MY FAVORITES
(Descriptions are included below)
Breakfast/Brunch
Firebug (Arc de Triomphe)
Manduca Gluten-Free Corner (El Born)
Lunch
La Fabrica del Taco (Poblenou)
Restaurante Cantero (Poblenou)
Bo de B (Gothic)
Surfhouse (Beachfront)
Dinner
Luigi Ristorante (Gothic)
Tapas 24 (L'Eixample)
El Glop (Gracia)
BREAKFAST/BRUNCH
Can Dende (Poblenou) - A short walk from TSH & such a good brunch; definitely get the breakfast potatoes; tried a goat cheese & basil omelette and it was so good
La Tornada (Poblenou) - Stopped here really quickly on the way to class; they had a really yummy gluten-free pastry which is really hard to find!
Gabby’s (Poblenou) - Really cute spot with eggs benedicts, toasts, and other typical brunch dishes; they made me GF eggs benedict by swapping out the toast for sweet potatoes which was really yummy
Firebug (Arc de Triomphe) - So freaking good; I was obsessed with their yogurt parfait bowl and one of my friends didn't stop talking about these burgers; 11/10
The Pan’s Club (El Born) - Such a cute little restaurant owned by a French couple that specializes in quiches; so so good, and even had GF options
Milk (El Born) - Owned by the same people as Firebug so very similar menu; really good, more eclectic vibe to it inside
Manduca Gluten-Free Corner (El Born) - There's nowhere to sit, but I stopped by here several times to grab a snack in between classes; they had the best egg muffin things & I also tried their chocolate frosted banana bread which was incredible
Flaherty’s (Gothic) - Irish pub that runs a bottomless brunch special where for 20€, you get a meal off of their brunch menu, a cocktail, and bottomless champagne for 2 hours
LUNCH
La Fabrica del Taco (Poblenou) - Little hole in the wall taco place just a short walk from UPF; 3 tacos, a drink, & chips/guac for 10€; such a solid lunch spot
Restaurante Cantero (Poblenou) - SO GOOD, cannot begin to express my love for this place; hole in the wall with authentic Venezuelan food, including lights out arepas; my favorite one was eggs, avocado & cheese - incredible
Bonna Boca (Poblenou) - We came here for a Menu Del Dia lunch & it was really good; super accommodating for gluten-free!
Tierra Burrito Bar (Poblenou) - The closest equivalent to Chipotle/Qdoba that I could find; right by the Gloriès Mall
Cafe Menssana (Poblenou/UPF) - Right across the street from UPF so definitely worth checking out! I got the Buddha bowl here & they had kombucha here - definitely recommend; also had one of the best coffees
Honest Greens (Poblenou/El Born) - Sweetgreen vibe with a Mediterranean twist, really great for when you are craving a salad; order at a counter & sit at a table, so good for a quick lunch
Tantarantana (El Born) - Really small/cute inside and right across the street from the Barcelona residence; lots of tapas options, really yummy looking burger, and I got fire mushroom risotto; definitely recommend!
Bo de B (Gothic) - First & foremost, no recommendation can do this place justice; it’s a hole in the wall with FANTASTIC, cheap food (salads/sandwiches) & an awesome vibe; we went here sometimes several times a week & it was a hike from our dorm - so worth it! **CASH ONLY
El Drac de Sant Jordi (Gothic) - Amazing tapas including little skewered half sandwiches with all different kinds of toppings; 4 tapas, warm pudding, & a drink for 12€
Rosa Negra (Gothic) - Came here based on other recommendations, nachos were so-so but the carnitas taco & the one with pineapple were unreal; Tex-Mex, cheaper vibe but cute; apparently really good & cheap drinks but we went for lunch so didn’t try
Flax & Kale (Gothic) - Absolutely incredible & healthy food; Vegan restaurant but even the boys all liked what they ordered; has a rooftop with a cool aesthetic, would definitely go back
Wok2Walk (Gothic) - Fast food restaurant for stir-fry bowls; was so good & had GF options
Surfhouse (Beachfront) - The best nachos & burgers, & vibes are immaculate on a nice day since its right on the beach and entirely outside; usually a line but it moves fast so it’s worth it; fries are super good - “bravas” aren’t like normal, but they are still so good so worth that upgrade
Potstot (Sagrada) - Entirely vegan & GF; really good food & even vegan paella (we got the pumpkin & tofu one - so yummy) and patatas bravas
Casa Angela (Sagrada) - A perfect place to go with visitors after seeing the Sagrada; it's practically across the street with a great view of it and has awesome, classic tapas to order for them to sample; I came here with my family since they wanted to try tapas - loved it
AVocado (L’Eixample) - Entirely GF restaurant with lots of options including pizza & pasta; I tried the sweet potato patatas bravas - so good
El Glop (Gracia) - PAELLA here is lights out & authentic; came through a recommendation from a local, so everything we ate here was so good; great vibes & has the ambiance of an old house
DINNER
Ayres del Sur (Poblenou) - All of us girls went here for Valentine’s dinner - such a great spot! I got the Creole chorizo sausages (which were amazing) & split the veggie platter with one of my friends; also got an Argentinian red wine that was really good
Elsa y Fred (El Born) - Great spot for a light dinner/splitting tapas; the patatas bravas here are absolutely incredible, and so is the grilled calamari
Hacienda (El Born) - Cheap Tex-Mex that hits the spot when you're craving a burrito, enchilada, etc.
