Maybe it's the tourist in me, but La Plata is one of the coolest stops in Barcelona. In the 3-ish days I was there on vacation, I made a stop every evening. Between the gimmick of drinking house wine out of that porron wine decanter, the fried smelt, and the lovely old timer working the bar, it was the perfect pit stop when meandering through the narrow streets of Carrer de la Mercè. I never quite perfected the wine stream drinking method and I ruined two different white shirts, but hey - it is what it is. So much fun. read more

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My love affair with Barcelona started with La Plata and is an example of simplicity done right. I would jump on a plane, travel 15 hours, clear customs, and navigate the alleys to have lunch here again. Menu? What menu? Don't worry... you don't need one. All you need is an old guy behind the counter that points around at what other people are grubbing on and then you tell him how many you want. The selection is simple, but it's exactly what makes La Plata great. We started with one of each... key word, started. The sardines. Oh lordy, the sardines. Lightly floured and then fried. We ended up with three plates of these and inhaled them like french fries. The salad. Salad is a term used loosely with the tomato, onion and olive oil served on a small plate that cuts the sardines perfectly. No greens on this "salad." The sausage. Very good but in my eyes it just stole room in my stomach from the sardines. The baguette. Rubbed with tomato and olive oil. It's done all over the place in Barcelona and really makes you wonder why something so easy and delicious isn't found more often in the U.S. The wine. Served in small half bottles with juice glasses you have your choice of the red, white or pink table wine. We had all three and sitting next to a local regular tipped us off on the best way to enjoy it. I can't remember what it is called but it looks like a small glass tea kettle full of wine. You hold it up to your mouth and then pull back once the stream starts. Extend your arm and drink as the wine flows and you are now doing as the locals do. read more

Cute little spot. Haven't had anchovies since I was little and these were cooked very well and surprised how yummy they were. Fore warning don't eat two servings alone if you have a low tolerance of salt, I had to slow down and have water lol. Tomatoes and onions were a treat as well. read more

La Plata - Vermouth and pescaditos - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Barcelona, B

Very friendly owner bartender in this 30+ year old hole in the wall among the old fisherman haunts. Small place allows the wine and fried sardines to keep flowing. read more

La Plata - Unassuming exterior - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Barcelona, B

OH MY GAWD.....I thought I had good vermut until I arrived here (our second stop) and tried theirs!!! So yummy!! We had the fried anchovies (or sardines) with a plate of the tomatoes, onion, anchovies as well as their home made sausage on toast. DELICIOUS!!! We sat in the corner close to the beautiful tile work on the wall. Comfy and cozy!! Again on the list again for the friends arriving this summer read more

Cheap, but delicious food at La Plata. We took a one day cooking class in Barcelona, and our teacher recommended this place. She said that the sardines are super fresh. There are four items served (no menu available) - sardines, tomato salad, tomato bread, and meatball. 1 shot glass of house wine (rose, red, or white) is 1 euro. 4 orders of Sardines - Delicious! How can anyone resist deep fried fish? 1 order of Tomato salad - Yum! I love how Barcelona uses heirloom tomatoes for the tomato salad. 1 order of Tomato bread - Nothing special. I wouldn't recommend it. Meatball - We didn't try it since I don't eat meat. Overall cost: 18 euros. When I visit Barcelona again, I'll be back. In addition, they were open early. We arrived at 6:30pm and we were the first customers. read more

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Tough to not love this tiny spot. You know when it's filled with both locals and tourists, there's some good going on here. Snag a corner for yourself, grab some fried smelt, sausage, and then order multiple wines, served out of large barrels and into a porron decanter. That decanter... way too much fun and way too easy to drink a ton of vino. Be warned, but def still challenge your friends to see who can stream the furthest. Let 'em judge, it's super fun. The eats were good, especially the smelt, but you're not here for the wild culinary delights. You're here to drink wine and grab a snack. Come early (or late) and have some fun here! read more

Underwhelmed after seeing this featured on devour tours. Its a great local bar and probably the best service. The food is not on par with cuidad comal, pinoxtos, el xampanyet and others. Come here for the drinks not the food. read more

La Plata - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Barcelona, B

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Absolutely loved our experience and will be surprised if we don't come back at least once on our trip. It's hard to describe the undeniably wholesome pleasure of crispy fried anchovies, tomato salad with luscious, fruity olive oil, and buttafara sausage with pan con tomate (pinche). The main menu serves just a few items that complement each other perfectly and prices are so reasonable despite its growing popularity. The owner, Pepe, is as much a gem as his institution. We had a nice chat in our broken Spanish which he was more than gracious about. He complemented my boyfriend's porrón technique and coached me on how to improve my arc. Apparently, I need to come back and practice! The young Catalan men hanging out right outside the window smoking, eating, and glugging porróns were like an ad for the place. The space is cozy and beautiful with ochre and tile walls -- best enjoyed standing at the old marble bar. read more

