SENTIDO > TRAVEL > BARCELONA > CAFÉS & DINING

CASC ANTIC / OLD CITY BARRI GÒTIC / EL BORN / EL RAVAL La Rambla 74 Metro: Liceu Tel: 93 317 75 85 Café de la Ópera A classic location, sporting the lush trim characteristic of the Belle Epoque, and filled with a constantly milling crowd of Barceloneses and travelers. C/ Pou de la Cadena 8 Metro: Jaume I Café-Librería Lil Located near the Museu Picasso, just off Calle Princesa, at the corner of c/ Barra de Ferro, this unique café-restaurant is nestled in an old building in the web of small streets in the barrio known as El Born. They serve excellent coffees, incredible chocolate truffles, and a range of sandwiches, baguettes and salads, all of quality to the tastebuds of the regular clientele. Mix of locals and visitors, a cosmopolitan traffic due to location. On Wednesday evenings, they also show short films. c/ St Domènec del Call 12 Metro: Jaume I, Liceu Caj Chai This charming Chinese-style tea shop located in Barcelona's medieval Jewish quarter is relaxed and secluded, defined on one side by a broad ancient stone wall and elegantly spaced for personal conversation. Great to get away from the intensity of the crowds and the city's bustling transit, even your cell-phone will be out of touch behind the thick walls. Enjoy a wide selection of teas from around the world, including the characteristic Chai tea, the Moroccan-style mint tea, the Argentinian mate and every black and green tea you might be used to or want to explore. L'Hostal d'en Sol 6-8 Metro: Jaume I El Salon Bar-Bistrot The route to locate this stylish, intimate bistro is an inspiring walk through Barcelona's Barri Gòtic, laced with the ruins of the city's ancient Roman walls and a number of tucked-away churches not often mentioned in the tourist guides. The fare is varied and primarily Mediterranean but international, including Greek salads, cous-cous, enjoyable meat dishes, and a gorgonzola pastry, mango-dressed salad, big enough for two. C/ Santa Anna 10 Metro: Catalunya El Fornet d'en Rossend A small, elegant establishment on the Carrer Santa Ana, just off Las Ramblas, near the Plaça Catalunya. This Catalán café offers espresso drinks, baked goods, special breakfast combinations, and the charm of a tailored wood and mirror-trimmed façade, marble-top tables for two, the right amount of quaint sophistication for a break from central Barcelona foot-traffic. C/ Montsió 3bis Metro: Catalunya Tel: 93 302 41 40 Web: 4gats.com Els Quatre Gats A Barcelona landmark, this unique café/eatery at the edge of the Barri Gòtic was once a favorite haunt of Pablo Picasso, Pere Romeu, and Santiago Rusinyol. It's a must see, situated on the first floor of a neo-gothic structure designed by the great Catalán architect Puig i Cadafalch. C/ de la Palla 8 Corner Banys Nous Metro: Liceu, Jaume I Tel: 93 302 69 93 Caelum Another landmark locale, this café-pastisserie presents delectable sweets as prepared by monastic orders around Spain. The menu includes chocolates based in the original delicacies prepared by the first monks importing cacao from the Americas. The underground café-space in the mikvehs (ancient Jewish ritual baths) is among the most rewarding and unique in the Catalán capital. C/ Montcada 22 Metro: Jaume I Tel: 93 319 70 03 El Xampanyet On the rustic streets of La Ribera, near the Museu Picasso, this champagne bar offers tapas, and an intimate beginning to a night on the town. C/ Josep Anselm Clavé 11 Metro: Drassanes Tel: 93 317 18 28 Il Mercante di Venezia Fine Italian dining, just off Las Ramblas, near the Colón monument and the Maremagnum mall. Dimly lit, potent atmosphere, offers high quality Italian wines, and memorable pasta dishes. C/ Josep Anselm Clavé 7 Metro: Drassanes Tel: 93 412 41 57 Txikiteo A rich and enjoyable Basque eatery, at the foot of Las Ramblas. Some of the best Patatas Bravas in Barcelona, exemplary pintxos vascos, special house Vizacayan bacalao, and a sidra people talk about. C/ Sant Honorat 7 Metro: Jaume I Tel: 93 301 40 65 Web: GrupTravi.com El Pintor In a turn of the century hostal in the Old City, this locale offers a glimpse of the late 19th Century. Rustic décor harkens back to earlier ages, frames the dining experience in a romantic light. Cuisine is tradition; bodega includes wide variety of fine wines. Flamenco available for special functions. C/ Junta de Comerç 11 Metro: Liceu Tel: 93 301 09 02 Organic Organic eatery with international cuisine, buffet, take-out. Recommended for vegetarians and vegans looking for a break from the heavier, meatier local fare. [Read a review...] C/ Sombrerers 17 Metro: Jaume I Tel: 93 315 10 48 Tomate A highly recommended vegetarian restaurant, Tomate offers unique house specialties and surprising desserts. Fixed price menú set at 8 euro.

