Darvaza | Restaurante Eixample Barcelona — Restaurant in Barcelona

Darvaza, whose name is taken from the Darvaza Crater also known as The Gates of Hell in Turkmenistan has certainly leaned into its name and created an whole entire experience encompassing the decor, the color scheme, and of course, the flames 🔥 everything put together, does add to the the theatrics.

From the moment you walk in, the flames have been lit and the mood has been set. We were ushered to our tables, handed the menus and told that someone else would be coming by to take our orders. Unfortunately, that took close to 25 minutes and at least 4 attempts at trying to get a server to take our order. However, the apologetic reasons we got for the last 4 tries was that someone else would have to take our orders as they had different roles. They could probably sense our frustration and they were at least prompt with the water and wine.

When the manager(?) finally came to take our order, it seemed like he was in fact the only one taking all the orders! Not the most efficient especially for the dinner meal period.

However, good news followed as our food orders were then dished out at an appropriate pace. We were probably too hungry when we ordered after waiting for a while so we clearly ordered with our stomachs which resulting to us over ordering. But no complains here because every single dish really hit the spot for us!

Loved the Burrata with the wood-fired Pumpkin and Caramel coated Pine Nuts & Basil and Darvaza eggs with Xesc Reina sobrassada! Loved the Grilled ear of Corn- bbq sauce glazed with crunchy Popcorn and Lime zest even more than we ordered another portion right after we finished the first. As for the mains, the Grilled Seabass from the Atlantic with Fried Garlic & Garnish is a must try! Torched by the fiery flames yet still super juicy and tender on the inside. There’s even a little table side action with the servers deboning it right in front of us. And finally, we’ve got the Premium Dry Aged Bone-In Ribeye Steak which was cooked to medium rare perfection. We each had a slice of it and had to tap out as we were happily stuffed. We took it away with us, had it the next day and it still tasted just as good!

Also, since we were there to celebrate my brother’s birthday, they presented him with their signature Torrija Donut accompanied by their home made caramel ice cream which was the perfect sweet finish to the dinner! Along with a round of bubbly for the table which was much appreciated.

All in all, it was a great experience, we loved the food and barring the unexpected long wait to place our order, everything else...

My family and our friends (4 adults and 3 teenagers) went to another restaurant for steak. We were turned away on 2 different nights (first said the kitchen had closed, the second said that they were booked, despite only having 2 tables seated). After the second rejection, we stumbled on Darvaza, asked if they could seat 7, including 3 kids. They were wonderful, welcomed us and sat us at a large table. That made us feel great after the last place. Then we started ordering. This place is fantastic. The pisco cocktails were amazing to start. Then for the appetizers, we had the bread with smoked butter - again, amazing - the smoked aubergine, and oysters (with an amazing smoky dry ice presentation) - all terrific. For meals, the Iberian pork with delicious chimichurri, steak, the steak paella (which was so good - unlike any paella that we’ve had, and as we noted, highlights that paella is a cooking technique, not a recipe!), and the lobster, which was unexpectedly served atop sliced fried potatoes, fried eggs, caviar and accompanied with the smoked butter from the bread appetizer. The piece de resistance of this meal was the dessert - the torrija donut with homemade caramel ice cream. We did not know what this was and expected an American donut. What we got was an amazing donut shaped crème brûlée filled with smoked sweet cream/custard. Seriously - this is perhaps the best dessert that I have ever had. Our server encouraged us to get 2, I wish we had listened.

The atmosphere is clubby - kind of themed, which may be much for some. But we loved it. The dj was excellent, the open concept kitchen where we could watch the meat and paella being grilled was cool.

But best of all was the welcoming and impeccable service. Our waiter was Benny - he was terrific. Thanks to everyone at Darvaza for turning what started out as an insulting and disappointing night out into one that we will never forget! I will recommend to anyone traveling...

My family and I traveled to Barcelona from the US for a week in February 2025. The concierge at our hotel recommended Darvaza and it seemed to have an interesting concept so we decided to go there for lunch. We were really impressed with the design of the space, the intricate details and the nods to the “Door to Hell”. The service was impeccable and our server, Carlos, was extremely knowledgeable, patient and pleasant. The grilled meats are out of this world from their interesting twist on a paella (Ribeye Paella) to the sirloin and Nebraska sourced ribeye. Each dish was cooked perfectly and was presented simply but beautifully. We enjoyed our visit so much that we decided to dine there again for dinner the night before our departure. Our experience was consistent with the first which is impressive in and of itself. We decided to vary our selection a bit and tried a number of things that we did not get a chance to try the first time. We shared grilled monkfish (perfect), ribeye (tremendous), ribeye gyoza (unique and delicious), grilled ear of corn (outstanding) and grilled tudela lettuce hearts (simple yet full of flavor). We had the pleasure of Carlos serving us yet again and he was again his affable self. Finally, we shared 4 desserts: the bonfire (fruit flavored house made marshmallows with a fire for toasting), the torrija donut with caramel ice cream, the house made Ferreo Rocher and the house made ice cream bar (smoked cream ice cream coated in caramel then 70% chocolate and some almonds). All were excellent but the Ferreo Rocher and house made ice cream bar stood head and shoulders above the rest. All in all I highly recommend Darvaza and would classify it as a must when...