How many times have we strolled through a market dreaming of eating everything we see at the counters. For those who enjoy eating, imagining the seafood in a fishmonger’s shop going straight from the counter to the plate is a common fantasy that in Barcelona, luckily, can become a reality. The restaurants on this list are not typical seafood restaurants, but function as fishmongers.
The system is simple, a counter welcomes us with all the merchandise available: fish, seafood… All you have to do is choose the quantity of each product, pay the price corresponding to the weight chosen, select the cooking method and sit down to wait at the table, where the dishes will arrive freshly cooked, as fresh as possible. An unbeatable way to eat fresh fish and get away and get even a little bit closer to the sea to escape the heat wave.
Peix d’or, a classic
The air and name of a classic seafood restaurant, an out-of-the-ordinary offer. At the Peix d’Or everything has the appearance of a traditional restaurant, one of those where people used to go in the old days to celebrate great occasions with championship seafood dishes. But at Peix d’Or the philosophy is self-service with care and attention. You already know the philosophy: Enter, look at the bar, order what you want by weight, pay for it and sit down to wait. The alarm that they will have given us will be warning us, and we will only have to go to the bar to pick up the order and enjoy. Be careful! They have also opened a vermutería where you can enjoy the same offer, but with a vermouth in your hands? any better plan?
📍C/ d’Ausiàs Marc, 73
Chao pescao, the rogue touch
The name already indicates it a little, here is a proposal for a fish restaurant, but with a rogue touch. More than 25 years offering self service seafood service gives you the experience you need. If we add to that a modern and pleasant decoration and a fish market that is a pleasure to eat in Chao Pescao is a pleasure. The service is very friendly, and gives good advice on the best way to prepare each product, so you just have to let yourself be carried away by what you see, and enjoy a feast of the sea. By the way, if anyone wants to escalate the experience even further, they also have an oyster bar….
consell de Cent, 318
La Paradeta, the fish factory
You may not be very familiar with fishmonger restaurants, but you’ve probably seen a Paradeta in Barcelona. They are the chain of this type of restaurants. They have been around since 1994 (almost 30 years!) with . Their spacious premises with a fishmonger’s shop feel and their recognizable blue logo are a common sight in Barcelona, and a sure bet for those who want a fish fest at a reasonable price. Choose a product, choose a technique (grill, steam or seafood), choose a sauce (Marie Rose, romesco, all i oli or onion) and nothing else is needed in this life. Have a good time.
📍Various locations
L’Espadon, a Moroccan fishmonger’s restaurant
And this is perhaps the best-kept secret on this list. Deep in the Raval, in Robadors street, one of its most intense streets, has recently opened Espadon, a strange place. A Moroccan fishmonger’s restaurant which, as we later learn, is part of a chain of such restaurants from France. Their offer is devastating: 20 euros per kilo of whatever. You can take a kilo of shrimp and a kilo of sea bream or, perhaps smarter, mix choices to build a great dish to taste for a joke price. One of its specialties, as its name indicates, is swordfish, but there are dozens of other seafood, and all can be accompanied by Arab salads and salads such as tomato sharmoula or eggplant zalouk, creating a deliciously different combination.
📍 Carrer de Sant Rafael, 7