Disfrutar — Restaurant in Barcelona

Disfrutar means “enjoy” in Spanish, and true to its name, the lunch experience here was one of the more enjoyable meals I’ve had. With a delightful combo of whimsical table-side presentations, our extra cheerful server, and a zen dining space, there was much to love about Disfrutar. I found myself smiling and feeling especially carefree during a leisurely 4.5 hour meal.

Created by three former elBulli chefs, Disfrutar offers Mediterranean-inspired tasting menus with modern techniques. We opted for the longest menu – the 30 course “Disfrutar” menu, which featured a combo of their classic and current dishes, plus some menu exclusives.

When asked about dietary preferences, my husband mentioned he wasn’t a big fan of foie and sea cucumber, and they seamlessly substituted these ingredients for his courses, while keeping the same quality.

The wine list was surprisingly affordable, with glasses starting around €6. In lieu of the wine pairing, we chose to share a bottle of white wine and order red and dessert wines by the glass. The red wine they poured for us was a 1947 magnum of Garnacha for just €6.50 a glass! It was pleasantly drinkable too, even given the age.

Some of my favorites:

Panchino - Chinese-style soft bread filled with a generous amount of beluga caviar and crème fraîche.

Disfrutar Gilda - An artsy interpretation of the San Sebastián pintxo. This was one of the larger courses, but I couldn’t resist filling up on the satisfying combo of anchovy, guindilla pepper, and olive with a surprising addition of passionfruit. I’m usually not big on anchovies and mackerel, but this won me over.

Crispy Egg Yolk - This fried yolk sat on the cutest egg stand with a chicken figurine. Biting the fried dough revealed a perfectly runny yolk center. Inside the egg shell was a mushroom gelatin that absolutely worked with the yolk poured in.

Multi Spherical Tatin - This had kernel shaped circles that were actually liquid-filled. The little bursts of sweet corn liquid My husband’s course had avocado instead of foie, and I liked that one even better!

Macaroni Carbonara - Not your typical macaroni! The see-through pasta was made from iberico ham gelatin. The carbonara sauce was truffle foam squeezed out of an iSi canister. As the server mixed the foam, the macaroni took on color and became opaque! Topped off with generous grated parmesan, this was a winner.

Black Sesame Cornet – My favorite of the desserts. A cute little cone filled with black sesame ice cream.

Tarta al Whiskey - They sprayed Lagavulin whiskey directly onto your palms to inhale prior to tasting the deconstructed hazelnut and vanilla flavors.

Post meal, we had the option to enjoy coffee or tea in the covered outdoor courtyard. True to local culture, we were leisurely left outside with no rush to pay. This was probably our only “issue” with the service. No one came out to check in after our coffees were delivered, and while it was nice to not be rushed, we finally had to go back inside to flag a server down for the check. Not a big deal though.

Considering what we paid (€225/pp) for a full tasting menu and a good amount of wine, Disfrutar was one of the better value two Michelin star meals I’ve experienced. With the creative food and welcoming service, I predict three stars not too far in...

Disfrutar is one of the best restaurants in the world, and I'm not exaggerating. It's easily better than Tickets (I've been to both), and it's waaay easier to get a reservation here. So, my suggestion: forget Tickets, and come here instead.

The food is crazy inventive, and yet it works! I've been to other experimental kitchens, and you get your fair share of dishes that just don't quite cut it. Here, every dish was delicious, playful, and fun.

Our massive menu included:

