The “menú del día” is a concept so deeply rooted in the country’s popular culture that no one can say they’ve never ordered one. A starter, main course, and dessert at a reasonable price is all a worker of any background needs to refuel and get through their workweek from Monday to Friday.
And where did it come from? Well, it was nothing more and nothing less than a measure designed to promote tourism in Spain during the 1960s. The Minister of Tourism at the time, Manuel Fraga, made it mandatory for all restaurants to offer it, and the government itself also set the price.
Setting the price was never a good idea—it was unsustainable for restaurant owners—so prices were soon deregulated, and things improved. The daily special remained a cheaper option than ordering à la carte, while also being very substantial, as it included regional specialties and a selection of the most popular dishes.
After going on about all this, it’s worth noting that the daily special is no longer just for tourists: it belongs to all of us, and setting aside at least one weekday to enjoy Barcelona’s best daily specials should be a must.
So if you want to discover the best specialties at any of these restaurants during your lunch break, don’t miss this updated roundup of the city’s best daily specials:
Claris 118, a blend of modern and classic
Editorial credit: Claris 188
Claris 118, located in the former site of Restaurante Mirym, was renovated and modernized before the pandemic by its new owners, Ever Cubilla (former chef at Espai Kru) and Laura Monedero. With a set menu offering a choice of eight appetizers, eight main courses, and eight desserts, it’s clear you’ll be able to create as many combinations as there are weeks in the year—so we can safely say this daily set menu should be high on your list of places to try in the coming weeks.
The restaurant is practically a typical eatery serving Catalan cuisine, but Ever has wanted to give it a more modern twist. Among the starters, you’ll find salads that are more original than classic—such as escarole with red pesto, bacon, and sunflower seeds—and among the main course options, you’ll discover excellent local ingredients like “skrei” cod prepared “llauna” style or beef tenderloin cured for 20 days.
💸 €13
📍 Carrer Claris, 18
Garvin, an authentic Italian restaurant
Source: Gravin/Instagram
Located in one of Barcelona’s most culturally diverse neighborhoods, El Born, Ristorante Gravin was founded with the goal of bringing authentic Italian cuisine to Barcelona.
Its dishes are 100% handmade, especially the house-made pasta, which ranges from pappardelle to linguine, served with traditional Italian sauces.
The daily menu changes with the seasons, but you’ll always find spaghetti, rigatoni, and a delicious risotto among the main courses.
💸 €12.90
📍Carrer Rera Palau, 3
Balthazar, a gourmet menu for less than 20 euros
Editorial credit: Balthazar
The Balthazar restaurant, owned by the Andilana culinary family, has created a modern, avant-garde space with an industrial aesthetic. Its cuisine is European and based on fresh, locally sourced ingredients.
They offer several daily set menus: a premium menu for €19.60, a gourmet menu for €36.50, and a deluxe menu for €46.50. All their set menus are recommended for sharing, as the appetizers are designed to serve two . All set menus feature classic starters: croquettes, scrambled eggs, ham, or patatas bravas. What sets each set menu apart are the main course options. On the gourmet menu, for example, you can choose between seafood paella or risotto, and entrecôte or tuna tataki.
The Deluxe menu offers an expanded selection of starters, including fried calamari and eggs with ham. For main courses, you can choose between salmon and sea bass, and the dessert selection on each menu features a highly acclaimed common element: warm cheesecake.
💸 €19.60 / €36.50 / €46.50
📍 Carrer del Rosselló, 189
Lúcuma & Camote, 100% Peruvian and artisanal cuisine
Lúcuma is a fruit grown in the Andean valleys of Peru and is the star ingredient in many of this restaurant’s desserts. Lúcuma & Camote’s daily menu features 100% Peruvian cuisine made with high-quality ingredients.
Although ceviche can be added to the set menu for an extra charge, it’s worth trying it alongside a lomo saltado or one of Peru’s lesser-known stews, such as seco de res. For dessert, they offer some very interesting options, including roasted pear, passion fruit cheesecake, and lúcuma ice cream.
