Barca Nosh 'n' Grub

Barcelona has a nice selection of eateries as well as a nice selection of things to do and see. It was a relief to find that all my favourite places from previous visits were still open and thriving. Costs were probably on par with what I remembered but, of course, the poor exchange rate with the Euro at the moment made them more expensive but that's just the luck of the draw. A few places of note:

Cafe D'Estiu

Formerly known as the Cafe de Museu Frederic Mares since it's located in an enclosed square behind the museum, it's a haven of peace away from the bustle of the narrow gothic quarter streets. It's reached through a side entrance and you walk through a courtyard of orange trees (they were laden with small oranges last week) to an open air set of about a dozen small tables serving snacks and drinks. It's a lovely little cafe with good service and good food and it's great to escape the crowds and sit down for a reviving drink under an umbrella in the sun. This photo makes it look a bit gloomy but that's because it was taken in the late afternoon.

La Princesa 23

A lovely bar/restaurant near the Picasso Museum that serves simple food in big quantities and bottles of cava at very reasonable prices. It's a bit Moroccan influenced in design that gives it a different feel, but it's a very relaxed place with a telly showing old Scooby Doo cartoons for some reason... A good place to relax after exploring the gothic quarter when you needa sit down and a glass of cold cava.

Attic

This is a new restaurant for me, part of the AnGrup chain and certainly lives up to the standards of the other restaurants in the chain in Barcelona. It's right on Las Ramblas and reached up a flight of stairs to the restaurant proper, interesting lighting and a relaxed atmosphere. The food was lovely and the highlight for me was a green salad with the most delicious dressing. Unfortunately, Chris asked what the 'white penises' were which instantly put me off them - by strolling round the market the next day we found out they were white asparagus. I did, however, eat the purple viola flower.

La Pizza Nostra

A small pizza place down the road from the Picasso Museum in the gothic quarter whose claim to fame is that it serves 'half n half' pizzas if you want one - each half being a different pizza. And here's mine - one half was cheese and onion and other was five cheeses (with olives). Yumbo! This is such a great idea for pizzas that it's surprising that everywhere doesn't do it. I also had my first Von Damm beer there (there's a big distillery on the outskirts of the city). La Pizza Nostra is a mandatory eatery for every visit to Barcelona.

4 Cats

This is another new eatery for me, down a narrow street off the Portal De L'Angel (and only a few minutes from the hotel), covered in artwork and original colourful tiles. It opened a hundred years ago and was a haunt of Picasso and the arty set (Picasso held his first ever exhibition in its back room). Of course, it's a bit of a tourist trap but it's also a fun way to have a meal with the ultra speedy service and the themed crockery and ceramic mugs of beer. It's a bit expensive but I'd certainly go back provided I could have a table on the little balcony in the back room - that's the place to sit!

Citrus

Citrus is one of my all-time favourite restaurants, part of the AnGrup and in a prime location on the first floor of a building on the Passeig De Gracia. The food and drink is always top notch and quite reasonably priced, efficient service and citrus-themed surroundings, the best seats overlook the Passeig outside and, if you're lucky, look over to Gaudi's Casa Battlo on the other side of the road. It also does wonderful puddings! It's a very civilised eatery for a last night meal.

The most disappointing place to eat was Mussol, another AnGrup restaurant, but which, despite being a nicely designed place as I'd come to expect from AnGrup, was the exception to the rule. It's mainly a grilled food place which limits my options (being vegetarian) but thought it would be nice to try another place for lunch. I ordered grilled vegetables (the only non-meat or fish option) and got a plate of raw vegetables that had been grilled and nothing else, no sauce or dressing. I chewed a small chunk of artichoke for 5 minutes before admitting defeat and just picked at the other rather unappetising veges. Being vege in Barcelona, famed for seafood and meats, is a trial but I always find something nice, but not in Mussol. It had a nice owl motif though...

There are lots of eateries to choose from in Barcelona - they're everywhere - but these were some of my favourites and well worth visiting. I'll certainly go back to them on my next trip.