Best paella in Barcelona: 16 must-try restaurants

Pioneers in Barcelona in the import of Valencian cuisine, Elche's star dish is their black rice with squid and artichokes, bursting with sea delights, vegetables so fresh you can actually distinguish each one, and perfectly cut and cooked squid. The secret behind their very popular rice dishes is a base of Bayo Extra from the Ebro Delta, a hybrid between long-grain and bomba varieties that’s consistently flawless in texture and taste.

If you’re visiting Montjuïc when hunger strikes, you will find open-air eateries for all tastes and budgets. But your best choice is Martínez when you want rice dishes done right (plus views!). This might be just the type of spot you’re picturing when you think of dining in Barcelona: a hip and informal restaurant where you can get quality fish and meats cooked over quebracho charcoal, seafood-based cuisine, oysters and fantastic rice dishes. Do not miss the €52 set menu for two (vermouth with tapas, salad, wines, one of the rice dishes on the menu, plus dessert).

If what you’re craving is an authentic paella or rice dish in Barceloneta, this is the spot. Not only do they make some of the best in the city, but La Mar Salada also happens to be one of the top seafood restaurants in Barcelona. And it doesn’t get any fresher, as every morning they head out to reel in fresh fish to serve the same day. Their creative and respectful treatment of the products they use shows in their spectacular stews and paellas. We can especially recommend the ‘de senyoret’ rice with the catch of the day, and the black rice with cuttlefish and artichokes. Leave room for dessert here!

At 7 Portes they do a lot of things, all of them good, but some will be remembered with a special sentiment – try the amazing cod fritters that will still be tingling your taste buds between courses. When you’re ready for your paella, you have plenty of delectable options, but it might help you choose if you know that more than 70 percent of the clientele order their fantastic paella Parellada. The delectable rice comes with monkfish, mussels, squid, lobster, minced pork, ‘botifarra’ sausage and rabbit. You can also order a seafood-only version, and in both cases, all the seafood is peeled to save you the work and let you get tucked straight into the pleasure.

Can Ros is another reason to head to Barceloneta for a meal, with its affordable set lunch menu and the à la carte menu boasting a special section for rice dishes, where you'll find an outstanding rice with ‘capipota’ (calf’s head and foot) and prawns, and a melt-in-your-mouth rice with lobster. The black rice with cuttlefish and artichokes – artichokes are a good litmus test – was everything we’d hoped for and more. To whet our appetite we ordered squid croquettes, which arrived fried to perfection, resting on a lovely cushion of alioli (garlic mayonnaise) and tomato sauce. Simplicity, just what we were after.

The old baths at the train station in Badalona were remodelled with exquisite taste to house L’Estupendu, a restaurant with the flavour of Mediterranean that manages to avoid clichés. So the space has reeled us in, but what about the food? Rest assured the rice-based menu can satisfy even the most demanding of palates. In addition to classic seafood rice dishes and traditional options that are more difficult to find these days, such as rice with vegetables and cod, the menu boasts standout items like the creamy rice with mantis shrimp and octopus that will make your day. Take your time and enjoy the experience.

Barraca is a restaurant that cooks up classic rice dishes made with a modern and gourmet touch. The menu boasts six rice specialities that won’t steer you wrong, including standouts with artichokes, squid and sausage (dry, light, very tasty) or a more filling paella with perfect rice and fish fillet, or the black rice casserole. Also popular are the rice with octopus, and the vegan one. Quintessential Barceloneta starters include croquettes, cod fritters and great seafood. Views of the sea and of Passeig Marítim are impressive, and most of the products are organic and local.

