Con Gracia — Restaurant in Barcelona

Con Gracia is a well-oiled machine that provides incredible food, impeccable service, and astonishingly good prices for all of it. I'd give them 10 stars if Google would allow it.

TLDR; Every single thing about our experience at Con Gracia was beyond our expectations. It started with a text message on the date of our reservation, confirming any dietary considerations. When we arrived, Sabrina took our coats and allowed us to select our table. She consistently addressed each of us by name, and explained the choices of ordering from the menu, or allowing them to surprise us. The style is of a tasting menu, with several smaller portions (and I do mean several) that were difficult to leave unfinished in anticipation of what was to come. Throughout the meal both Sabrina and Jose were attentive and thoughtful, without being obsequious. They always had time and never appeared rushed, all the while making us feel like we were the only patrons in a busy restaurant. The preparations were all very different, and all delicious. It started with salmon that had been marinated in kimchi and smoked in olive wood. That was followed by a lovely bite that was comprised of goat cheese, foie gras, apples, and other ingredients that, while I don't specifically remember, added to the balance and tastiness. From there we experienced a cauliflower puree with a slow baked egg, topped with black truffle and accompanied by a few delicate bites of artichoke. Rice that was similar to, but perhaps more delicious than risotto followed, and was absolutely packed with multiple varieties of mushrooms. Seabass that was grilled and then finished in the oven was served with Bernaise sauce and a dill-infused citric. All of this was accompanied by bread that was impossible to stop eating (including a delicious gluten free selection that was made for me). The final entree was lamb tartine with pumpkin and ginger infused puree of (cauliflower?) and dots of a tangy red pepper, with a demi glace for my husband and chimichurri for me. The palate cleanser (pre-dessert) must be experienced to be described, and will live in my memory as a favorite travel experience. The pina colada dessert (thank god it wasn't chocolate at this point) could not have been a better finish, and I found myself tipping the bowl from side to side to try to capture the last drops of it. I got all I could, short of...

on Gracia has something for everyone.

If you are looking for a small restaurant with charm, you've found it.

If you are looking for creative dishes to amuse the senses, you've found it.

If you are looking for interaction (including children) with the owners, you've found it.

If you are looking for a good value, you've DEFINITELY found it.

While you can play it safe at Con Gracia by ordering off of the menu, what drew us to this restaurant is their surprise menu. We always prefer for the restaurant to pick our dishes once our allergies and preferences are known.

There was not a dish that had a meh moment. Everything was extremely enjoyable.

The biggest surprise was our palate cleanser before dessert. It is called the electric seed from Madagascar. I had never had anything quite like it. It literally whooshes over your mouth like a burst of energy and cleans your palate. Who knew a palate cleanser could be so much fun??!!!

Also, for the opening dish, it was a combination of kimchi and octopus. It was a fantastic combination to invite your appetite for an enjoyable journey. I always love the play of sweet, savory, and spice. The beef dish was a le trompe-l'œil with the shape and color of a banana that tasted like garlic with a wonderful spicy sauce - quite the ménage à trois :- O (that's enough French in Barcelona)

For the wine, for the price point, it is really well done with several great marriages between the food and the wine to ensure harmony.

Service is attentive, engaging, and harmonious. In fact, I saw two tables with young children and the owners made a point of engaging with the children to ensure they had a good time as well. If you want to introduce your children to fine dining, this is an excellent place to do that.

The price for two tasting menus, wine pairings, bottle of water and two intro glasses of cava was 241 Euros with another 25 added for the great service. This is an extreme bargain for the quality of the entire experience.

This is a must return and seldomly I rate something five stars especially for a first time visit, but Con Gracia is must visit stop if you are serious...

I rarely ever post reviews for restaurants because the experience is typically pedestrian or not memorable enough afterwards to compel me to expend the effort. This could not be farther away from the truth - I just had the perfect dining experience at Con Gracia Restaurant in Barcelona! This was intended to be a special birthday dinner and after a last minute reservation (the host Jose is AMAZING period!), we opted for the tasting experience and thank God we did; Jose crafted a menu based on our food tastes. He asked what things we loved and what we didn't and then went to work! All through the night dishes kept showing up paired with amazing wine all accompanied by the most whimsical backstories of the dish and wine (yes I mean backstories because it felt like a languidly unfolding celebration of great food). After spending a few minutes here, it becomes clearly obvious that the hosts Jose and Selvina are absolutely unconcerned about rushing patrons along their meals to open up a table for the next guest. You become increasingly aware that they'd rather take the time to make sure the guest enjoys the experience. The restaurant can only sit about 20 and you get the distinct feeling that the hosts are uninterested in having many more customers - their primary focus is to provide a heavenly experience for the lucky ones fortunate enough to have been allowed entrance to this cathedral of culinary excellence! If you are ever in Barcelona and want to experience gastronomic perfection - go here, sit down, trust the host and prepare to ruin every other meal you will have in your life (the risoto with selected mushrooms and...