There's nothing fancy about this place, but this is where you would go if you want (what I can only assume is) an authentic, local, Spanish dining experience. We found out about La Plata from one of the partners at Montiel (which, by the way, you HAVE to try!) when we were quizzing him about his favourite places to eat. He did preface his recommendation with the disclaimer that this was simple food, a place that only served three or four different dishes a night. But warned we were, and we loved it. The unapologetically minimally English-speaking proprietor came to our table and simply asked if we wanted "fish, meat, bread, and salad". Thankfully, we had been in Spain long enough to competently order beer and wine, so that appreciably smoothed out the process. The beer was San Miguel, and the wine was served in a bottle filled from one of three kegs (white, red, and rose) propped up along the far wall. With no clue as to the vintage or varietal of the wine, all we knew was that we had a smooth, easy drinking house red that just went well with everything. Since we basically said, "si" to everything he offered us, we each had a delicious plate of crisp, deep fried sardines; a plate of the standard tomato-brushed bread; a "salad" of tomatoes, onions, and olives dressed in olive oil; and a nice, juicy sausage perched atop more bread to finish things off. There was no pomp nor circumstance to the delivery nor the meal, but just a refreshing experience to be crammed into a corner amidst a crowd of locals and some simple, tasty food. And the cost for 3 plates of sardines, 2 plates of "salad", 2 sausages, 1 plate of bread, one bottle of wine and 1 beer? 25 euros. Awesome. Honestly, the food is really only 3 stars, but the simplicity and joy of the entire experience, and my willingness to recommend it to others traveling to Barcelona, is what has me bumping it up to an enthusiastic 4. read more

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Twice now I have been able to visit La Plata while in Barcelona. There is a reason it has stayed in business for so long. Great tapas, great wine and the best prices. read more

La Plata only serves four tapas, and of course wine served in thimble sized glasses, a pour into your mouth carafe, or bottles. The smelt here were delightful, small, crisp, hot and lightly salted. If it's the only tapa you eat in Barcelona, order this at La Plata! I ordered the anchovy on tomato bread drizzled with olive oil that would make all of you saying "Ew!" right now change your mind about anchovies! The grand total for two tapas and a thimble of wine was about 6 Euros or $7 USD. read more

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Visited here with Devour tours. It is a great little spot that is meant as a meeting place for friends to enjoy the food and conversation. The fried anchovies were delicious and the ensalada was a perfect accompaniment. This is not a sit down big meal it is tapas and wine which is perfect as you devour your way thru the Gothic corner. read more

La Plata - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Barcelona, B

So glad I found this place! It is a cute little place that is mostly frequently by locals and some very lucky travelers! They don't have a menu to order off of since they only have four food items: 1) boquerones which are fried anchovies - my favorite! It's not pickled like some other places before frying so you get the freshness of it 2) pan con tomate - just bread with crushed tomatos on top, beautifully simple ingredients that taste amazing for its simplicity 3) some sort of spanish sausage served with bread 4) onions tomatos and olives marinated in olive oil - again, simple ingredients that just taste good. They also give you a complimentary dessert, it's some kind of fried dough with cinnamon sugar. I think most locals come here to drink as they serve wine in these pourrars which is pretty fun to watch them drink out of, especially as they get drunker and no longer have the hand eye coordination to pour into their mouths! I prefer beer though, and the best beer to get anywhere in spain is Estrella Damm! Wish I could find that in the US! read more

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Well looked after as we called in for a drink on our 'Barcelona Ciclotour' trip. Nice evening shade with views of the beach. Right on the cycle route, a perfect whistlestop. Go whet your whistle read more

La Plata - Shady nook - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Barcelona, B

Back 8 years later. Still great. Still amazing. Still simple. Just get the fish. The sausage is good as well. Glad it is still the same as the past visit. Been three times since I got to town. Don't have a dessert somewhere else, instead stop here and get some pescadillo and a Tinto and all will be right. read more

La Plata - when you see this, you'll be sad because no sardines for you! - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Barcelona, B

Great food, good service, nice prices. Small corner shop in Barcelona - absolutely delicious. A little tapa of fried anchovies with your drinks, and 5 other tapas you can order all for €2-5. read more

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Super simple, small little tapas bar. There were maybe 4 or 5 tables, and we weren't really sure what to do, so we just walked up to the bar and asked if we could stand there. Since there are only about 5 things on the menu, things come out pretty quickly and the 2 staff members we interacted with were very friendly. We had the ensalada (tomatoes, onions, olives, olive oil, and salt), anchovy toast, sausage toast, and a plate of fried anchovies. Surprisingly delicious yet simple. My husband doesn't like fish and liked everything we had. Yum! read more

