10 Best Local Restaurants in Barcelona

Can Culleretes is the oldest restaurant in Catalonia according to the Guinness Book of Records, and the second oldest in Spain. The restaurant opened in 1786 near Las Ramblas, between Carrer de Ferrán and Carrer de La Boquería. It has lasted so long thanks to a very simple formula – traditional cooking, excellent customer service, and good value for money.

The restaurant’s interior harks back to the ‘modernista’ or Catalan art nouveau period, with a series of genre portraits in its salons and photographs of the famous people who’ve eaten here over the years. Perfectly suiting Can Culleretes' history and tradition are traditional Catalan dishes such as meat or spinach cannelloni with creamed salt cod (brandada de bacalao), a hearty traditional mixed meat stew called escudella con carn d’olla and other homely dishes.

Casa Delfín has combined simplicity and tradition, serving traditional Catalan cuisine in Barcelona for over a century. The restaurant has a wonderfully warm atmosphere while its dishes feature a touch of modernity and the chef's unmistakable signature. You can also enjoy an extensive selection of wines and cocktails. Find Casa Delfín right next to Born Market, just a short distance from Santa María del Mar church.

The kitchen is open between lunch and dinner, meaning you can drop by anytime for papas or fried potatoes, bravas with 2 sauces, salt cod with paprika and fresh tomato (bacalao a la llauna con tomate natural), seafood paella or pig's trotters with foie gras, spinach, apple and wild mushrooms (manitas de cerdo con foie, espinacas, manzana y setas).

El Velódromo is one of Barcelona's most famous bars and has been a fashionable place since the 1980s and continues to be an establishment replete with history. It has kept all the elegance it had back then, still serving the best of traditional Catalan cooking under the watchful eye of chef Carles Abellán who has a Michelin star under his belt.

The restaurant has managed to maintain its dignified art deco ambience, although now with a certain modern air. El Velódromo offers uninterrupted service, with all meals available all day. All of them. If you are thinking of visiting, don't miss its signature dishes, such as beef with chimichurri sauce and pureed potatoes (ternera con chimichurri y puré de patatas) and fried eggs with chistorra sausage (huevos estrellados con chistorra).

Ca l'Estevet is a small restaurant in Barcelona that goes back over a hundred years and which has borne witness to some of the key moments in the city's history. Back in the day, the restaurant in the Raval neighbourhood right in the heart of Barcelona was a meeting point for intellectuals, artists, journalists and social activists. It saw the “Movida Barcelonesa” cultural explosion in the 1980s and has been witness to projects by the likes of Antonio Gades, Joan Manuel Serrat and Francisco Ibáñez.

Visiting this restaurant is almost like entering a museum. Its cuisine is inspired by traditional Catalan cooking with signature dishes including snails, a roast vegetable salad called escalivada, spinach with raisins and pine nuts (espinacas con pasas y piñones), Catalan sausage with white beans (butifarra amb mongetes) and cannelloni. During the winter months, Ca l'Estevet serves escudella i carn d’olla, a hearty traditional mixed meat stew.

Terra d'Escudella can be found in the Sants neighbourhood in Barcelona. It’s named in honour of the highlight of Catalan cuisine – escudella, the region's traditional meat stew. This restaurant seeks to bring back the idea of a traditional tavern, where people ate well and heartily, making regional cuisine available to everybody.

Although Terra d'Escudella specialises in traditional Catalan cooking, it also offers several vegetarian and vegan options. Terra d'Escudella is a great choice if you're visiting the Feria de Barcelona and you want a truly authentic culinary experience.

Can Boneta is a restaurant near Avinguda Diagonal in Barcelona where you can eat in style. Run by Joan Boneta, an architect turned chef, Can Boneta serves creative tapas and small dishes with a traditional touch. The menu is clearly inspired by Catalan cooking, although it features less common dishes, such as toasted ham and cheese sandwiches called bikinis as an aperitif-cum-tapa.

Boneta's stews are delicious – we recommend you try his boned rabbit with wild mushrooms (conejo deshuesado con setas) and wild mushroom-stuffed baby squid in a Penedés white wine sauce (chipirones rellenos de setas y salsa de vino blanco del Penedés). Slow cooking is this chef's secret, although he also prepares more typical tapas such as fried potatoes in a spicy bravas sauce (papas bravas) and croquettes. At lunchtime, the restaurant offers a value-for-money set menu – your choice of 3 tapas, a daily main dish, dessert and drinks.

La Parra seems to all the world like a traditional ‘masía’ or Catalan farmhouse. Despite being in the centre of Barcelona. It is actually a tavern in which you can enjoy the most traditional of Catalan cooking, with recipes that go back centuries, all made from local, seasonal produce.

The specialities of the house are its meats, fish, vegetables and charcoal-grilled wild mushrooms, all accompanied by romesco and allioli sauces made in a pestle and mortar in the most traditional way possible. To accompany your food, choose from an extensive selection of the best Catalan and other Spanish wines. Don't miss the delicious homemade desserts. Reservations are recommended as this is a popular place.

Ca l’Isidre is a restaurant in Barcelona serving seasonal Mediterranean cuisine in which fresh, local produce is the real star. Its commitment is such that for over 50 years, its founders have gone to the La Boquería market every day in search of fresh, seasonal produce with which to prepare their traditional Catalan recipes.

This tradition has not been forgotten over the years, as the restaurant is still committed to using the very best fresh, local produce. Although the current chef has given a more modern touch to some recipes, the basis for everything is that of traditional cuisine. Ca l’Isidre's menu is complemented by an extensive wine list which includes over 400 classic and traditionally-made quality wines from around the world – it won't be easy for you to make your choice.

Cal Boter serves traditional Catalan cuisine in the heart of the Gràcia neighbourhood in Barcelona. Its menu features regional dishes prepared from the highest quality seasonal produce. Among the specialities on offer are the charcoal-grilled meats, snails, pigs trotters and seafood dishes. Above all, we recommend you try the salt cod (bacalao) and the wild mushrooms (setas) which are its highlight dishes.

The menu also features a wide selection of home-made desserts, as well as an extensive wine list which also includes cavas and liqueurs, ensuring you enjoy a 100% Catalan gastronomic experience, yet all at a very reasonable price. Cal Boter also offers special group menus and options for coeliacs.

Agut is one of the restaurants in Barcelona that has remained true to their origins ever since it opened in 1924. The age-old establishments of yesteryear are becoming increasingly rare especially between Barcelona cathedral and the church of Santa Maria del Mar. Both its ambience and its decoration will take you back to that period – a series of old paintings give the restaurant that retro feels that its diners like so much. Nevertheless, traditions go far beyond mere appearance.

The menu here features tradition tavern-style dishes, such as free-range chicken with wild mushrooms (pollo de corral con setas), pigs trotters in chocolate sauce (manitas de cerdo con salsa de chocolate) or monkfish with toasted garlic (rape al all cremat) as well as dishes that are not so common in traditional Catalan restaurants, such as frogs legs (ancas de rana) and smoked eel (anguila ahumada). The menu is extensive yet items are reasonably priced.