De Tapas por Barcelona

Barcelona, ​​dynamic, cultural, open capital, with a more than enviable climate, is a worldwide tourist reference. The typical cliché of hundreds of Asians taking photos of the Sagrada Familia could not be more real.  Year after year a record number of cruise ships that dock at the port seems to be broken so that travellers can visit the most emblematic places in a few hours, while the airport looks like an anthill any weekend of the year.

And the fact is that the city has a lot to offer: modernism, Gaudí, museums, leisure, shopping, football, beaches, Las Ramblas... In addition, in recent years it has reinvented itself to continue surprising locals and foreigners with a new proposal: gastronomy. Barcelona has enhanced its cultural heritage thanks to a concept as mundane as culinary.  Always looking for innovation, it was the first capital in southern Europe to house a restaurant in the dark.  Many travel agencies offer restaurant reservations to tourists who want to experience the city up close.  With Arab, Occitan, Italian, American heritage... Catalan cuisine has managed to combine foods and recipes from half the world.  As icing on the cake, it has added its peculiar flavour: that of the Mediterranean at the foot of the Collserola mountain range.

Increasingly, the tourism that arrives in the city is not only limited to visiting the most emblematic neighbourhoods. Strolling through the Born neighbourhood can be rewarded with a stop at Can Paixano, a small tavern where you can taste sandwiches and cured meats along with their own wines and cavas.  You cannot go through PobleSec without paying a visit to Quimet andamp; Quimet, a hundred-year-old tavern where it's hard to decide on just one tapa. A paella in the port, a grilled steak in the Eixample, a sea bream in Barceloneta, some tapas in the Gothic, a vegetarian restaurant in Gràcia, a calçotada in Collserola... and for those seeking exclusivity, a score of restaurants with a Michelin star will delight any palate. From the simplicity of 'pa amb tomaca' or alioli to the extreme elaboration of signature cuisine, Barcelona has something to offer everyone. And you, what would you want to try?

By Carol Garrido - Barcelona .