My first time in Barcelona I was given some extremely valuable insider information on where locals go to eat in Barcelona. And now I’m sharing it with you. You’re welcome.
Carrer de Blai, a pedestrian-only street located in the El Poble-Sec neighborhood boasts a plethora of pintxos (pronounced pin-chos) bars offering unique bite-sized morsels for between 1-3 euros each. What are pintxos? It is a small snack typically served on top of a slice of bread that originated in the Basque country (hence the spelling of “pintxos” with an x, but “pinchos” is also accepted). Restaurants that specialize in these dishes will display all pintxos in a buffet-style setting where you simply grab what looks good. All pintxos will have different colored toothpicks in them that not only keep the food on top of the bread, but will vary in color according to price. SAVE THOSE TOOTHPICKS. When you’re finished, you’ll bring them to the cashier and pay for what you’ve eaten.
Pro-Move: If you want to go Pintxo-hopping like I did and try as many restaurants as you can, don’t eat the bread on the bottom.
Quimet i Quimet – The best of the best
TripAdvisor
Carrer del Poeta Cabanyes, 25, 08004 Barcelona, Spain
Hours: Monday to Friday from 12-4PM and from 7-10:30PM / Saturday from 12-4PM
This tiny standing room-only pinxtos place that has some of the most unique offerings we’ve ever had. You NEED to get the salmon with yogurt and truffle honey. It sounds weird but it is absolutely outstanding and unlike anything I’ve ever eaten before. The combination of flavors and textures (the bread is perfectly crisped) will give you a solid mouth-gasm. I also recommend the cheese, mushroom and truffle olive oil one as well. Added bonus: This place doubles as a wine and spirits store. Could it get any better?
***All Pintxos bars listed below are based on location so you can “Pintxos-Hop” in order***
Taberna Berri
Yelp
Carrer de Blai, 44 08004 Barcelona, Spain
This was our 2nd favorite place after Quimet i Quimet. The portions were really big and everything tasted really fresh. This is at the complete opposite end of Carrer de Blai but so worth it. I recommend starting here if you plan to “Pintxo-hop.”
Zodiaco
Website / TripAdvisor
Carrer de Blai, 39
Go here for glasses of cava for 1 euro. The pintxos were all delicious and pretty hefty portions (I mean look at that photo evidence!).
Pincho J
Website / TripAdvisor
08004, Carrer de Blai, 26, 08004 Barcelona, Spain
This place was also one of our favorites and a must-go. Again, everything was really fresh, the portions were big and the prices were low.
Taberna Blai Tonight
TripAdvisor
Carrer de Blai, 23, 08004 Barcelona, Spain
This place had decent Pinxtos but a more limited selection than other places we tried.
La Esquinita de Blai
Website / TripAdvisor
Carrer de Blai, 16, 08004 Barcelona, Spain
Maybe it was an off-night for this place but we weren’t too impressed. The pinxtos seemed like they had been sitting there all day and despite that, the place was PACKED due to a football game on TV and it was tough to find anywhere to sit and eat.
La Tasqueta de Blai
TripAdvisor
Carrer de Blai, 17, 08004 Barcelona, Spain
This place was also one of our favorites as they had very unique tapas that we didn’t see anywhere else (sweet + savory). The portions are generous and they offer everything from hamburgers to traditional Spanish pintxos.
Blai Every Day 12
TripAdvisor
Carrer De Blai 12, 08004 Barcelona, Spain
Almost all the pintxos here were 1 euro each. The place was decent but didn’t offer anything unique or different from other places we tried.
Blai 9 Tapas
Website / TripAdvisor
Carrer de Blai, 9, 08004 Barcelona, Spain
This small tapas & pintxos bar has a limited pintxos menu but the combinations are unique and delicious.
Gran Bodega Saltó
Website / TripAdvisor
Carrer de Blesa, 36, 08004 Barcelona, Spain
Ok, so this isn’t a Pintxos bar, but I highly recommend going in here for drinks – Specifically wine. It’s a really funky decorated bar with all sorts of random found objects and a number of tigers (paintings, stuffed animals, etc.) all over the place. They regularly have live music so it’s a great place to go check out a local Catalan band.
Chill Milk