Manolete tapas restaurant | Barcelona

Update: this restaurant no longer exists. But I’m leaving the post up in its memory.

Just when you think there are no new tapas left to discover, along comes a surprise! The Manolete tapas restaurant, which opened last summer, is between El Born and Barceloneta and has a menu that looks traditional but is full of surprises for the palate, made with quality ingredients. As they put it: ‘las tapas de siempre pero puestas al día’ (classic tapas, brought up to date).

It’s in the imposing neoclassical arcades of the Porxos d’en Xifré, with huge windows that fill it with light during the day, and atmospheric lighting at night. The decor is simple but modern, and the walls are livened up by a series of black-and-white photographs by Alfonso Vidal-Quadras, which are for sale.

The day we went, they looked after us very kindly and we let them choose for us, and they chose very well. We thoroughly enjoyed all of these dishes in a pleasant, welcoming atmosphere:

• Tiradito, a carpaccio of corvina with corn bread
• Salmorejo
• Octopus with creamy potatoes
• Patatas bravas, house-style
• Soft-boiled eggs
• Cep cream with ham, crispy onion and a little truffle oil.
• Bread with chocolate, and torrija (Spanish-style French toast).

You can also order beef burgers or other Mediterranean dishes, all of them keeping up a good standard of quality. Either way, let them advise you!

With its laid-back feel, it’s ideal for going out for tapas with friends. It has an outdoor terrace you can enjoy in the warmer months, and although it doesn’t get the sun, at times that’s actually preferable. The average price of dinner is around €35, including drinks and dessert.
The lunch menu is called ‘super plato’ and is ideal for a quick, light working lunch, at €11.95.
The people who run this restaurant also run the place next door, Japi Sushi. I haven’t been yet, but I hope to tell you about this Japanese restaurant soon! 😉

Address: Passeig d’Isabel II, 2, 08003 Barcelona

Phone: 34 93 315 80 7

Manolete restaurant website.