Valencian chef Miguel Pardo is in charge of this high-quality eatery where you can get imaginative tapas as well as rice dishes that are so gorgeous you’ll want to eat them right out of the pan. We can definitely recommend the baby squid black rice with alioli mousse, and there’s even a vegan rice dish for your friends who aren’t up for eating meat or seafood. If it’s a bit of everything you’re after, the tasting menu features five tapas, a rice dish to share and dessert for around €35

Located in a former textile factory in the Les Corts district (and two other locations about town), Arrosseria Xàtiva offers no fewer than 24 different rice dishes. And you can eat them straight from the pan with a wooden spoon. They also do take-away dishes. Try the ‘passejat’ (literally, ‘walked’) rice, with a recipe that dates back to the 15th century. It got its name from when women used to carry it to be cooked in the community oven, and it’s out of this world, with chickpeas, chicken, and pig’s ear, presided over by a ‘morcilla’ blood sausage with diced onion.

We’re always happy to welcome another rice or paella restaurant to Barcelona, as they can only add to the great culinary panorama here; that is, as long as they’re done right. And El Noi d’Alcoi is just such a place. The name translates to ‘The Boy from Alcoi’, the latter a town in Valencia, which as we all know is the centre of the paella universe. Chef Oscar Juan cooks up bold paellas, brothy rice, and fantastic fideuàs (all are created for a minimum of two diners, so bring a friend). For dessert, try the ‘mel i mató’ (mató cheese with honey) for a classic finish.

Cheriff is one of those restaurants that strives to have some of the best paellas in Barcelona. We can't say it's No. 1, but it's definitely made our list. And you will find loads of fans who will say they make the best paellas in the city. Their fish paellas will find a fond place to live in your memory, and if you want to really treat yourself, get the lobster rice stew.

Envalira is in the heart of Gràcia, proving you don’t have to fight the Barceloneta crowds for a great paella or rice dish. Don’t turn your nose up at the lack of decor, because here they’ve got more important things to think about, like their seafood paella, black rice, and Milanesa rice that you’ll be dreaming about for weeks to come. Be sure to find out what’s in season as you won’t want to skip the wild mushrooms (‘rovellons’), and save room for dessert with the likes of tiramisu ice cream or fresh figs served with fresh cream and chocolate sauce.

Can Solé, a classic in Barceloneta, has been around for more than 110 years. In 1994 Josep Maria García acquired the restaurant from the Homs family (who had run it as a fishermen’s tavern) because he couldn’t let a restaurant like this be lost. García has kept the restaurant running along the same lines and he's earned a deserved reputation for making the best stewy rice dishes in the city, served up in sizeable portions, like the lobster one or the one with sea urchin and scallops – an extraordinary example of creamy seafood goodness.

This quaint space in Barceloneta with two quiet terraces is mostly overlooked by tourists, and consequently suffers none of the drop in standards of some of the paella joints on the seafront. Spectacular displays of fresh seafood show what’s on offer that day, but it’s also worth sampling the velvety fish soup and the generous paellas. Rice is what you’re after, and sure you can get a standard seafood paella, but if you’re ready to branch out (and your budget allows), try the rice or paella with lobster, or the rice with sea cucumber.

Maná 75º looks great, there in its location at the beach, near the W Hotel, with its ample space that’s full of light. The menu is a selection of rice and paellas for all tastes, from the most traditional and classic such as black rice with squid and mussels with alioli and the ‘Señorito’ seafood rice or a soupy rice with lobster, to some truly daring and original combinations, standouts among which include a rice dish with cod and tender garlic with paprika alioli, and a non-fish one with ‘botifarra negra’ sausage and low-temperature pork rib confit. It’s a great place to get a full belly before taking a siesta on the beach.

We’re just about over the trend of naming restaurants and bars with the number on the street address, but once you’re inside number 130 on C/ Laforja, the quality cuisine takes over any silly peeves. We’re talking about dishes created with know-how that can disarm the most cynical or snobbish critic. A good example is in their rice dishes, like the delectable one with ‘espardenyes’. But if you’re not in the mood for dining on the sexual organs of sea cucumbers, you can always opt for a shockingly good creamy rice with carpaccio-cut prawns that spread to perfection over the grains.