Traditional Catalan Food: Dishes to Remember

Genia · Sep 2, 2024

Culture, history, music, Barcelona gives you so much, and the food might be the most generous part of all. You can find these dishes all over Spain, but where better to taste them than where they were born? So which traditional Barcelona dishes should you make a point of trying during your stay? Take note.

What dishes should you try in Barcelona?

Here are the most classic plates of the city, the ones every local will tell you to try at least once.

Pa amb tomàquet

The famous pa amb tomàquet (you'll also hear it as "pa amb tumaca"): two slices of bread, toasted, rubbed with cut tomato and finished with a pinch of salt and a thread of extra virgin olive oil.

Sounds simple, right? And yet few places nail it like the Catalan capital does. If you get the chance, order it for breakfast somewhere in the city centre. You won't be disappointed.

Botifarra

Barcelona offers plenty of sausages, but the most famous and most recognisably Catalan of them all is the botifarra.

It's a thick pork sausage that can be eaten raw, fried or grilled. Grilled is, without question, one of the best ways to have it.

Escalivada

Another dish you can't skip on a visit to Barcelona. It's made with peppers, aubergine, onion, potato, oil, pepper and salt, roasted until smoky and soft.

Some kitchens like to riff on the traditional recipe, adding roasted tomato, garlic, parsley or black olives.

Calçots

Is there anything more quintessentially Catalan than a calçotada? It's a beautifully simple ritual: sweet spring onions charred until tender and served with romesco sauce, also known as salvitxada.

Although it's traditionally a late-winter and spring thing, it's not unusual to enjoy them in summer too, especially once barbecue season is in full swing.

Catalan-style roast chicken

For many families, Sunday roast chicken is a treasured ritual, so why break the habit while you're in town?

Go for the "pollastre rostit a la catalana," with a sauce built from a blend of eleven distinct spices. The texture is its own pleasant surprise. Give it a go, you won't regret it.

Bikini

The name caught your eye, didn't it? In truth it's something you already know well: a ham and cheese toastie.

You might think, "it's just a sandwich, I can get that anywhere." True, but Barcelona's version is in a league of its own. The word "bikini" actually comes from the Sala Bikini nightclub, which, shortly after opening in 1953, made this pressed French-style toastie famous by naming it after the venue.

Arròs negre

One of the most common dishes along the Mediterranean coast, and especially the Catalan Costa Brava.

The rice is cooked with cuttlefish, seafood, garlic, onion and, depending on the region, tomato, all stained jet-black with squid ink. Whatever time of year you visit, you can enjoy it whenever you like.

Calamari sandwich

This one is more famously a Madrid dish, but you can eat it anywhere in Spain, Barcelona included.

Our advice is to head into the city centre, where you'll find it on artisan bread with a cold beer and, of course, made with fresh market produce.

Sweet and savoury coques

In Barcelona you'll come across "coques," not far off from bread or an empanada in spirit.

They come savoury or sweet depending on the bakery or shop, and the ones from the central neighbourhoods, made with real care, are especially worth seeking out.

Crema catalana

To close the list, we couldn't leave out Barcelona's signature dessert: crema catalana.

You'll probably recognise it, since it travels well and turns up everywhere these days. But this custard of egg yolk, sugar, wheat flour and milk infused with cinnamon and lemon zest is best savoured in its true home, Catalonia, with that thin sheet of caramel cracking under your spoon.

After a meal out, don't hesitate to order one to round things off perfectly. It won't let you down.

Looking for a different flavour experience? Come to EatMyTrip

Tasting Barcelona's classics is a wonderful thing, but you don't want to tire of them either, right?

At EatMyTrip we offer something a little different: dishes made from scratch by our chefs, a real journey of flavour across the brunch options on our menu. With several kitchens around Barcelona, there's no reason to hold back. Find your nearest one on our locations page and book a table, we promise it'll be worth it.