This is our favorite restaurant in Barcelona!!! We live in Michigan and visit Barcelona about once…read morea year and this is the first restaurant we go to when we land and last restaurant we hit before we leave. The food/tapas are phenomenal and it lives rent free in our head. The cozyness and vibe is great but make sure you make a reservation well ahead of time because it is quite small and I've never been able to get a walk in reservation. The staff are nice too and they have an english menu but of course it helps if you know spanish!

We were really surprised how much Casa Lolea exceeded our initial expectations!…read more We each had a couple of their sangrias and these are an absolute must try when you are here! They prefect refreshing drink to end a day of soo much walking. Our table shared the truffle risotto, patatas bravas, mini beef burger and the carrot cake. The truffle risotto was excellent and worth every penny if you are a truffle fan. The potatoes here were some of my favorites in Barcelona! I would skip the burger and the carrot cake was perfection. Service is great, wait outside for a host to greet you. A wonderful spot for dinner and sangria!

Wow, this meal was so good I literally made another reservation after we left. This place might be…read moreadvertised as a tapas restaurant, but it's much more than that. The service was excellent, our server spoke English and knew so much about American pop culture. He even sang NSYNC songs to us while serving us dishes. As for the food let's get into it: - Lobster Croquettes (8/10) We've had a lot of croquettes this trip, but these were on another level, get one per person. - Paella (7.5/10) Different style of paella from other places we went. It was almost like a paella curry, which was still rich and delicious. - Squid Sandwich (10/10) This is hands down the best appetizer I've ever had. The squid was packed with flavor and the mayo sauce they used paired perfectly. Order one per person, and be prepared to order another to go. - Garlic Shrimp (8/10) Solid entree paired with sourdough bread. Dip that bread into the sauce and you'll be satisfied. - Aged Beef Steak w/ Foie Gras (9/10) This might be one of the best steak dishes I've had traveling abroad. It was cooked perfectly, and came with a potato crust on the bottom and Foie Gras on top. Definitely a must order. Overall a great experience, from the service and ambiance to the quality of the food, this is a must try when visiting Barcelona. Would I go again? Absolutely!

BLUF: not only one of the best meals I've had but also one of the best dining experiences I've ever…read morehad. If you're in Barcelona this MUST be at the top of your list. Cañete was booked out for 2 weeks straight, so we decided to risk it and see if we could get a spot as walk-ins; and were lucky enough to want less than 5 minutes before being sat at the "bar" in front of the open kitchen, which is honestly the best seat in the house IMHO. You get to see all the 'action' and interact with the friendly and often funny staff. Everything in the menu we tried was fantastic, but a few standouts for me were the squid sandwich (do yourself a favor and try it, even if you aren't a "squid person" the bread is fresh, and the butter garlic sauce they use should be sold in bottles at the supermarket), the lobster croquet was refreshing, and the aged beef steak with foie and truffle sauce was delicious and cooked to perfection.

So fun! Walked in just as they were opening so got a great spot. By the time we left it was very…read morebusy. Standing room only with a few high tops and counters. Locals and tourists alike. They have cava by the glass or bottle (inexpensive). If you do not read Spanish, review menu before you go (as evidenced by the fact that our burger had no toppings other than cheese). lol

- Still not really sure what was in my sandwich since everything was in Spanish and I didn't speak…read moreSpanish and they didn't speak English. But it was really delicious - Drinks were too affordable not to get - Standing only (and it was packed!) - Very rowdy and very crowded! You gotta just be assertive!

This is definitely a locals spot. We popped in for one of the stops on a Barcelona food tour. It…read morewas totally worth the stop. Apparently, Anthony Bourdain also came here? You can get wine in like a kettle and hang around outside on account that there isn't much room inside. But everything we had plus the wine was absolutly delicious. I loved the sausage pintxo and the fried anchovies. Definitely a must stop in at the Gothic Quarter.

Just a quick tapa and drink. A one man show he does one thing and does it really well. Fried…read moresardines. Salty a little fishy but great. A small glass of wine from the barrel and on with the rest of your day!

Food was fantastic, drinks were strong, service was great, ambience isn't the best but it's lively…read moreand a fun vibe with friends or even a date!

We were lucky to find this place which was a few minutes from our hotel. On the website, it said…read more"online reservation made before 8 pm gets 30% off." So we went! We were led to the dining room upstairs. The menu has English descriptions beneath each dish. We ordered 10 dishes: Pan Con Tomate (bread with tomato and tomato sauce), Patatas Bravas (Spanish potatoes; not greasy, very tasty), Albondigas de la Yaya (meatballs with tomato sauce; very tender meat), Calamares a la Andaluza (fried squid; nicely cooked and not rubbery, like them alot), Bastoncitos de Pollo (homemade chicken nuggets with BB sauce; crispy and tender, tasty BB sauce), Empanada Compesina (not too crazy about this one), Empanada Picante (spicy meat; it is okay), Spaghetti Carbonara (very soft, lots of sauce; nice dish), Yakimeshi (rice with squid and shrimp; my favorite!), and Macareno (hamburger, doble cheese, lettuce, tomato, bacon, and fried egg; very juicy, mouth watering and very American hamburger!) Water is a very pricey item in Europe. We ordered three bottles of water at 2.30 EUR or 2.60 USD each. We did get 30% off our bill! The server was friendly, patient, polite, and very warm. The dishes were reasonably priced. We had a wonderful dining experience at this place. Highly recommended if you visit the area.

