There is no shortage of amazing restaurants in Madrid and Barcelona. To help you sift through the thousands of options, I’m highlighting some of the best restaurants we ate at in Madrid and Barcelona. If you’re interested in finding out the best restaurants in Spain, keep reading!
MADRID
Casa Lolea
We came to Casa Lolea on a Sunday after leaving the Thyssen Museum (read my thoughts about the Thyssen here). They were pretty busy when we came but fortunately the front part of the restaurant was empty so we sat there. There are many tapas restaurants in Madrid and this is one of them. If you’re not familiar with tapas restaurants basically they focus on small plates with the idea that you order several and share them among your table. It’s supposed to be a more communal way of eating. So if you’re looking for something really hearty keep that in mind. You’ll likely need to order a lot of plates to get you there.
Now onto the actual food. The food here was good. We ordered a few plates including some chorizo, some salmon blinis, and a tortilla and shared them amongst the table and were satisfied with everything we got. We also ordered a couple slices of their red velvet cake to share which was wonderful. If you’re looking for a good tapas spot in Madrid I’d recommend checking them out.
San Mercado de Miguel
San Mercado de Miguel is a food hall in the heart of Madrid with plenty of options. This would be a great place to come with a group as there should be something for everyone. My favorite place here was an empanada shop that had both savory and a few sweet empanada options.
Empanadas Malvon Bernabeu
This was an Argentinian empanada shop that we went on our last night in Madrid. The empanadas were all delicious. I had to wait for them to make more chorizo and cheese empanadas as they had run out when we got there (popularity/low stock is a good sign) but it was worth the wait.
Motteau
You can’t celebrate a birthday without birthday cake?! We came to Motteau to get some cake for my birthday. This is an older French-style bakery with traditional French desserts and other offerings. The nice thing is we got a couple slices of their different cakes so we could sample everything and they were all delicious, like the strawberry cake you see pictured and a red velvet cake that was so moist and dense.
Chocolateria San Gines
Chocolateria San Gines is a Madrilean institution. It’s one of the oldest, if not the oldest churreria in Spain. Coming to Madrid and not going is kind of like going to New Orleans and not visiting Cafe Du Monde. Full disclaimer, I’m putting it on the list primarily for that reason. The churros were good but they weren’t that distinct from other churrerias we tried during the trip.
1902 Churreria Chocolateria
This was another older churreria we went to. Disclaimer: The churros are going to taste pretty similar between different churrerias because the churro recipe itself is a pretty standard/traditional one. Where churrerias may distinguish themselves is with the hot chocolate they serve with it and theirs was pretty good.
Papizza
I had researched almost all of the restaurants we went to on this trip but this was a spontaneous stop. We had finished our leather craft workshop class (read about it here) and were hungry when we stumbled across this Spanish pizza chain. Well this Spanish pizza chain was really good, even after accounting for our hunger and they had some great pizza flavors. Prices were very reasonable too.
BARCELONA
Mercado de la Boqueria
Mercado de la Boqueria is a large food stall in Barcelona. They had everything from fresh fruits, assorted cured meats, and seafood to chocolates and ice cream. This would be a great place to go with a bigger group when everyone is in the mood for something different.
El Nacional
El Nacional is another food hall. This one is a more upscale, sit down food hall, whereas La Boqueria is grab and go. Since there are several restaurant options under one roof this would be another great option to come to with a group. You can walk around look at the different restaurant menus and then decide on where you want to eat. The flatbread I ordered from one of the restaurants in here was really good and also massive. El Nacional is also a pretty short walk from Casa Batllo which is where we came from before heading here.
Patron
I wanted to find a nice restaurant to go to for my official birthday dinner (although we didn’t go on my actual birthday) and Patron was it. This is a beautiful and large restaurant with nautical design influences. We had yet to have paella by this point in our trip so this was our first time ordering it and it did not disappoint. Their dessert menu was very clever. It consisted of the server bring out a tray of already prepared desserts so we could see what each item on the menu looked like. I thought this was genius since we eat with our eyes first. Seeing the items made it much easier to decide what we wanted. I had the red velvet cake and it was pretty perfect.
CerveserÃa Catalana
I had heard great things about CerveserÃa Catalana including how long the wait is to get a table if you went in the evening so we opted to go here for lunch after visiting La Sagrada Familia. Everything we had from the shared apps (croquetas and patatas bravas) to our entrees were very good.
Vegan Bowls
This was another spontaneous stop. I stumbled across Vegan Bowls as they were close to the Airbnb we were staying in. I tried the red velvet cake, Levain Bakery style cookie, and their vanilla cupcake. They were all good but the cookie was next level. I also got their tropical juice with orange juice, passion fruit, and mango and it was very good. I can still taste it!
El Xampanyet
This place is a tight squeeze. Like, don’t forget to put on your deodorant tight because other patrons will be able to tell. The food was good, service was relatively quick, and staff were polite. It’s also very close to the Picasso Museum (a three minute walk) so we came here after leaving there. This seems to be a local institution (the crowds alone plus my research told me that) so if you want to feel a little less touristy, definitely come here.
Flax & Kale
I had already decided I wanted to check out Flax and Kale and as luck would have it there was one really close to our Airbnb (seriously the location was great). This is a beautiful space with high ceilings, exposed brick, and a lot of natural light. They have plenty of lighter and healthier options including a variety of assorted juices and kombuchas, fresh fruit, and healthier desserts. So if you want healthier fare in a nice space, add this spot to your list.
Sweets and Treats
Demasie
You must come here if you go to Barcelona. They have several different varieties of cinnamon rolls that rotate even throughout the day (ask me how I know this *facepalms*) a long with other pastries, tarts (sweet and savory), and desserts. I got the red velvet cinnamon roll and it was a flavor bomb. So good.
La Campana turrones artesanales
This gelato was bomb dot com with a flavor so nice that I hit them up twice. I got the red velvet gelato and it was delicious. It’s pretty close to Demasie and the Picasso Museum so you can hit them all up around the same time.
Chocolates Lacasa Boutique
This chocolate shop was so pretty and whimsical. I felt like I was in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The staff member was super helpful and let us sample some of the chocolate as we tried to decide. Everything we bought was delicious. I definitely recommend stopping by here if you find yourself in Barcelona with a sweet tooth. Just don’t go overboard because you’ll have no teeth (ha! I’m funny).
So that’s it folks. I know that was a lot but I did the hard work so you wouldn’t have to:-D For the folks that have been to Barcelona and Madrid before, have you been to any of these restaurants? If not, which one would you be most excited to try? Let me know below!
No Comments