The Hotel Palace has an undeniable mystique, as it is a historic enclave in the city of Barcelona. For many, it will always remain the Ritz, and in fact, when you enter, you can't help but look around to see if Xavier Cugat's chihuahua is still lurking. If we are not staying there, we can access it to use its gastronomic offerings. We can go

Tomás de la Paz, Chilean by birth, will never forget how it all began with Gastón Acurio. “About twenty-five years ago, I showed up at the door of one of his restaurants in Peru, knocked, and blurted out: ‘I want to learn!’”. That audacity, almost unconsciously, changed his life forever. “After three months, he had already sent me to another establishment in Lima… and here I am today,” he recalls with a smile that still holds the spark of that first impulse.

Let's imagine a good pasta al dente. A cacio e pepe, for example. With the integrated sauce. They bring it in a deep pan and put it directly on your plate with tongs. Succulent, right? Or a beautiful tomato and a mozzarella so sublime that they serve it naked. When something is perfect, the only obligation is not to spoil it. Or a bresaola made of wagyu. It shines with the marbling of the fat. On the side, a raviolo filled with ricotta, truffle and tuorlo (that is, egg yolk). One last example: an eggplant parmigiana with that intense tomato flavor that obligatorily makes you dip bread. All these are some of the dishes that can be tasted since Tuesday at Bottega Bernacca (Carrer de Bonavista, 10), the Italian restaurant that lands in the Gràcia neighborhood and that curiously, unlike what it might seem, comes to us from São Paulo, Brazil. But you will see, dear readers, that everything has a reason.

“I am a romantic”, Gerard Martí tells me. Probably because I am too, I have enjoyed his proposal so much. Gerard is a young chef, butcher, and whatever else is needed. His family runs the Casanovas butcher shop, at Carrer Calàbria, 113, in Barcelona. It is the fourth generation dedicated to it. They are aware that these are difficult times for the trade. Many artisan butchers are closing and there is no succession. The Martí family, however, have found a way to make the business profitable: combining the butcher shop with a restaurant. And the restaurant in question has turned out to be very surprising and recommendable.

The restaurant director, Joaquim López, welcomed the diners. It was a special dinner because Xerta, the restaurant that brings a piece of Terres de l'Ebre to Barcelona, is celebrating 10 years since its opening. López is the fourth generation of restaurateurs. In fact, his parents were also among the diners at the establishment located within the Ohla Eixample hotel. The family manages another hotel, Villa Retiro in Xerta, hence the name of the establishment in Barcelona, and there, Joaquim's brother, Fran López, leads the kitchen at the restaurant.

Congratulations. Twenty years ago, a small restaurant opened next to the Hospital Clínic. It has grown over the years, but we'll get there. Now the concept wouldn't seem innovative, but at the time it certainly was. Pepe Simôes had a bar just a few steps away and decided to open a restaurant, something well-made but informal, and call it La Taverna del Clínic. It was a pleasant place, and the menu will sound familiar because it's the model that has triumphed in Barcelona: expertly prepared tapas (nothing like a mediocre potato salad) to share. Pepe Simôes had a chef lined up, but at the last minute, the deal fell through. And that's how, 20 years ago, his son Toni took over the restaurant. And he has grown it into the landmark it is today.

Blau i Verd is a restaurant that just opened in the center of Barcelona, ​​on Consell de Cent street, between Rambla Catalunya and Balmes. It's very spacious, and I'd say it's one of those perfect places for large groups and families, or for impromptu meals. Especially if you're a group that needs generous portions. Their model is this: you pay a fixed price (€19.95 for weekday lunches and €29.95 for dinners and weekends) and everything is included. First, you'll find an all-you-can-eat buffet loaded with small bowls of food. These are the starters, designed as individual tapas. There are many types, and you can eat as many as you like. Iberian ham, hummus, anchovy flatbread, flame-grilled escalivada, empedrado, derrama... The restaurant's focus is Mediterranean cuisine. The owners of Blau i Verd are of Chinese origin, and they entrusted chef and neurologist Miguel Sánchez Romera with the role of gastronomic consultant and menu designer. The idea is for everything to be digestible and healthy.

From the Rosa de Fuego to the conscript revolts. Perhaps it's harder to see now, but Barcelona has always been a rebellious city. A place where not everything has to be the same. Where another way of doing things is possible. Even when the proposed changes are small, modest, but no less relevant for that. Today I'll tell you about an excellent bar-restaurant located on Consell de Cent. On a beautifully designed pedestrian street, filled with options dominated by restaurant chains. Here, in the middle of it all, like Thursday, Bar Jueves was born.

"I want it to be the place where a bricklayer working next door can come and eat," says Gerard Sans. In times when bars are becoming increasingly rare gourmetizing And therefore, prices go up even though the glasses are still Duralex; it's news that someone has taken A classic, old-fashioned bar that simply wants to serve butifarra sausage with dried beans, cod cooked in a tin, or capipota (a stew of tripe and beans) at a good price. We're at the Veracruz bar-restaurant. The previous owner was there for many years and had kept the name of an even earlier owner, so we'll never know what connection this place has with Mexico. We're on Mallorca Street in Barcelona, ​​between Gerona and Bailén. Surrounded by places to have a good time. brunchThis humble oasis opens with a Voll-Damm tap. Llach and Mishima are playing. Sans says his role model is Gelida. a place that we will never tire of recommendingAs I savor a sublime hake and prawn croquette, I sense an elderly couple behind me (if we never cross paths, dear readers, know that I'm always on the lookout): "I'll spread the word about this place, it's fantastic. If you don't dip bread, you're missing out," she exclaimed to the sea. "Listen to your wife," I think.

