Dinner prior to 9pm in Barcelona

[DGK]

Hi,

We are arriving in Barcelona approx. 3pm (our first trip to Europe and cruise) and staying at the Hotel Continental Las Ramblas. Our plan is to check in, shower and walk around till we feel we need to collapse and have dinner before hitting our bed. We thought this would be the best way to get over the jet lag and move onto our new time zone. I have been reading that most restaurants don’t open in Barcelona till 9pm. I understand our hotel has a 24 hour buffet but not really a dinner. Any suggestions as to where we can plan on eating that first evening if we can’t stay awake till 9pm?

All of your expert advice has helped us plan this entire trip!

Thank you so much,

DGK

[ab0si]

There are plenty of places open earlier. If you want a classic meal at a top restaurant, you might have a problem but here is plenty of good food available just about any time you want to eat. You will have no problem with this.

[texancruzer]

If you are staying near Las Ramblas......walk out the door......down the street (pick a direction).......and then pick from a number of tapas bars for a great meal ! We ate at 5:30 the night we were there...... I was one tired puppy and this was the end of our trip :eek:

[42trvl]

Just ask at your hotel for some suggestions. We were just there and under the same impression as you, but had no problem eating at our more "accustome to" time. In fact, the places we ate were quite full by 7:30-8:00.

[Captain Canuck]

..thats spanish lingo for Macdonalds.....there is one one on las ramblas...but there are also lots of street cafes and bars in the area

[texancruzer]

..thats spanish lingo for Macdonalds.....there is one one on las ramblas...but there are also lots of street cafes and bars in the area

 

 

OH NO !!!!! Don't go all the way to Barcelona and eat at McDonalds !!!!!!!!!!! :eek:

[Hlitner]

As others have said, there are many many restaurants within a short walk from your hotel. If its a beautiful day, you might just want to have a light dinner at one of the outdoor cafes that line the center of the Ramblas. Although the food in these places is not world class, its fine and its a lot of fun just watching humanity pass-by on the Ramblas. As to eating early, you will have plenty of company from other tourists.

 

Hank

[Captain Canuck]

...ok I was kidding but sometimes you just have to have a mac

[texancruzer]

[quote=Captain Canuck;16008271

 

but sometimes you just have to have a mac

 

 

NOT ME !!!! I don't step foot (or drive thru) one EVER.

And certainly not in Barcelona......too much good food there !!

[dingsterkat]

Tapas in Spain are better than dinner anyway! Gambas al ajillo, Jamon serrano, queso manchego, albondigas en salsa, tortilla espanola, calamares a la romana... nothing better than Spanish comfort food washed down by a nice red... And they're just little plates, so its easy to try everything and share. What a nice way to spend the early evening before passing out from jet lag! My upcoming cruise only spends 6 hours in Barcelona. I plan to be the last one back on the boat... enjoy!

[Captain Canuck]

we had a tapas bar on one of the cruises we were on...forget which....but I got to try everything for free...I did not like much but I am a fussy eater...still I like the concept..

 

AND if you don't like ronaldos (Macdonalds) they also have a pizza hut (tee hee hee)

[Preds]

we had a tapas bar on one of the cruises we were on...forget which....but I got to try everything for free...I did not like much but I am a fussy eater...still I like the concept..

 

AND if you don't like ronaldos (Macdonalds) they also have a pizza hut (tee hee hee)

LOL, there's also a KFC directly across the street from Sagrada Familia! Our 12you son HAD to go there for a bite, so we let him, then went down the street to one of the street cafes and got a more traditional Spanish meal for ourselves!

[Bowie MeMe]

OK no McDonald's or Pizza Hut how about Kentucky Fried Chicken or the European version Maryland Fried Chicken. Bought Maryland cookies (complete with the Maryland flag! on the wrapper) in Norway. They tasted horrible but made fun gifts to take home to Maryland. Just remember if it is hot in Barcelona both McDonald's and Pizza Hut serve very large sodas WITH ice! Gotta love COLD drinks.

[texancruzer]

we had a tapas bar on one of the cruises we were on...forget which....but I got to try everything for free...I did not like much but I am a fussy eater...still I like the concept..

 

AND if you don't like ronaldos (Macdonalds) they also have a pizza hut (tee hee hee)

 

You are bad bad bad !!!!! :D :D :D

The BEST tapas I have ever had was in San Juan Puerto Rico. They had lobster empanadas, ceviche (made from Chilean Sea Bass), a shrimp scampi, calamari (normally don't like this but it was g-o-o-d !) and a couple of other items we tried that were all 10's ! I would not imagine tapas on a cruise ship would be all that great altho I have heard some have sushi bars that are quite good (don't know - don't eat sushi).