EIXAMPLE Plaça Catalunya 1 Metro: Catalunya Tel: 93 317 65 38 Café Zurich An incomparable central landmark, gathering point for visitors and natives of all types. The population rallied to save it when developers planned to tear down the building and it now holds its old place within the newly constructed Triangle mall. Rambla Catalunya 15 Metro: Catalunya Tel: 93 412 36 34 La Tramoia An elegant establishment, with refined presentation, offers multilingual menu and chic crowd. Pa amb tomàquet like no other. Rambla Catalunya 5 Metro: Catalunya Tel: 93 302 22 21 Web: bel-luna.com Bel.luna Jazz club and restaurant at the heart of Barcelona, Bel.luna caters to all tastes. The ambience is warm and inviting by day, engaged and pulsing by night. Cuisine is traditional Mediterranean fare, a good accompaniment to any music. C/ Aragó 261 Metro: Pg. de Gràcia Tel: 93 487 61 51 El Mussol For starters, take a seat at one of the breezy terraza tables. The pa amb tomàquet is crisp and unique, mixes well with other dishes. Try two other El Mussol locations in the Eixample at Casp 19 or Diagonal 488.

GRÀCIA C/ Torrijos 51 Metro: Fontana, Joanic Tel: 93 218 69 66 Web: CafeSalambo.com Café Salambó An elegant, warm atmosphere in the artistic and cultural heart of Gràcia, Café Salambó has become a place that for the curious traveler is a necessary stop along Barcelona's intellectual routes. The café hosts a literary prize for new talent, El Premio Salambó. The locale was restored from an old textile factory during the 1992 Olympics and was opened in October of that year. C/ Torrijos 41 Metro: Fontana, Joanic Tel: 93 416 06 51 Café del Teatre A small corner storefront, with modest but eclectic interior and local, largely Catalán clientele, this café is a haunt for local artists and an ideal location for a quiet breakfast coffee, catching up on your reading, or an evening rendezvous with friends.

BARCELONETA / PORT VELL C/ Reina Cristina 7 Metro: Barceloneta Tel: 93 310 08 39 Can Paixano (Xampanyeria) This champagne bar (bar de cavas or xampanyeria) in Spanish and Catalán respectively, is known for its impossibly low prices, its always densely packed rustic bar-space, and its wonderful entrepans, sandwiches of cheese, bacon, ham or other specialties on small round buns. A unique experience for any tourist, something rustic and in many ways un-Barcelona, hectic and requiring both patience and drink. You can also buy bottles or cases of the house cava as well as hams of varying size and weight in the bar's shop, at the rear. More an afternoon place than a night-time party locale; may be least crowded during hours between lunch and the end of the working day, on weekdays. Passeig Isabel II 14 Metro: Barceloneta Tel: 93 319 30 33 7 Portes A legendary Barcelona restaurant, open since 1836. 7 Portes (The 7 Doors) is a gateway to Catalán cuisine, by way of high-priced gourmet food.

HORTA / TIBIDABO Plaça Doctor Andreu FCG: Tibidabo Tel: 93 418 58 79 Mirablau This bar overlooks the entire panorama of Barcelona, showing all the hills and landmarks, and a wide view of the deep blue Mediterranean horizon. C/ Jorge Manrique, end Parc de la Vall d'Hebron Tel: 93 428 03 01 Web: GrupTravi.com Can Travi Nou An 18th Century country estate, the Can Travi Nou masia was converted to a restaurant of particular import and resonance in the 1980s. Now one of the best sources of high-quality traditional cuisine, Can Travi Nou is considered one of the gastronomical musts of Barcelona. The Vall d'Hebron location will take you to what was once open countryside, now within the outskirts of the city.