💸 €12.90
📍 Av. d’Icària, 132
3 Focs, authentic Catalan home-style flavors
3 Focs offers meals with the authentic flavor of a Catalan farmhouse right in the heart of the city. Its name, which means “three fires” in Catalan, hints at a connection to its grilled dishes , while the restaurant stands out for its creativity and originality in preparing dishes—combining traditional techniques with innovative presentations—all while offering professional and attentive service in a cozy and elegant atmosphere.
💸 28 € / 72 €
📍Carrer Valencia, 207
🎟️ Book here
Bronzo, an authentic Venetian restaurant in the Born
Source: Bronzo/Instagram
An Italian trattoria inspired by Venetian bacari—a type of tavern where you can eat either standing or sitting.
That’s Bronzo—a restaurant with a down-to-earth vibe in a cozy space, where they prepare recipes from Venetian grandmothers that transport you to the city of bridges and canals.
All their set menus are designed for sharing, and the price per person varies depending on whether you add a starter or a main course. They offer the Bacaro Menu, where you choose two starter dishes to share, for €29. They also have the Spuntini Menu, which includes five starter dishes, a main course of “burro e salvia” gnocchi, and rabiola cheesecake for dessert, for €32.
The last option, for €35, consists of appetizers to share—including olives, sardines, and pizzetta—and a seasonal risotto as the main course.
💸 €29 / €32 / €35
📍 Carrer del Rec, 60
Dinner Aboard a Submarine at Verne
Enjoy a delicious shared menu at Verne, where you’ll feel as if you’re aboard Captain Nemo’s submarine. With healthy and gluten-free options available, you can indulge in dishes like the ECO Burger served on a plate with chimichurri sauce and fig jam. The menu for one person includes a welcome drink and appetizer, three shared starters, a main course, dessert, a beverage, coffee, and a shot.
💸 €25
📍Carrer d’Aribau, 150, Local B
🎟️ Book here
Ceviche 103: From Peru to Barcelona via leche de tigre
If you love ceviche, we’re pretty sure you already know this spot. After all, its dish of fish marinated in leche de tigre is one of the most famous in the city. Ceviche 103 offers a very comprehensive weekly menu—and you don’t have to pay extra for a great ceviche.
For the main course, there’s always a choice of chicken, fish, or a vegan option, with dessert and a drink included. For just €16.90, you can enjoy one of the most complete and affordable set menus in L’Esquerra de L’Eixample. Plus , if you’re feeling curious, they often have some really interesting off-menu and limited-time specials.
💸 €16.90
📍 Carrer de Londres, 103
L’Actiu, by BCN Activa
Actiu offers a modern, carefully curated, high-quality menu that, for less than 15 euros, exceeds anyone’s expectations. Best of all, the menu changes daily based on seasonal market produce and always includes vegan and vegetarian options.
The restaurant is located within Barcelona Activa, an organization dedicated to promoting employment and creating job opportunities through courses, talks, and a calendar of activities.
💸 €14.90
📍 Carrer de la Llacuna, 162
Fismuler, the city’s most famous escalope
We’ve mentioned this place before, as it’s surely one of the city’s most sought-after restaurants. The credit goes to its escalope, famous far and wide, its cheesecake—which is just as renowned—and, overall, a cuisine that, based on classic and recognizable recipes, offers quite sophisticated dining at a reasonable price.
For more refined palates, for special occasions, for the days when you deserve it most. Fismuler’s “Menú Canalla” is in a league of its own, taking typical coastal dishes to the next level. This is the ideal option for taking your time—never has a phrase been more fitting—and for sharing the meal with the best company.
💸 25 €
📍 Carrer del Rec Comtal, 17
Maur, a classic in the Eixample Esquerra
A brasserie-style restaurant offering traditional Catalan cuisine made with fresh, top-quality ingredients.
Its set menu is known for offering as many options as you’d find on any restaurant’s à la carte menu, but above all for its wood-fired pizzas, which you can choose as a main course.
