How to spot a TOURIST TRAP in Barcelona (and avoid them)

Don't want to get stuck in a TOURIST TRAP? These red flags 🚩will help you steer clear of them and eat like the locals.
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[@tomasthonell5445]

Yes, one thing we have learned going to Barcelona... Avoid places with pictures on the food. And if you are in Barceloneta: Go to the back streets for good seafood restaurants. 🙂

[@PatrickGuideBarcelona]

Some great restaurants there!

[@melaniehamper5904]

Can you share some of the restaurants that you found?

[@themydnighthour]

Excellent advice. I always avoid the places you mentioned.

[@tylergraham7352]

I just got back and I gotta say watching your videos similar to this one really really paid off for us. Everywhere we went lived up to or even exceeded the hype and when some plans fell through I had enough knowledge (and notes) of other places to grab food and go for a drink on the fly to keep the night from being ruined. And honestly the spontaneity made it even better!

[@PatrickGuideBarcelona]

Thanks Tyler! I’m glad the tips and recommendations helped. Any place you would highlight for others?

[@ireneinbarcelona]

Do go for the lunch menu, menú del día. You tend to get good value for little money. Don't bother with table linen etc., instead, have a look at who's eating there.

[@PatrickGuideBarcelona]

Lunch menu is always a great option

[@greg6924]

Very informative video. I agree!

[@PatrickGuideBarcelona]

Glad it was helpful!

[@chrisvalford]

Always m go to places your Catalan friends suggest, great food and atmosphere. One of my favourites is not far from whee you walk, looking at it you would think it's touristic, but the lunchtime menu is always good. I always refer to the waiters outside as food pimps, but then I used to live in Sant Pauli Hamburg 😂

[@chrisvalford]

Forgot to say. There is a small tapas place in PobleSec where a bottle of Pink Cava is still only a few euros. You will know the place by the hundreds of photos of happy customers on the wall.

[@user-dl7jt7md5q]

Great video, pretty informative. I am aiming to visit catalunya not just barcelona through typical tourist. I am hoping to enjoy my visit like a local because i feel you would get to experince the authencity of what the region has to offer. I am have been learning catalan because i am really fell in love with the language and hope to speak wothout having to rely on transaltion service. I think k owing the local language will make the visit more easy and enjoyable like the expression “bufar i fer ampolles”

[@ireneinbarcelona]

If you choose to have lunch/dinner/drinks right on the Rambla/Rambles, you will be charged extremely high prices. Avoid the obvious, switch to places one or two streets off the main streets like Rambla/Rambles, Passeig de Gràcia, Diagonal, Parallel. If you were to visit New York, you'd do the same, avoiding 5th Avenue, etc. There's so much information available that no tourist has to end up in those traps - unless they didn't bother to do some research. In that case: you know you could've done better but you didn't, so don't complain. One place REALLY worthwhile is Louro, a modern Galician restaurant right on the Rambles/Rambla, a little further down from the Liceu metro stop (green line). Great food, great atmosphere, very nice interior design.

[@PatrickGuideBarcelona]

I’ll have to check it out. Good shout

[@glenber205]

Hi Patrick, will you be able to guide me when I get there on November?

[@hammerwolfbm]

Our apartment was on Carrer de Roca, just around the corner from IRATI. Our very first meal in Barcelona choosing to have Cava with the tapas. Three of us ate for under €70 Incredible! ❤❤❤

[@PatrickGuideBarcelona]

🥂

[@8020drummer]

3:54 which restaurant??!? Don’t leave us hanging 😂

[@HoangDRM]

Thank you for the tips, Patrick. Your vlogs are always educational from a cultural standpoint as well as for travelers to Barcelona. I had a couple of good meals based on the recommendation of my bike tour guide and where he likes to eat. For example, the menu and prices at Taller de Tapas were the same for locals and tourists, and the service was attentive. The location in El Borne was a mix of locals and out-of-towners, while the location in L'Eixample was all locals except for me based on my observations. This is likely due to where tourists would typically go when visiting (El Borne vs. L'Eixample). I also visited several restaurants near my hotel around Les Corts. While these may be fancier restaurants, I didn't think the food was as good, and the menu catered to visitors and business travelers. Getting these tips from Patrick or someone 'local' like my tour guide and where he spends his money are good examples.

