When visiting a new destination, I look for smaller, lesser-known restaurants that cater to the local population. "Tourist restaurants" are likely to be higher priced with ordinary food. I always ask for recommendations for dinner spots that only the locals know about, restaurants that stay in business because they serve good, authentic food at reasonable prices.
Sometimes a hotel concierge can provide you with this information, sometimes not. In this case, I give the credit to a concierge at Hotel Arts in Barcelona who made two outstanding suggestions.
Can Ravell is an upscale grocery store with a single table at the very back seating eight. They serve good tapas and authentic Catalan cuisine. Not at all fancy, it's all about the food. We shared a salad to start, then each went for the roast kid (goat), not a menu item likely to be found back home in California. The meat was tender, and the skin was crisp and tasty — a great and reasonably priced meal. There's even a NY Times review of Can Ravell here, or check out the restaurant's website. Located at Aragó 313 in Barcelona.
Mas Bacus is an enoteca (wine store and specialty grocer) with a small restaurant at the back. Very small, just a few tables, you'll be warmly greeted by the owner. The chef (his wife) will come to your table and go through her entire menu. She speaks both fluent English and French and serves authentic food with a gourmet touch. Mas Bacus offers the friendliest dining experience you're likely to have anywhere. Check out their website here. The restaurant is located at Enric Granados 68.
These are two great local restaurants in Barcelona that I highly recommend. You won't be disappointed!
local restaurants in Barcelona (search here on Google)
copyright (c) 2009 by David J. Ourisman. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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