Barcelona landed on the culinary map with a dominant presence. Its gastronomy creations and fancy seafood flair left enough Michelin star fodder for glossy magazines and culinary hosts to rave about for shows on end. While I did get to relish the food at some of these highly lauded restaurants, I was surprised to discover that the lesser-known hidden gems equally packed in the punch with taste and experience without leaving as much of a dent in the wallet. During my two-week stay in Spain, I must’ve uncovered dozens of food treasure troves. But I’ve managed to narrow down my list of best hidden gems to a digestible list of six.
Sushi and raw-food lovers be prepared. This Japanese sashimi-concept restaurant with a Galician touch might be one of the most exciting seafood experiences you may ever have. Espai Kru offers many innovative dishes and a unique twist on even traditional offerings.
The tartars are wonderful. The tomato tartar was unlike anything I’ve ever had. I devoured it by the spoon full and never got sick of it. Other tartars like their tuna and steak tartar were also very savory and melted in your mouth. Other standout items were raw oysters with tiger milk and yellow aji and their raw shrimp and carpaccio. And the sashimi quality was phenomenal.
Espai Kru is also dynamite for non-sushi or raw food lovers. Their smoked anchovies, for instance, were the best I tried in all the land. And I ate a lot of anchovies in Barcelona. The smoked flavor masked some of the natural saltiness of anchovies and these were served in extremely tender fashion. My mouth still waters thinking about them.
The scallops with chile, clams and celery with lime, razor clams, and strips of steak you cook yourself on hot cast iron griddles that were brought to the table on thick slabs of wood were also mind-blowing. And you can’t forget the tarte tatin for dessert nor the extensive wine list sure to complement any pairing.
Of the more than ten dishes we tried, every single offering was exceptional. All of the dishes off the custom menu are meant for sharing. They also have an extensive tasting menu. The friendly waiters brought out the courses one by one, and took the time to thoroughly explain each dish. Food is meant to be enjoyed slowly at Espai Kru so plan to block out a good chunk of time. We ate for more than three hours and never felt pressured to leave. There were people who came before us and left later. Doors open at 8pm.
The two-level restaurant is classy, quaint, and pretty quiet for the most part. They sat us upstairs next to the sushi bar. And it felt like a private party. It was also the only restaurant I was able to make reservations online for a party of our size. Even though almost half of our party were non-eating kids who ate before, the restaurant had no issues with it. The service was friendly and warm throughout.
I have been to my share of exceptional sushi restaurants but never have I left this full for this price. For an inordinate about of food and wine, each eating person paid no more than 100 euro. Dining at Espai Kru was one of the best sushi experiences I ever had. It was certainly the best sushi experience I ever had for the price.
2. Cup and Cake
Cup and Cake is a picturesque, dainty eatery outfitted in confectionary colors that offers really fun, healthy brunch options with beautiful presentation – a great place if you’re vegan. It’s also the sister restaurant of the better known Brunch and Cake that always has a line out the door. Both restaurants offer almost identical menus (I think Cup and Cake may even offer a couple more dishes). The main difference, though, is that Cup and Cake is much less crowded.
We started at Brunch and Cake but after hearing news of an over an hour wait, we walked to Cup and Cake, which was only 10 minutes away. The wait time at Cup and Cake was only 15 minutes for our party of 13 versus the hour long wait at Brunch and Cake.
I would recommend their super sandwich, Nutella brownie pancakes, acai pineapple bowl, eggs benedict or quinoa bowl, which is what I had (yum!). Any of these dishes pair amazingly with their fresh-squeezed OJ, one of their super smoothies, or beet-colored vanilla latte. And you’ll for sure want to top off your meal with a cupcake that’s got a generous portion of frosting that’s not too sweet. For the hangry traveler on the go, Cup and Cake is the perfect way to be indulgent without feeling guilty.
Barcelona is known for its tapas. And this is THE tapas place. One of the things you may notice about eating tapas in Barcelona is that the freshness can be hit or miss. That’s because tapas sit out in open air until they get eaten. But you will never have a stale tapa at Ciudad Condal (official name of restaurant, even though the awning outside says Ciutat Comtal). At Ciudad Condal, tapas get switched out every hour.
The best place to sit in this tastefully decorated restaurant in my opinion is at the bar, where you get prime viewing of all of the tapas. But you also have the option to sit inside, or outside on one of those European island sidewalks. Every single tapas here is delicious. I would know; I practically tried every single one over the course of two separate meals. But if you want to be more selective about your calorie count, I would highly recommend the pineapple cheese, foie gras, fried hot green peppers and razor clams. Everything washes down really well with a pitcher of sangria.
We stumbled upon this restaurant, quite literally, because there was always a line of people we needed to get around on our way back to our Airbnb. Ciudad Condal quickly became our favorite midnight snack in Barcelona before hitting the night out in town.
Boca Chica bar is a glamorous venue for the glamorous set. There’s an attached restaurant downstairs called Boca Grande, but this review is strictly for the bar as we never dined here. Contrary to appearances, Boca Chica is not a pretentious place at all.
The beautiful decor inside exudes an opulent feel with old world charm. There is a cozy lounge, a roof-top terrace, shelves and shelves of alcohol, and pretty chandeliers.
But perhaps the best amenity is the unisex bathroom that greets you with a bar at the entrance. Heading into the bathroom walled with mirrors, you’ll soon realize that a drink is very necessary because the dimly-lit bathroom has a DJ spinning music, lounge chairs and is quite the focal point of the entire bar. It’s easy to get carried away.
Boca Chica boasts an intoxicating alchemy of chic glamour, bubbling energy and stiff drinks where both local insiders and sophisticated tourists mingle. Be especially careful of this drink.
If you’re a lover of good cheeses, especially from France, traditional Spanish appetizers like anchovies, jamon and razor clams, and a good variety of wines by the glass, this is your place. The industrial space doesn’t look like much more than storage from the outside. We would’ve never known about this place had it not been for our local friends.
But it’s a smart space that doubles as a market and dine-in. Not quite a dinner place with a full menu, it’s the perfect snacking place to hold you over before the 9pm dinner. It’s also a stop you may want to save towards the end of your trip, especially if you want to stock up on things to take back home.
6.Urretxu
This unassuming basque restaurant doesn’t have much be said in the looks department. But the explosive tastes will blow the roof off. Upon walking in, we were greeted by the gold-toothed gregarious owner who whisked us to the back and gave us a tour of the kitchen. We went during dinner time around 9ish without reservations and there was no wait.
We had the fish omelet, stuffed crab, small peppers, steak and fish. I’m not a huge fan of cooked fish but the cod frittata sliced and slid off with effortless ease that was equal parts fluffy and dense. Drizzled in Spanish olive oil and topped with paper thin garlic, it was the best cooked fish I could remember ever having, I nearly fell back in my chair. The basque steak was incredible too.
There’s absolutely no excuse why you can’t try this restaurant, especially when you can dine for $10 euro at lunch. Urretxu is a true diamond in the ruff.
The best part about eating in Barcelona is that there are so many options to choose from. The worst part about dining in Barcelona is that there are so many options to choose from. Food coma is bad enough, but in Barcelona, there is also paralyses by analyses to contend with. A good eating tip: make a few reservations, then amble upon others through cobble-stoned streets. Making food discoveries is just as much fun as eating in this amazing city full of friendly people, a great night life, culture, amazing architecture and just about the most delectable food of any city I’ve ever been to.