10 places to eat in Gràcia without making a mistake: traditional wineries and restaurants with character
This popular Barcelona neighborhood has so many dining options that it's hard to choose, but here's where to start.
BarcelonaWho hasn't gone out for a drink in Barcelona's Gràcia neighborhood? It's one of the city's most popular areas for nightlife and also one of the most visited by tourists, but sometimes choosing a restaurant for dinner in Gràcia can be a challenge. The neighborhood's fame has led to a proliferation of restaurants. You'll find many places to eat similar to those you might see on the streets of any other European city, but in Gràcia, traditional bodegas and restaurants with a long and established history still thrive.
The oldest establishments, often frequented by locals, maintain the neighborhood's culinary traditions, but Gràcia's dynamism means that new restaurants, bars, and bodegas are constantly opening, becoming part of the neighborhood's fabric and expanding its offerings. In fact, there are so many options for eating that it can sometimes be hard to decide. To make things easier, we offer you a compilation of 10 restaurants where you can have a good dinner in this Barcelona neighborhood, and two more options worth considering.
La Barriga del Obispo
La Barriga del Obispo is a well-established and reliable restaurant in the neighborhood. The menu changes frequently, depending on the season and the cost of ingredients. What's always available are rice dishes, chicken croquettes, and a dessert of bread with chocolate, olive oil, and salt. The food is clearly Catalan cuisine with a touch of creativity... and offers good value for money.
Quimet Winery
On Vic Street, it's a neighborhood classic. Many former students of the nearby Vil·la de Gràcia high school remember it because they spent more than one year there. Wine barrels, a wooden cooler, tapas, and stools. A real old-fashioned bodega, basically. On weekend nights, it's packed, and it's a great place to enjoy platters of cheeses and cured meats, and small plates of Russian salad, broad beans with ham and a warmed egg, confit tomatoes with anchovies and capers...
The Premiums
Laia and Olaz have created a cooperative vermouth bar designed for the neighborhood, where you'll find cured meats from the Camprodon Valley, artisanal cheeses, preserves, and wines from small Catalan producers, including their own homemade vermouth. All of this is located on Rosa Puig-Rodon Pla Street (formerly Santa Rosa). There are no hot dishes, but you won't miss them. They're open from Wednesday to Sunday and it's a great place to linger after a meal without a care in the world.
Contracorriente Bistro
On Sant Domènec street, very close to Gran de Gràcia, in the former premises of the much-missed L'Anxoveta, the owners of Contracorriente Bar del Fort Pienc have opened this second establishment with a different format. Nicola Drago's Catalan-Italian cuisine is refined here, resulting in a tasting menu that is well worth trying. They didn't initially serve dinner, but now they are also open from eight to ten in the evening.
Pepa's Inn
A delicate fusion of Catalan and Mexican cuisine, with a nod to French gastronomy, is evident in dishes like lamb neck with guajillo chili sauce, chickpeas, and romesco. The roast beef and Iberian ham croquettes are a great place to start.
The Pubilla
This small restaurant is well-known to shoppers at the Mercat de la Llibertat, as it's right there and offers everything from a hearty breakfast to a lunch menu or a well-stocked à la carte dinner menu. It's a place with honest, market-fresh cuisine, ideal for couples and groups of up to six people. The menu changes seasonally, but if you go, ask if they have roast beef croquettes.
Pomp
At the intersection of Seneca and Minerva streets, you'll find Pompa, the elegant and refined sibling of the nearby Berbena. They serve traditional, simple, and hearty dishes, such as beans with potatoes served on a tray, or a salad. It's home cooking, but with a touch of sophistication.
Saint Mary Magdalene
Quim Marquès' restaurant is a sure bet for a dinner with friends or a romantic dinner for two: the food is designed for sharing. It's worth ordering the chickpeas Pinocchio-style, one of the seasonal specials, or even the macaroni.
Messié Gluten Free Grace
At the Messié Gluten Free restaurant on Syracuse Street you'll find gluten-free salad, pasta, risotto, and pizza options: it's one of the easiest places to go for dinner if someone in your group can't eat gluten and you don't want any headaches.
The Pyrenean Grill
La Brasa de Pirenaicas is one of the latest restaurants opened by Miguel Puchol, but it's very different from the Mantequerías he has scattered around Barcelona (one is right next door to La Brasa). It's a different concept: there's no potato omelet like the Pirenaicas, but there is grilled meat, the kind you might find in a mountain restaurant. He explains it well in the following interview.
For before dinner: Bonavista Winery
It's a narrow place loaded with bottles of wine (the vast majority of them Catalan), often full of groups of friends and closes at nine at night, but it's worth stopping by to work up an appetite before dinner with a good wine and, for example, some sobrasada from Porreres.
A little further up: Dolors Bar
This spot is a bit outside of Gràcia, but it's worth it if you're in the upper part of the neighborhood, fancy a short walk to Vallcarca, want to enjoy the fresh air, and are in the mood for some good tapas or vermouth. You'll feel right at home, surrounded by locals. Just be aware that it's only open on Friday and Saturday nights.