The city lives up to its Mediterranean setting with its Catalan cuisine, one of the most auspicious expressions of the Mediterranean diet. In the Catalan capital there is an extensive gastronomic offer.

"At present, there are more than 10,000 establishments with restaurant licences. Among the many highly prestigious restaurants in Barcelona, a total of 17 Michelin stars have been awarded."

The city's cuisine is one of the strategic lines of Turisme de Barcelona. The consortium promotes the gastronomic offer of the city through the Barcelona Gastronomia programme, involving a total of 155 restaurants in the city.

Nightlife in Barcelona

Barcelona has a very good nightlife and visitors can find every kind of evening entertainment; from jazz to techno clubs.The windy stone streets of the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona is a popular option for bars but Plaza Real is where the majority of the action is at night, with clubs in and around. El Born, one of the trendiest areas to be in, is filled with trendy new bars and clubs, and features numerous restaurants in the area.

By the water, near the old port and the olympic port visitors have a choice of two malls of discoteques; Maremagnum near the bottom of the Ramblas and Port Olympic, both of which tend to be filled with tourists having a good time. L'Eixample, the modernist area above the gothic quarter, also has lots of good pubs and clubs and the area between Mariá Cubì and Diagonal Avenue tends to have more many natives than tourists, with everything from chill bars to all night clubs.

Meanwhile, the Gracia neighbourhood is becoming a popular choice for going out. It has many little plazas each filled with bars which offer a place to relax and get a drink outside. Plaza del Sol, Virreina, and Rius i Taulet are always filled with people out. A favorite among the expatriates.