The best outdoor dining options in Barcelona are also some of the best restaurants in the city. Eating outside is usually available year-round in Barcelona, due to the city’s mild Mediterranean climate. Even in winter, you can find outside dining in plazas or little laneways. Make sure you do what the locals do, so check out my other guide on eating local in Barcelona. Below is a list of some of the best restaurants with outdoor dining in Barcelona. Enjoy the sunshine and order some delicious tapas in Barcelona.
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Santa Gula
Santa Gula is located in the tiny and private Plaza de Narcis Oller just up from Avenue Diagonal. This restaurant belongs on any “best restaurant” list in Barcelona and definitely provides a great outdoor dining experience. Santa Gula is an institution in Gracia and has also spawned the iconic and delicious Gula Pizza Bar next door.
The restaurant is styled like someone’s light and airy dining room with pale wood and an open serving area. Carefully selected bottles of local and international wines are lined on shelves next to pot plants. The restaurant has several tables outside near the bubbling water feature. The plaza is quiet with only a few other restaurants and bars sharing the space, and a large leafy tree and umbrellas provide coolness in the summer.
The food is Spanish and Catalan with a genius twist. The Patatas Bravas is one of the tastiest in Barcelona, but also one of the spicier ones. All the plates are created to share as tapas, but you can also order larger ones if you can’t part with your selection. Santa Gula is a great restaurant for vegetarian food. The courgette carpaccio and smoked aubergine are gastronomic masterpieces. If you need some meat the choices are just as excellent, from Black Angus tartar to prawn ravioli.
Les Filles
Les Filles has some of the best outdoor dining in Barcelona. The restaurant has an inside area for bad weather days, but half of the restaurant is located in its secret garden. Unlike most of these restaurants that are located in public plazas, Les Filles is hidden away behind a fence, providing a slice of tranquillity. In summer the fairy lights twinkle amongst the trees and the herb garden fills the air with aromatic rosemary and mint.
The food mimics the outside, being fresh and championing the garden. Their list of fresh juices is lengthy, and a lot of the dishes are vegetarian. The menu is international with lasagna, curry and burgers on offer. Their salads are some of the best in Barcelona. Check out my story post to read about my full experience at Les Filles.
Federal – Gotico and Poblesec
Federal café is an Australian brunch restaurant started by an Aussie in Barcelona. There are now three cafes in Barcelona due to the success of the Australian brunch movement. These cafes are perfect for a slow morning and dining outside in Barcelona.
Federal in Gotico has a private plaza hidden down small side streets. It’s a calm café to enjoy a coffee and avocado on toast away from the hustle and bustle of the Gothic Quarter. Federal café in Poblesec has a rooftop terrace to dine on, providing privacy and fresh air for your early morning or lunch time brunch.
The menu at all the Federal cafes is similar. Being of Australian origin there is a focus on quality coffee and infusions like chai, turmeric or beetroot lattes. The food is excellent and some of the best brunch fare in Barcelona. You can go as simple as scrambled eggs (or even Vegemite on toast) or go fancy with avocado on toast, shakshuka or a breakfast burger. If lunch is more your style then choose from their excellent fish and chips or burgers and sandwiches.
Nabucco Tiramisu
Nabucco Tiramasu is located in Plaza Vila de Gracia, which is the main plaza of the Gracia neighborhood and where the beautiful town hall is. The plaza is large with multiple restaurants and cafes and has a clocktower in the centre that tolls the time.
Plaza Vila de Gracia is the heart of Gracia. Children kick balls around and ride bikes, buskers serenade people and the outdoor dining is some of the best in Barcelona. On the warm summer nights, people dine late with the golden evening light or soak in the sunshine on a cold winter’s days.
Nabucco Tiramisu is one of the most popular outdoor restaurants in Gracia. Their tables are always full, so a reservation can make it easier to get a table (available for lunch only). The food is all vegetarian and hearty and very tasty. The salads are packed with delicious ingredients and they offer pizzas and sweet potato stacks. The coffee is Italian and the juices will encourage anyone to drink healthy. And of course, you can’t miss dessert. Sample one of their delicious cakes or have their signature tiramisu.
