Discover Barcelona's Best Tapas

Our friends and collaborators at In City Box Barcelona have compiled a great list of the most delicious tapas to try while visiting Barcelona. Check out their selection and enjoy tasting + shooting at the same time.

By definition, a tapa is a small snack that would accompany a drink, or something that would keep you going between meals. These days, tapas are very fashionable and it is common to have a meal consisting of a whole bunch of different ones. I love this way of eating!  You don’t have to choose just one or two dishes, which for an indecisive person like me is always a problem. You can choose many and try a bit of everything.

Most common Tapas in Barcelona

Croquetas

Breadcrumbed and fried foodroll that contains meat, chicken or ham and cheese.

Boquerones

Anchovy fillets marinated in vinegar.

Tortilla de patatas

Spanish omelette made with eggs and potato.

Queso

Often cured Manchego cheese with olive oil.

Jamon

Cured ham, served with pan de tomate, roasted bread with tomato, olive oil and salt

Calamar a la romana

Deep fried squid

Ensaladilla Rusa

Olivers salad, often with tuna

Patatas Bravas

Fried potato chunks served with aioli (garlic sauce) and salsa brava (spicy tomato sauce)

Modern Variations

With the new popularity boom of tapas, there are also a lot of restyled, more upscale, modern versions of traditional recipes around. This means that depending on the place you go to, meals will be different every time and there will always be one or two that stand out and surprise you.

Here are some of our top picks

False risotto with black truffle and mushrooms Fragments Café.

I like most of the tapas they serve here, but this is one I don’t like to share. Fragments Cafe: Plaça de la Concòrdia, 12, 08014 Barcelona

Photo credit: 66 media

Tortilla de patatas in El Xampanyet

No matter how it tastes, if the tortilla is dry, it is ruined. In El Xampanyet the tortilla is tasty and moist, just the way I like it!
El Xampanyet: Carrer de Montcada, 22, 08003 Barcelona

Photo credit: Frame + feast

La bomba in La Cova Fumada

This tapa was invented in La Cova Fumada, so where better to try it than here? La bomba is a mashed potato ball stuffed with pork meat and deep fried. You can have it “hembra-style”, which is just with aioli, “marica-style”, with aioli and a bit of spicy sauce, or “macho-style”, very spicy.

La Cova Fumada: Carrer del Baluart, 56, 08003 Barcelona

photo credit: in city box

Granjero sandwich in El Vaso de Oro

This “farmer-sandwich” is basically a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with egg, tomato and lettuce inside, but it is oh so delicious!
El Vaso de Oro: Calle de Balboa, 6, 08003 Barcelona

photo credit: devour barcelona

Marinated dorado fish with spinach, strawberry, basil and pine nuts at La Pepita

Not a traditional tapa, but I love the combination of sweet and sour.
La Pepita:  Carrer de Còrsega, 343, 08037 Barcelona

photo credit: gastronosfera

Spherified olives at Bodega 1900.

This is an example how tapas have been taken to another level, in this case by Albert Adria.
Bodega 1900: Carrer de Tamarit, 91, 08015 Barcelona

photo credit: la cocina de los valientes

In City Box is a Barcelona-based food-lovers gift + delivery shop offering visitors the chance to sample some of the highest quality and delicious flavours that Barcelona has to offer. Each one of their gift boxes contains locally sourced gourmet delicacies ( both food + drink) so that visitors don't have to waste their time trying to find the good stuff and instead spend time enjoying it.

Come out for our Foto Ruta Barcelona launch! July 4th 2014

Join us in the hip Barcelona neighborhood of El Born for an afternoon of creativity and urban exploration! We're pleased to include Barcelona in our selects cities of European expansion for 2014 and we have a whole range of photography events & workshops for all cameras and levels.

To register for our launch event, please email [email protected]