Suculent — Restaurant in Barcelona

Please take me back to this stunning restaurant. SUCULENT was admittedly not on my list originally of places to try in Barcelona, but my lovely and amazing +1 mentioned it to me early in the morning & we were lucky enough to grab a table reservation.

Nestled in the western end of downtown Barcelona, SUCULENT has the most interesting entrance with an automatic glass door that makes it look super modern. Enter in though, and in actuality, the restaurant is super rustic/old-school and lovely - even the silverware was awesome. Although the restaurant looks like it extends back a little, we sat in one of the only tables near the front next to the bar early in the evening, 6PMish, when the restaurant was super quiet and made for a more intimate experience. (By 9PM, the restaurant was bustling!)

Once seated, we were first with a server who only spoke Spanish and super kind. Around the end of the meal, the server switched to someone who did speak English/Spanish interestingly as things got busier.

There were two options for us - the classics (with about 9 dishes for 60 euros and a wine pairing for 30) and the suculent menu (which came with 13 dishes for 80 euros and a wine pairing for 40). We went with the classics personally which was more than enough food and super filling along with the wine pairing (which was literally a new wine sample for nearly all the courses!)

Let's breakdown what we had:

+Anchovies, orange gelee, and olives: Surprisingly really delicious. A really bold mishmash of salt and sweet. +Roasted duck croquette: Another hit. Although it looks small, the duck is super flavorful. Not game-y at all. +Red prawn ceviche, avocado, corn: So citrus-y and delicious. The ingredients paired amazingly with one another. +Grilled maitake with pine nuts: The sauce is the star! The mushroom was cooked perfectly and the crunch of the nuts was great. +Steak tartare over grilled bone marrow: I think this was the prettiest dish out of the menu although the flavor was not as bold/imaginative as the others (but not bad). Loved the concept of putting steak tartare on a bone. +Stingray with black butter and citric mashed potatoes: A good dish - also plated beautifully. Not my absolute favorite but super tender. +Lamb neck with ras el hanout, quinoa, and herbs: Admittedly we were getting full and pretty buzzed by this point, but luckily this wasn't heavy at all. The herbs/yogurt was a great contrast to the more flavorful lamb. +Stuffed strawberries with white chocolate, yogurt, and vanilla: Super cute dessert. And really loved it. Super light, not overly sweet, yet still packs a great flavor. +Brie and vanilla cheesecake: Perhaps the least decorative dish, but my favorite dessert out of the two. Fluffy/light - super different from the normal cheesecake.

I wish I could list all the wine we got, but unfortunately forgot to take a picture of most of them. They were a mixture of whites, reds, and sweet wine. Well thought out in terms of how each complemented the dish it came with.

So yes, I would 100% recommend SUCULENT. Super memorable and delicious in every way. And got to watch my lovely +1 rave about the food in a lovely monologue that made me even more...

Nestled in the heart of the Raval neighborhood in Barcelona—a district known for its eclectic charm and, perhaps, a touch of grit—this restaurant delivered a dining experience that my partner and I won’t soon forget. We visited for a birthday celebration, opting for the classics menu priced at 65 euros.

Arriving 25 minutes before our reservation, we expected a brief wait but were slightly disappointed not to be invited to the bar for a pre-dinner drink. With the bar area fully available, it seemed a missed opportunity to set a relaxed tone for our evening. A bit deflated, we wandered the streets of Raval, which, as those familiar know, can feel a touch less inviting after dark. Nevertheless, we returned promptly for our reservation and were seated after a short wait.

The service that followed, however, was everything we could have hoped for—quick, friendly, knowledgeable, and efficient. We ordered a sparkling water and a bottle of Jordi Miró white wine for 30 euros, which I highly recommend.

The meal began with an anchovy filet adorned in olive sauce and orange-based jelly. This dish was nothing short of spectacular, with its bold, fresh flavors setting a high bar for the courses to follow. Next, we were treated to a roasted duck croquette that felt like a revelation. It was not simply a croquette but a decadent, slow-stewed duck encased in a perfectly crunchy exterior—one of the best I’ve tasted.

From there, the meal took us on a journey through inventive flavors and textures. We enjoyed a red prawn ceviche with corn vinaigrette, avocado, and crispy chicarrón—zesty and incredibly refreshing. The following dish, a “mistake” mushroom, was paired with a gorgeous sauce, pine nuts, and cheese, adding a complex, earthy richness that we loved.

The steak tartare came with crisp potato “pillows” and grilled bone marrow, a perfect marriage of rich flavors that achieved new heights when mixed together. Then arrived a ray mantis on a bed of potato puree with grilled capers—a dish with bold, savory flavors that practically melted in the mouth.

The main course was a slow-roasted lamb, impeccably cooked with crispy skin and meltingly tender meat. Served with a side of quinoa and a zesty sauce, it had just the right balance to cut through the lamb’s richness, with Ras al Hanout spices adding an exotic, aromatic layer.

The desserts that followed were both delightful and surprising. Strawberries stuffed with white chocolate, yogurt, and a rosewater jelly were refreshing and unique, while the final offering, a brie and vanilla cheesecake with muscat jelly, was a perfect ending to an outstanding meal. We paired this with a Tokaji dessert wine, adding an elegant touch to the closing notes.

In sum, this was one of the finest meals I’ve experienced, with each dish bringing distinct, bold flavors and thoughtful contrasts. The chef’s passion for bold, satisfying dishes is evident in every plate, making this Raval gem worth a...

TL;DR the food was quite good, but the atmosphere of the bar was more like a dish station and the fact the waiter barely spoke English despite the website and menu both being offered in English felt very misleading and severely dampened the experience.

Upon reading the descriptions in the tasting menu I was very excited to try this restaurant. Unfortunately, I was very, very disappointed with my experience. After I was seated it took a good ten minutes for anyone to acknowledge I was even there. At which point my waiter placed a QR code in front of me and asked which menu I had reserved. I was never asked if I wanted a beer, cocktail, or wine to start my evening or if I was interested in adding a pairing to my meal (which coming in to the meal I most certainly was). Another 10 minute pass by until my first dish comes to the table, still no one asking if I wanted something to drink.

At this point I make an effort to confront the waiter about it to which he brushes off the complaint, explains the first dish, and eventually asks if I want something with it. I decline, not wanting to put more money into what seems to be developing into an ideally forgotten experience. To make it worse, I am served all the appetizers before the waiter serves me the "welcome" cocktail. By now the mood for this meal is basically ruined.

Eventually the waiter apologizes and offers me a glass of wine. He doesn't have great English and my Spanish is intermediate at best, so while I'm annoyed, I greatly appreciate his efforts to make amends. We get through the remainder of the evening without major issue and he even gave my wine a small top-up and offered a second small portion of xeres to have with one of the courses.

In the end, the food was pretty good, not great and while I was initially very upset with the waiter I realized that my issues are wth the restaurant. It's totally fair for a restaurant in a non-english-speaking-as-a-primary-language country to not have the staff fully equipped to handle English (or other non native languages, for that matter). However, the restaurant decided to make its menu, website and reservations available in multiple languages (i.e. English) so it was a serious letdown to then not have the same service offered in person once I arrived .

Finally, the atmosphere at the bar was severely lacking. I am usually one who prefers to sit at the bar because of vibe. However, the bar seating here seemed mostly to create some extra space around the dish sink. So while I was attempting to keep good spirits throughout my 85€ (120CAD) meal, I was basically looking at a series of waiters rushing by to dispose of and clean wine glasses.

While the dishes were mostly good, an experience like this should be about much more than just the food and in that regard, i feel like Succulent was a seriously...