Best tapas in Barcelona: where to eat them?
If you’re heading to Barcelona and you love good food, this one’s for you. Because let’s be honest: you didn’t come to Barcelona to eat sad tourist tapas on a crowded square. You came for crispy croquettes, patatas bravas, fresh seafood, and that moment when your table keeps filling up with small plates that everyone gets to share. Tapas are basically the ultimate way to eat your way through a city.
In this blog post, I’m sharing exactly where to find the best tapas Barcelona has to offer. These are the places I personally loved (and would 100% go back to), perfect for those who enjoy local flavors, cozy bars, and discovering food spots that actually live up to the hype. You’ll also get practical tips on what to order and how to turn a simple dinner into a mini food adventure.
So grab your appetite, let’s go find the best tapas in Barcelona.
If you love planning your trips around food, you might also enjoy my Lisbon foodie guide and Edinburgh foodie guide, perfect for your next city adventure.
Want to taste these tapas with a local guide? Check this tapas tour.
The best tapas to order in Barcelona
- Croquettes: these can be filled with everything, perfect for meat lovers but also vegetarians.
- Patatas bravas: this is a classic: fried potatoes with a spicy sauce
- Abondigas (meatballs): delicious in a tomato sauce
- Gazpacho: very refreshing when it’s hot
- Seafood: order octopus, clams, mussels, …
Bar Del Pi
Where: Plaça de Sant Josep Oriol, 1
Definitely try: grilled octopus
This little tapas bar is located on a small square with a nice seating area. Located in the city centre, it is perfect for lunch (if you manage to grab a table). It is a very popular place, so it can be busy. The grilled octopus was amazing: perfectly grilled and nice in combination with the polenta. Also, try the bomba del pi and the croquettes. There is so much good food on the menu, it is not easy to choose. If there is only one tapas restaurant you try, let it be this one!
Mino
Where: Raval (Carrer del Carme 19)
Definitely try: cava sangria + pimientos de padron
Mino is a very beautiful little restaurant in one of the side streets of La Ramblas. The stone walls make it a very cosy restaurant full of character. The service was very fast and friendly. Definitely order the cava sangria, it is the best we had during our stay in Barcelona. They are not stingy with the alcohol. Also, the pimientos de padron are perfect: a little bit charred with a decent amount of sea salt sprinkled on top.
Tips for ordering tapas in Barcelona
- Start with 2-3 dishes per person
- Ask the waiter for recommendations (or look around you at what people are having)
- Don’t order everything at once
- Share everything
If you’re staying in a central neighborhood, it’s super easy to hop from one tapas bar to the next. I always try to book something walkable. If you’re still looking, check out my guide on finding the cheapest hotels in Barcelona.
Tosca del Carme
Where: Raval (Carrer del Carme 40)
Definitely try: empanada
Not far from Mino, you can find Tosca del Carme. The outside area is perfect: nice and quiet compared to the busy La Ramblas. They don’t only have the regular tapas on the menu but also some more special ones. And of course, those are the ones we want to taste. The empanada filled with Spinach, cream cheese, mozzarella and pine nuts was crunchy on the outside with a creamy filling with a hint of salt. More of a meat lover? Have the Danish-style meatballs with almond sauce
Plan your trip to Barcelona like a pro
✈️ Book your cheap flights to Barcelona on Skyscanner
🏨 Reserve a hotel, apartment, or holiday home at Booking.com
🚕 Need a transfer from the airport? Use Welcome Pickups or download the Bolt or Uber app
🛜 Use Airalo eSIM to avoid roaming fees. Use SHARON9895 to get €3
📺 Use NordVPN to keep watching your favorite programs or movies on the go
🚗 Need to rent a car? Use DiscoverCars or Local Rent
🚆 Buy train tickets from Omio or RailEurope
💳 Use Wise to pay in Barcelona at the real exchange rate and avoid expensive foreign card fees
🎟️ Pre-book tours, entrance tickets, and activities via Viator or GetYourGuide
🏥 Get travel insurance at World Nomads or Safety Wing
Vinitus
Where: Carrer del Consell de Cent, 333
Definitely try: razor clams
Close to the Ramblas, you will find this restaurant. There can be a line, but it moves fast. The menu changes daily, but certain dishes remain consistent. There is a nice variety of tapas, ranging from more traditional options to some more adventurous ones. We loved their patatas bravas, razor clams and the cava sangria. For dessert, you have to try the churros.
Bar Lobo
Where: Pintor Fortuny 3
Definitely try: tuna tataki
A cosy little bar with a nice variety of traditional tapas. It is located right in the centre of Barcelona, so perfect for a quick stop for lunch or to unwind after a busy day of exploring. The croquettes were very good, as well as the tuna tataki on guacamole. If you are not in the mood for tapas, there is also a good amount of traditional dishes to choose from.
Sagradas Tapas
Where: Av. de Gaudi, 48
Definitely try: meatballs
This tapas bar is very close to the Sagrada Familia. Like always, try the cava sangria, perfect to enjoy on a hot day. The outdoor space is very nice and very quiet because there is almost no traffic there. The meatballs were amazing, and so was the squid and gazpacho. The staff is also very friendly and there to help you choose between all the dishes.
JJ i amics
Where: Carrer de Bailen, 242
Definitely try: piementos de padron
This was an accidental find because it was close to our hotel. It is a very small place, so it could be handy to make a reservation during the busy season. Or if you have dinner early like us. The piementos de padron were very good, as well as the patatas bravas. They have more traditional tapas here, not very experimental.
Not ready to stop food dreaming yet? Check out my favorite places to eat in Lisbon, or explore the food scene in Edinburgh next.
Do you also love tapas as much as I do?
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