This was our very first tapas experience when we arrived in Barcelona and it goes down as one of our favorites. Such an authentic feel to everything about this place. The tomato and onion tapa plate was life changing for me: 1. because it was DELICIOUS and 2. it made my non-tomato-eating boyfriend finally start to like tomatoes to the point where i can re create that salad at home and he eats it!! Also, if you arent a sardine eater, just do it. these are amazing. Cute, delicious, cheap - everything you would want when you are in Spain. read more

Lovely little spot. I actually came in not knowing it was really a fish menu but the waiter told me I can get a sausage dish with onion and tomato and bread with tomato. I must say that everything was delicious! Simple dishes but flavorful. Staff was kind and helpful. read more

La Plata - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Barcelona, B

One of the oldest tapas bars in Barcelona, they only have 4 items on the "menu" and you should try them all. I went there the first time and the owner recommended 4 items + a small beer, at the end I only paid 10 euros for everything. They open a little bit early compared to other tapas places (at noon) but they definitely close for siestas and Sundays. Small place and it gets packed everyday especially on Saturdays. I love their decor using wood barrels and traditional Spanish tiles on the bar and walls. Ceiling fans are installed and you won't get too hot inside. If you're in Barrio Gotico try to find it and give it a try. :) read more

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First place that we stopped by in Barcelona. Small cozy place with limited but great tapas. Fried anchovies were delicious! Great start to our food trip. read more

La Plata - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Barcelona, B

I came here twice during my weeklong visit to BCN. Everything is perfect and, two years later, I still keep the photo of the food in my phone so I can reminisce. Fried anchovies all day long! read more

When I travel to Spain, I'm always willing to try off-the-beaten-path restos. 99.9999% of the spots in Barcelona are so much better than any/all of the tapas restos in the US. Fact. I looooooove sardines and anchovies with onions. This spot has one of the freshest and tastiest anchovies and sardines in Barcelona. Give me small plates of savory fish and Estrella Damm beer...and I'm home. read more

I'm so happy about this place. It's simple, neighborhoodie tapas restaurant that service only 3 to 4 dishes a night. I got confused and asked for a "menu" but upon seeing what locals order, we knew they keep things simple. Old Spainard men wearing Facebook shirts advertising the restaurant. Salad (tomato, red onion, small olives) 2 euro Fried Sardines. 2 Euro Sausage with bread. 2 euro. Keg of Wine - small glasses. 2 euros. Some small seating area but there is a bar area too. Super busy at nights past 9pm. read more

Found this little hidden gem via a food tour my friend and I did while in Barcelona. The menu is simple and the unit very small with just a few tables, but you can grab a quick bite while standing at the bar. Although the tomato/onion salad is so simple, there is just something that makes it taste so good. The tomatoes are sweet and the onions very mild. Try that with the fried anchovies and sausage. This place is a must! read more

Riddled with charm and authenticity. An authentic tapas bar. FYI, tapas are meant to be a snack...not a meal. La Plata is tiny (4 or 5 tables) with a small stand-up bar (no stools). The short selection (half a dozen at most) of tapas are super tasty and inexpensive (a couple of euros) and the totally quaffable wine (1 euro) makes for an enchanting experience. Beware, tapas bars have sprung over all over Spain and many, if not most, are tourist traps selling 6 euro plates of olives and 9 euro plates of cheese. No self-respecting Spanish person would eat/pay in one of those places. Remember, tapas are a snack...a bite or two in-between a meal...washed down with your favorite libation. Two people can have a couple of tapas and a couple glasses of wine for around 10 euros. *Note* hours posted on here are not entirely correct: In the afternoon La Plata doesn't open until 6:30PM. read more

Came in on a Thursday night, place was full but party was leaving as we were coming in. Got one of everything and a couple of cañas, everything was awesome. Tried to come back on Saturday but place was packed to the brim and plenty of people waiting so we decided to go to another place. Definitely recommend if your in Barcelona, it's a classic tapas spot. read more

Do not miss this tiny tapas bar! Four dishes, all amazing and the best my family tried our entire visit in Spain. We were a little bit limited, as my 92 year old grandma needed to sit during meals, so we could not go to some tapas bars that I read were excellent. We were staying in a beautiful apartment just half a block away on the same street. Every night we walked by La Plata and I thought, wouldn't it be funny if this place was amazing and we never stopped by, even though it was so close! So, after looking it up online, I found that lot's of people love this place and convinced my family to try it. Even though they don't like sardines; one of their four dishes. I convinced them that we could try their tapas and then go somewhere else for more food. We went super early, between 7 and 8, and they were full, so waited about 10 or so minutes for a tiny table. We ordered one of everything. They have 1. Fried Sardines 2. Tomato Salad, with onions and olives 3.Tomato Bread and 4.Sausage on Bread, which were all so delicious! Even my mom and grandma, who don't like sardines ate the fish. They all were so glad we went, saying their tapas were the best we had had; so true. The young waiter was so sweet and helpful. After we quickly devoured all the tapas, he gave us a plate of sweet bread, which was also delicious. Thank you for delicious food!!! *They are closed Sundays, like most stores and other small restaurants/tapas bars. read more

