Restaurant El Passadís del Pep — Restaurant in Barcelona

Among all the grand and famous Barcelona restaurants, Michelin-starred oned or establishments presided by celebrity chefs, El Passadis del Pep turned out to be our most positive dining experience, our favorite restaurant by far.

The most challenging part is to find it. We knew exactly where it was located, as simple as it gets, you take the short Carrer de l'Espaseria, walking from Santa Maria del Mar, turn right on Pla de Palau, et voilà! Yet, we couldn't find it, the reason being is that the restaurant is located inside what looks like an ordinary apartment building, with an intercom and the tenants directory. The sign on the right side of the doorway is very small and inconspicuous. You gotta enter the building hallway and reach the restaurant's entrance at its end.

There are no printed menus, the tasting menu consists of strictly seasonal ingredients. It numbers about 7 to 8 dishes, and - trust us - it costs nothing. The lowest dining check in Barcelona in 6 nights.

The food is amazing, super fresh, deliciously prepared. You are not going to find much of foam, misting, intricately exotic ingredients, and other accoutrements of the many modern chef-driven restaurants, but the food is heavenly!

We can't recommend El Passadis del Pep highly enough....

What an experience! Our party of four recently enjoyed a leisurely two hour lunch at Passadis del Pep and we all agreed it was the best restaurant meal and experience we have had in a long time. First, we enjoyed a refreshing glass of cava and a selection of olives while we perused the menu. Then, we started our meal with a plate of hand sliced Iberian ham (heavenly!), incredibly fresh clams, a lovely tomato, onion and ventresca tuna salad, fresh grilled prawns and fresh wild mushrooms from the Pyrenees, all accompanied by an excellent bottle of Viña Arana Rioja Gran Reserva. For our main dish, we shared a whole monk fish which was simply, yet deliciously, prepared with fresh garlic, parsley and olive oil and served with a side of fresh roasted vegetables. The mâitre d’ suggested we pair our remaining wine (we couldn’t resist ordering a second bottle to accompany the monk fish) with a selection of cheeses. What a wonderful way to conclude a memorable lunch at a world class restaurant! We will definitely return the next time we are...

Sublime seafood. Incredible wines. Absolutely wonderful experience and a hidden gem that is wholly worth a visit.

The sommelier’s cava recommendation, Raventos i Blanc’s Textures de Pedro, resulted in the best cava I’ve had the pleasure to taste, toasty, amber-peach in colour, a golden blush, fully of late harvest flavour and as a finely balanced as many a vintage champagne.

We had a small, five course, tasting menu with razor clams that were cooked to perfection, no hint of rubberiness, the liquor a delight, worthy of a dish in itself. Langoustine, tempura shrimp, bacalau, all were cooked to absolute perfection. Quality of this level is hard to find and whilst 7 Portes has the edge for ambiance (and also has wonderfully authentic cooking and superb dishes.. it is truly an institution!) El Passadis has the gastronomic edge and some wonderfully engaging regional options for wines and produce at a very good rapport of quality and price. Exceptional...