From Aürt to Trü. It sounds like a play on words, but it's all like playing Scrabble with the letters of the name. ArthurThe fact is, chef Artur Martínez can't sit still. He's temporarily closed his Michelin-starred restaurant, Aürt, to find a better, more central location in Barcelona. While that's happening, which is expected by the middle of next year, he's created a new piece of his culinary universe: Trü, a more "informal, dynamic, and less academic" restaurant, according to the chef. Right now, while awaiting the opening of Aürt 2.0, the team working there is the same one that worked at the fine-dining establishment.

We're in pre-Olympic Barcelona, ​​"they'd barely even opened the Gamba del Mariscal," says Isidre Soler. It was then, 35 years ago, that they started their adventure with Reyes Lizán, his wife. Since then, they've opened the doors of the Tram-Tram restaurant (121 Carrer Major de Sarrià) every single day, despite the various crises and the many ups and downs Barcelona has seen. But they've reached 2026 with the dining room full of regular customers.

One of the best Peruvian restaurants in the city of Barcelona is Free PeopleLocated on Sepúlveda Street. Its owner, Pablo Ortega, has now opened a second establishment, with a different offering, which should be a must-visit for lovers of [the cuisine]. ceviche And for anyone who has enjoyed—or wants to discover—Peruvian cuisine. It's located in Poble-sec, where the highly successful Mano Rota restaurant once stood.

Chef Rafa Zafra, of the restaurants Estimar (in Barcelona's Born district) and Amar (inside the Hotel Palace), will open a restaurant in June inside the Tibidabo amusement park after winning the city's competition. It's believed that this could be the highest restaurant in Barcelona. "Right now I don't even know what I'm going to call it, but we're very happy with the project because I want to give back to Barcelona everything it has given me," says a delighted Zafra. The restaurant will have a prime location, with views across Barcelona, ​​and the chef's concept is based on a philosophy: "That children learn to eat like adults, and that parents become like children again." This is the idea he's working with, but construction is currently underway. "We have three months of work planned, but I expect it will be ready in three and a half months," says the Seville-born chef.

Inside the Hotel Arts, you'll find a restaurant with a life of its own: Enoteca, helmed by chef Paco Pérez. Fans of his restaurant in Llançà, Miramar, know that Pérez excels at rice dishes. And this is the place to experience his work in Barcelona. The Barcelona establishment has begun serving a rice-themed menu on Saturdays at lunchtime. Enoteca is typically a dinner-oriented restaurant; it's only on Saturdays that they take advantage of the natural light in their seaside location to offer this special menu. Named "Paco's Rice," it's proving very popular with locals, who are eager to discover this two-Michelin-starred establishment.

The decor at Carballeira is designed to transport you to the interior of a ship, but it's clear that you don't come here to sail, but rather to enjoy the finest seafood that Barcelona has to offer. The restaurant opened its doors in 1944 and, despite changes in ownership, has managed to maintain its original essence for over eighty years. Those who have been around for a while will remember that the old Barcelona customs house was located right next door. The sea is very close, as is the mouth of Via Laietana.

I was looking for a place to eat on Aribau Street and stumbled upon Bar Fischer. It's true that going somewhere without expectations usually works in your favor. When you walk in, you immediately see that it's a comfortable atmosphere. Then they give you the menu and the lunchtime set menu, and you think, "Hey, that looks good." At that moment, I didn't even know who owned the restaurant, or what skilled hands were behind the kitchen. That came much later.

Sagrario came to Barcelona for love. A love that knows nothing of maps or fears; the kind that packs your suitcase without knowing what you'll find on the other side. Living in Cartagena, she met a boy doing his military service and fell hopelessly in love with him. He had his life in Barcelona; she was only seventeen. To go with him, she needed her father's signature: permission almost impossible in those days for a girl who wanted to truly start living. Finally, her father reluctantly signed it, thanks to her mother's patience and firm character. Always mothers.

It's curious because, for many years, macaroni was the dish on children's menus in restaurants. Let me say that, personally, I'm opposed to the concept of a "children's menu," but that's a topic for another article. Back to macaroni. The fact is, we've always had the odd restaurant that made it exceptionally well, like the macaroni at Carles Gaig's El Cardenal. But in general, people didn't go to restaurants to eat macaroni. As we know, everything changes, and this humble yet delicious dish has recently appeared on the menus of every new restaurant that opens. The standard in modern establishments is usually macaroni served on a metal tray where the cheese is melted on the spot with a blowtorch. When you ask which dishes are the most popular, it's often one of the top choices. When people see the word macaroniThey have the urge to order them. Who can blame them? Good macaroni is always appealing, and surely the idea that people go to restaurants to eat what they don't usually cook at home is no longer an unquestionable axiom. Or perhaps we've simply stopped cooking macaroni altogether, who knows?

The imposing Hotel La Florida is now called METT. In recent years, we've seen several name changes in the city's hotel sector, and this is one of them. The METT has been completely renovated and, consequently, also boasts a new culinary offering, which we went to explore. On one side, there's Vermuteria 1925, and next to it, the Albarada restaurant. Both are located opposite the terrace with its panoramic views, as we're high up on Tibidabo mountain.

Felipe González has opened a restaurant in the Sant Andreu neighborhood of Barcelona. Don't worry: it's not the famous politician. It's Felipe, a Chilean who arrived in Catalonia thirteen years ago determined to make his dreams a reality, and who shares a surname with the former Socialist leader. Before landing in Spain, his journey took him through several restaurants in San Francisco. There he learned to cook Korean dishes and, almost without realizing it, his passion for gastronomy was awakened.