The Triple Crown of Barcelona Restaurants

I didn’t know how to write about the restaurants, but never have I hit three restaurants in the space of four days that are as special as our Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday night dinners.  So this post is on those three restaurants – Cal Pep, El Xampanyet, and El Vasos del Oro.

There are better restaurants in Barcelona that have better food than these three – and we’ve been to several, but these three stand out to us as the perfect combination of food, atmosphere, and fun.  

I raved about them on the two restaurants blog posts from 2019, as we ate at Cal Pep twice, El Xampanyet three times, and El Vasos del Oro four times that month.  Carol gave me the assignment of picking some new places as well.  By the way, of the restaurants we ate at in 2019, the next one on my list that we would have gone back to is Bar Brutal, which sounds brutal, but it’s delicious.

I was a little wary about going back to Barcelona.  Could it match our memories? Yes, it could!  These three restaurants caused me to worry pre-trip that our 2019 memories couldn’t keep up with the reality.

My emotional feelings for the three restaurants were not affected by COVID.  I’ve mentioned several times that Barcelona brings us joy; these three restaurants are major factors.  

The food at all three is fabulous (okay, Vasos lags the other two by a bit).  The atmosphere is amazing.  The fun is fantastic.

And have no fear, they are still amazing even after COVID.  Notes on each:

Monday night/Cal Pep: If I had a choice of where to eat the last dinner in my life, I would choose to eat it at the Cal Pep counter.  Is it the best food I’ve ever eaten?  No, but it’s high up the list.  

It’s dinner and a show.  And the show is the carefully choregraphed movement between the waiters and the cooks, most working crammed together in the small space on the backside of the bar.  

The counter at Cal Pep

Not all of the food is cooked

in front of you.  This is the

secret kitchen.

Cal Pep selfie.  All three of these

restaurants bring us joy

Here are a couple of insider secrets:

First, get there about 20 minutes before it opens, get in line, and ask for the counter.  Don’t ask for a table.  If you get there after opening, wait in line behind the counter seats and eventually you’ll get a seat. 

Second, your waiter will ask you if you want to order off the menu or order “the selection.”  Order the selection.  It’s around six-eight tapas of their choosing, brought out in order.  And each dish is to be savored.

Third, don’t worry about a wine list.  Just ask for red, white, or Cava, and drink what they are pouring as the house wines.

Then, enjoy.  The place is fabulous. 

It’s a short, legendary walk from the Jaume 1 Metro stop.

Tuesday night: El Xampanyet: In 2019, this was the first place we had dinner.  We were jet-lagged, stumbled into it, and fell in love with the place.

First and foremost it is a Cava bar – just tell them you want a bottle of Cava.  Then, order a bunch of tapas.  

Cava -- note the old fashioned

stopper for the bottle

Tapas.    From left to right: Pan con tomate,

Pluma with padron peppers, mussels,

and, of course, olives!

You’ll end up feeding off both the tapas and the energy of the people in the restaurant.  The food is fantastic, but again, it is the atmosphere that you’ll love.

From the back. looking toward the front

Packed inside and out

I love this bar

Don and Jennifer listening intently

to Carol telling a story.

El Xampanyet selfie.

This is another place you’ll want to get in line 20 minutes before it opens.  It’s just below the Picasso Mueseum, also a short walk from the Jaume 1 Metro stop.

Thursday night: El Vaso de Oro: Our go-to place in our old neighborhood of Barceloneta, “Vaso de Oro” means “glasses of gold,” referring to beer.  Yes, you can get wine or other drinks here, but beer is the specialty of the house.

This is a locals bar.  The food is the least impressive of the three restaurants spotlighted in this post, but honestly, it is still pretty darn good.

El Vaso de Oro is a very

narrow place, but that

just adds to the fun!

The decor is somewhat

German, but the food

is 100% Spanish.

Be patient, you'll find an

empty small table or stool 

at some point.  Then, 

Enjoy!

Insider Tip: Before going to El Vaso de Oro, walk down to the Mediterranean Sea and go to the Barceloneta Beach Chiringuito Beach Bar for a drink and some olives.  It’s open air, right by the beach, and so much fun.  Perfect for people watching, soaking in the sun, and enjoying the Med.

(Editor’s Note: Insider Tip?  Do you fancy yourself a social media influencer now or something? 

Blogger: Nah, just flexing my coolness.

Editor: SMDH.  Move along)

Oh, I will post about the remaining three dinners in another post, but I felt I needed to lay down a marker – put these three at the top of your list when you go to Barcelona.  There is an infusion of energy, happiness, atmosphere, and taste that I don’t feel hardly ever in U.S restaurants.