Where to eat in Barcelona

I truly never had any intention of going to Spain. I could’ve chosen so many other places before committing to a Barcelona trip. I’m so happy I went and it’s now one of my favorite cities. Being in Barcelona was a dream. FC Barcelona won La Liga the day we were there and it felt crazy to walk the streets not far from where Messi grew up playing. We stayed for about a week. I was lucky to be there with my girlfriend Lexi, her brother, her father and a few of his work friends. It was a dreamy stay in the Catalonian capital. If you’re on the fence like I was don’t be- book it.

Between the Tapas, Pastries, Spanish Jamon this city is also sprinkled with endless Michelin starred restaurants. The Michelin guide is bursting at the seams with talent here. We were lucky to eat at a 3 Michelin star restaurant- (I’ll talk about it towards the end of this post) and so many other spots recommended in the Michelin guide. If I’m being honest some of our best bites were not these high level dining experiences.

Thankfully Lexi did her research to line up all these bangers I think you should know about them.

In this post I’ll show you:

• Bakeries

• Michelin Guide Restaurants

• Tapas

• Shopping

What did you do? What would you recommend?

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A small bakery and the only one focused on ancient grains in Barcelona. We’re talking sourdough, pastries and coffee. That good shit. With grumpy bakers in the back just crushing away. Mixing dough and pulling breads from the oven and with one glance you can see they are true artisans.

We sat on a couple chairs just down the unsuspecting alleyway. We cracked into the box of pastries and passed them around like a joint- puff puff pass. They were all so good. The layers were flaky and the mess was everywhere, as it should be. My rule for laminated pastry- if it isn’t getting all over my shirt and shoes I don’t want it. To me this is what life is about. Pastries like this remind me of why I love traveling. This is just the start.

A sweet danish that was piped with cream in the crater and shingled braised rhubarb pieces over the top. The cream had been flavored with essence of flowers and when I took a bite the cream held firm and didn’t ooze out the pastry. It was a simple, well composed pastry all the flavors added a nice contrast to the flaky pastry dough. When we got to the center they seemed to lay a gel of rhubarb on the bottom. A sneaky little flavor bomb that brought everything together.

This was recommend to us by the cafe worker. She said this was her favorite one in the line up. Obviously we snagged it. The braided sweet dough was soft and perfumed with vanilla. Each bite complimented with a rich vanilla custard right in the center. Vanilla-Maxxing. This one shook me the most. Like a song on your playlist you never listen to. Until one day it plays and you realize it’s a banger. This was the pastry equivalent- I had no intention of ordering it, but I’m happy we did. The bite had all of our eyes opened as wide as a brothel worker’s legs. That was some good shit.

This was my favorite one in the line up. Maybe I am biased because I love a tart but this one exceeded expectations it had nice structure- the type of tart where you take a bite and it holds up. No crumbling in your hands. The ricotta pastry cream was glossy and not overly cheesy it was soft and delicate on the tongue. Sitting on top were these jammy apricots and a few sprigs of dill. I shared nicely with all of the others but this one I selfishly crushed on my own.

Cardamom Twist, Pain Au Chocolate & Origo Cookie

This is some Cedric Grolet pastry wizardry. In the gothic Quarter surrounded by historical landmarks is a place where alchemy, artistry and technique all meet. The pastries looked like cocoa beans, moon rocks, and abstract earth like items. We chose a classic croissant and the cocoa bean which is a chocolate dessert. The cocoa bean was painted and filled with chocolate ganache, chocolate cake and chocolate cremeux.

If you are in the gothic quarter walk over and grab some goodies and then go explore the area after like we did.

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Local Cafe for Tapas

A short walk from the Camp Nou; a small cafe owned by a former pro soccer player and coach is Cafe Petra. After seeing all of Messi’s Balon d’ Or’s we had worked up an appetite. The moment I stepped inside I realized this was not a tourist spot- no hype at all. It was filled with locals. More than a restaurant- it’s a spot where you grab cured meats from their deli and a bottle of wine. As we settled down and ordered the owner came up to us and we starting chatting in my broken Spanish. Turns out he’s a former professional soccer player and coached for Espanyol - the ugly step child of professional soccer teams in Barcelona. He worked with the current USA Men’s Soccer Coach Mauricio Pochettino. Once that connection was made he sat down next to me stopped working for 20 minutes and showed me at least 40 photos of them together. Our food came and he kept shoving his phone in my face- this man was reminiscing with the glory days. He was happy, our food was good, the vibes were high.

