When we planned our trip to Barcelona, we initially thought about the sites we hoped to see and the nightlife we were excited to check out. But as we spoke to other people about their previous trips to Barcelona, no one recalled a specifically outstanding meal. It wasn’t that people thought the food was bad in Barcelona, we just could not find anyone that had a “must visit” list of restaurants.
When we arrived in Barcelona, we decided to make it our mission to seek out quality dining experiences. Now first, please note that the term “quality” and “expensive” do not necessarily go hand in hand.We visited three different restaurants on our three night stay each with different budget levels. All of them were exceptional. 
We found that the trick to asking your hotel concierge for a recommendation was never to accept their first answer and follow up with the important question of “where do you prefer to eat” if you were going out tonight.
Night 1: Boca Grande
We were sold on this popular restaurant when we looked at their instagram account. The pictures told one story and the taste completed the book. We ordered the oh so popular Iberieco ham sliced in from the leg in front of you. 
Then we moved to the freshly shucked oysters, which paired exceptionally with a local cava. We were reminded that the Mediterranean has a wonderful seafood selection as we tried the mussels in a marinara sauce and finished with the perfectly cooked steak topped with seared foie gras and their version of the popular paella dish served more like a soup. Everything was fantastic!
Night 2: Bar Mut
When we first walked in the door, Bar Mut was pretty unassuming. It appeared as if this was a simple bar and maybe not the place for our one sit down meal of the day. The tables are small, much of the seating is at the bar and they weren’t ready to seat us when we arrived. We soon remembered, size isn’t everything.
We knew this would be a unique experience when they offered us a glass of cava while we waited. Then a few minutes later when we were seated, our waitress sat down and explained the menu verbally. Everything served daily was caught fresh that day, so no written menu existed. Our eyes were bigger than our stomach that night as we chose an exceptional tuna tartare, octopus, grilled lobster, the Cockles, Known in Spain as “berberechos” and finished with an egg carpaccio unlike anything we’d ever had. 
When the bill came we were very pleased and understood why it’s a locals spot. This is a classic tapas spot with great taste, service and pricing.
Night #3 Caelis
We finished our trip going all out with a fancy Michelin Star restaurant and have no regrets. There are two menu options, Earth and Sea or the Celebration menu. The chefs prepared a wonderful tasting menu and you can’t go wrong with either. In this case, a picture is worth 1,000 words. We will end this post with more pics, next post top sites. 
