13 restaurants less than an hour from Barcelona that you have to know

There is a lot of gastronomic life beyond Barcelona. In the metropolitan area, less than an hour from the Catalan capital, you can find a great diversity of establishments –beach and mountain– with prices suitable for all audiences. At ARA, we give you a selection of 13 of the best options available, whether you want to escape Barcelona without going too far or if you prefer to discover the surrounding municipalities through their bars and restaurants.

L'Esmolet (Badalona)

L'Esmolet is the project of three chefs –Albert Reverté, Ivan Cruz, and Pedro Cárdenas– who have become partners to raise the bar of Badalona's gastronomy. On the menu, we will find several nods to the city that welcomes them, such as the bomba a la badalonina (with octopus, potato, and aioli), patates Corominas, or Can Soler ice creams. And also a dessert that can only be tasted on the midday menu: the tiramisú a la badalonina, which is soaked in a version that Anís del Mono has released with a biscuit flavor. They have also included in the wine list two references from Vall de Betlem, the wonderful wines that are made next to Sant Jeroni de la Murtra. Beyond the à la carte dishes, the restaurant also has an excellent midday menu for 19 euros, available from Tuesday to Friday.

The Artisan Santa Eulàlia (l'Hospitalet)

Just two years ago, Héctor Barbero, Pau Pons, and Romina Reyes opened a Catalan cuisine restaurant in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, after running another one for more than eight years in Poblenou. With this new establishment, known as Artesana de Santa Eulàlia, they entered the eighth edition of the world championship of callos celebrated at the San Sebastián Gastronomika congress and, despite having very strong opponents ahead, they won it. If you want to try the winning dish – or any of the other options on the menu – you will only need 11 euros and an empty stomach, because the restaurant offers good produce and technique.

Can Domingo's Tapas (Sant Just Desvern)

El Picoteo de Can Domingo is one of the great classics of Sant Just Desvern. What will you find there? Fresh, quality produce in a restaurant where you can feel trust and familiarity. In fact, many of the clients are regulars, the kind who address the waiters by their names and don't ask for the menu. The restaurant's name already suggests having a "pica-pica" (tapas), and the menu offers a long list of traditional small dishes and tapas, complemented by a list of suggestions that depend on the fish and seafood available. As for prices, you can have lunch or dinner for 20 euros, but at the same time, you can also spend as much as you want if you fancy some elvers or a lobster from La Mar d'Amunt. All produce is of quality and at market price.

Binomi (Sant Just Desvern)

The restaurant Binomi in Sant Just runs like clockwork and, although the owners admit that Sant Just is not one of the easiest places, the business has made a name for itself there thanks to word-of-mouth. It plays with Catalan cuisine, but the dishes also pay small tributes to Asian cuisine, especially Korean. This is demonstrated by dishes such as Thai pork belly with sesame, spring onion, and white rice; roast chicken with pickled lemon, olives, and couscous; and stewed chickpeas with spinach, tomato, garlic, and hard-boiled egg. Some of Binomi's offerings are more expensive than others, but at this restaurant it is possible to eat well for 20 euros per person.

Hernández (Sant Boi de Llobregat)

Hernández is a grill restaurant with traditional Catalan cuisine dishes run by Rafa Zafra and where the cook Gonzalo Hernández works. It is located in Sant Boi de Llobregat and they cook cannelloni, Russian salad, capipota with chickpeas, noodle casserole with sausage, rib and chicken, and above all, many grilled products. A proposal that prioritizes Catalan products and with which they want to pay homage to the land and the tradition of eating in a farmhouse.

More from Grandi (Cornellà)

Cornellà de Llobregat, the second largest city in Baix Llobregat, has been experiencing a silent but constant transformation in the gastronomic field for years. In the city, you don't just eat well anymore: you eat with pride. And so demonstrates the restaurant Més de Grandi, a proposal based on Mediterranean cuisine with contemporary touches, designed to both retain regular customers and attract new ones, especially families. The restaurant offers a daily menu, à la carte, and a weekend menu, adapting to different paces and consumption moments. The price varies depending on the dishes and the chosen menu, but it can cost around 35 euros per person.

Bar Sant Martí (Torrelles de Llobregat)

The Bar Sant Martí is a family business. From Tuesday to Friday, you can find a very balanced and well-prepared daily menu for 13.90 euros. Its owners –Jordi, Nela, and Enric– are the leaders of a food establishment that enhances one of the most emblematic squares in the town and offers home-style cooking at a good price.

The Maiden (Badalona)

La Donzella de la Costa is a restaurant where it is nice to eat both in summer and in winter. Located in a privileged spot by the coast, it stands out for a terrace that fits the concept mediterranean and for a dining room where, if you are lucky enough to be near the window, you will have beautiful sea views. What can you eat there? Seafood cuisine: rice dishes, such as the shellfish one, the prawn one or the black one, fresh fish... Well-prepared product. Depending on the chosen dishes, the price can range between 20 and 50 euros per person.

Akerra (Santa Coloma de Gramenet)

Rafa Castilla, thirty-three years old, and Desi Fernández, twenty-six years old, decided to channel their youth's energy by building their restaurant in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, l’Akerra, which was born just over a year ago. They have suffered, sweated, cried, and wanted to throw in the towel on countless occasions, but in the end, they have managed to open the doors of a restaurant with elaborate cuisine and a personal touch. Dishes such as confit cod with aioli, spinach cream, sun-dried tomatoes, raisins, and pine nuts stand out, and the price per person can rise up to 50 euros.

Catalina (Gavà)

The Catalina, in Gavà Mar, is a restaurant where you can give yourself a great gift, the gift of living well. The establishment specializes in product-based cuisine, and offers dishes such as the Barcelona bomb, prepared with Frisian pork loin inside, macaroni stuffed with pig's trotters with trumpet mushrooms and Idiazábal cheese and truffle sauce on top, grilled sweetbreads and turbot, among many others. The price, for à la carte dining, ranges between 70 and 100 euros, depending on what is ordered to drink, which can be by the glass, and you will find Catalan wines there.

CheChe (Castelldefels)

The premises of the CheChe is a modern, elegant space, with a lot of light and a spectacular open kitchen. The menu offers a tasting menu for 75 euros, but also offers really interesting options such as grilled hake with white butter, leek and imperial caviar; pig's trotters stuffed with "botifarra de perol", or egg yolk cured with Maresme peas, cured shrimp and broth dashi. Some options that demonstrate how varied the menu is, and that the owners defend seasonal produce. The price can reach 90 euros per person.

Gastro Garatxe (El Prat de Llobregat)

There are likely few, if any, gastronomic projects that see the light of day in a garage. Carlos Novo and Eric Ochoa wanted to start a restaurant together, but after unsuccessfully searching for a location, they opened a bar, initially clandestine, for family and friends in Eric's brother's garage in El Prat de Llobregat. What began as a gastronomic space, with capacity for eight people, where they intended to have a good time cooking, experimenting, and tasting wines with their loved ones, ended up transforming into a sought-after gem: word of mouth got out of control and people started to gather at the entrance of the venue. They now offer two lunchtime tasting menus (Wednesday to Friday, for €40 without drinks) and a more complete evening menu (Wednesday to Saturday, for €75 without drinks).

Weather vane (Badalona)

The gastronomic offer of the Hotel La Marina in Badalona, between the sports port and Coco beach, is accompanied by the young restaurant Tastavents. It is located on the third floor, with a beautiful sea panorama. The kitchen is open and offers a very experimental menu. It has two tasting menus that cost between 65 and 95 euros.