💸 €13.50
📍 Carrer del Comte d’Urgell, 9 / Carrer de Muntaner, 121
Vía Granados, Pure Mediterranean Cuisine
Enjoy an exquisite Mediterranean menu at a charming restaurant that’s sure to impress in Barcelona. With two menu options to choose from, Vía Granados will delight you with spectacular dishes made with local ingredients and delicious recipes. Don’t miss the chance to try their appetizers, such as patatas bravas, Padrón peppers, and homemade ham and mushroom croquettes.
💸 28 € / 36 €
📍 Carrer Enric Granados, 67
🎟️ Book here
La Raposa, vegan and cooperative
La Raposa is both a vegan bar and a feminist bookstore in Poble Sec. It’s a cooperative that also organizes a wide range of cultural and recreational activities, both inside and outside the venue.
It has an open entrance, a cozy bar with soft lighting that leads into the bookstore and ends in a lounge and a small courtyard where we’ve danced, laughed, and made the best memories. It’s also a place where you can enjoy a homemade, 100% vegan menu—delicious and at an unbeatable price.
💸 €8.50
📍 Tapioles, 47
La Pubilla, from Gracia to the Moon
This, above all, is a family-friendly spot—the kind you always come back to. As you’d expect, the decor at this Gracia spot skillfully blends the simplicity of a traditional tavern with modern furniture and colors.
The same goes for the dishes, which stay true to tradition while presenting them in the most original fusion styles. Here, the refined get even more refined, and for the quality of the food, the price is a steal.
💸 €14
📍 Plaça de la Llibertat, 23
Cal Boter, the good food
Source: Cal Boter/Instagram
Cal Boter is practically a temple in the most authentic neighborhood of Gracia. A family-run business now in its second generation, it exudes honesty and good vibes the moment you walk through the door. People eat calmly and without rushing, because that’s what you go there to do: eat.
Its daily special is one of the most highly recommended in Barcelona , and its escalivada isn’t just unique—it’s the best.
💸 €13
📍 Tordera, 62
La Granja, the classic spot
Source: La Granja/Instagram
It’s been 35 years since this cozy café first opened as “Granja la Catalana.” Today, it’s run by the second generation, and if customers keep coming back, it’s because Martí offers them top-notch, personalized service. And also because, in addition to the food, the coffee is spectacular: they bring in a different blend every two weeks, always sourced directly from small-scale farmers.
The great thing about eating here at lunchtime is that the menu features hearty, substantial dishes that you can mix and match as you like. And their Friday fajitas have become a classic.
💸 €8
📍 Gran Via, 450
La Balmesina: Finally, a pizza menu
Source: La Balmesina/Instagram
A pizza set menu? Yass. La Balmesina, one of the best pizzerias in the city, makes its pizzas with sourdough and organic flour. A pizza isn’t a salad, but it’s much better if it doesn’t sit heavy in your stomach. Their signature Neapolitan-style pizza is one of the best in the city.
💸 €11.90
📍 Balmes, 193
Jardinet d’Aribau, Baos Locos’ Magical Menu
Considered one of Barcelona’s most charming restaurants, located in the vibrant L’Eixample neighborhood, Jardinet d’Aribau offers a delicious set menu on its lovely garden terrace in a relaxed atmosphere, providing you with a haven in the heart of the city.
With options like ratatouille, mushroom risotto, the chef’s fish selection, an organic beef burger, or Catalan pularda confit, this menu will delight you with the most exquisite dishes. And every Tuesday, enjoy the Baos Locos menu.
💸 €25
📍 Carrer d’Aribau, 133
🎟️ Book here
Bar Muy Buenas, the Raval’s go-to spot for food
In addition to food, they also serve Catalan wines and spirits in a Modernist setting. Gorgeous. It’s the kind of place you have to take anyone visiting Barcelona to surprise them and make their day perfect. A home-style menu with plates piled high—just the way it should be.
💸 €13.50
📍 Carrer del Carme, 63
Mi Tierra: Silver, Lead, or Set Menu
Source: Mi Tierra/Instagram
If you like Colombian food and were looking for a place to enjoy a good sancocho, this is the spot. If you’ve never tried it, what are you waiting for?
