Racó de la Vila — Restaurant in Barcelona

A gem off the beaten path.

We were only in Barcelona for 3 days and I am so happy and over joyed that we made the decision to stop here after our Long Beach day - it is about a 15 minute walk from the beach depending on which beach you are at. If you can see the McDonalds - that was the beach we were by.

The service is phenomenal, prices at first seem high but honestly, its worth it!!!

Ordered the bread - which at every Barcelona restaurant will be a few bucks per person, but this is probably the best bread that I have ever had in my life. The bread is the served with his olive oil and garlic spread that they made - which is amazing!! Trust me you won't be disappointed in JUST the BREAD!!! $2.5 per person.

Ordered sardines over toast, never had sardines before and it was delicious!!! ($8 for an order)

Ordered the Tuna tartar - eh not the best (skip it).

Ordered the grilled pulpa and OMG. I don't even know where to begin because it was at least a 5 lb, giant grilled octopus and it was seared and seasoned to perfection. It was a very very fresh octopus and hats off to the chef because the first bite melted in my mouth and it was so delicious that I could have continued to just feast on octopus and never looked to try anything else! I was hoping to see if I could figure out the seasonings so that I could duplicate this, but there is no way I could get such fresh seafood back home. The octopus I believe was about $16.

Ordered the Paella! Order it the moment you sit down, because it takes them about 25 minutes to prepare and it is definitely worth the wait! This was the BEST paella that I had and it was phenomenal. For the price, which was very reasonable about $18 is worth it over any tourist restaurant that we tried which was subpar.

I strongly recommend this restaurant to be part of your Barcelona trip! Make it a point to go, with amazing service, great ambiance and amazing seafood - this is a perfect way to end or begin your tour...

Another excellent family restaurant in the Poblenou neighborhood, close to the Rambla.

We’ve been here a couple of time now and it never disappoints.

From the cuts of meat, to the seafood selection the food and atmosphere are excellent.

This time around we had a number of tapas, including octopus, scallops, croquettes, tomato bread (comes with solicitous garlic aioli), and patatas bravas (potatoes). At the start of every meal they serve olives for the table which are a great nibble with your drink.

At the end of the meal we had chocolate coulant with vanilla ice-cream and creme de Catalogna. The chocolate cake was like a lava cake/soufflé - absolutely divine and the ice-cream was excellent. The crème de Catalogna was amazing. If you e never had it, it is similar to a crème brûlée with the caramelized sugar the crème itself is not as dense. Absolutely worth trying you won’t regret it!

At the end of the meal we were offered a shot Spanish liquor and went with Ruavieja licor crema. In the past we’ve also had the Ruavieja licor de hierbas which is also absolutely worth tying if you never had, it’s a liquor made from herbs, and it is sweet.

The atmosphere in the restaurant is very nice. They have main floor seating, second floor as well and in the basement have an event space if you’re looking to reserve for a private event.

The building clearly was built decades ago and the owners have made a great effort to maintain the vibe of the brick walls and traditional layout.

Excellent place for a nice meal in a slightly more upscale environment.

We’ll certainly be back again on future visits...

Racó de la Vila was a great surprise recommended by the hotel we were staying nearby. We had not heard about it and had not expectations, but it turned out to be a great gastronomic experience. It's a rustic environment that prepares Catalan and Spanish cuisine, like tapas, rice's, grilled meats and seafood. Our choices: 🥖🍅 Pan con tomate - it's optional, but we were suggested by the staff to side our meal with some bread with tomato. It's typical and it was so good to enter the Spanish mood, with fresh and juicy tomato spread; 🐽 Croquetas de jamon - warm, crispy outside, creamy inside, and intense. Those were really good croquetas! 🐙 Pulpo á feira - I am a fan of this dish. Served in wooden dishes, boiled octopus cut into small pieces, with olive oil and pimenton dulce. Very well cooked! And quite a big dose for sharing. 🐚 Mejillones Marinera - mussels with a tomato based sauce, slightly spicy, and extra delicious. Again a very generous dose for sharing. 🥘 Arroz de setas e codorniz - Rice, served in a paella style pan, with mushrooms of the season and quail. Pretty heavy dish (probably biased by what we ate at this stage before), but very well served and prepared. The quail was very tender.

In the end, the price is really fair, as we paid €30/p.p. (4 people) with beers, water, coffee and a coconut pudding.

They do take reservations, and we heard that they get huge lines at dinner time, so arrive early or make your reservation ahead.

It's a great restaurant, and I am coming back for sure when I am back...