One of my absolute favourite restaurants in Barcelona (and in the world!) is "La Paradeta". If you are a fish & sea food fanatic like I am, this place has by far the best quality/price ratio in the city. I have brought most of my family and friends there and they all just loved it! Now, don't expect any glamour or romantic candlelit dinner! Should you decide to experience a Paradeta meal, be armed with patience and expect a "canteen-style" decor. The concept is simple: as you get in the door, a market stall displays all the yummy fish, shells, calamari, etc... you can choose from. So all your food is really fresh and you decide on the quantities.
You can't book in advance, so the table availability depends on the number of customers already inside the restaurant upon your arrival. Be prepared to wait, there are always long queues in front of the main entrance. Once you get inside, you get to choose the food you would like to eat. We chose changuetes which are tiny fried fish (really one of my favourites!!!), the sepia a la plancha (careful with garlic :) ) and some huge gambas. There are also many different shellfish you can go for!
Once you've chosen the food, you move on to another counter where you order your drinks, salads, sauces (aioli, mayonese, romesco,...) and bread. You are also given a number. PLEASE PAY ATTENTION to the number as it is very important! Once done, you pay for your meal and find a table. Pricewise, we spent 40€ for the 3 different fish, a bottle of white wine, a bottle of water bread and sauces. Please note that they do not accept credit cards, so make sure you have cash. Once seated, wait until your number is called over the microphone and you can go and collect your food at the counter. And... Voilà! enjoy a delicious meal of fresh products at a really affordable price.
The Gambas and Sepia a la plancha
Changuetes!
There are 5 different Paradetas; 4 of which in Barcelona and one in Sitges. The most popular would probably be the one in el Borne as it is most centric.
Born: Carrer Comercial 7
Sagrada Familia: Pssge Simo, 18
Sants: Calle Riego, 27
Meridiana: Calle Pacific, 74
Sitges: Sant Pere, 24-26
You can find all the information you need on their nice website: http://www.laparadeta.com/
It's a great place, but note that they barely have any fish, mainly a lot of see food. Just for the ones that would prefer fish.
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