Where to taste the best paella in the city

Paella is a typical dish from Spain, more specifically from the Spanish Levante and the Mediterranean coast. A dish as delicious as it is controversial due to the many changes it has undergone throughout its long history. The Valencian people, true creators of this dish, believe that Valencia water is the ingredient that makes the difference when it comes to cooking this delicacy.

But there are also exquisite paella restaurants in Barcelona. Everything starts with the vegetable soup, then the beef or the seafood is added and once everything is well browned, you can add rice and saffron, a herb that gives the dish that golden color. The icing of the cake on this dish is the allioli, a white garlic and oil sauce that gives the flavor to this centenary dish. If you have a trip to Barcelona marked in your calendar, this post will help you decide if you prefer a traditional paella, a more modern version or a mixed recipe.

Top 7 paella restaurants in Barcelona

1. Restaurant Can Solé

Where is it? Sant Carles, 4, Barceloneta ,Barcelona, 08003
restaurantcansole.com

Each restaurant has its little tricks to strive in a business as competitive as this sector in Barcelona. In Can Solé, opened since 1903, fresh products are the cornerstone of their cuisine, especially in their paella. A paella and a rice soup without meat, seafood or vegetables, that will leave you speechless.

Many famous athletes, actors and politicians have come to taste their paella during the restaurant’s long history, and according to the large mural of photographs that you will see on their wall, many of them came back. In addition to this, and if any of the guests dare, you can also enjoy a “chipirones” (fried baby squids) snack paired with any of the house wines.

2. La Mar Salada

Where is it? Passeig Joan Borbó, 59, Barcelona 08003
www.lamarsalada.cat

Its premises, its terrace and its extensive background are its most outstanding qualities. Paella paired with fresh products, especially fish and prawns, are some of the other features of their rice recipes. One of our main suggestions is to book in advance to avoid lines, since it is a place that usually has a high occupancy. Other great features are their covered terrace, its mussels and, of course, its rice, both paella and “arroz caldoso” (rice in broth). Although its true strength is its native chefs, all of them true connoisseurs of the Mediterranean cuisine. Definitely, one of the top paella restaurants in Barcelona.

3. 7 Portes

Where is it? Pasaje Isabel II, 14 Sant Pere, Santa Caterina i la Ribera Barcelona 08003
7portes.com

7 Portes is a restaurant that has been a presence in Barcelona’s life throughout the last decades. Although rice is one of their best presentation cards, there are other dishes that we invite you to taste. An endowed large venue with an A+ service is another of their essential strengths, especially if you want to discover the paella. Awarded with the Medalla de Oro al Mérito Civil (Gold Medal to Civil Merit) for their resilience, you cannot miss the opportunity to taste a part of Barcelona’s living history.

4. Can Ramonet Restaurant

Where is it? Maquinista, 17, Barceloneta, Barcelona, 08003
canramonet.es

With 60 years of history and three franchises in the city, Can Ramonet is a rice and paella specialist in Barcelona. A restaurant created as a regular tavern, it has been renovated by the famous chef Jordi Herrera, upgrading its color, structures and of course a new menu adapted to modern times. But within this process of modernization, there are things that have remained unchanged, like their recipes and their flavors. Great cuisine, great service and one of the places that you should note in your notebook if you want to taste the authentic paella, although in their menu you will find some more edgy approaches for those who are looking for a different taste in this lifelong rice recipe.

5. Mesón Barceloneta

Where is it?Passeig Joan de Borbo, 10 Barceloneta, 08003 Barcelona
mesonbarceloneta.com

Mesón Barceloneta is one of the most internet-recommended choices for rice lovers. You can choose between their outdoor terrace or its interior rooms to taste a delicious dish of beef with rice or a seafood paella. In addition, you can pair these rice dishes with a diverse menu of “tapas” and appetizers, a great restaurant for the whole family. The fast service, the extensive rice menu and its friendly owners, the same ones who opened the restaurant years ago, have made it one of the classic paella restaurants of the city. In addition, the price-quality ratio is another of its strengths.

6. Restaurant Gaudim

Where is it? Carrer Aragó, 231, 08006 Barcelona
www.restaurantgaudim.com

Known for its traditional Catalan cuisine, its menu includes a series of rice dishes and paellas that have positioned them among the best restaurants with this traditional dish in Barcelona. In 2013 it received a makeover that gave it the modern twist it needed to keep competing with the rest of paella restaurants in Barcelona. Within the rice dishes and paellas, it is worth mentioning its homemade allioli sauce, which despite being a simple condiment, it totally makes the difference comparing it with other restaurants. Get ready to dip bread in it! As if all this were not enough, Gaudim is located between Casa Batlló and Passeig de Gràcia, a perfect location to end a day of sightseeing in the best possible way, with a paella.

7. L’Arrosseria Xàtiva

Where is it? Bordeus, 35, Les Corts, Barcelona, 08029
www.grupxativa.com

With two locations in two of the most emblematic places in Barcelona, L’Arrosseria Xàtiva offers more than 20 different rices. Among its most outstanding products are the seafood and meats that pair the rice and that transformed it in a benchmark restaurant both for locals and foreigners. Their traditional cuisine has made L’Arrosseria Xàtiva a strong contender among the Barcelona paella restaurants. If you walk through Les Corts or the Gràcia neighborhood do not miss the chance to taste one of its rice dishes or paellas.

Featured image: Spanish traditional Paella