First a note: We have not EATEN at all of these places, some we couldn’t get in, some we just loved the look of the place, some had no gluten-free options. We could spend YEARS in Barcelona and not eat at all the great places. We do the best we can – thank goodness we are walking so much!
We have been quite lucky (and diligent) in finding a LOT of celiac friendly restaurants. The EU makes it a priority to list just about every type of food allergen. Who would have expected gluten-free pastrami sandwiches? We have had AMAZING tapas dinners, paella dinners, café lunches, and afternoons grazing through the mercats. Happily for us, seafood is a huge part of every menu here, and we are eating lots of it. So much squid, fish (boquerones in vinagre, bacalao, flounder), shrimp, and shellfish!
From the above places, we’ve eaten at Pinotxo bar (twice so far!), Ziryab, Cal Marius, and Sushi Ouchi. Pinotxo and Ziryab are worth multiple visits. Other outstanding food experiences so far: Messie pizza – totally gluten-free pizza, pasta, risotto, in our neighborhood, and DELICIOUS; La Vinateria del Call – gluten-free tapas in Bari Gotic, AMAZING; L’Arrosseria Xativa – unbelievable paella, steamed clams, and right in our neighborhood; Pork – so much good pork, not far from La Rambla; accidental tapas (as in we had no destination in mind and just stumbled across it) a gem was Taller de Tapas on Rambla Catalunya; and because we haven’t had good Chinese food for…forever, we really enjoyed Out of China in Eixample Right. For a “white linen table cloth” experience we went to En Ville, just off Plaza Catalunya. It was not cheap, but SOOO worth it, for the service, food, and wine! We’ve made our own Google map of Barcelona with all of the celiac friendly places we heard about, and more that we’ve learned of since arriving. It is a literal foodie paradise!
I know lots of people take artistic pictures of their food. We are usually so excited to EAT it that the only photos we have are of the aftermath.
Along with food that is too-die-for, Barcelona (and Spain in general) is well known for their wines. Luckily we are happy to try all the offerings. 🍷
We had lots of time in Barcelona to eat and drink as much as we can, and then there is Valencia – the so-called home of paella. It is a rough job, but I think we are up to it.