Barcelona is a city known for its vibrant culinary scene and rich gastronomic tradition. El Born, a historic neighbourhood in the heart of the city, it’s the ideal place to taste some of the best local food, including the iconic paella. If you’re looking for an authentic and delicious dining experience in Barcelona, these are the best places to eat paella in El Born. From restaurants with decades of experience to more modern locals, we’ve selected the top spots to suit all tastes. Keep reading to find out where to go for the best paella in El Born!
Best places to eat paella in El Born
In this article from Musik Boutique Hotel’s Barcelona guide, we bring you the best places to eat paella in El Born. Paella is one of the most famous dishes of Mediterranean and Spanish cuisine, and both tourists and locals love to enjoy this fantastic rice dish. That’s why we want to help you find the best paella restaurants in Barcelona, with places to suit all tastes!
7 Portes
There is little more we can say about 7 Portes, a restaurant that is an authentic reference of Barcelona’s gastronomy, being one of the oldest and most emblematic. That’s why we already mentioned them in the article about the best restaurants in the Born. Although its kitchen produces (and has invented) authentic delicacies, its real speciality is rice dishes, and it is one of the best places to eat paella in Barcelona. Depending on the time of year you visit the city, you’ll be able to find one type of rice dish or another, as they only work with seasonal products (they have up to 12 different types of paella!) Another positive aspect is that they can adapt to the number of people at the table, being able to make paellas for 10, 12 or more people.
In addition to paellas, their menu includes many other recipes based on traditional Catalan cuisine, with finger-licking meat, seafood and fish.
Calabrasa
Does its name ring a bell? It’s another of the restaurants we’ve included among the best places with a terrace in El Born. It is one of those mythical restaurants in the neighbourhood that, as its name suggests (brasa means grill in spanish), specialises in grilled food: meat, fish, paella, seafood… Even cheesecake! We can say that in Calabrasa fire is the real protagonist.
Calabrasa is also an ideal destination for those looking to enjoy a paella in the heart of the city. With high quality ingredients, you can enjoy unforgettable dishes, including four paella options: two with seafood, one with meat and a vegetarian option, all at reasonable prices. Don’t miss the menu of the day, which offers you the chance to sample the chef’s creations and choose from meat, fish or grilled vegetables – you’ll love it!
La Gambeta
If you are looking for a place with a unique concept to enjoy an excellent paella in El Born, La Gambeta is the perfect place! Ideally located right next to the old Born Market, this place offers fresh fish and seafood prepared with the best Mediterranean culinary technique. The menu includes some of the best seafood paellas and fresh fish in Barcelona, including sea bream, sea bass, turbot and lobster.
Not only will you be blown away by the food, but the venue is an experience in itself, with its basement dining room with an open ceiling overlooking the street and natural stone walls that will make you feel like you are part of the city’s history. Before being a restaurant, the space was a warehouse in the old market and then a theatre for many years – can you imagine what an explosive mix? La Gambeta is definitely worth a visit not only for a unique culinary experience, but also to experience a part of Barcelona’s and El Born’s history.
Mimo’s
The next stop on our list of the best restaurants to eat paella in Barcelona is Mimo’s.The next stop on our list of the best restaurants to eat paella in Barcelona is Mimo’s, one of the best tapas bars in El Born but a place where you can enjoy a paella as it should be.
The best thing about this restaurant is the innovation that permeates every dish that comes out of its kitchen, fusing local and seasonal products with styles and cuisines from all around the world. Examples include the calçot croquettes, the pork cheeks bao or the steak tartar tacos. But if you are reading this article it is because you are interested in knowing how paella is. And yes, paella is very good, especially seafood and vegetarian paella, which is why we’ve included Mimo’s in this list.
Paco Alcalde
Let’s be clear, we’ve cheated a bit here, because the restaurant Paco Alcalde is not actually in El Born, but in the neighbouring Barceloneta district. But we think that due to its proximity and quality it deserves to be included in this list of the best places to eat paella.
Paco Alcalde is one of the reference places in Barcelona for everything related to fish, seafood and quality meals in a family atmosphere. The Paco Alcalde restaurant has a history that dates back to 1921 and is still run today by the third generation of the same founding family. We recommend it because it is an exceptional way to experience the authentic Barcelona, the lifelong city of fishermen on the shores of the Mediterranean. There you can experience an era that no longer exists and that you can see in the photographs that fill its walls and halls.
After 100 years of good work, the Paco Alcalde is a safe place, where you know what you will find: exceptional customer service, unpretentious, with the freshest possible produce and traditional cuisine.
