FOOD IN BARCELONA:
Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia, a Spanish region that has autonomous status. This amazing, vibrant and festive city has been among the top five most popular tourist destinations for many years, welcoming travelers from all over the world. Barcelona is home to Gaudi’s outrageous creations, luxurious parks, historical quarters, monuments, as well as clubs, bars and clean beaches. National cuisine is another reason why many tourists choose Barcelona as their holiday destination. What you need to try in Barcelona first of all, how much money you will need for groceries and meals in cafes or restaurants – find out from our article.
What to try in Barcelona:
The traditional cuisine of Catalonia is rich, complex, vibrant and unique. Vegetables, meat, seafood and Mediterranean spices are the main ingredients of local cuisine. The dishes harmoniously combine unusual tastes: for example, salty and sweet or sweet and sour. Don’t be surprised by unusual food combinations: meat is often served here with fruit or seafood.
Bread with tomatoes in Catalan style (Pa amb tomàquet) is a famous appetizer. It consists of toast with fresh tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and spices. Simple and delicious.
Escudella (Escudella i carn d’olla) is a traditional Catalan soup with meat, the recipe of which is considered the oldest documented in Europe.
Paella is the hallmark of Spanish cuisine. Rice with vegetables and seafood is stewed in a huge frying pan. By the way, paella literally translates as “frying pan.”
Arros negro, or “black rice” (Arròs negre), is rice with seafood. The secret of the dish is cuttlefish ink, which gives the rice its characteristic dark color and an indescribable aroma. As a rule, the dish is served with homemade garlic mayonnaise.
Fideuà is a dish whose main ingredients are pasta with noodles, fish and shellfish. Typically, fideua is flavored with lemon. The recipe is somewhat reminiscent of traditional paella.
Esqueixada de bacallà – salad of salted cod, tomatoes, onions, sweet peppers and olives. It is seasoned with olive oil or romesco sauce made from butter, almonds, garlic, hot peppers and tomatoes.
Cannelloni (Canelons) is a hearty and simple meat dish that the Catalans borrowed from Italian cuisine. Puff pastry tubes are filled with minced meat, filled with sauce and baked in the oven.
Tapas is not a separate dish, but a general name for all snacks to go with beer or wine. Tapas are served in one large plate. Anything can be offered as this snack: from a bowl of nuts to a complex multi-component sandwich.
Please note that on the menu you can also see names of appetizers such as raciones and pinchos. If we compare pintxos with tapas, they are more refined both in preparation and in serving. Pintxos usually contain seafood. Raciones is a large portion of tapas for those who are very hungry.
Therefore, you can often see two prices in a cafe – one for a standard portion of tapas, the second for an enlarged portion of raciones.
Crema catalana is a favorite dessert of the Catalans. It is somewhat reminiscent of creme brulee, but is prepared not with cream, but with milk. The main ingredients are milk, egg, sugar. Sometimes spices are added to dessert.
Prices in cafes and restaurants:
By European standards, the cost of food in Barcelona is very reasonable. Spain is not one of the most expensive countries, the main thing is to follow the golden rule of the traveler: go deep into residential areas and take the time to look for establishments for the locals. Food prices largely depend on the area of the city in which the cafe is located and on proximity to attractions. How much does food cost in Barcelona? If you are going to have a snack, be guided by the following prices:
- Coffee with a croissant or sandwich – from 5 euros.
- Coffee with churros pastries – from 5 euros.
- Continental breakfast – from 7 euros.
- Set lunch – from 8 euros.
- A snack in a popular cafe near attractions – from 12 euros per person.
- Dinner in an inexpensive cafe – from 15 euros.
The most practical food option is to prepare your own meals from food purchased from local supermarkets. This is especially true for those tourists who rent apartments with a kitchen and plan to spend a long time in Spain. What are the prices for food in Barcelona – one of the most frequently asked questions. Generally speaking, the cost of products is average for Europe. Experienced tourists note that you can significantly reduce costs if you take advantage of promotions and discounts offered by stores.
Street food and fast food:
Street food has taken the world by storm with its simplicity, taste and accessibility. Undoubtedly, this is not very useful, but it is fast and convenient. It’s incredible but true that until recently, street food in Barcelona was limited to ice cream or waffles. After all, the sale of street food in the capital of Catalonia is limited at the legislative level. For a long time it was customary to eat only in cafes or restaurants. And in 2014, local laws changed; for the first time, municipal authorities allowed the holding of a street food and fast food festival.
We can say that fast food in the form to which we are accustomed is just appearing in Barcelona. Inexpensive tapas bars provide an alternative to the various kiosks and stalls, while numerous pizzerias, coffee shops, Asian cafes and Turkish kebab shops offer takeaway food. In addition, the price of regular hot dogs and shawarma is higher than traditional dishes. For comparison: a hot dog costs 3.5 euros, and a sandwich with salad and coffee costs 2.5 euros.
A large selection of authentic street cuisine can only be seen at festivals, where food from all over the world is presented. Such festivals are extremely popular among local residents and visitors to the city.
What to try from the local fast food? We advise you to pay attention to the baked goods sold in pastry shops:
- Pie with cheese and spinach – 6 euros.
