Although it may seem that the romantic label associated with a restaurant is always synonymous with expensive, Barcelona also has among its gastronomic offer establishments to carry out a romantic dinner without spending a lot of money.
Beyond the luxurious spaces and tasting menus with unaffordable prices, the restaurants that make up this list have cheaper dishes on their menus that allow you to enjoy a special dinner as a couple with almost any type of budget. All the places we have selected are ideal to enjoy with your partner.
Besides, as we said above, you don’t need to spend a lot of money to have a candlelight date in a nice place. Therefore, the selection we have prepared is designed for practically all budgets.
Il Giardinetto
Il Giardinetto opened its doors in the 70’s thanks to the Catalan photographer Leopoldo Pomés. It is, therefore, one of the oldest restaurants in the city, which to this day continues to surprise with its beautiful design. Alfonso Milá and Federico Correa won a FAD Interior Design Award in 1974 for the design of the premises. And no wonder. Its Verde tones, its soft lighting, the furniture… Everything has been thought out in detail to offer an authentic sensory experience.
📍 Granada del Penedès, 28
💸 Average price €30
Nobu
It is located on the 23rd floor of the Nobu Hotel and offers panoramic views of the city and the sea. For that reason alone it deserves to be on this list. But there is more, of course. It is inspired by the classic gastronomy of Tokyo and the travels of its chef, Nobu, in South America. The end result is an extensive menu featuring innovative dishes and bold cocktails. Some of the most appreciated are yellowtail sashimi with jalapeños and black cod with miso.
It is possible to dine at the sushi bar and in the dining room, depending on the diner’s preferences. Both spaces are worthy of admiration.
📍 Av. de Roma, 2
💸 Average price €50
Contraban
It is located inside the Wittmore Hotel, an exclusive boutique space with only 22 rooms located in the alleys of the Gothic Quarter. Contraban’s proposal is led by chef Alain Guiard and is inspired by the emotions of a creative process.
Thus, we find quick to serve and eat dishes that express “impatience” (this is the case of the artisan cold cuts or the pickles); others that evoke “surprise” (such as the tuna turnedó with Verde pepper with onion parmentier and colored chard); some take us back to the “nostalgia” of childhood (such as the rustido cannelloni with trumpets of death or the cardinal’s macaroni with Iberian secret and Parmesan béchamel sauce). All this in a seductive space.
📍 Riudarenes, 7
💸 Average price €30
Gala
We were there a few months ago and fell in love with the space. Although the food is not too far behind, it is true that the most remarkable thing is the good taste with which the restaurant is decorated. It has several spaces: the main one, full of nods to Dalí’s surrealism and with a sushi bar; the patio, with its beautiful fountain allegory of Dalí’s nose; The Club, to welcome the intimacy of the moment with live music..
In its menu we find a generous Japanese offer, with sashimis, nigiris and makis, but also dishes such as Rib Eye black angus Nebraska.
📍 Provença, 286
💸 Average price €35
Jacqueline
Amidst the hustle and bustle of Enric Granados we find this small oasis of tranquility and luxury. Inspired by the restaurants of the early twentieth century, Jacqueline immerses us in a space where art noveau and surrealism reign. Elegance and sophistication go hand in hand with the menu, its dishes are neither too abundant, nor too little consistency: the perfection of the middle ground. We tried the Causa limeña de pulpo, made from potatoes with sliced octopus and quail egg, the Croquetas de cecina con foie and the Lamb with portobello mushrooms, which melted in your mouth.
On the main floor we find this perfect enclave for an intimate dinner or lunch, but the restaurant has two more spaces. The first one appears when it gets dark and the basement of the venue becomes a Club area that opens well into the night. Upstairs, in the penthouse area, we will find a plan for the evening from September, since will open a Champagne Bar where you can taste different champagnes at the hands of Sergi Pardo, finalist of the prestigious cocktail award “World Class”.
📍 C/ d’Enric Granados, 66
lunch menu for 29€ | Average price of the menu 50-60€
Libertine
While Libertine’s main highlight is its cocktail bar, its food menu is no slouch either. With a wide variety of options, this restaurant of Bonay House is the perfect option for a cheap snack in an atmosphere that has found the balance between the sophisticated and the informal and that, in addition, often offers live music sessions.
We include it in our list of the most beautiful restaurants in Barcelona and we were not wrong.
📍 Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 700
💸 Average price 2o€
Belbo Dos Besos
Within the international cuisine, italian restaurants are characterized by regularly sneaking into the lists of the most romantic. Traveling to Italy from Barcelona can also be cheap through some of them, such as Belbo Dos Besos.
This establishment of the group from which it receives the first part of its name has two different floors, each with its own menu. The informal proposal of floor 0 is contrasted with the cabaret atmosphere of floor 1 and, although going up a level also implies a rise in prices, both have affordable options. In fact, the red lighting and live entertainment offered by the one upstairs make it the ideal choice for a dinner with a more original touch.
📍 Rambla de Catalunya, 15
💸 Average price 25€
7. Can Recasens
Can Recasens is, at the same time, restaurant, delicatessen and wine cellar, all encapsulated in a cozy atmosphere and characterized by its modernist style. Although its fustes de ibéricos and cheeses, the specialty of the house, have a higher price range, this restaurant located in Poblenou also has cheaper dishes, as is the case of its salads and toasts.
📍 Rambla del Poblenou, 102
💸 Average price 2o€
Elj Apo Nés
Another one that is also on our list of the most popular 10 most beautiful restaurants in Barcelona is this Japanese tavern with minimalist decoration where you can enjoy Japanese-style tapas. Elj Apo Nés of the Tragaluz Group is always a good option for a date between sushi lovers, with a gastronomicshow that starts at the bar, where the dishes are prepared.
📍 Passatge de la Concepció, 5
💸 From 20€
Mirablau
When the weather is nice, Barcelona shows off its terraces and eating outdoors becomes a favorite plan for couples as well. Proof that sometimes romanticism goes beyond the decoration of the restaurant itself is Mirablau, whose unbeatable views of Barcelona are what makes its atmosphere special for a date for two. The climb up Mount Tibidabo is worth it from the moment you have their Black Angus burger in front of you.
📍 Plaça del Doctor Andreu, s/n
💸 Between 15 and 20€
Chez Coco
Chez Coco also stands out for its terrace the interior is far from lagging behind. If there is a point in the world, besides Italy, characterized for being the cradle of romanticism, that is France, and perhaps it is this French air that makes this establishment, in the purest style of an authentic brasserie, one of the most romantic restaurants in Barcelona. Also, as far as its menu is concerned, it has room for several budget ranges, with plenty of items to share.
📍 Avinguda Diagonal, 465
💸 From 20€
Keanu, sushi and cocktails to fall in love with
Keanu has a curious premise. A restaurant with Russian owners, an American actor’s name and a menu of Japanese food. The strangeness however, ends upon entering, when we are seated in a nice modern izakaya which is one of the great places to have a date we have visited lately.
An intimate atmosphere, a great sushi menu (we enjoyed the flambéed wagyu nigiri and the king crab california roll) with good cold starters and, almost the best , a very original cocktail menu, with Asian liquors and different flavors, served before, during and after the drink. And on top of that, good dj music in the background. All set for Keanu’s image to inspire you to make your date end as well as you hoped it would.
📍C/ de Paris, 209
And if you are looking for a blind romantic dinner…