 

We just prefer to at least try some local food as part of my overall travel experience. But yes McD's is good for cold drinks and bathrooms ;)

[Captain Canuck]

if it don't moo I don't eat it.....probably why I did not like tapas as they were mostly seafood or sheep..I am from cattle country

[dingsterkat]

Oh, a cattleman in piggie country! That would be a problem - most everything wonderful in Spanish cooking is either piggie or seafood. Has anyone ever been to my favorite Spanish museum, El Museo de Jamon? Yes, forget the Prado and forsake the Thyssen-Bornemisa, the Ham Museum is actually a bar/restaurant chain in Madrid with gorgeous whole jamon serranos hanging from the ceiling covering the walls kinda like wallpaper. "Dos croissants mixtos (jamon y queso) y una cerveza grande!" Sniff, sniff... wish they would open a US location.

 

As I digress even more from the subject, isn't is wonderful that when traveling through Europe it is our birthright as Americans to use the McDonalds bathrooms around the world as if they were our own? I really haven't eaten in many of the McDonalds around the world, but I have partaken of their facilities. Do remember though that the McD's in Spain serve beer, and there is one in Madrid decorated completely in Marble.

[Captain Canuck]

1. the one near the Spanish Steps...I went there when it was new...it had mosaics on the walls with water flowing over them...gorgeous place

 

 

2/ macadamia nut lattes in the Waikiki mcdonalds...I ran into a friend on the beach...took him and his wife accross the street to mcds...he thought I was nuts until he tasted them....

[jezzabell]

Go directly to Plaza Reial (Plaza Real). It is off of the Ramblas if you take Calle Colom. It is the most beautiful colonaded courtyard and filled with restaurants. We at the restaurant on the side of the square if you enter from Calle Ferran (the NW) and although the name escapes me right now, we had an excellent meal. You can just wander around the square, menu shopping and pricing and seeing how long the wait for a table is. People stand in lines chatting and waiting- it is part of the whole Plaza Real experience. Go back in the day light and it is a completely different feel. A market was set up when we returned and most of the outdoor seating had vanished!:)

[Andym]

I second Jezzabell. One good restaurant in there is Les Quinze Nits. I think it opens at 08.30 pm so get there about 08.00pm. There will soon be a line, but it's well worth the wait. It's a cookery school and the prices are very very good, but more important, the food is great. Later on the lines outside will be very, very long.

[Captain Canuck]

it was a book fair when we walked through during the daytime...

[texancruzer]

if it don't moo I don't eat it.....probably why I did not like tapas as they were mostly seafood or sheep..I am from cattle country

 

OK.... You are talking to a born and raised TEXAN girl.....we invented MOO !

 

But I do at least TRY to experience the whole essence of a place I visit....even if I spit it out in my napkin :eek:

[Rala]

OK.... You are talking to a born and raised TEXAN girl.....we invented MOO !

 

But I do at least TRY to experience the whole essence of a place I visit....even if I spit it out in my napkin :eek:

 

 

Hi Cheryl(We were on the Med cruise last Nov, with you),

 

You are too funny AND you have a good attitude about travel in far-flung places. Nice to see you are still on the boards!

 

Laura

[texancruzer]

Hey Laura, Yep I am still here..... addicted like all of us :o

 

Just gotta say I simply love to travel. I love to see, smell, taste, hear and touch the places I visit. My dad was a merchant marine..... he travelled for a living so I guess I got it from him. I also learned from him that this planet we live on has lots of different people on it.....some will be like you - some won't. This is a good thing. What's even better is to experience the differences with a smile and a Thank You.

 

We were hoping to head back to Europe this Nov. but we just bought a new house and are to close on it Sept. 30th .... so no Europe this fall. We did get 10 days in the Bahamas this summer though so will not complain.

 

Take care. Cheryl

[Rala]

Hey Cheryl,

 

I could not agree more with your travel philosophy. We are doing the eastern Med. and Egypt in March. Can't wait!

 

Happy Travels, Laura

 

 

P.S. Sorry for the hi-jack, folks. Just had to say hi.

[Captain Canuck]

I love Texas..you have to love a place that has football as a religion..even if its that wimpy american version...(rules..not the players....don't want Bubba trying to track me down)_

 

I love to travel..but I am too old and set in my ways to change for the locals where we go....besides...we have already stolen all thats best from every culture there is..food, culture and language included...

 

that is why cruising is so great...I can get a taste of places but eat what is familiar

 

and when I do eat Mcdonalds on vacation its mostly a time thing...less time eating more time looking around....prefer to do street food when that is safe (crepes in paris) but standardization is not always a bad thing

 

my having had a few bouts of tourista in my travels...from some better restaurants too also has a bit to do with my eating out habits

 

besides ...I am already doing without Tim Hortons when I leave Canada...how much adventure does a guy have to have