- Pastries made from choux pastry with various fillings – 2.8 euros.
- Eclairs – 3 euros.
- Croissants – 4 euros.
In some pizzerias, pizza is sold by the portion, a slice costs 2-3 euros, and a whole one costs 10-11 euros.
100 Montaditos offers a variety of sandwiches and drinks. Promotions are often held here. A chicken and salad sandwich costs 2 euros. The famous Spanish retail chain Rodilla specializes in baked goods. A menu for two of 6 toasts, 6 croquettes and 2 drinks will cost about 10 euros.
Turkish kebab shops prepare delicious shawarma and kebabs. In such an establishment you can buy shawarma for 3.5–5 euros or have a full lunch for 8–10 euros. Typically, lunch consists of barbecue, rice, salad and a drink.
Pans and Company is a chain establishment, the Spanish equivalent of McDonald’s. A meat sandwich, fries and a drink cost about 8 euros.
Supermarkets, shops, markets:
When you first come to Barcelona, you can be confused by the wide variety of shops, shops, bakeries, supermarkets and markets. The lowest cost of products is in stores where city residents prefer to shop. Especially for our article, we have prepared a brief overview of the most popular stores and markets.
Mercadona is an extensive chain of Spanish stores. Supermarkets offer a wide range of food products: vegetables, fruits, groceries, baby food, fresh meat and seafood. You can order online and have a delivery service. Mercadona is famous for its affordable prices.
Día – stores with low prices, but a relatively small assortment. Here you will find only a basic set of goods: groceries, dairy products, sweets, frozen meat and fish. The name translates as “day”. This means that every day the supermarkets of this retail chain offer some kind of discount.
Caprabo are mid-priced supermarkets that offer a large selection of dairy products and other goods. In addition to discounts on promotional products, they offer coupons for visiting a movie or an amusement park.
Lidl, Bon Preu Group – the supermarkets of these retail chains will delight you with a variety of fruits, vegetables, fish, meat and dairy products. These supermarkets have the lowest prices for groceries in Barcelona.
Carrefour – stores of the French retail chain. In addition to groceries, there is a deli, a stand with fresh juices, delicious pastries and a pharmacy. Prices may be higher than in similar supermarkets, but various promotions are often held. While in Barcelona, be sure to plan a trip to the local market. This is where you will see the real Spain – motley and bright. Let’s name the most famous markets of the city.
La Boqueria is the largest food market in Europe. People come here not only for shopping, but also for excursions, because Boqueria is an integral part of the history of the city. Numerous stalls with fruits, vegetables, cheeses, sausages, and goods from all over the country will help you get to know the unique Catalonia better.
Santa Caterina (Santa Caterina) – indoor market. The selection of goods here is as huge as in Boqueria, but the prices are slightly lower.
Food in Barcelona hotels:
The tourism industry in Spain is well developed: you will be greeted warmly and fed deliciously. Every tourist is sure to find something he likes: the slow life of Catalonia, outstanding works of architecture, endless beaches with velvet sand and a fresh sea breeze. Hotels, hostels, apartments, villas – Barcelona has accommodation for every taste and budget.
When choosing the type of food, try to calculate how much time you are going to spend on the hotel premises. If you are planning long excursions and walks, then it is advisable to choose only breakfast or half board.
Breakfast or breakfast and dinner are often included in the price. If desired, dinner can be changed for lunch. As a rule, breakfast in hotels is organized as a buffet, and you can choose from a menu for lunch or dinner. Almost all hotels include drinks at lunch or dinner. At the same time, the price of drinks is much higher than in stores.
Family hotels are popular in Barcelona, where you can use the kitchenette and cook your own food or order food from the hotel restaurant. Usually the food in hotels in Barcelona is very tasty and varied, but before choosing a hotel you should still study the latest reviews from tourists. If you want to appreciate the Catalan flavor and culinary delights, then you will definitely have to go outside the hotel and visit local cafes and restaurants.
Baby food in Barcelona:
Walking around Barcelona for adults is pure pleasure and discovery. Because of the exciting excursions, you can even forget about lunch. But with young travelers things are different: walks are good, but food is on schedule. What can you do, a lot of energy is needed for health and growth. The younger the tourist, the more often you will need to stop for snacks. You will have to plan your outings taking into account the needs of the youngest. What to feed the kids outside the hotel? The menus of cafes and restaurants will always offer dishes that will please even the pickiest eaters. It is not at all necessary to focus on the dishes that are offered on the children’s menu.
As a rule, baby food refers to not the healthiest dishes: French fries, nuggets, hamburgers. Children usually like the distinctive Mediterranean cuisine. Try offering your kids paella with rabbit or chicken meat. A tortilla with vegetables would be an excellent breakfast.
As for meat dishes, many children like albondigas – small meatballs. It’s also worth paying attention to empanadas with various fillings.
For babies who are just learning to complementary foods, canned purees and cereals can be purchased at any supermarket or pharmacy. The range of baby food is quite wide; among the manufacturers we know, Hipp, Nestle and Nutricia are on sale. Pharmacies sell soy-based milk formulas. It is also worth paying attention to the fact that canned meat contains vegetables, fruits or pasta. Especially for our article, we have listed some current prices for baby food in a table.