Top 14 culinary specialties in Barcelona

What to eat in Barcelona? Our selection of 14 Barcelona specialties

The tasty cuisine of Catalonia reflects the seasonality and idyllic landscapes of the region and its sites. Your menu will testify to the richness of the mountains, the ocean, the forests and the abundance of vegetable gardens! Regarding seasonal dishes, you will have to be patient. The hot and hearty winter dishes are well-deserved, while the refreshing bites will lighten the summer heat wave. In any case, Catalan cuisine reserves an incredible gastronomic experience for you. Barcelona's culinary specialties will not disappoint you.

1.Patatas bravas

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Let's start with this delicious everyday dish to share. Patatas bravas have the form of crispy potato cubes, accompanied by a dedicated sauce. This is a particularly beloved and widespread dish in Barcelona, as in the rest of Spain. Special mention to the tomato sauce of these delicious potatoes, it's finger-licking good!

2. Tapas

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Cult elements of Spanish gastronomy, tapas are popular in Barcelona! There are no "typical" recipes for these savory bites. The only condition is that they be served in small portions and served in dishes to share. The tasting moment resembles our French aperitif. Except that it is customary to taste very distinct varieties at the same time to vary the pleasures. In Barcelona, you will taste typically Catalan tapas, prepared with local products. Go to a tapas bar to be spoiled for choice. And if by chance you hear "vamos de tapas!" during your stay, you know it's time to eat.

3. Tortillas de patatas

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Here's a typical dish, simple as hello and absolutely delicious. Prepared in pure Spanish tradition for centuries, the tortilla delights the inhabitants of Barcelona. It is however a mixture of potatoes and eggs, accompanied by onions and olive oil. Everything is arranged in the shape of a pancake. Another surprising fact is that there is no precise time to eat tortilla. You can just as well indulge in it at breakfast as at dinner or as a snack.

4. Seafood paella

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No need to wait for world paella day – no, it's not a joke! – to taste Spain's most emblematic dish. In Barcelona, this dish with a thousand flavors places seafood at the center of the plate. You will therefore find in a Catalan paella, mussels, shrimp, squid and crayfish. These frolic in saffron rice alongside fresh vegetables. After tasting an authentic Spanish paella, one can no longer do without it.

5. Esqueixada

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Here's an excellent alternative to hearty dishes when the sun beats down on your skull. Indeed, esqueixada is a fresh and light salad that is willingly savored during long - and exhausting - summer periods. In the hollow of your plate, peppers, tomatoes, onions and olives come to surround the star of the dish: salted cod.

6. Escalivada

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Delicious vegetarian alternative, to be enjoyed on beautiful days, escalivada is a typically Catalan recipe. The vegetables are grilled and peeled, then seasoned with aromatics. You will find this culinary specialty in the middle of your tapas table. Some of you will be served their escalivada with a little meat and/or fish.

7. Escudella i Carn d'Olla

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This local specialty makes Barcelonians languish all summer before its grand return. It consists of a large oblong meatball (pilota) and a white sausage (botifarra), accompanied by vegetables, pasta or sometimes rice. A hearty and comforting dish that smooths the rough edges of harsh winter days. It is also not uncommon to find it on Christmas tables. Taste it before a full day of excursion, you are sure to hold on.

8. Pa amb Tomàquet

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Discover without delay the Catalan version of "bruschetta". These tomato breads are tapas more commonly known as "Pan con tomate". To succeed them, nothing simpler: the bread slices are covered with tomatoes and rubbed with garlic. A drizzle of olive oil is deposited on the toast, on which are placed some pieces of anchovies or raw ham.

9. Arroz negra

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Dive a little deeper into Catalan tradition. "Black rice" is prepared in the same way as paella, the only difference is that squid ink is added to the rice to give it a pronounced seafood flavor and this abyssal color. The ink, rice and seafood simmer with garlic, peppers, olive oil and paprika in a large flat pan.

11. Fideua

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Yet another succulent variant of traditional Valencian paella. This other fisherman's dish simply swaps rice for pasta with fish stock. The thick vermicelli accompany wonderfully the cocktail of mussels, cuttlefish, squid or langoustines.

12. Bomba

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Open your mouth wide, this potato ball is to be tasted in one bite. The bomba is a fried croquette, stuffed with a filling of ground meat in tomato sauce. Adored by locals who willingly share them among friends, this hot specialty is widespread in Barcelona's tapas bars.

13. Crema Catalana

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Here is the madeleine of Proust of all Barcelonians: Catalan cream. This gourmet specialty with a slightly lemony and caramelized flavor is pure bliss. (Too) often compared to our crème brûlée, Catalan cream is however its elder by almost two centuries. Although lemon is its most traditional flavor, it is not uncommon to taste Catalan creams topped with a touch of cinnamon.

14. Orxata

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Pronounce "Horchata" to taste the most consumed non-alcoholic drink during summer in Barcelona among all the drinks served on site. Orxata which means "orgeat" is so refreshing that you will soon no longer be able to do without it. It is made from root juices. That is a mixture of tiger nut, water and sugar.