Has two inside seating areas and outdoor patio So Cheap…read more Lots of Variety! I will say this was one of my first experiences with real tapas. I love that there were so many options. I don't know if it's just me as an American or what, but the temperatures of the foods was my only "complaint" per se. Some of the tapas I thought would be hot were lukewarm at best. So, I'll have to try more places to just see what's normal for Spain.

For me, this is hands-down the best pintxo spot in Barcelona! La Tasqueta de Blai is top-shelf --…read morethe selection is incredible, everything is fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. Pair it all with a cold Estrella and you've got yourself a 5-star winner! I loved the fun learning curve here: grab a plate, pick whatever pintxos catch your eye, and keep the toothpicks (of all shapes and sizes!) so your total can be tallied at the end. Some toothpicks were just holding things together -- I had to laugh at that -- but it's all part of the charm and experience. La Tasqueta was so good that we came back a few days later for another round, only to find it temporarily closed due to a plumbing issue. Sadly, we couldn't wait since we'd already hiked all over Montjuïc earlier that day. We tried another pintxo place down the block -- it was okay, but honestly, not even close to the same level. This place is amazing -- friendly, fun, and absolutely delicious. Sit inside and be dazzled by the colorful pintxos lined up along the counter, or grab a spot outside under an umbrella and watch the world go by. Loved this place... 5 stars all the way!

Food was amazing! Best Paella! Also, we tried tomato, tuna, anchovy tapas and it was delicious!…read moreBest place in Barcelona!

The food location and setting was warm and cozy. Very reasonable priced. Excellent timeread more

Second trip back to Barcelona. Had to make the right restaurant choices for my favorite tapas…read moredishes. I was definitely right on the mark as all restaurants I've walked by before dinner wasn't as crowded as this. And this place had a line out the door. Pan con tomate (toasted bread with tomato spread) was done sooo right here because they used crisp brioche bread and the tomato spread had a nice balanced ratio of olive oil blended into it. The patatas bravas (brave potatoes) took me back to the first time I had this in 2018. Such good crisp skin, soft fluffiness and that aioli mayo signature sauce on top - I swear I feel they make their own sauce for this dish. Grilled octopus here is special as instead of a tentacle - you get a fatty piece with multiple cuts of the octopus. Even better just as you would get multiple pieces of fatty toro in an omakase. I just loved the ease of dining in Barcelona where you share small intricate flavored plates with a glass of wine to balance these dishes. It was a nice long but roomier restaurant in the back. Very deceptive to the eyes but in a good way. You get to see the chefs cook near you that makes you appreciate the work of art put into the food. And can't forget the oxtail dish that's uniquely in the form of a patty and broken up into shredded meats. Fabulous to everything.

Great food and vibe with friendly service. We went here without reservations on a Friday night, but…read moreit being early(6pm) we were seated without a wait. We got the pinxto morano (lamb skewers) which were the favorite of the meal, glazed beef cheeks and grilled octopus with chick peas, all of which were good. For dessert with got the dark chocolate with olive oil and salt served with bread to top off a great meal. They do have other dishes that we would look forward to trying next time!

Met some friends at Telefèric while vacationing in Barcelona and the food was great. We ordered…read moreseveral tapas, including croquetas de jamón ibérico, a tabla de jamón ibérico, pan con tomate, patatas bravas, and bracitos de pollo crujiente. We also ordered arroz de butifarra, which was my first time trying it and it was absolutely delicious. My husband doesn't eat seafood, so he appreciated having a non-seafood rice dish that he could enjoy. The service was great and the restaurant ambiance was lovely as well.

The best paella I've had in years, not too long to wait for, and sized for one (which is a rarity…read morewhere I come from). Could not recommend more highly.

This place had wonderful service and a cool atmosphere. Plenty of tapas options and we tried a…read morebunch.

Ziryab fell onto my radar as a popular tapas spot in Barcelona. I didn't make that many dining…read moreplans in advance before visiting the city, I just knew I wanted tapas. Ziryab seemed to fit the bill, so we made plans to stop here during our first night in the city. Ziryab is located close to the Gothic Quarter, on side street. It's kind of inconspicuous from the outside, but the interior gives way to a really welcoming space. The restaurant is separated into two main areas, with an earth-tone color scheme that has a rustic, almost cave-like aesthetic. The high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows keep the dining room open and spacious. The tapas menu had a good selection, and we decided on several items: pan con tomate, sweet potato rolls, chicken cannelloni, bacon-wrapped figs, croquettes, falafel, and a charcuterie board. All the tapas were great - my favorites were the chicken cannelloni, pan con tomate, and the charcuterie board. The cannelloni especially was a standout - definitely a unique dish, and the chicken was super flavorful. We opted for dessert, and got the feta whip cheesecake - this was great as well. The combination of tang and sweet was a good finisher to our meal. Service was great - everyone was friendly and our dishes were served at a good pace. Overall, I'm glad I tried out Ziryab - the tapas were delicious and atypical of ones you find elsewhere in Barcelona. I would have no qualms returning here for another meal.