I have this theory if you know a little bit about soccer and a little bit about food you can truly make friends anywhere in the world. That is exactly what happened here.

The best croquets we had our whole trip. Studded with iberico pork, soft and salty potatoes. The perfect bite- crunchy on the outside, cheesey and creamy on the inside.

I never had a Spanish omelette but this was a beautiful way to lose my virginity. It’s different and it’s no French or American omelette this one is hard cooked on the outside and the inside is creamy and ours was filled with sautéed onions and soft boiled potato. I love that there was no folding of the eggs, no rolling off the plate. Just laid flat in the pan and served as is, cooked with tons of technique. You cut into it like pie slices and serve. Easy, simple and way too good.

My whole culinary career I’d eaten Spanish cured meats but on this trip I learned that means you automatically get pan con tomate to eat it with. Life changing. I will say their version of pan con tomate is not how I’ve made it and not how I’ve seen it before. I see grated tomato seasoned and on bread, heavily applied but here the bread is rubbed with tomato and it’s really lightly applied. I actually love it. It acts as the perfect vehicle for many things you order- a perfect accompaniment. Extra sauce, meats, cheeses it will truly elevate the bites on your table.

I love an offal forward sausage. The casing had a nice snap. They grilled it open faced so the fat rendered out and charred the inside of the sausage. Served with toasty bread that was kissed by the grill and drizzled with reduction of wine that is syrup-like. I was floating. Something so simple and delicious.

Iconic Barcelona Tapas

Please if you are in barcelona DO NOT MISS this spot. Make it a priority. This legendary Catalan restaurant serves some of the best tapas and is widely known as one of the goats. After strolling through the gothic quarter - shopping and sight seeing you’ll work up an appetite and I suggest you come here HUNGRY because you will want to eat. You will walk through the door and be transported. There can be a wait but we only waited 3 minutes. From wall to wall this place is lively from the guests and the staff alike. You will be pulled into the dining room and ushered through this tiny hallway - wall on your right and a long bartop on your left. This bartop is the show stopper. You’ll see men in captain uniforms serving food and drinks from behind it. They’re laughing with guests and the cooks moving and grooving with purpose. It’s like watching a well rehearsed dance. It’s tight and everyone moves to a tempo that few can master.

We were lucky to be parked at the corner of the bar which gave us the whole window view of the kitchen. Watching the chefs sear, sauce and plate no missed movements. We only ate a few bites because 4 hour from this moment we would be eating at a 3 Michelin star restaurant serving us 20ish courses. I was drawn in and couldn’t deny my desire for this spot. Don’t miss out

Lexi wanted this dish and it honestly didn’t stand out to me. I was determined to give her what she wanted so we made sure she got it. After one bite I quickly apologized to her because never in my life would I have thought green beans could taste so good. Dressed in vinaigrette - garnished with green onion sprinkled with toasted pine nuts and grated cheese. So refreshing so clean and so good. I am happy Lexi didn’t budge and told me we were ordering it.

There is no argument this was the best thing I ate on the whole Spain trip. I wouldn’t be lying that this is in the top 5 of sandwiches I’ve ever encountered in my life. Nothing compares to this. A Spanish chorizo sausage snuggled between pillowy Catalan rolls and a charred pepper filleted for an extra crunch. These Spanish peppers aren’t spicy it was pure flavor. This sausage was unique in the fact it wasn’t snappy like an American or German sausage it was softer and melted in your mouth. I took one bite and felt like Remy eating cheese in ratatouille - colors swirling around my head, time stopped and then I felt Lexi tapping me on the shoulder. She wanted to take a bite and I woke up from the trance and offered her the other half. She had the same internal dialogue- you could see the colors the wide eyes and then the smile. I will never forget this and I would honestly book a trip back to Barcelona just to eat this.

When the server dropped it off in front of us he yells “BOMBA” and the other front of house members stopped and joined in loudly yelling “BOMBAAAA”. He says this is what makes them so famous and gave us a cheeky grin then walked off. This croquette was smothered in the red “bomba” sauce. I wasn’t sure what it was but it seemed like a garlicky tomato sauce. We split the Croquette and then took a bite. This was good, soft and meaty in the middle and as usual crunchy on the outside but the sauce carried it.