Mi Tierra is called “Mi Tierra” because when you walk through the door, you step right into Colombia—a place full of Colombian people—and that’s exactly what you’ll find here. You can’t get a better guarantee than that. (And they offer delivery.)
💸 €9
📍 Comte d’Urgel, 76
Casa Masala, a Trip to India
Indian food has its fair share of fans who’ll be thrilled to find their favorite dish on a neighborhood menu. Masala’s midday Thali Menu features one of the most highly recommended curry selections and also includes a milder option for kids.
If you have any doubts about the quality of the place, we recommend reading what we wrote about them when they first opened: Casa Masala is one of the best Indian restaurants you’ll find in the city.
💸 €15
📍 Calle Muntaner, 152
Sifó
An Argentine fusion restaurant that, true to its style, offers a menu featuring meats, pizzas, pasta, and—above all— the best milanesas in Barcelona. Well, that’s what many who know the place well say.
So, for lovers of hearty meals and the delights of this region, we recommend this culinary delight in the form of a set menu at a price that’s simply wonderful.
💸 €11.90
📍 Espalter, 4
Biocenter, the vegetarian option
Here’s the vegetarian option! And take note—this isn’t just any option, but one of the very best.
Here, vegetarianism isn’t just about avoiding meat—it’s a commitment to doing things right. Not only the food, but also the juices, wines, and beers are almost 100% organic and locally sourced. This is, quite simply, eating well. But that’s not all: the place is absolutely gorgeous.
💸 €15
📍 Pintor Fortuny, 25
La nova Farga, a Catalan institution in Sants
Now this is a neighborhood spot: affordable prices and food made and served with love in the Sants neighborhood. An authentic tavern you’ll either visit often or never visit at all. What more can be said about a spot that’s simply ideal: good, beautiful, and cheap.
💸 10 €
📍 Almería, 31
Tino, a top culinary experience to enjoy at home
Can you imagine eating the perfect blend of pizza, empanada, and burrito all in one recipe? Two French friends set out to solve a basic problem with “pizza delivery”: that the pizza arrives cold. But that’s no longer an issue—if you change the shape of the dough!
Now you can try and enjoy a feast at home with Tino’s eight-coursemenu, which includes the Cabracadabra, Mexigan, and Stiive Jobs.
💸 €34.90
📍 Delivery available in Barcelona city
Can Boneta, the farmhouse at home
Before you continue reading this paragraph, pick up the phone and call Can Boneta to reserve a table.
You’ll save yourself precious time, since lunch reservations at this restaurant are highly sought after—the food is worth far more than what you pay, and there are fewer than ten tables. Supply and demand. And if demand means full tables, that’s because of the value: 14 euros for a starter, main course, dessert, and a top-notch drink—usually with a small appetizer to tide you over until your meal arrives.
Top-notch Catalan cuisine at a small-town bar price, with a quality that puts many similarly priced menus in the city to shame. Have you called yet?
💸 14 €
📍 Carrer de Balmes, 139
L’Artesana: The Greatness of Simplicity
L’Artesana is one of those set-menu restaurants that any neighborhood would envy. A place where the daily set menu strikes a delicate balance between traditional fare, innovative takes on classic dishes, and reasonable prices. A true treat where, for less than 15 euros , you can enjoy a set menu featuring fresh fish of the day or stews like cap i pota.
Now, if you’re looking for a culinary feast at a great price, for 20 euros you can order a tasting menu featuring several dishes from that day’s menu and enjoy them on the terrace—where, by the way, you can breathe in the fresh, peaceful air so characteristic of spring afternoons in Poblenou.
💸 Daily special: €13.90
📍 Carrer de Sant Joan de Malta, 148
Casa Cabo, beach-style rice at a set-menu price
Finding a good rice dish in Barcelona is hard enough. And although we’ve already recommended a few places, sometimes you’re in the mood for rice but want to spend a little less—or you’re simply short on time at lunchtime. Casa Cabo is here to fill that need .
