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Barcelona Food Is Beautiful

By Author Mindi Hirsch

Posted on Last updated:

There is much beauty in Barcelona starting with the architecture and ending with the food. Without doubt, Barcelona food is beautiful.

Cod at Roca Moo in Barcelona Spain

Barcelona food is among the best in the world.

It’s no secret that Barcelona is a beautiful city. Whimsical architecture with vivid colors and bold design harmoniously co-exist with stately, elegant buildings.

Walking in the city is a veritable feast for the eyes, thanks to eclectic buildings that flirtatiously tantalize pedestrians with their swirling, quirky details. Antoni Gaudi buildings scattered throughout the city are utterly unique and exciting, especially Casa Batlló with its colorful facade and sinewy design.

Casa Battlo Barcelona in Barcelona Spain
Casa Batllo, or House of Bones, is a classic Antoni Gaudi building. Buildings like this are not unusual in Barcelona, and they set the tone for the city in all things, including the food.

And then there’s the food.

Just like the rest of Spain, Barcelona’s food scene is an all-encompassing part of the city’s fabric. Clearly inspired by the city’s fantastic architecture, local chefs regularly use vivid colors and incorporate daring shapes and textures into their culinary creations.

Discover our Barcelona food favorites.

Barcelona Food is Beautiful

Tsukadani Turbot at Angle Restaurant in Barcelona Spain
This Tsukadani Turbot course at Angle Restaurant features curry spheres. The spheres add balance to the place as well as an intense curry flavor.

This is a city where it’s not unusual to find bubbles dancing on the plate for mere moments before the inevitable flavor hit. Molecular gastronomy has its epicenter in Catalonia, so it’s no surprise that spherification is prevalent in Barcelona’s high-end restaurants.

Spherification is the process of shaping liquid into little round balls, or spheres. The process is quite technical and involves sodium alginate and calcium chloride, but the end result is both fun and intensely flavorful.

Discover our favorite Barcelona restaurants.

Color

Colorful Building in Barcelona Spain
In Barcelona, architects and city planners are not afraid to incorporate color in buildings.

Since Barcelona chefs live in such a colorful city, it’s no surprise that color is a key feature in the food preparation.

These chefs appreciate that food should involve all five senses, not just the sense of taste.

Smoked Pigeon Carpaccio at Roca Moo in Barcelona Spain
The smoked pigeon carpaccio plate at Roca Moo incorporates color from candied orange peels and edible flowers. Without these colorful elements, the plate would not be so visually pleasing.

They understand that color adds so much to the dining experience.

Construction

View from Sagrada Familia in Barcelona Spain
The view from Sagrada Familia shows the colorful Barcelona cityscape bordered by the blue Mediterranean Sea.

It’s virtually impossible to walk around Barcelona without noticing the amazing architecture. Although many buildings are older than the century mark, the city continues to add contemporary buildings to its cityscape.

Similar to the architecture, Barcelona food is well-constructed with notable attention to detail.

Mushrooms and Foie Focaccia at Restaurant Angle in Barcelona Spain
Before eating the mushrooms and foie focaccia at Restaurant Angle, it’s important to take a few moments to appreciate the intricate construction. The paper-thin mushroom slivers are layered with foie over a thin focaccia cracker. The cracker is then placed over a glass of Albidum Pico consommé.

Respect for the food results in exquisite quality in both taste and presentation.

Dessert

Pastry Puff at Bodega 1900 in Barcelona Spain
The pastry puff at now-closed Bodega 1900 incorporates careful construction and colorful fruit to create a satisfying dessert experience.

Most meals in Barcelona end with desserts that are well constructed and teeming with color and style, similar to savory food but sweeter.

Pumpkin Dessert at Roca Moo in Barcelona Spain
The pumpkin dessert at now-closed Roca Moo is a colorful work of creative art. Without good construction, this dessert would instead be a colorful mess.

Visiting Barcelona can be overwhelming for the first time, making it critical to follow Barcelona tips from a trusted source as you plan your trip. We recommend that you include food in the planning process

Whether you have a day or a year to explore Barcelona, food must be part of your exploration. Food is just as important as the architecture and provides a direct insight into the city’s psyche.

It’s been said that you have to taste a culture to understand it. Tasting food Barcelona is like tasting beauty.

Where to Stay in Barcelona

Sparkling Wine during Barcelona Food Tour
Barcelona is more fun at night.

Have we convinced you to visit Barcelona to experience some of the world’s best food and architecture? We recommend two different Barcelona hotels based on our visits:

  • Hotel Praktik Bakery in the Eixample neighborhood is within walking distance to many restaurants, bars and tourist sites including those mentioned in this article. Explore the rates for the Hotel Praktik Bakery with a bakery in the lobby. (Yes, you read that right, the hotel has a bakery in the lobby.)
  • The conveniently located Silver Aparthotel Barcelona in the Gracia neighborhood makes a good base for exploring the city. As a bonus, it’s near the Devour Barcelona tour recommended above and many of the best places to eat in Barcelona. Check the rates for Silver Aparthotel Barcelona.

Barcelona Planning Checklist

Hungry for More in Barcelona?

Check out seven essential Barcelona food experiences.

About the Author

About the Author

Mindi Hirsch

Mindi Hirsch left corporate America to embark on a never-ending quest for the next great meal. The award-winning Food & Travel writer lives in Lisbon with her partner Daryl.

Disclosures

Article Updates
We update our articles regularly. Some updates are major while others are minor link changes and spelling corrections. Let us know if you see anything that needs to be updated in this article.

Funding
I self-funded my trip to Barcelona.

Original Publication Date: May 31, 2015

Kris

Friday 10th of August 2018

Perfect tips and advices! Have a good day!)

Jac son

Friday 7th of July 2017

This specific post very helps pertaining to travel for Barcelona. Thanks a lot so much, shares the effective blog plus much more Information. I am satisfied to the blog. It is genuinely helpful. Thanks.

Therese Bruning

Friday 18th of November 2016

I've got a friend in Barcelona at the moment for a couple of months. I'll send her the link to this post to pass on ideas of places to try. Food looks fantastic.

Mindi Hirsch

Sunday 27th of November 2016

Your friend is so lucky to live in Barcelona for an extended time. Hopefully, you'll be able to visit her/him and eat some of Barcelona's fantastic food.

Heather

Sunday 27th of March 2016

I go every year (just got back a few weeks ago). I absolutely adore the food in Barcelona. Thanks for taking me back. :)

Cathy

Tuesday 17th of November 2015

This blog was beautiful! I love the connection from the architecture to the food, I'm starving now too!