Whether you’re visiting Barcelona for the first time or already consider yourself well-versed in its vibrant food scene, it’s nearly impossible to have sampled every tapas dish this city has to offer. All it takes is a simple stroll through a few of the city streets in any neighborhood to discover dozens of delicious tapas to try.
As a foodie who always wants to try everything, I love going on food tours as an introduction to the cuisine when visiting any new country. If you’re traveling to Europe, I highly recommend Eating Europe’s unique food tours because they partner with local, family-run businesses to give visitors a true taste of what it’s like to eat like a local. I’ve been on three excellent food tours through Eating Europe — but the Barcelona Side Streets Tapas & Wine Tour tops the list as my favorite.
Eat where the locals eat
This food tour in Barcelona is like a crash course on Catalan cuisine, bringing the group along to try some of the best tapas and beverages in the area. During the tour, our passionate tour guide did more than just point us in the right direction of where to eat and what to try. Instead, she taught us about the cultural significance of each tapas dish and explained how, why, and when this food would be eaten by the locals. Tours like these truly bridge the gap between cultural learning and food, appealing to travelers who also want to learn about the foods they try. While I don’t want to give away all the details, some highlights of the tour include:
- Basque-style pintxos (my personal favorite)
- Catalan pastries at a local bakery
- Bomba de Barceloneta (a popular Spanish fried tapa filled with spicy ground meat, potatoes, and sauce
Visiting Barcelona’s iconic neighborhoods
Despite its name, this Barcelona food tour offers more than just food. This walking tour also gives you a look at several iconic neighborhoods in Barcelona, such as the Gothic Quarter, Barceloneta, and El Born areas. In each of these spots, you’ll stop by local eateries that partner with Eating Europe to give visitors a true sense of where the locals dine at.
This tour skips over those overpriced tourist hotspots that never deliver the quality of food travelers truly want. While it’s impossible to fit in every amazing tapa on a 3.5-hour walking tour, this ‘tapas tour’ serves as a great introduction to the food scene in Barcelona (and will leave you strategizing about which spots you need to come back to).
Trying new things
As an English-speaking traveler, it’s natural that I would overlook ordering tapas on menus that I’m unfamiliar with. While many places in Barcelona list ingredients in both English and Spanish, I still found myself quickly googling various types of tapas I saw on menus. The beauty of a food tour like this is that it exposes you to foods you may not order on your own (allowing you to discover your favorites you might have overlooked).
On this tour, I tried a ‘vermut cocktail’ and absolutely loved it. I’ve tried vermouth in the past and hated it. So, there’s a 100% chance I wouldn’t order this drink when visiting Barcelona. I also fell in love with the Fideuà, Catalonia’s take on classic paella, which is made with thin, short noodles instead of rice. If you’re adventurous with food, this food tour is the perfect way to discover your favorite tapas.
