The best restaurants that have opened in recent months in Barcelona

BarcelonaThe pace of restaurant openings is frantic. One of the reasons is that many are closing. Either because they haven't worked out or because many people are retiring and there's no replacement. And there are also many people with the drive and desire to start their own projects, or grow their restaurants by opening other concepts. Here's a short list of those I think you should keep a close eye on.

The first is the Margarit, a Greek restaurant (in Barcelona there is a great lack of quality Greek restaurants, until recently The Mad Grenadier (I was completely alone in this category) in Poble-Sec. At Margarit, named after the street where it's located, the cuisine is honest, made by people who know their stuff. It's quite elaborate without being sophisticated. You'll find traditional Greek dishes, although many have adapted them to their own style. Don't miss their wines.

Now we go to Gòtic, to the restaurant The Bellafila Palm. It's one of the best meals I've had this year, courtesy of its chef, Jordi Parramon. And believe me, thanks to my job, I eat in many places. Teca is excellent, with unbeatable service and more than reasonable prices. The space is very pretty and allows you to have a romantic date, or go to the space at the top of the stairs and get together at a large table. The menu format gives you the option of sharing dishes, but also allows everyone to choose their own adventure. We'll talk about this restaurant again soon; you'll see why.

If it's about the best of the year, of course, we'll have to talk about the Glugo (Viladomat and Paris corner). In a short time it has made a name for itself in the club of the most coveted restaurants in the city and have won the recognition of chefs of the yearThe proof is that it's hard to find a spot at its wide white and red bar. It's worth a try, though. It's a genuine place where you can see the personalities of its owners—Beatrice Casella and Ivan Garcia—through their cooking and wine selections. The onion soup with conté buttons, the olives stuffed with roasted chicken, or the macaroni croquette are dishes you'll have a hard time removing from the menu if you don't want a riot in the dining room.

The award for the best atmosphere would go to the MezzLocated in Riera Sant Miquel, next to another reliable place that you surely know, the TanganaWe're back at Mezz. It's a place to listen to vinyl music, sip natural wines, and eat delicious dishes cooked by the young and talented Cristina Ojeda Martínez. She was asked to draw inspiration from French tradition, and what she's created is refreshing, modern, and tailored to our palate (and hers, too, because besides being a good cook, Cristina is a great cook). A place to keep coming back to.

There's a new tapas restaurant in Clot called Pepi House and which already has many followers. Traditional tapas, made their way and at a good price. Like flamenquín, bomba (to which they've added pine nuts), torreznos, open tortilla, or cod liver. Behind it are Josep Maria Ferraz and his partners, who have already made us happy with the Bar Pimentel del Borne or the Culkin in San Antonio. Here they bring all their knowledge to serve a much less gentrified neighborhood.

He Motherfucker, in the Eixample, combines bar food with a deep dining room to get involved in. Grilled meats and lots of quality animal protein. They make a capipota to dip bread in, and they're just right with the right amount of spice. The option to have tapas and vermouth—which, by the way, is worth trying the homegrown appetizers—means you can discover it in two stops.

And finally, let's not forget two other openings we've focused on this year. They are the vermutería The Cousins and the Contracorriente Bistro, in Gracia. In the first you will find a neighborhood history and a very well-selected selection of products from small producers. In the second, a lunch menu with a winning quality-price ratio with a level of cooking to start 2025 as God commands.