Cafés, tapas bars and restaurants - The Rough Guide to Barcelona - page 291

SLEEPING WITH THE MICHELIN STARS
The hotels are where it's at for some of the city's fanciest, most creative, Michelin stars-
in-their-eyes dining and if you're staying at any of the following you've got some of Bar-
celona's most exciting cooking right on the premises. Currently making waves is Moo at
the über-fashionable HotelOmm ( hotelomm.es ) , the Barcelona outpost by Girona's cel-
ebrated Roca brothers, while Martín Berasategui brings his highly rated Basque style to
Lasarte in the Condes de Barcelona ( condesdebarcelona.com ) - Fonda España , the
restaurant at the gloriously decorated HotelEspaña ( hotelespanya.com ), also forms part
of the Berasategui stable. Madrid-based chef Sergi Arola lends his name to the designer
tapas place Arola , located at the glam waterfront Arts Barcelona ( ritzcarlton.com/Bar-
celona ),whilesoaringabovethecityatthe MeliáBarcelonaSky ( melia.com ) intheSant
Martidistrictis DosCielos ,helmedbytwinchefsSergioandJavierTorres.Othergraduates
of Ferran Adrià's famed ElBulli restaurant are thick on the ground too, whether it's Carles
Abellan at Bravo in the stunning seafront W Barcelona ( w-barcelona.com ) or Ramón
Freixa's Ávalon at the Grand Hotel Central ( www.grandhotelcentral.com ). Finally, for
a boutique restaurant-with-rooms experience right in the city, look no further than Jordi
Cruz's ABaC ( abacbarcelona.com ), nestled up in the flash Tibidabo neighbourhood.
< Back to Cafés, tapas bars and restaurants
POBLE SEC
TAPAS BARS
Quimet iQuimet c/del Poeta Cabanyes 25 934 423 142; Paral.lel; map . Poble Sec's
cosiest tapas bar is a foodie place of pilgrimage and at busy times everyone has to breathe
in to squeeze another punter through the door. The wine bottles are stacked five shelves high
(there's a chalkboard menu of wines by the glass), while little plates of classy finger food
(mostly €3-10) are served reverently from the minuscule counter - things like roast onions,
marinaded mushrooms, stuffed cherry tomatoes, grilled aubergine, anchovy-wrapped olives
and a terrific range of regional cheeses. Mon-Fri noon-4pm & 7-10.30pm, Sat noon-4pm;
closed Aug.
Tapería Lolita c/de Tamarit 104 934 245 231, lolitataperia.com ; Poble Sec; map .
You might have to wait in line to see what all the fuss is about at Joan Martínez's hip
bar, which serves cocktails and classic tapas - or “small portions of happiness” - to tuned-
in city folk and in-the-know tourists. You can eat and drink for around €25 - don't miss
the signature-dish patatas bravas or the creamy ensaladilla Rusa , Barcelona favourites all.
Tues & Wed 7pm-midnight, Thurs 7pm-2am, Fri 1-6pm & 7pm-2.30am, Sat 1-4pm &
7pm-2.30am; closed afternoons and at midnight Aug.