En Aparté - El Born, Barcelona

En Aparté - Relaxed french cuisine i El Born

So far El Born has been unfairly neglected on our blog despite being yet another fantastic area of Barcelona. El Born is a maze of small streets, alleys, passages etc. and you will keep finding new hidden gems in the most unlikely spots. There are many fantastic places to eat and drink in El Born and if you feel like skipping the tapas for a few hours how about trying out some french cuisine at En Aparté? En Aparté is a reasonably priced and very friendly place with a few tables outside and a cozy indoor restaurant with a very relaxed atmosphere.

Relaxed restaurant and bar for a great lunch, dinner or for a few drinks

As we have mentioned before you can get some incredible week day lunch deals in Barcelona and En Aparté i no exception. If you go for the lunch menu the selection is limited but you will not be disappointed. We had the three course Menu del Dia for only 12 euros (including a glass of wine) and everything was excellent. En Aparté is a highly recommended oasis to have a relaxing break and a bite to eat during your exploration of El Born. DC!

Restaurant Sotavent, Club Natació Badalona - Badalona

Club Natació Badalona

Paella is a delicious Spanish dish that many consider the national dish of Spain. However, in reality it is closer to being the "national dish" of Valencia from where it originates. Paella is a rice dish similar in many was to the Italian risotto. Paella is served in big frying pans and they come in many versions. The most commonly encountered paellas are made with various meats, seafood or even mixtures of seafood and meat. However, there are many different regional paella specialties that you will encounter when travelling in Catalunya and Spain. The trick with paella is to find a restaurant that is good at preparing it. Just imagine the consequences of bad sea food paella. You really don’t want to go there.

The waiter at Restaurant Sotavent serving our paella.

There are several places in and around Barcelona that will serve a decent paella. However, for the ultimate big city paella experience we have a secret favourite spot that we are going to reveal. In a previous post we were comparing the beach in Barcelona to the beach in Badalona. Well now you have another good reason to go on a trip to the beach in Badalona: Restaurant Sotavent located in Club Natació Badalona. This is a fantastic spot with an amazing view and very good paella at a reasonable price. The restaurant is placed right on the beach just around the corner from the train station so it’s easy to find.

Enter Club Natació Badalona from the land side and go to the first floor where the restaurant is situated. We normally come here for lunch and on a sunny day it is highly recommended to get a table outside so you can enjoy the amazing view of the beach and Barcelona down the coast. They make a fantastic paella marinera (seafood paella) that is highly recommended.

Paella marinera. Bon profit!

Remember to keep an eye out for their menu deals. On certain days of the week a three course menu with a bottle of wine is available for about 13 Euros per person. Also this is one of the best spots we know of to have chipirones (fried baby squid) which is a fantastic snack or starter in combination with a salad. If rice isn't your thing you could consider having a so called fideuà which basically is the noodle equivalent of paella. Bon Profit. DC!

The Beach - Barcelonetta vs. Badalona

Barceloneta beach looking towards Port Olímpic

The ability to combine shopping on Rambla de Catalunya, with chilling out on the beach, followed by drinks in El Raval and dinner in Gràcia on the same day makes Barcelona a unique European holiday destination. A really nice beach within walking distance from the city centre means that you can pretty much do whatever you want when in Barcelona without having to plan anything in advance. The beach we are referring to here is located in Barceloneta. It is easy to get to the beach on foot, however, depending on where in Barcelona you are located you may want to take the Metro to Barceloneta station or get a bus that will take you there. The beach is nice and clean with several chiringuitos (beach bars)  and a string of regular bars and restaurants at both ends. We often have a quick trip to the beach in Barceloneta if we have an hour or two to spare but there are some down sides that should be mentioned. Firstly, it is crawling with tourists, secondly there are some terrible restaurants in Barceloneta that you should avoid (good places will be recommended in separate posts), and thirdly there are countless very annoying people constantly trying to sell you everything from beer, massages, henna tattoo's, fruit, mojitos etc. Personally, we suggest that you don't buy anything from these guys except maybe water, beer or a soft drink in an unopened can/bottle. Moreover, keep a good eye on your belongings as it is quite common to have your stuff stolen in Barceloneta and around Port Olimpic. Despite these draw backs it is truly amazing that you can just stroll down to the beach from Barcelona city centre for a swim and a mojito in one of the chiringuitos.

Badalona beach in November

If you get tired of the tourist madness in Barceloneta and feel like a nice and civilised day at the beach there is an excellent alternative not too far away. Just north of Barcelona the city of Badalona is located. Badalona has a great beach, with nice chiringuitos, restaurants and bars and none of the touristic nuisances you are exposed to in Barceloneta. Unlike Barceloneta in Badalona you will find almost exclusively Catalans at the beach. The beach is easily reached by train from Barcelona Sants railway station. Very conveniently the train station in Badalona is located right next to the beach. Moreover, there is a fantastic restaurant on the beach in Badalona that in itself is worth the trip (Club Natació Badalona that we will cover in a separate post). DC!