to give Terra d'Escudella a try based on the 4 star rating on my Yelp App. Place was busy, which was a good sign! We quickly grabbed a table in front of the restaurant and thinking we can get some food and beers..and then we found out that all these people at the bar were waiting for a "restaurant" tables at the back! We ended up just have a quick beer and off we go to somewhere else for real food... PS they do have an English Menu

    My fiancé and I came for dinner on the recommendation of our guide from Culinary Backstreets and…read morewere pleasantly surprised at the hyper-local feel of Terra d'Escudella. We'd thus far seen a lot of touristy areas of Barcelona, so getting to feel a bit like an insider was such a treat here! My Spanish is conversational, so I could mostly get through the menu (after asking for the Spanish one, rather than Catalan where I definitely struggle), but I would recommend coming here with a dictionary or translation app if you're English-only. I thought the service was excellent, our waitress was very understanding and patient with my language mistakes and chatted easily with us about different menu options. We ended up getting a sandwich, the meatballs, and a couple of other things to share, as well as a bottle of wine. We spent the better part of an evening snacking and chatting away, surrounded by boisterous laughter and conversation of locals who clearly adore this spot.

    Photos
    Terra d'Escudella
    Terra d'Escudella
    Terra d'Escudella

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    La Mestressa - tapas - Updated July 2026

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