Don't-Miss Dishes in Barcelona

Visitors to Spain eat well all over the country, but Barcelona is arguably one of the country’s top destinations for food lovers. Here are some of the Catalan capital’s must-try dishes.

You’ll find restaurants, cafés, and bars serving tapas just about anywhere you turn in Barcelona. A guided wine-and-tapas tour can lead you to the city’s best, where you can sample local specialties such as Iberian ham and pan con tomate (bread or toast with tomatoes and olive oil) accompanied by fine regional wines.

Jamon Iberico (Iberian ham) is one of Barcelona’s most sumptuous specialties. You can sample some of the city’s best offerings with a visit to La Boqueria, a modernist iron-and-glass market hall on La Rambla. For a deeper dive, indulge in an Iberian ham–tasting session to learn about the delicate production methods employed to create the delectable ham while watching a meat carver at work.

Mashed potato balls stuffed with ground pork, rolled in bread crumbs, and fried: This typical Barcelona tapas dish—one of the city’s most famous—originated in the beach neighborhood of La Barceloneta.

These fried-dough snacks have been enjoyed for centuries across Spain. Visit one of Barcelona’s traditional xurrerias and eat them like a local: by dipping them into a cup of hot chocolate.

Although this rice dish originated in Valencia, it is one of Spain’s best-known meals. While in Barcelona, you can take a hands-on paella-making class and learn how to make this classic Spanish dish yourself.