This was a really succulent hanger steak placed over a potato rosti , served with a lightly seared slice of foie gras and drizzled with Demi glace. Classic, simple and delicious but so hard to execute well. Watching the chef plate mine was dreamy he didn’t miss a beat.

Michelin Bib Gourmand

Maleducat is a quirky and vibrant little spot inland in Sant Antoni by the market. We saw this spot online and Lexi decided to book the reservation. We had a party of 6 and they prix fixed our menu- no substitutions and we weren’t able to add anything else on it. While we didn’t love that because we wanted to add some extra courses I understand how the restaurant game goes. The food was packed a punch and we all left full and satisfied.

Iberian ham croquettes — We were on quite the croquette run this trip and these were some of the better ones we had. Acorn-fed Ibérico ham croquettes, panko-crusted and fried.

Crispy Catalan roast roll — The best bite of the night. A crisp spring roll like texture filled with Catalan-style braised meat and topped with prune puree, chicken liver mousse and pine nuts. It was so complex, crispy and sweet with the prunes rounding it all out. We were specifically mad we couldn’t order more of these- I needed at least 2 more.

Pan Con Tomate — grilled Folgueroles a Catalan crispy and thin bread rubbed with tomato, extra virgin olive oil, and salt.

Steak tartare — hand-cut tartare of organic “Cal Tomàs” beef with smoked egg yolk.

Glazed lamb — lacquered lamb, pan reductions and two purees.

Passion fruit, coconut & basil — coconut sorbet with passion fruit and basil oil.

Cheesecake — Tou dels Tillers cheesecake, brûléed, with kefir ice cream and lime

Michelin Recommended

This restaurant a cozy 7 table spot is punching way above it’s weight. Weeks before walking through the door they were awarded a Michelin recommendation. The cuisine is French inspired and ever evolving. Pachi the Chef and his two staff members run the whole show- Chef de Partie and Sous Chef. Pachi acts as the server and creates an experience as he prepares and walks the food out. He was a former chemist who felt he wanted to showcase more passion in his work After years of studying and working under other chefs he finally opens his own spot Ame. This restaurant will go on to do great things and make a name for itself. The food is outstanding with exceptional technique and flawless execution. The show is looking into the kitchen as you eat- open and on display. Cozy interior compliments each dish.

Chestnut

Chestnut puree is this unassuming and plain. The ingredients are minimal and simple. The chef simply dressed this down to showcase the flavor. What a bite- it wowed all of us. To serve something so simply with just salt is ballsy and we all looked around the table in excitement knowing the next bites could only get better. Less is more- always.

Red Prawn Crepe + Tuna Tartare -

One of the most memorable combos all trip. This man was just flexing on us. He dropped the plates off and said enjoy- mic drop type shit. A crispy tartlet and wafer filled with Red prawn tartar and veiled with a red prawn gel sheet. The contrast of the crispy tart with the juicy prawn and the gel complements each other nicely.

This was truly an inspiring bite. An inverted canele mold fried and shoveled with tuna tartar to the brim and garnished with salsify threads. I shoved the whole thing in my mouth all at once but wish I could have taken two different bites to savor it slightly. I’ve seen this technique of the inverted canele molds being served around the world at various restaurants but never tried it and was honored to experience this tekky bite.

Maitake

Maitake served three ways: as a puree and topped with a crispy maitake mushroom cooked to perfection and drizzled with the maitake gel. One bite and I started smiling. This food has just been so pure and focused. The attention to detail, the care, the love. It was all there.

Salsifis and Beetroot

Tomato + Yellowtail

Red Prawn Veloute

Trout

Trout with trout roe, beurre blanc steeped with fig leafs

Strawberry and Champagne

Date pudding

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*** 3 Star Michelin Experience

This is was an experience I had been chasing my whole career - my first 3 Michelin star restaurant experience. Cocina Hermanos Torres lives inside an old tire factory in Les Corts. Ran by the Hermano Torres brothers Sergio and Javier who pulled their 3rd Star in 2022. The standards are not only elite but the execution has to be on point and it was. It felt surreal and special having the kitchen in center stage of the restaurant. No room for error and everything on display. A proper show. Three cooking island sit under the bright lights- all eyes on them. The front of house staff greets you in their all black suits and bright red shoes with 3 Michelin stars etched in the heel. They walk due to a private room in the back, handed us our mocktails and we opened the special envelopes holding our menu. I unfolded mine and saw 20 courses for us to eat. I had no idea what we were getting into.