Marcelino 1968
If you’re looking for outdoor dining in Barcelona and amazing, creative tapas then make sure you visit Marcelino 1968. Marcelino’s is located in the vibrant Plaza del Sol. They have tables and chairs with umbrellas in what is the trendiest plaza in Gracia.
The food is tapas style but this is not your traditional tapas. Order avocado with a carefully poached egg inside, or Gyoza dumplings. The pink beetroot hummus and tiny, fried squid are delicious, and definitely worth a try. Marcelino’s is also one of the restaurants with the best Patatas Bravas in Barcelona. The aioli is creamy and the Bravas sauce is rich and spicy.
El 58
El 58 is located in the local suburb of Poblenou, which is a metro ride from the city centre. If you find yourself here you’ll have discovered one of the hidden gems of Barcelona. Best of all El 58 has an outdoor seating area for outdoor dining on the Ramblas de Poblenou. Enjoy the sunshine and fresh air and feast on their traditional Spanish and Catalan tapas. Make sure you order the hummus, it is creamy and tasty, and some of the best I’ve ever had.
You can’t book at this restaurant, so you’ll just have to turn up and hope for the best. It’s definitely worth the wait. The inside is super trendy and the menus are written up on large blackboards. They have a great wine and beer list and some creative cocktails. Grab a seat on the Rambla and enjoy your outdoor dining experience in Barcelona. If you need a walk after dinner the beach is five minutes away.
Cadaques
Cadaques is one of the most popular restaurants with outdoor dining in Barcelona. If you wander into the busy Plaza Vila de Gracia on a summer evening you will almost always have to wait for a table. The atmosphere in this busy plaza always makes for great people-watching, and live music from buskers brings entertainment.
The ethos of Cadaques is market-fresh food sourced locally. There is also a focus on seafood, as per their name, which is a beautiful seaside town in Catalonia. The tapas are tasty and traditional, and the seafood is very fresh. You need to order their fried eggplant dish, it’s one of the best. Many people order drinks and tapas and enjoy relaxing in the outside air all year round.
Carabela Café
Carabela Café is an institution in Barceloneta. They have inside and outside dining with outside being the most popular choice. Carabela Café is one of the best places to grab a drink or a meal and dine outside in Barcelona. The restaurant is colourful, and casual, and serves up tasty Mexican food. Many people fill the benches and long tables, relaxing in the sun and sea breeze.
Carabela is great for large jugs of Sangria and catching up with friends. The menu is Mexican and Tex Mex with burritos, tacos and nachos as the stars. The food is very tasty and the portions are filling. This place gets busy on the weekend and for after-work drinks, so be prepared to wait.
Timesburg Sant Joan
Timesburg is a chain of burger restaurants in Barcelona that serves up delicious food. If you’re looking for a place to dine outside in Barcelona and enjoy the sunshine then Timesburg Sant Joan is a great option. The restaurant is located on the large Passige de Sant Joan, which is a sun-filled boulevard in Barcelona. Even better, if you’re feeling active, the Arc de Triomf is at the end of this same road.
The burgers at Timesburg have an international theme, so you can choose between Italian, American or Asian style options to name a few. A number of their burgers have won awards, and you can see why when you try them. These burgers are the perfect guilty pleasure, full of flavour and sauce. Add on some of their crunchy fries and you have the perfect burger meal.
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Krista
The last time I was in Barcelona we didn’t really eat anywhere interesting which was a shame. I would love to go back and eat at some of these spots!
Taylor
All of these restaurants look and sound amazing! I’m dreaming of being back in Spain and eating paella and jamon iberico. Definitely keeping this great guide handy for when I eventually visit Barcelona. 🙂
Deb
Sounds and looks like there are a lot of delicious options! Saving for when we get to Barcelona. We love eating through the places we visit too!
Rebecca
Barcelona is such an amazing place and these restaurants are such great tips!
Josy A
These all sound incredible! I love love loooooved the food in Catalonia but I would love to go back and try more of these spots. Barcelona is so fantastic for quality ingredients cooked to perfection.
Gloria
These are exactly the kind of restaurants I would expect to find in Barcelona. I enjoyed reading this
Barbara Farfan
The food in Barcelona… magnifica! That Timesberg branded bun is outrageous! This is a great collection of outdoor dining options. I think most of the world will feel safest doing that forevermore! Great article – thanks!