We have just come back from 4 days in Barcelona and I wanted to share some of the great places we went to eat. We got to see the best of the city with sunny days and temperatures in the mid twenties. We took our 9 month old with us so most of our meal times were outside of the standard timings of the city which meant we managed to get into really busy places easily.

We arrived and immediately went for dinner, we headed to a recommendation from my sister. A tapas restaurant off La Ramblas called ‘Catalana’ as we were guided through the restaurant we were struck by how massive it was. It has counter service and lots of tables inside and out and it was getting busier. We were sat in a quiet corner and offered a high chair for our daughter. As the tables around us filled up we realised this was a hot spot for tourists, there were Spanish people in there but they were in the minority. We ordered a selection of tapas including montaditos, lobster rice, croquettes, cod with aioli and tortilla espanol. The food arrived quickly and was a great start to our trip. The croquettes and tortilla were the highlight and we ended up leaving most of the cod as it was served with honey and we couldn’t get past the sweetness next to the fish. As we left the restaurant there was queue down the road and around 30 people waiting for a table, this place is popular.

The next morning in our rush to get to the Sagrada Familia we dove into a chain coffee shop for a toastie and a pastry. They were awful and we vowed to do better research in future. After the Sagrada Familia we headed to the super yacht harbour for lunch as the walk was via Ciutadella Park, a beautiful place to spend a morning lying on the grass letting the baby kick about. We went to Brisa for lunch as we had a napping baby (after we walked the pram up and down the harbour repeatedly).

Under a canopied area we decided to go for a tapas selection, as the food arrived the generosity of the portions was evident. It is hard to order without knowing this so we had eyeballed surrounding tables and got a feeling 4-5 dishes would be plenty. The tomato bread and ham arrived first and we picked at it only realising after a few minutes that eating together would send both dishes to the next level. The saltiness of the ham bought alive the tomatoes on the bread and the pace we were eating accelerated.

Next came the asparagus with lemon, capers and a red pepper dip and calamari with aoili. It was the best calamari I have ever eaten, all future dishes will be compared to it and I ate most of the portion myself. The asparagus was smoky from the coals and the lemon and salty capers mixed with the harbour air to create the best meal of the holiday. If you get a chance go to this restaurant, you won’t regret it. The meal was so filling we didn’t need dinner later and it was less than 80 euros with wine – this felt cheap compared to some meals I have been out for recently in Nottingham.

The next morning we were visiting MOCO museum in the gothic quarter so set off to find a good breakfast location using purely google maps/reviews. We found ourselves at Farggi Placa del Rei hoping for better food than the previous day.

The Northerner ordered a bikini (ham and cheese toastie) and I got granola and a croissant for the baby with coffees and orange juice. When it arrived I inhaled sharply, I was expecting a small bowl but this was massive. The toastie was also substantial and the freshly squeezed orange was delivered in a pint glass.

I didn’t think we’d be able to finish it but the food was so delicious we gave it a damn good go. I pondered if all food ate in the sunshine of a European city tasted better then remembered the shit breakfast from yesterday. No, this place does a good breakfast, it’s not a fluke and they deserve all the credit for it. To address what may be an elephant in the room as well I would guess the wafer thin ham, emmenthal cheese and bimbo bread used isn’t authentic Spanish cuisine but who cares when it is this tasty and evokes so many memories of childhood holidays.

Our final meal was at La Taperia in El Nacional, a big food hall off Passeig de Gracia. This place is impressive, it looks great and has 4 bars and 4 restaurants inside. We had been there the day before for a drink and really liked the glass ceilings and relaxed atmosphere. When we returned only one of the 4 restaurants was open which was a shame but it was early (the joy of eating with kids) and it was the tapas restaurant…. when in Barcelona.

This menu was the closest that you will get to tapas restaurants in the UK and that familiarity is comfortable if somewhat boring. However, to the rescue was a tuna, tomato and onion salad. One of my favourite Spanish dishes and one that is impossible to replicate in the UK (it’s the tomatoes……. they’re never the same). Full of coarse sea salt and huge pieces of tomato this was a little more stylised than the versions I am used to but was just as fresh and salty.

The meatballs were served in a really nice ratatouille and the ham, fried egg and potato dish was basically a plate of crisps with breakfast on top – a masterpiece.

My memory of El Nacional is less positive than this review as the dessert was atrocious, cold runny custard with a meringue nest in the middle so pick an ice cream up on the way out if you visit and enjoy the rest.

Family – Most restaurants serve all day in Barcelona so you can get food outside of the normal Spanish eating times (14.00-15.00 for lunch and after 20.00 onwards for dinner) but you may be the only ones in there. All of the places we visited had high chairs and baby changing areas in the bathrooms and the whole underground in the centre is serviced by elevators/lifts and accessible with a pushchair – so much better than Paris.