On its terrace on Carrer Marina, just four blocks from the sea, the air is filled with the scent of salt, and its lunch menu lives up to the expectations set by its location.
For just 13 euros, you get a set menu with simple yet impressive starters that serve as a prelude to the star of the menu: the rice dish of the day. These rice dishes, cooked in clay pots, sell out every lunchtime and make this place more than just a bar.
As they describe it: an urban beach bar. They’re doing so well that they already have four locations (a wine bar, a Japanese fusion restaurant…), so there are plenty of places to try.
💸 13 €
📍 Carrer de Ramon Turró, 19
Granja Mabel, the eternal leader
Granja Mabel has long been a staple on any self-respecting list of daily set menus in Barcelona. It’s a fixture, a constant. It never disappoints.
Its €12.95 set menu is like the samurai’s path of set menus, much like that sushi apprentice who spends ten years perfecting the art of slicing fish.
At Granja Mabel, they’ve spent years mastering the art of the set menu to ensure it never disappoints. To call their set menu “haute cuisine” is a cliché, but it’s true that for just 13 euros, the cuisine reaches a whole new level—a blend of sophistication and simplicity that’s hard to find in the city.
The weekly set menus are posted on their Instagram with military precision, and just one glance is enough to make your mouth water and understand why Mabel’s ranks among the city’s best set menus.
💸 €12.95
📍 Carrer de la Marina, 114
Bar Joan, the Great Market-Fresh Set Menu
We’ve mentioned Cal Joan before because of how delicious and affordable their patatas bravas are, but their daily set menu is just as impressive. For 14 euros, you can enjoy authentic market-fresh cuisine—dishes centered around stews and fresh ingredients grilled to perfection.
Their tripe does exactly what it’s supposed to do (shine on the plate and leave your lips sticky after you eat it), and their fish and meat dishes—served without sides—have the simple, hearty appeal of a dish made with quality ingredients. It’s not the only market-style bar with great set menus, but it’s the one we recommend. We encourage you to check it out for yourself—after all, a chef who cooks between meals is unlikely to make a mistake.
💸 €12.95
📍 Carrer de la Marina, 114
La Sosenga
Source: Instagram @lasosenga
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La Sosenga is, plain and simple, one of the three best set menus in Barcelona.<b> Yes, it’s 25 euros, but the set menu you get is a 10-course masterclass brimming with sensitivity, intelligence,</b> finesse, warmth, fine cuisine, and, above all, flavor and originality. We hate overusing adjectives because good food can’t be captured in words, which is why we can only urge you to try it for yourselves.<br />
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Just make sure to make a reservation, and if you can, be prepared to pay close attention: to the structure of the tasting menu, the flavors of the dishes, the seasonal ingredients, or even the menu itself, which lists the producers of the ingredients used in the seasonal tasting menu—which changes almost every month. Or don’t—just go in blind; you’ll enjoy yourself just as much at<b> this little restaurant that makes it worth taking a stroll through the Gothic Quarter again.</b><br />
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<i><span class=”c-emoji c-emoji__medium c-emoji–inline”><img src=”https://a.slack-edge.com/production-standard-emoji-assets/14.0/google-medium/1f4b8.png” alt=”:money_with_wings:” /></span></i><i> 24.9 €</i><br />
<i><span class=”c-emoji c-emoji__medium c-emoji–inline”><img src=”https://a.slack-edge.com/production-standard-emoji-assets/14.0/google-medium/1f4cd.png” alt=”:round_pushpin:” /></span></i><i> Carrer de n’Amargós, 1</i><br />
<h2><shortcode data-tag=”trackLink” link_url=”https://barcelonasecreta.com/cerveceria-barcelonesa/”>Cerveceria la Barcelonesa</shortcode>, the €10 set menu</h2><br />
<shortcode data-tag=”caption” id=”attachment_80737″ align=”alignnone” width=”1200″><img class=”size-full wp-image-80737″ src=”https://offloadmedia.feverup.com/barcelonasecreta.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/10133838/comida-tapa-la-barcelonesa-1.jpg” alt=”” width=”1200″ height=”1065″ /> Source: David León Himelfarb – Barcelona Secreta</shortcode><br />
