Eating in Barcelona exposes you to a new part of the Spanish cusine, the Catalan cuisine. As in the rest of Spain, eating out remains a major pastime, whether at lunch, dinner or the traditional family feast on Sundays. It’s amazing to observe how the fast-paces Barcelona completely slows down during lunch time and how the evenings are always so lively with locals enjoying their food and “cervezas” in their neighbourhood.

Catalan grub is quite different from the food of the rest of the country. The typical daily diet consist of Mediterranean choices, with an abundence of fish, veggies and pork is widely eaten. To everybody’s surprise, tapas bars are not widely spread as in the rest of Spain. Instead, Catalans tend to go for “raciones”, plates of cheese, pates and cured meats. How’s that for a great snack?

If you want to get a taste of the real Catalan cuisine, stay away from the places on La Rambla and head instead to the Barri Gotic where you could sample good old-fashioned Catalan dishes at Can Culleretes or check the sophisticated L’Eixample for a touch of chic and charm in your plate.