Travel in Spain – Healthy advices

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  Where do we eat when travel in Catalonia / Barcelona

 Restaurants, cafés and bars 

  Taking diner out is not only habitude in Catalonia, but also one of the life joys. The Catalans are proud of their cuisine, and they expect that a quality food in restaurants not only at special occasions but alsoin the lunch breaks and at family dinners every Sunday, too.

  Barcelona has a very large number of restaurants. No matter if it is about fancy diners or the simple “tapa”, the main feature of the food are the natural ingredients. 

  Catalonia and Barcelona have ones of the best Spanish restaurants, fact that proves the quality of Catalan cuisine.

  Bars and cafés that serve ”tapa” are places where one can have a cheap and rapid dinner. There are also bars / restaurants / hostals and fondes owned by families that serve cheap meals. 

  “Xiringuitos” are beach bars opened only during the vacation season - beach vacation resort.

  The most of restaurants are closed one day every week, for a yearly vacation and for some public holidays. 

 Lunch hours

  As all Spanish people, the Catalans serve usually a light breakfast (el esmozar) consisting of biscuits or toast, butter, jam, and “cafè amb llet” (coffee with milk). At 10 – 11am, it is the time for a second breakfast or a snack, usually in a café. 

  This second breakfast consists of a croissant or a “entrepà” – a sandwich with sausages, ham or cheese or a piece of “truita de patates” – a potatoes omelette. The usually drink is fruits juice, coffee or beer. 

  After 1 pm they go to the bar for a beer or an appetizer with “tapas”. 

  Up to 2 p.m., the ones that have the possibility go home during the lunch break for the main meal of the day. The others choose to serve it in restaurants. 

  Around 17-18 pm, the cafes, the tea houses and pastry are full of clients that serve sandwiches, pastries and cakes with tea, coffee or fruits juices. 

  At 7 pm, the bars are full of people that come here for “tapas” with sherry, wine or beer. The dinner is served starting with 9 pm. There are restaurants that serve dinner earlier for tourists. Often, in summer, families or friend groups take dinner about 11 pm.

 Clothes

 Rarely it is necessary to were suit and tie, however Catalans are dressing elegant. At sea resorts the cloths during the day is unassuming but in the evening, the shorts is not acceptable. 

  How to read the menu

  Excepting the “tapas”, in the Catalan restaurants, the cheapest menus are the fixed ones, “plats combinats” and “menu de la dia”. “Plats combinats” (meat or fish and vegetable and usually frits potatoes) are offered only in the cheap restaurants. The majority of restaurants but not all of them, offer the “menu de la dia”, fixed and cheap, consisting normally of 3 meals.

  The Catalan word for menu is “La Carta” 

  The menus start with “sopes”- soups, “amanides”- salads, “entrmesos” – appetizers, “ous I truites” – eggs and omelettes and “verdures I llegums” – vegetables.

  The main courses are: dishes of “peix I marisc” – fish and crustaceans and “carn i aus” – meat and poultry. 

  The daily specialities are mentioned with chalk on a blackboard or are attached to the menus.

  “Paela” and other dishes with rice can be served as first course. It is recommended to serve meat after rice or to start with “fuet” or “secallona” – two types of sausages, or with a salad followed by “paella”.

  The desserts are called “postres”. The offer for dessert is not very large.

  All the restaurants offer fresh fruits and a caramel cream (flam) or a vanilla cream (natillas).

  The vegetarians have not many choices. Ones of the dishes are based on vegetables and eggs but it is possible to have inside small pieces of meat or fish, so it is advisable to ask before give the order.

 Wines  

  Fine and dry wines fit with crustaceans, sausages, olives, soups and with the most products of first course. The main course is usually served with Penedès or Terra Alta from Catalonia or other Spanish wine growing areas such as Rioja, Ribeira del Duero and Navarra. Cava is preferred for the Sunday lunch.

 Prices and payment

  If you order from “la carta”, the bill could be much higher than the price of a “menu de la dia”, especially if you ask expensive products as fresh fish or fresh seafood or ham “iberico”. If you see in menu a meal with a special fish at a small price it is probably to be prepared with frozen fish.

  “El compte” – the bill does not include the serving services but could include a small amount for administration. 

  The prices of the menu do not include the VAT. 

  This is usually added at the bill. Rarely the tip is higher than 5%.

  At restaurants, peoples seldom pay with cheques. Travel cheques are accepted but it is possible that you do not receive the change. 

  You can not pay with credit cards in tapas bars, cafes in hostals or pubs.

  Hoping that our advices will be useful for you, we expect you on our associates sites to make a reservation and spend your beach holidays.

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