The Rough Guide to Barcelona 8 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

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Room service
The hotels are where it’s at for some some of the city’s fanciest, often Michelin-
starred, dining and if you’re staying at any of the following you’ve got Barcelona’s
most exciting cooking right on the premises. Currently making waves is Joan Roca’s
Moo at the über-fashionable Hotel Omm (W ), while Martín Beras-
ategui brings his highly rated Basque style to Lasarte in the Condes de Barcelona
(W ). Madrid-based chef Sergi Arola lends his name to
the designer tapas place Arola, located at the glam waterfront Arts Barcelona
(W ), and it’s renowned Catalan chef Carles
Gaig at the helm of Gaig in Hotel Cram (W . Graduates of Ferran
Adrià’s famed El Bulli restaurant are thick on the ground too, whether it’s Jordi Ruiz
at Neri Restaurante at the boutique Hotel Neri (W ) or Ramon
Freixa’s Actual at the Grand Hotel Central (W ).
pizzeria, right down to the cheery waiters and
cheesy pop music. The pizzas – the best in
the city – come straight from the depths of a
beehive-shaped oven, or there’s a big range
of antipasti, pastas, risotti and veal scalop-
pine, with almost everything priced between
€8 and €12. Tues 8.30pm–midnight, Wed–
Sun 1.30–4.30pm & 8.30pm–midnight.
La Bodegueta c/de Blai 47 T934 420 846;
M Poble Sec. Catalan taverna with food like
mother used to make – a relaxed Sunday
lunch here brings local families out in force.
It’s a good-natured, red-check-tablecloth-
and-barrels kind of place, specializing in
torrades, salads and grills – try the excellent
grilled veg platter. Tues–Sun 1–4pm &
8.30pm–midnight.
La Soleá Pl. del Sortidor 14 T 934 410
124; M Poble Sec. A great place for
sunny days, with a terrassa in a tucked-
away square – meanwhile, in the cheery if
cramped interior, there’s a backdrop of
vibrant colours and young guns behind the
counter singing along lustily to flamenco
nuevo sounds. The food is international
bistro-style, and pretty good value – salads
and snacky stuff to start, followed by
proper hamburgers, tandoori chicken,
lasagne or a reassuringly old-fashioned
Sunday plate of fideuà (Catalan noodles).
No credit cards. Tues–Sat noon–midnight,
Sun noon–5pm.
La Tomaquera c/Margarit 58, no phone;
M Paral.lel/Poble Sec. Sit down in this
chatter-filled tavern and the bread arrives
with a dish of olives and two quails’ eggs –
and any delicacy ends there as the chefs
set to hacking steaks and chops from great
sides and ribs of meat. It’s not for the faint-
hearted, but the grilled chicken will be the
best you’ve ever had and the entrecôtes are
enormous. Locals limber up with an
appetizer of pan-fried snails with chorizo
and tomato. Most main dishes cost €7–11.
No credit cards. Tues–Sat 1.30–3.45pm &
8.30–10.45pm; closed Aug.
Tivoli’s Bistro c/Magalhaes 35 T934 414 017,
W ; MParal.lel/Poble Sec.
Home-style Thai cuisine, toned down for
local tastes but reasonably priced and run
by a nice Catalan-Thai couple, who also
organize cooking classes. A set meal
(around €25 per person, dishes change
weekly) is delivered to your table, usually
incorporating a starter or two, a red or
green curry, a vegetable and fish dish, and
Thai noodles. Tues–Sat 9–11pm; closed 1st
week Jan, & Aug to mid-Sept.
Dreta de l’Eixample
For locations, see map, p.115.
Moderate
El Japonés Ptge. de la Concepció 2 T934 872
592, W
M Diagonal. Designer-style – gun-metal grey
interior, black-clad staff, sharp service – at
moderate prices gives this minimalist
Japanese restaurant the edge over its more
traditional city rivals. Tick your sushi,
sashimi, tempura and noodle choices from
the long menu and hand it to the waiter;
average meal cost is around €25 a head.
Mon–Thurs & Sun 1.30–4pm & 8.30pm–
midnight, Fri & Sat 1.30–4pm & 8pm–1am.
Expensive
O’Nabo de Lugo c/de Pau Claris 169 T932 153
047; M Diagonal. A la carte meals in this
CAFÉS, TAPAS BARS AND RESTAURANTS
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Restaurants