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We’ve already told you about La Barcelonesa in <shortcode data-tag=”trackLink” link_url=”https://barcelonasecreta.com/cerveceria-barcelonesa/”>this article</shortcode>, so we won’t go into detail here. A 10.5-course Catalan menu (starting with one dish, you can add more until you have a full menu for 20€) made with love in a bright, hidden spot right on Rambla Catalunya. Read the review to see the amazing dishes we tried.<br />
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<i><span class=”c-emoji c-emoji__medium c-emoji–inline”><img src=”https://a.slack-edge.com/production-standard-emoji-assets/14.0/google-medium/1f4b8.png” alt=”:money_with_wings:” /></span></i><i> 10.5€</i><br />
<i><span class=”c-emoji c-emoji__medium c-emoji–inline”><img src=”https://a.slack-edge.com/production-standard-emoji-assets/14.0/google-medium/1f4cd.png” alt=”:round_pushpin:” /></span></i><i> <a href=”https://www.google.com/maps/place//data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x12a4a33a80a4ccd1:0x101fd75ef5575ea0?sa=X&ved=1t:8290&ictx=111″>Pg. de St. Joan, 77, L’Eixample, 08009 Barcelona</a></i><br />
<h2>Restaurant Gegant</h2><br />
<img class=”alignnone size-full wp-image-113670″ src=”https://offloadmedia.feverup.com/barcelonasecreta.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/13171821/gegant-caracoles-plato-restaurante.jpg” alt=”” width=”1200″ height=”1187″ /><br />
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It’s not the Gegant del Pi, but rather the one in Poblenou—the new restaurant everyone’s talking about, which aims to establish itself as <strong>the new mecca of Catalan cuisine in the city.</strong> So far, it’s off to a good start, with packed houses both at dinner and lunch—the latter thanks to a €23 set menu that isn’t available every day but is definitely worth considering if you’re looking for authentic Catalan cuisine.<br />
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Obviously, the star dish is<strong> cap i pota, but the entire menu is a tribute to Catalan cuisine</strong> (with a few French touches) featuring top-tier quality and ingredients, such as esqueixada, snails that rank among the city’s best, and cod prepared with the utmost care. A great place, really, to enjoy a quiet lunch or treat yourself to a night of celebration.<br />
<h2><a href=”https://barcelonasecreta.com/mejores-callos-del-mundo-lartesana-santa-eulalia-barcleona-lhospitalet/”>L’Artesana (El Poblenou)</a></h2><br />
<p><img class=”alignnone size-full wp-image-179652″ src=”https://offloadmedia.feverup.com/barcelonasecreta.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/25113922/lartesana-1.jpg” alt=”” width=”1024″ height=”683″ /></p><br />
<p>With the clean, comforting aesthetic of a traditional breakfast bar, L’Artesana has established itself as one of the leading lights of neo-traditional cuisine in El Poblenou. At the helm are Pau Pons, Héctor Barbero, and sommelier Romina Reyes—a top-tier team honed at culinary institutions like Gresca and Monvínic. Their philosophy is to take traditional Catalan recipes, infuse them with a healthy dose of technical ingenuity, and transform them into authentic neighborhood haute cuisine accessible to everyone.</p><br />
<p>This brilliance is reflected in an impeccable lunch menu for 17.20 euros, featuring fresh and healthy first courses—such as curried cauliflower soup—alongside hearty main courses based on the catch of the day or slow-simmered stews like their masterful <i>capipota</i>. For just an additional 2.50 euros, you can add gems from their regular menu to the deal, notably those cuttlefish meatballs with tendons that have already become a city favorite, or opt for a full tasting of all the dishes on the menu for 25 euros.</p><br />
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<div class=”smn-tracklink-cta”>You might be interested in: <shortcode data-tag=”trackLink” link_url=”https://barcelonasecreta.com/seis-cafeterias-ideales-para-estudiar-o-trabajar-en-barcelona/”>These are the best cafés for studying or working in Barcelona</shortcode></div>
