Barcelona’s best food & drink

Classic Catalonian dishes include rich stews, rice dishes, the surf and turf mar i muntanya (sea and mountain) dishes; escalivada (mixed grilled vegetables) the unusual salads combining seafood and hazelnut or almond sauces; and the national dish, botifarra sausage with white beans. Nearly every bar or restaurant offers pa amb tomaquet – lightly toasted bread smeared with fresh tomatoes and olive oil and the favourite dessert: crema catalana. Also see our round-up of 15 traditional Spanish foods to try in Spain.

The nearby Penedes wine region yields the perfect white and red wines to match, along with cava, the city’s iconic bubbly. Chilled vermouth with tapas is the aperitif in Barcelona’s lively bodegas (small local bars).

Also see our round-up of traditional Spanish foods you must try in Spain.

Ever since Ferran Adria’s wowed the world’s gourmets at El Bulli, Catalan cuisine has never looked back. Now one of the world’s most innovative food spots, Barcelona is at the top of its game, with some 24 Michelin-starred restaurants.

The countless tapas bars and bodegas offer the chance to sample dozens of fabulous specialities in small, mix-and-match portions.

The city’s food markets are the perfect appetiser, overflowing with fresh seafood, wild mushrooms and truffles, cured hams and sausages, sweet seasonal fruit, sun-ripened vegetables and olive oils.