We've tried a few fried anchovies in Barcelona and Granada and La Plata's was the most memorable. Very flavorful and delicious. Menu is small but if you are looking for a simple snack and something more original then come here. read more

the place was packed, as we saw people waiting inside and outside. but here's a tip, especially for small places. JUST TAKE THE SEAT. we went up to the boss and he just offered us a plate of pescadito (fried anchovies), so we just took the small spot at the bar, despite many people that had been waiting around. The pescadito was pretty good. Then, we got pan con tomate. we didn't really like the flavor of it ourselves. But, we did enjoy the pinxcho (toast) with sausage, as the flavor of the tomato was more subtle and supportive. while we understand the appeal of the boldness of La Plata serving only six tapas, we genuinely did crave for more. this review doesn't really reflect this since it is more of our personal taste than the restaurant objectively. Though, we did see a lot of people around us enjoying it. In fact, the guy sitting next to us had come to the restaurant three times within two days ( day 1 dinner, day 2 lunch & dinner). read more

Nice place popular with the locals. We had the fried sardines and a few small beers. Nice bartender and waiter. Perfect for a quick stop

My husband and I checked out this place one evening looking for a more traditional tapas experience. We were not disappointed. It was pretty packed when we walked in, but we were able to find a table. An older guy came to our table. We asked for a menu. No menu, but I used my extremely poor Spanish to get the tapas of the day: pan con tomate, chorizo on bread, fried sardines, and onions, tomatoes, and olives marinated in olive oil. Oh, and some white wine, which they poured from a cask. Everything was simple but delicious; the chorizo was the highlight for me. Prices were fair. I'd recommend you stop by here. read more

When you see 4 old men sharing 1 porron and eating fried sardines... You know are in the right place. Stop reading yelp reviews and make this a must stop, it was our favorite place in Barcelona and we visited multiple times! The owners are old school locals and super welcoming, have them teach you the ways of the porron! read more

If you're ever in the Gothic Quarter in Barcelona, you must come to La Plata to enjoy their four special dishes. It sounds odd that a tapas place would only have four things on the menu but don't let that fool you. These four things are worth stopping in for. There is a tomato, onion, and olive salad drizzled with the most flavorful olive oil I've ever tasted. The sardines are amazing. You can definitely eat a plate on your own so order accordingly! They serve baguette with tomato meat and olive oil rubbed all over it. So delish! Don't forget to order the baguette with a sausage. Be sure to enjoy a cocktail or glass of house wine or cava while you enjoy eating like a local read more

Gotta say, I don't understand the appeal. I like the feel of the place, the casual feel and the local feel of a family run business. And the service and clientale definitely felt like authentic Barcelona, without any pretense that you would expect from some of the more tourist driven establishments. However when it comes to their products, I wasn't impressed at all. They only serve 4 tapas, and I ordered 3 of them. My impressions: Fried Anchovies: It basically is what it is, and not particularly flavorful on any stretch. Nice little snack, but something that I can(and have) replicated at home without too much trouble. Sausage on toast: Self-explanatory. The sausage is alright, but i mean how complicated could this dish be? Anchovy on toast: You get one little piece of anchovy on the same toast as the sausage, with what appears to be some sort of spread that doesn't add all too much flavor. For what it's worth, I expected the fish to bread ratio to be a little more substantial. Of these tapas, the only thing that might be worth it is the fried anchovies. With the other two, they were unremarkable, and while people may say that they're cheap, you can get cheaper tapas for the 2.5 euro. Especially because for the two toast tapas, you're mainly just getting bread. read more

Forget everything! Just come and eat here in Barcelona. Try EVERYTHING since it's very reasonable including the dessert. Best time to come, weekday between 7 and 8pm. Lovely experience, incredible food! read more

Simple and fabulous. When we visited there were only three culinary offerings: small fried fish, a tomato and onion salad and a sausage on small toast. We tried all three and they were all simply perfect. Don't let it's spare ambience fool you. Have a seat and try what is being offered that day. read more

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Pescaditos are delicious, beer was great, and the servers were very friendly. Recommend you order two of everything, relax and people watch. This place is very good for a quick meal on the go and close to a lot of tourist attractions. read more

The environment stands out the most from this small Resto. This place is full of people which universally has to be a good sign! Reasonably prices house wines which taste amazing and tapas available, although we couldn't order a huge range of them because none of the staff could speak enough English to discuss with us the options. read more

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