L'Arrosseria Xàtiva | Sant Antoni — Restaurant in Barcelona

I was disappointed with our experience here. It was one of our last meals in the city. The bread was good, the fried squid was okay. We ordered lobster paella. For context, we are in Barcelona for our honeymoon. We are fairly frugal and don’t order lobster out, so we naively thought the lobster would be cooked in the paella pan like any other shellfish in paella. When we saw that it was essentially a lobster still in tact and in its shell on TOP of the paella, we were a bit surprised. That was fine though - we just didn’t realize. The problem was that again, we eat pretty modestly in our daily lives and have never ordered full lobster before, so we didn’t know how to crack open the shell. Again our fault. But what we didn’t appreciate was that when our server and other employees saw us struggle, rather than offer us some advice or instructions, they stared at us from afar and smirked. It felt embarrassing and unwelcoming to us and it made us want to leave as soon as possible. On top of that, ignoring the lobster, the paella itself was the worst we had in Barcelona. I also felt it weird that on the menu, the lobster paella didn’t mention that there was also another seafood it. I have a scallop allergy so when I saw cut-up seafood that wasn’t mentioned in the dish’s description I got worried. Luckily it was squid, but I found it irresponsible that the dish’s description didn’t mention it had more than just lobster in it, especially since every other seafood paella I ordered on this trip explicitly stated every type of seafood used in it. To end it all, when we were paying our bill, our server who smirked at us made sure to mention that on the bill, “service fee is not included” in the total and then stared at us. Out of all of the restaurants we have been to in the last nine days, we had not been confronted so directly about leaving a tip prior to this experience. It was really disappointing and I wish we went somewhere else for our last...

Seafood paella perfection in a bright, local favorite spot

This restaurant came highly recommended by two lifelong locals from our Intercambio group, and they were right! L’Arrosseria Xàtiva is a true Barcelona gem, especially if you love rice and seafood.

We went for an early dinner, so it was still quiet, but the space was spotless, bright, and welcoming — and by the time we left, it was really coming to life. The seafood paella was outstanding , rich, flavorful, and loaded with perfectly cooked monkfish and shrimp. We ordered two paellas for three people, and it was more than enough.

The starters were just as memorable: the pan con tomate (crisp bread rubbed with garlic, tomato, olive oil, and salt) was absolutely addictive, and the roasted eggplant dish , almost like an eggplant tart , was delicious. Add a fresh green salad and a bottle of wine, and it made for a perfect, leisurely Spanish meal at a very reasonable price.

📸 The photos say it all: golden paella, that perfect Catalan tomato bread, and a colorful spread of roasted vegetables and olives.

If you’re in Barcelona and craving authentic paella in a casual, local setting — this...

My best friend and I went here for lunch on the last day of our Barcelona holiday. We had to leave a little early for the train station (2 p.m.) in order to catch our flight back home. Our waiter, Imran, was just the best. He recommended we make a reservation (since we got the opening times wrong and arrived too early) and as we explained the time issue with our flight, he asked what we wanted to eat, which was Paella. It takes about half an hour to be cooked, and he made sure it was prepared ahead so we wouldn't have to wait long for it. So when we arrived, we only had to wait about five to ten minutes before the plates arrived. My friend had the vegetable Paella and I had the Parellada Paella – both were just delightful, really delicious! Imran also made Sangria Cava for my friend, which she said was really refreshing and tasty. Thanks to Imran we were able to eat without haste and really enjoy our final meal in Barcelona, he was just amazingly attentive. Thank you Imran, for making the last day of our trip...