Isabelle Kliger

1 month ago | theinfatuation.com | Isabelle Kliger

With its bottle-green sign, cherry-red-tiled backsplash, and ’80s Spanish soundtrack, Casa Pepi is part retro diner, part Almodóvar fever dream. And while you (sadly) won’t be served by a young Antonio Banderas in a speedo, you can picture the characters from All About My Mother having an animated discussion over gin and tonics. The menu is mostly standard tapas with some unusual spins.

1 month ago | theinfatuation.com | Isabelle Kliger

Gegant would be a hit anywhere, but especially in Poble Nou, a neighborhood that’s been “up and coming” forever but has always lacked that one restaurant worth crossing town for. This spot is here to change that. It’s also proving that natural wine bars don’t need to make you question whether you’re cool enough to walk through the door. It feels more like your friend’s house than a trendy restaurant; come twice and you’ll be greeted like a lifelong pal.

1 month ago | theinfatuation.com | Isabelle Kliger

If the words “plant-based” and “eatery” trigger an allergic reaction, you’re not alone. Most vegan restaurants in Barcelona serve six sad spins on hummus that all taste the same, followed by a selection of gluten- and dairy-free desserts with the consistency of sawdust. And then there’s Fronda Pasaje. You’d need to be a hardened carnivore (and by hardened, we mean your arteries), not to be tickled by what this wine bar newcomer to the Born district is doing with vegetables and macrobiotics.

1 month ago | theinfatuation.com | Isabelle Kliger

The same team behind the original Contracorrent bar in Fort Pienc has opened a new bistro in Gràcia. Expect that same great laid-back vibes and natural wine selection, but in a more stylish setting. Instead of tapas, you’ll find a tasting menu (eight courses for €32.50, 10 for €45), but not a stuffy one. Dishes are homey and funky, just like the wine, with lots of housemade fermentations, from garums to miso and pickles galore.

1 month ago | theinfatuation.com | Isabelle Kliger

Akiro is a triple threat: great food, cool, minimalist design, and flawless service. It calls itself a Nikkei handroll bar, but it also holds its own as a sushi-ya, or sushi counter restaurant. Top Nikkei choices include the ebi furai, or tempura-battered shrimp and chili-garlic mayo, or the acevichado filled with chunks of tender seabass in spicy ají amarillo vinegar. But if you’re a strict Japanese purist,  the buttery-smooth toro sashimi and the seared tuna nigiri would hold their own in Tokyo.