Luigi Ristorante (Gothic) - Fantastic Italian; brought us olives to start & limoncello shots and cake at the end; delicious food, even have GF pasta options (SO good) & no one got a dish they didn’t like
Rosa Negra (Gothic) - Perfect for when you’re craving Tex-Mex & a marg, but by no means an “authentic” spot; the tacos with pineapple (I think the Al Pastor ??) were really good and so were the nachos
Margarita Blue (Gothic) - Great Tex-Mex spot with great cocktails (& a great marg); I got fajitas here - they were amazing
Gino’s (Urquinaona) - Solid Italian spot right across the street from George Payne's; had sangria & GF pizza :)
FOC (Barceloneta) - Latin style food including great tacos; cheap & reasonable but still really great ambiance/vibe for dinner
Marina Bay (Barceloneta) - We came here our very first night just wanting to be on the water; good food & yummy drinks, and also a really cool aesthetic being right near the beach
MESON BARCELONETA (Barceloneta) - Really great tapas and sangria & awesome ambiance; even had GF calamari here which was so good
Shoko (Barceloneta) - Kinda pricey but worth doing at least once; absolutely amazing Asian food & tapas; turns into a club at night
Carpe Diem (Barceloneta) - Also turns into a club at night, but had really yummy sushi and drinks; in my personal opinion it wasn't worth the price, but everyone really liked what they got
Fire (Barceloneta, W Hotel) - So so good; all of the dishes are centered around being prepared on a grill, so they had lots of awesome meat & fish options; I went with my parents - we ordered a fish and they carved it in front of us; really great ambiance and a cool experience
Mana 75 (Barceloneta, W Hotel) - Claims it’s authentic paella, but I’ve personally had better in other places in Barcelona; very little seafood/topping on the paella, but great ambiance and the BEST calamari (that was also GF) that I’ve probably ever had
Tapas 24 (L'Eixample) - Received high praise from students before us & my guy friends were obsessed with this place; apparently the cod fritters here are absolutely phenomenal; I got the tortilla with onions & potatoes and it was really good; patatas bravas here are really good too, more like french fries though; also have GF bread/rolls
La Polpa (L’Eixample) - Our program director brought us here for a final dinner altogether as a program; we had a great spread of tapas - everything I tried was amazing; also really cute inside
Hanaikada Sushi (L’Eixample) - Really great sushi and the staff here was all really sweet
Nou Candanchu (Gracia) - Went here after our program tour of Gracia; ordered tapas & wine and had such a fun time; not a place to go for ambiance, but the food was all reasonably priced & authentic
El Glop (Gracia) - PAELLA was lights out & authentic; came through a recommendation from a local, so everything we ate here was so good; great vibes & ambiance like an old house; took my parents here to try an authentic paella, & they loved it
CAFÉS
Below are cafés I found with reliable, free Wifi & good environments for sitting awhile to get work done
Cafe Menssana (Poblenou) - Right across the street from UPF so this is a great place to kill time between classes; some of the better coffee I found in Barcelona & great vibe inside
Cafe Cosmo (L’Eixample) - A great place for doing work, a group of us came here to prep for finals; no GF food options but had a lot of drink options including iced coffee
Cappuccino (Many Locations) - Locations all over Barcelona with lots of food & drink options and free Wifi with a purchase; the location near the Jaume I metro stop even has patio seating so it's a really nice place to sit and get work done on a nice day
365 (Many Locations) - Another place with classic coffee shop vibes all over the city
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