1. Frozen passion fruit foam with rum jelly and mint powder
2. Rose water gelee and lychee fruit reconstituted as a white rasberry icee
3. Beet root meringue which magically appears from a bowl of black sesame when you swirl it. Really fun
4. Apple juice cooked over dry ice and then poured over smoke made tableside from wood chips
5. Walnut in edible plastic
6. Mango with powdered spicy beans and smokey whisky
7. Green and black olive reconstituted as a juice inside a semi hard candy shell
8. Orange essence that you suck out of an orange blossom
9. Bread dipped in the olive oil from the previous dish
10. Pasta cracker and cheese mille feuille
11. Tomato air bread with chilled gazpacho filling served with a spritz of 12-year old vinegar in a wine glass that you smell as you eat the sandwich. Really fun and crazy delicious
12. Tempura egg yolk served on mushroom jelly. Like a scotch egg but waaaay better. The best egg I've ever had
13. Corn jelly reconstituted as corn kernels on a bed of foie gras with essence of cognac. Each kernal explodes in your mouth. Sooooo good!
14. Carrot and aji pepper sorbet with monkfish liver and like sauce and Coriander
15. Razor clams cooked with 3 kinds of seaweed and brined in salt for 24 hours
16. Transparent macaroni served with Iberico ham and carbonara cream
17. Tomato bisque air tart with olive oil caviar
18. Blended salad drink
19. Langoustine with potato gnocchi and Catalan broth and parsley foam, served with a cappuccino of the seafood broth
20. Pigeon consommé served over an ice cube and served with fresh tarragon and orange peel. Like a savory old fashion
21. Chocolate of pigeon served with foie gras and gold leaf
22. Rice noodles with pigeon and seafood broth and a hint of coconut curry and like
23. Pigeon with corn gel balls and pigeon ragu sauce
24. Pandan coconut cream with mango sorbet and mini mango gel balls, drizzled with Pandan juice
25. Cheesecake in a corner topped with cherry sorbet and kir liquor
26. The next dessert course arrived looking like green and red peppers drizzled in olive oil. BUT when you cut into the pepper, you discover that it's chocolate covered in a colored gel, masquerading perfectly as peppers
27. Cake deconstructed. A bite of candied egg yolk and a dollop of vanilla cream, eaten with your hands after they pour 16 year old Lagavulin, topped with a candied hazelnut and coffee drop. Combined, it tasted just like a scrumptious cake
28. Mint chocolate cotton candy served on a stalk of cotton, and disguised amongst actual...

Have visited numerous Michelin star restaurants for a decade now. On our recent trip to Barcelona we had dined at Lasarte, Disfrutar, Cocina Hermanos Torres & Angle.

So, Disfrutar.

According to the Michelin guide: 1 star = A very good restaurant in its category 2 stars = Excellent cooking, worth a detour 3 stars = Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey

Disfrutar meets the 3 stars criteria in every sense: exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey. Just like soccer fans visit Barcelona to watch an FC Barcelona games, foodies should travel to Barcelona to dine at Disfrutar.

First, the food. Exceptional food is measured, among other criteria, by whether or not we had at least one course that makes us want to revisit the restaurant. For us that was the "Panchino filled with caviar". Disfrutar offers bounteous courses, most are unique that are not commonly found in other restaurants Dinner is a long and satisfying journey that we wish would have never ended.

Service. The risk in any high-end restaurant is getting a cold, military service. The challenge is to be extremely professional while giving a sense of warmth and welcoming. Disfrutar offers exceptional service both professional and warm. From the Maître d'hôtel to the sommelier, all have emotional and professional intelligence and they met our needs seamlessly.

Wine service Attentive and professional. Really listened to our preference and budget constraint and perfectly matched the type of wines we described.

Atmosphere. Intimate, warm and spacious. One constructive feedback - The entrance and welcoming experience in the first 1-2 minutes was uninviting. When we entered the restaurant, the setting was disorganized. Nobody was there to greet us. In the far distance we tried drawing the attention of someone. We waited like this for a minute or two. This is very weird for this institute and made us feel uneasy as if we are going to have a disappointing experience.

Value. Exceptional as well. The experience we had was well worth the cost.

On another note, the Michelin guide is very inconsistent in Barcelona. We ate at a terrible one star restaurants in the past and in overrated 3 stars.

Michelin underrated Disfrutar. But it doesn't matter. Restaurant is an institute of its own and is fully booked a year in advance.

Great job team. You delivered an amazing adventure. Cannot wait to visit again and see what the team has created.

P.S. Never had a failed dinner when the restaurant uses...