Here’s what makes it hit different. The brothers were raised by their grandmother, who cooked for wealthy families down in Andalusia and then fed Sergio and Javier like every day had two parties in it — one for lunch, one for dinner. You taste that. For all the technique and the stars, the food never felt like it was flexing on you. It felt generous. Like someone wanted you full and happy.

Tortilla de Patatas

Tartar aged Rubia Gallega

Crispy Tuna with Cucumber

Brown Crab, Red Prawn and Chile

Suckling Lambs

Eucalyptus and Wild Strawberries

Sergio’s Cara Crakine & Javiers Yogurt and Almond

I’m not going to walk you through all twenty — you don’t need that from me, and half the magic is not knowing what’s coming. However the crispy tuna and cucumber was one bite I’ll never forget, the texture and the flavor the way it was served. That dish will be with me forever. But the desserts were my favorite stretch of the night, no contest. They even name a couple of the petit fours after each brother — Sergio’s and Javier’s — like they’re signing their own work. We left with a bag of extra yogurt and almond morsels. Three hours in and we somehow walked out full, which killed the myth that you leave a Michelin place still hungry.

I’ve wanted to sit in a room like this since I was a young cook, back when a three-star meal was something I only read about. To finally do it — and to do it next to Lexi, her dad, and her brother — I felt honored the whole way through. My expectations got smashed and my palate got humbled. I thought I was a good cook. Watching these guys work at this level, I realized how much further the ceiling goes.

This was our last meal in Barcelona. It was a special one at the elegant Compartir- a seafood and shared plates focused restaurant with fresh seafood and raw meats served beautifully. Compartir means “to share” in Spanish and every dish is designed for sharing- very on brand for a restaurant in Barcelona. We devoured 13 courses for my girlfriend’s Dad’s birthday and by the end the meal I needed to be rolled up and pushed out of there.

The menu was refreshing and clean. The seafood dishes hit the spot. My favorite was the shisho leaf tartar.

It’s hard to choose my favorites but some of my favorites are

We took a roadtrip to Montserrat. A jagged otherworldly mountain about 45 minutes outside Barcelona. Home to a Benedictine Monastery housed there since 1025. We walked around and soaked in the history and hiked up the mountain.

After working up an appetite we decided to hit a Spanish mcdonalds on the way back to the city. It’s very important to always try McDonalds every time you travel for me it’s a mandatory experience. I love seeing how they differ in each country.

Naturally we found one and decided to pull up and as we walked inside it was packed and lively. Shocking because in America they are soulless. At least where I live it’s a drive thru focused establishment and you wouldn’t dare go inside one. We got a lot of food to try. We weren’t sure what to expect.

Philly cheese Steak Burger

Chicken Nuggets

Shaker Fries

Potato Wedges

Big Mac

Chicken Sandwich

Rolos Frosty

I love fast food. I love Mcdonalds. So whenever I travel I have to compare. What’s better?

I can’t say it’s better than American Mcdonald’s but it had me nodding my head in happiness. Chicken nuggets were more of less the same as their American counterparts. I loved some of the sauce options, wedge fries, and Philly cheese steak burger. If I’m being honest- the Rolo McFlurry was maybe the best one I’ve ever had. Although I didn’t love the big Mac which just tasted “off” and the shaker fries came with seasoning that tasted like feet.

My take away is some items were good and some were bad and maybe my American palatte was expecting certain flavors that were just missing.

It wouldn’t be a trip to Spain without a Jamon Iberico and a Bocadillo. We found this little shop by our hotel- slicing Jamon thin and serving it on their Catalonian baguettes. It melts in your mouth like butter. Leaning forward into the simplicity of the product, letting it shine and be the star. Proper Spanish food, I’m just honored to have tried it.

If you’re looking for clothes or into fashion some of the best spots we checked out are:

• Nude Project

• Eme Studios

• Two Jeys

• Scuffers

Reflecting on my time in barcelona makes me think about how lucky we are to travel. This place is a dream. A city I never had high on my list to visit became a spot I recommend to everyone. Between the rich history, unbelievable sights, tapas and the culinary scene drenching in talent- I have nothing but high praise for everything in Barcelona. If you have considered visiting and are on the fence. Book that ticket and go- you will not regret it.

Don’t skip Bar Canete tho and get the chorizo sandwich for me.

Cheers