Restaurants · Our pick in Barcelona
Eating in Barcelona: the back story
The back story
About Eating in Barcelona: the back story
Barcelona eats on two levels at once. At one end are the tasting menus: the 2026 MICHELIN Guide gives Three Stars to four restaurants in the city, Disfrutar, ABaC, Cocina Hermanos Torres and Lasarte, and three new Two-Star tables, Aleia, Enigma and Mont Bar. At the other are the counters and vermouth bars of El Born and Poble-sec, where you eat standing up and the cooking is no less serious.
The tasting menus
Disfrutar in the Eixample, ABaC on Avinguda del Tibidabo, Cocina Hermanos Torres in Les Corts and Lasarte at the Monument Hotel all hold Three MICHELIN Stars in the 2026 guide. Aleia, Enigma and Mont Bar were each awarded a second star this year.
The counters
Cal Pep in El Born, Quimet & Quimet in Poble-sec and El Xampanyet on Carrer de Montcada are where Barcelona eats tapas at the bar; the MICHELIN Guide’s Bib Gourmand list adds Bar Cañete, by the Liceu.
Book the big tables weeks ahead; keep one evening free for tapas.
The markets
The Boqueria on La Rambla and Santa Caterina in El Born are working markets first. Go in the morning, buy something, and be patient with the stallholders.
When to eat
Barcelona eats late. Lunch is the main meal, often from about 2pm, and dinner starts from about 9pm; many restaurants close one or two days a week, so check before you go.
Our advice: lunch is the time for a long tasting menu; tapas at the counter make the best late dinner.
Why it's on our list
- The tasting menus
- The counters
- The markets
- When to eat
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Eating in Barcelona: the back story before you go.