Eat like a local in Barcelona: neighbourhoods and places away from the crowds

You can eat very well in Barcelona, but plenty of people end up in the same packed places on La Rambla or in the Gothic Quarter. Locals know where to find the real flavours: hearty meals in neighbourhood restaurants and tapas bars where nobody speaks to you in English. Eating like a local is one of the best ways to get to know the city.

Here are our tips for steering clear of the tourist traps.

What eating like a local means

To eat like a Barcelona local:

• Be wary of menus in six languages with photos of the dishes.
• Look for places with a menú del día at lunchtime.
• Notice whether it's full of older people from the neighbourhood: that's the best sign.
• Don't stop at tapas. Try stews, rice dishes, chargrilled meat and seasonal vegetables.

Neighbourhoods where you eat well

1. Horta

A residential neighbourhood in the upper part of the city, with quiet squares and family restaurants serving Catalan food.

• Our pick: Can Travi Nou, in a centuries-old masia (farmhouse) surrounded by gardens in Vall d'Hebron. Traditional Catalan cooking and, in season, a very popular calçotada.

2. Poblenou

A former industrial district that has kept its neighbourhood life, especially around the Rambla del Poblenou.

• Our pick: El 58, on the Rambla del Poblenou. Seasonal tapas with a French touch, and the menu on a blackboard they bring to your table.

3. Sant Andreu

It feels like a village within the city, with charming squares and a much slower pace.

• Our pick: La Madurada Petit Versailles, on Carrer Gran de Sant Andreu. It occupies the premises of the historic Versalles bar, founded in 1915, and is now a grill restaurant specialising in chargrilled cooking.

4. Gràcia

A former independent town, with narrow streets, squares and plenty of neighbourhood life.

• Our pick: Bodega Quimet, on Carrer de Vic. A 1950s bodega that still sells wine from the barrel, with cured meats, cheeses and home-made dishes such as octopus with potato or ensaladilla (Russian salad).

5. Sants

A genuine neighbourhood, with reasonable prices and a strongly local character.

• Our pick: La Mundana, on Carrer Vallespir. It started out as a vermouth bar and is now a gastrobar with a Michelin Bib Gourmand, mixing local cooking with Japanese and French touches. Its bravas are famous.

What to order

People here eat with the seasons, but there are classics you have to try:

• Escudella i carn d'olla: Catalan stew, perfect in winter.
• Fideuà: similar to paella, but made with short noodles.
• Botifarra amb mongetes: Catalan sausage with white beans.
• Calçots: tender chargrilled onions with romesco sauce, from January to April.
• Canelons: cannelloni filled with meat, traditional on Sant Esteve, 26 December.

Tips for blending in

• Eat between half past one and half past three.
• Forget the sangria: order local wine or a clara (beer with lemonade or lemon).
• Before you start, say "Bon profit!".
• You'll find the best menús del día on weekdays; in Barcelona they now cost around €15–18.

To finish

Eating like a local in Barcelona means taking your time, enjoying the ritual of the meal and getting to know the city through what's cooked in its neighbourhoods. Skip the tourist paella and go where the people from here go: the food is better and you'll remember it for longer.

And if you want to live the city like someone from the neighbourhood, our apartments are a good place to start.