[@PatrickGuideBarcelona]

You’re very welcome! Glad to hear you found some spots you liked. What was your favorite place that you visited?

[@HoangDRM]

@@PatrickGuideBarcelona My favorite from this trip is the Palau de la Música Catalana, designed by Lluis Domènech Montaner. It is such a beautiful building that it is still actively used. It is available for tours, and the main level is open to the public with a lovely cafe. It is slightly hidden from the main street, adding to its charm. I highly recommend this Barcelona landmark for those who visit Barcelona for the first time or any times.

[@ireneinbarcelona]

One dead-sure giveaway is the menu: if the menu on display has pictures, you're dealing with a tourist trap. Also, paella is a dish eaten during noon, not in the evening. Paella for around 10 € is bound to be crap.

[@PatrickGuideBarcelona]

👍🏼

[@adambriceland6588]

Great video Patrick. Avoid the clowns in Plaza Catalonia, plus the hawkers and Manteros on the beach and the parks!

[@PatrickGuideBarcelona]

👍🏼

[@fulhamvince]

Great advice. I live here and I’d say another tourist-trap sign tends to be a long, sprawling menu, where the restaurant tries to cover all bases and tastes. And with so many options, it’s highly likely the food will be frozen. (BTW: a real paella takes 20 minutes to cook from scratch; if it comes out sooner, it’s been microwaved). Smaller, more honed menus usually indicate you’re at a more authentic place, with fresh ingredients - and that the chef/owner has really thought about the menu.

[@PatrickGuideBarcelona]

Good advice!

[@williambeltran2416]

Hi there, any recommendations for restaurants or places to sit down and grab a nice drink? I’d really appreciate it 🙏🏽

[@PatrickGuideBarcelona]

@williambeltran2416 check the description! You’ve got a free guide

[@williambeltran2416]

@@PatrickGuideBarcelona thank you!

[@barryclegg9961]

Yeah never go to food places that have tables and chairs on the street in la rambles as the food is terrible and the prices are rip off.. My favourite places on la rambles are moka and cafe rock at the top round the corner of la rambles.

[@HalimWander]

if only currencies were same all over the globe

[@amarasesay7522]

Can you let us know about the riots and tourism hate? Looking to cancel our trip for safety

[@PatrickGuideBarcelona]

What specifically do you want to know?

[@Lightdog555]

You will be fine I have been there 5 times and yes there is an over tourism problem, but as long as you’re not going during peak tourism , you don’t really see those demonstrations too much and don’t be an obnoxious disrespectful tourist

[@henryharrison8010]

I haven't figured out if this is a rule, but I think if you can order paella without a 2 person minimum (unless it's on the menú del día), then it's a tourist trap

[@PatrickGuideBarcelona]

Not necessarily. Many restaurants have a 2 person minimum.

[@henryharrison8010]

@@PatrickGuideBarcelona Right, but I mean, if it *doesn't* have a 2-person minimum, is that a red flag?

[@juansavinon2799]

I'm going to be there in a couple of days. Do I need to worry about the protesters?

[@PatrickGuideBarcelona]

New video coming soon

[@melaniehamper5904]

Going to be there in August. What are some of your favourite restaurants?

[@PatrickGuideBarcelona]

Check the description below! You’ve got an entire food map!

[@cheetah2882]

@@PatrickGuideBarcelonawhere?

[@PatrickGuideBarcelona]

In the description under FREE Guides

[@cheetah2882]

@@PatrickGuideBarcelona thanks

[@petek5523]

To avoid bad paella, go to Valencia 😅

[@PatrickGuideBarcelona]

🥘

[@chrisvalford]

mmmmm rabbit, yummy

[@Seireunion]

There are so many of these mediocre bars and rip of supermarkets but you know Barcelona is a victim of its own success in this regard. Better to go off the beaten path to the smaller places buzzing with locals.