Barcelona is one of the most visited cities in Europe, its many appealing landmarks makes it a must go destination. Rice dishes and paellas are on the menu of every single restaurant in Barcelona, since tourists keep on asking for it. On the other hand, it’s still frequent and unfortunate to find processed paellas or untasty rice dishes. To avoid that, we recommend 5 restaurants where you could have a traditional paella, a mixed one, seafood, veggie, black rice or señoret rice. Besides, complete it with some of the best Mediterranean cuisine dishes.
1) Elche: a piece of the Valencian Community in Barcelona
When it comes to having a nice and lovely rice dish is better to play it safe. Arrocería Eleche is located in a non-touristic street in the Poble Sec neighborhood at 71 Vilá i Vilá Street. Its history goes back to 1959, when Andrés Iborra and Carmen Vicente opened the venue. It was the first restaurant specialized in paellas and rice dishes. Apart from another dishes like fisherman’s soup, Andalusian style small squids, Galician style octopus or zamburiñas (kind of small tasty scallops), their main feature is rice dishes and noodles from Levante.
The chicken-seafood mixed paella (16,80 €) or the black rice from Elche with squid and artichokes (14,80 €) take us the Vaartichokesmunity sea breeze. The cod and cep paella (16,80 €) beds for a ‘sea & mountain’ dish. Their rice texture comes from the Ebro extra Bayo rice used, a hybrid variety between long and bomb. They have got more venue: Elx, located at Maremagnum Mall and Torreón at Gavá, at the waterfront.
2) Boo restaurant & Beach Club: rice dishes & chill-out lounge
In the most modern venues, well-flavored rice dishes are also cooked. That’s what Boo offers: a cool place, ship-shaped, moored on the Nova Mar Bella beach. It fuses Mediterranean gastronomy & international cocktails. They recommend us the classic lobster rice (23,60 €). Made out of lobster, sauté and lobster broth. And the red coastal shrimp ‘soupy’ one (caldoso) with dried red peppers (ñoras), shrimp and shrimp broth (24 €).
Besides, to let the customer get into the culinary experience they run workshops about the paella with the classic and latest recipes or about Evolutionary Cocktails on, to enjoy and learn the best mixings.
3) Elegance in the rice dishes at Pelai
Even if we are already getting used to it, it was not so long ago when the hotels opened their restaurant doors to welcome everyone, even non-customers, so they could enjoy their gastronomic offers in Barcelona.
Pelai, located at the Catalonia Ramblas Hotel, is a discover in the noisy and always crowded Ramblas Drive. Its especial is the seasonal cuisine, the Catalonian one and rice dishes. They run specific conferences when the nice weather comes. It’s such a bit formal and elegant place, decorated in pure white that contrasts with people walking up and down on Tallers Street, which can be seen from its bay windows.
On the menu, you can find rice dishes like the señorito rice (18 €) pretty complete, with a stronger flavor like black rice (18 €) or smooth and sweet like rice with squids and barnacles. Quite demanded is the soupy lobster rice (22 €) or the red lobster one (24 €). They offer interesting menus which change every single week and The Ramblas: a permanent offering with cod & meat to choose, depending on the seasonal products. In the hotel, you can have a coffee o a cocktail at the top floor terrace, a place to join and enjoy a peaceful spot just in the city center.
