The best street food dishes in Barcelona – and where to eat them

Barcelona is a city known for its international personality, rich culture, and thriving culinary scene. At the city’s markets, such as La Boqueria and Sant Antoni, you’ll find rows upon rows of colourful fresh fruits and flavoursome traditional tapas, but journey deeper into this vibrant city and you’ll find an abundance of truly unique foods.

Despite recent trends and innovations in cuisine, Barcelona has never stopped defending tradition with mouth-watering eats like the ones below. Book one of our direct flights to Barcelona, available from 17 June to 26 October 2024, and try them for yourself. 

Spoon fed: escudella

At the end of last year, chef Jordi Vilà decided to stand up to ramen fever, which has gripped Barcelona in recent years, and make a place among the rich Japanese soups and stocks for the quintessential Catalan stew, escudella. 

The Barcelona chef, whose restaurant Alkimia earned a Michelin star in 2004 and has held it for 20 years, offers a delicious version of the stew at Va de Cuina , his takeaway restaurant in the Sant Antoni neighbourhood. He uses organic chicken, pork and beef, cooking them for 15 hours alongside Catalonian ingredients such as black and white butifarra sausages, vegetables and pulses. It’s served in a glass with a compostable spoon and is available in two sizes – small, for about €8 (roughly HK$68), and the large one, €13 (around HK$110).

Between slices: the bikini

The Barcelona version of France ’s croque monsieur takes its name from the Bikini nightclub, which opened on Avenida Diagonal in 1953 and began serving this toasted ham and cheese sandwich to club-goers. More than 70 years later, the venue ,  while still open, no longer offers the specialty that it made into a classic – nor is it necessary, because the bikini sandwich can now be found in hundreds of bars thanks to the culinary trend of showcasing local products, which is influencing Spanish gastronomy across the board.

We recommend trying the gourmet version at , opened five years ago by economist-turned-entrepreneur Joan Gurguí, at a stall in the Mercado del Ninot. Last November, its bikini won first prize for best sandwich in Barcelona in the contest organised by the gastronomy magazine , with a share of more than 13 per cent of the votes from its readers. A classic bikini costs €4 there (just shy of HK$34), while its specialty, made of roasted chicken (polastre a l’ast) with gouda cheese and apple aioli, costs €6 (around HK$50).

Totally fried: codfish fritters

Although cod is not fished in the Mediterranean, its prominence in Spanish cuisine and, in particular, Catalan cuisine is indisputable. What’s more, codfish fritters are among the most delicious local street food options. The meat is flaked and mixed into a delicate flour and milk batter that is then fried in small morsels, perfectly crispy on the outside  and creamy on the inside. You can try them in traditional establishments such as Bar Muy Buenas , in El Raval, and Bar Nuri , on the Rambla del Poblenou, or visit specialised shops such as Barra Perelló , which sells cod fish in all its forms inside the Mercado del Ninot. Their fritters, which are some of the best in Barcelona, cost just €1.80 (roughly HK$15) each. 

The fritters’ texture is similar to that of croquettes – another key pillar of Barcelona’s street food culture – although the key to their creaminess is the béchamel sauce. Four pieces of the ones made of chicken and the traditional cocido stew are sold in El Quim de la Boquería , next to Las Ramblas, for €8.90 (HK$75.5).

Get stuffed: bombas

For something bigger and more substantial, try the famous “Barcelona bomb” (more commonly referred to as the bomba), a ball of boiled potato dough stuffed with minced meat then battered, fried, and served with aioli and spicy sauce. It’s a Barcelona original, specifically from the restaurant La Cova Fumada . This bar, which opened its doors next to Barceloneta beach in 1945, proudly touts its authorship of this tapa and continues to thrive and sell this delicious treat for about €3.20 (around HK$27).

About the dough: pizza

Continuing with the superlatives, but in the international section, Barcelona boasts the best pizza in Spain in the “freestyle” category. Called “pulp edition”, this pie is served at the three Can Pizza branches (Sagrada Familia, Universidad and Poblenou), and includes classic local ingredients drawn from Catalan cuisine, such as sobrasada, octopus, tomato, Kalamata olive and Fior de Latte mozzarella, on a yeasted dough. If you like this Italian specialty, be sure to also try the one made by Fella , in the Borne, particularly the ragout with catala bolognese (a local bolognese sauce), which is only prepared on Saturdays.

Baked: tino and coca

Fans of pizza should also sample a tino: a new street food creation halfway between a pizza and an empanada. This fusion of two culinary cultures was born two years ago when a group of friends opened the eponymous Tino in El Eixample to solve the frustration of pizzas cooling too quickly. 

The local specialty that most directly competes with pizza, however, is the coca. This Catalan dish, which historically was intended to make use of the leftovers from the previous day, is also made with sourdough and different toppings. The most traditional variety is chorizo or grilled sausages, onions, peppers, olive oil, salt and basil, but some restaurants also use black butifarra sausage, mushrooms and escalivada (roasted vegetables) – a coca with these toppings costs around €4.30 (HK$36.5) in the legendary pastry shop Brunells , next to the Picasso Museum.