The short version: tapas are small plates ordered from the kitchen; pintxos are the Basque bar-top snacks on bread held with a skewer, and Barcelona has both, pintxos along Carrer de Blai in Poble Sec. For a first evening take a tapas tour in El Born; for a local night, Gràcia; for cheap and loud, Blai. Below is the vocabulary, the neighbourhoods and the Catalan dishes to order.
The words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Tapa | A small plate from the kitchen; order several to share |
| Pintxo | A bite on bread with a skewer, taken from the bar; Basque, priced per skewer |
| Ración / media ración | A full or half portion of the same dish, for a group |
| Vermut | Sweet vermouth on ice with an olive; the Sunday-noon ritual, “fer el vermut” |
| Bodega | An old wine bar with barrels, often the best tapas in the street |
| Cava | Catalonia’s traditional-method sparkling wine, from the Penedès an hour away |
The Catalan plates to order
Pa amb tomàquet, bread rubbed with tomato and oil, comes with everything. Then patatas bravas, the bomba from the Barceloneta, a fried potato ball with meat inside; boquerones, marinated anchovies; escalivada, roasted peppers and aubergine; botifarra sausage with white beans; fideuà, the noodle paella; esqueixada, salt-cod salad; and calçots, the grilled spring onions, from January to March only. Crema catalana to finish. Jamón ibérico is Spanish rather than Catalan, and every good bar has it anyway.
The neighbourhoods
El Born has the densest run of tapas bars in the city, the historic bodegas near Santa Maria del Mar and the tours with thousands of reviews; the right first choice. The Gothic Quarter is older and busier, with bars that predate the Civil War and history between stops. Gràcia is a village of squares north of the Eixample where Barcelona goes out; tours here feel like a friend’s night. Poble Sec is pintxos on Carrer de Blai, a couple of euros a skewer, loud and cheap. The Barceloneta is bombas and seafood by the beach.
Timing
Spain eats late: tapas tours start at seven or eight and end around eleven; vermut tours are Sunday noon. The Boqueria and Santa Caterina markets, where the ingredients come from, close on Sundays and are best before eleven on a weekday, which is also when the paella classes start. Tours cost 65 to 100 dollars and replace dinner; compare them on our Barcelona tapas tours page. For the market and the pan, see Barcelona paella classes; for the wine, cava and Priorat tours.
Frequently asked questions
Are tapas free in Barcelona?
No; the free tapa with a drink is an Andalusian custom. In Barcelona you order and pay per plate.
Tapas or pintxos?
Tapas for the Catalan classics in El Born or Gràcia; pintxos for a cheap, fast evening on Carrer de Blai.
Is paella from Barcelona?
From Valencia; Barcelona does seafood rice and fideuà well, and a class teaches the technique wherever you take it.
What time do tapas tours start?
Seven or eight in the evening; Sunday vermut tours at noon.
Which is better, El Born or Gràcia?
El Born for a first evening and the widest choice; Gràcia for locals and fewer tourists.
