Today we want to share with you our experience in La Gastronomica, an excellent restaurant located just a few steps from Plaza España.
We ended up in this restaurant by chance, without any expectations, but we were delighted!
It looked really nice from outside and we were particularly attracted by the fact that there was an open kitchen and that, sitting at the counter, we could have eaten observing the work of the cooks.
We still didn’t know that we were going to eat in one of the top 10 restaurants in Barcelona according to TripAdvisor.
1. Our experience in La Gastronómica
Once inside, we took place at the counter and we started observing the local. It looks really nice: soft lights, high tables, open kitchen and smiling waiters.
We started chatting with the staff members, who served us a glass of Catalan wine and told us some curiosities about the restaurant.
We found out that they recently opened a second restaurant a few streets away.
It is located in Carrer Calabria and, although it maintains the same distinctive characteristics of the first one (same menu, same design, open kitchen, etc.), it is more spacious and can host groups and private events.
Then they started explaining us in detail each dish on the menu.
The menu is composed by tapas and dishes to share. There is a lot of choice and every dish is designed in detail.
They immediately recommended us their main dishes: the Pulpo (octopus) and the Costilla de Cerdo (pork rib). We did not hesitate to order them both.
The Octopus is confited and grilled, served with a base of potato parmentier and octopus juice demi-glace, while the rib is from delicious Duroc pork (a premium quality race of pork), cooked 9 hours in low temperature. We had to try them out!
We decided to try also tostas de salmón (marinated smoked salmon toasts), huevos trufados (truffled eggs), tataki de atún (tuna tataki) and sobrecostilla de ternera (boneless beef chuck flap tail).
You can see the full menù of La Gastronomica in their website or follow them on Instagram.
After a few minutes the first courses came out. They started with the seafood dishes, then the other ones.
We were delighted: the octopus is something incredible, difficult to describe in words. The tataki is also really good, with a beautiful presentation, and the salmon toasts are really surprising, an excellent mix of flavors.
Then we tried the other dishes, that confirmed the high quality of this restaurant. The pork rib smelts in the mouth and is served in two delicious sauces that make it unique. Just go and try it!
The truffled eggs were outside the menu, it was a special dish that probably is not always available. That’s why we wanted to try them absolutely, it was a great choice!
The last dish was the boneless beef chuck flap tail, an amazing way to round off the meal. It consists in 200gr of beef from Nebraska, dry aged for 60 days. It was really exquisite and perfectly cooked.
2. The Highlights
Our first experience in La Gastronomica has been really perfect.
Some weeks later we came back to visit their second restaurant in Carrer Calabria. We tried some more dishes and all of them were really delicious and had something surprising.
As we said before, we recommend trying absolutely the following dishes: the Octopus and the Pork Rib (that are the two main dishes), the salmon toasts, the Nebraska beef, the codfish and the sweet cheese mousse (that we tasted the second time).
The two locals have a very pleasant atmosphere. Soft lights, high tables, open kitchen in front of the counter.
We recommend them for different situations: from a romantic dinner to a birthday party or a private event (in the new local they have a special area just for groups).
It’s important to know that they don’t accept bookings.
You can reserve your table only for groups of 6+ people or for special events. In the other cases you will be served in order of arrival.
This is not a problem because they are really well organized and, if there’s no space in one of the locals, you can go to the other one (they are really close).
3. Location and Contacts
The first restaurant is based in Carrer Vilamarí 9-15, just few steps from Plaza España (where the Magic Fountain or the MNAC are).
The second local is in Carrer Calabria 118 and you can reach in just 5 minutes walking from the first one.
LA GASTRONOMICA 1
Carrer Vilamarí 9-15, Barcelona
tel. +34 934 24 90 28
Tue – Sat h.13:00 – 16:00 | 19:30 – 23:00
(closed on Sunday and Monday)
LA GASTRONOMICA 2
Carrer Calabria 118, Barcelona
tel. +34 935 01 96 45
Tue – Sat h.13:00 – 16:00 | 19:30 – 23:00
(closed on Sunday and Monday)
4. What to see near La Gastronómica
The two restaurants of La Gastronómica are very close to each other and they are both well located.
You can reach them in just a few minutes from some tourist spots.
MNAC – Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya
MNAC is the national museum of Catalan visual art located in Barcelona.
The museum is located in the Montjuïc National Palace, close to the Magic Fountain.
We suggest you to visit it to immerse yourself in the Catalan culture and history. Inside the museum you can find both permanent and temporary collections.
If you want to visit the MNAC and you want to avoid long queues, you can buy your tickets online and skip the line!
Magic Fountain
The Magic Fountain (also called Fuente Mágica) is based in Plaza España, one of the most important squares in Barcelona.
The fountain is one of the main tourist attractions in Barcelona and it provides spectacular water and lights shows almost every day.
If you are visiting Barcelona and you want to see something memorable, you cannot miss it!
