A Taste of “Barcelona Hoy”: Why the City’s New-Wave Tapas Matter
Stand on any corner of the Catalan capital at 7 p.m., and you can feel it: the soft clink of caña glasses, the sweet-vinegar perfume of Gildas, the tug of voices debating whether to squeeze one more plate of braves into the evening. Tapas are nothing new here, yet “Barcelona hoy”—Barcelona today—is turning the old bar-hop ritual into a laboratory for fresh talent. Over the last eighteen months, a crop of young chefs, natural wine geeks, and design-savvy owners have opened neighborhood bars that revive grandmother recipes but season them with a 2025 sense of style: playlists on vinyl, short menus chalked on stucco walls and ferocious respect for seasonal product. These venues aren’t aiming for Michelin stars; they’re chasing that electric buzz that happens when locals and travelers belly up to the same marble counter and share a plate of still-hissing padrón peppers. If you want to feel the pulse of the city right now, build a crawl around the stops below and let “Barcelona hoy” unfold bite by bite.
Table of Contents
Planning the Crawl: The Neighborhood Arc
Most of the newest headline-makers sit in a gentle west-to-east sweep: Sant Antoni, El Raval, El Born, the rising Clot district, and the uptown fringes of Sarrià-Sant Gervasi. Tackling them in that order follows the natural flow of an evening—start with vermouth near the market stalls of Sant Antoni, weave through the graffiti-splashed arteries of the Raval, cross Via Laietana into the medieval lanes of El Born, then hop a quick metro to the lesser-touristed Clot before finishing in the leafy uptown. Keep Google Maps on pedestrian mode; every hop is fifteen minutes or less. Aim for Wednesdays through Saturdays, when kitchens stay open late, and the city’s after-work crowd guarantees the atmosphere.
Stop 1 — Bar Canyí (Sant Antoni): Neotradition at Full Volume
Opened in late 2024 by the Michelin-laureled team behind Slow & Low, Bar Canyí calls its style “cocina neotraditional,” and the phrase nails the vibe: barcelona hoy vinyl spinning ’70s soul, a steel counter packed shoulder to barcelona hoy, and plates thatbarcelona hoy remix Catalan staple with playful heat. Start with a textbook gilda skewered with pickled piparras, follow with bravas that sneak in a smoky-spicy chipotle twist (co-owner Nico de la Vega is Mexican barcelona hoy , and finish with their cult dessert, the custardy planet served to wobble in a sherry glass. No bookings, barcelona hoy so arrive by 7:30 p.m. to snag one of the few terracotta-tiled tables.
Stop 2 — Bar Costa (El Raval): Cocktails, Natural Wine, and Late-Night Tapas
Slide south past the Sant Antoni market, and you’ll hit Joaquín Costa 53, where Bar Costa’s navy-and-oak façade glows like a beacon. A 2024 revamp turned this once-sleepy storefront into a magnet for the Raval’s mix of creatives and long-time neighbors. Expect a concise list of market-driven tapas—think Iberian secreto pork pinchos or artichokes confit in arbequina oil—served alongside an eye-popping cocktail card and a fridge of Catalan pét-nat. barcelona hoy The kitchen runs until 1 a.m., a rarity in the quarter, so linger; you’ll need the break before the next sprint. BAR COSTA
Stop 3 — Bar Pimentel (El Born): Born-Again Bodega Energy
Cross Via Laietana into El Born’s tangled streets and hunt for the forest-green sign on Carders 11. Bar Pimentel, which opened in the winter of 2024, feels like the love child of a classic vermutería and a natural wine cave. The menu is pure “la buena tapa”—bombas de la Barceloneta, manchego croquetas, and a rotating escabeche—executed with near-military precision and paired to biodynamic garnacha by the glass. The room is tiny, the music low, staff unhurried: a welcome palate cleanser after the bustle of Canyí and Costa. Barcelona Food Experience
Stop 4 — Casa Pepi (El Clot): The Fonda Reborn
Jump on the L1 metro four stations to Clot and step into the neon glow of Casa Pepi, a 2025 opening already credited with putting this traditionally working-class barrio on the foodie map. Chef-owner Josep Maria Ferraz revives his mother’s seafaring recipes—bomba Barceloneta with pine nuts, bacalao with stamina—but plates them on stoneware against a riot of terrazzo and chrome. Look for the foie de mar (cod-liver mousse) and a croqueta de cecina that tastes like smoky beef jam inside a cloud. Natural wines and a “sí a todo” attitude dominate the drinks list. El País
Stop 5 — Bar Monry’s (Sarrià-Sant Gervasi): Product-Driven Plates, Uptown Setting
A short FGC hop deposits you in the uptown quiet of Doctor Fleming 27, where Bar Monry’s opened its doors at the tail-end of 2024. TikTok might have tipped you off—foodie influencers rave about the pistachio-lime burrata and the wagyu cheek montadito—but Monry’s real superpower is restraint: crisp Andalusian-style calamari lands seconds from the fryer, and the house tomato-bread arrives on pan de vidre rubbed tableside. Prices edge higher than downtown (welcome to 08017), yet locals queue daily for the “production” philosophy: buy the best, cook it simply, season with Catalan sea salt, and nothing more. Instagram
Bonus Stop — Bar Resto Milà (Gràcia): After-Hours Creativity
If energy remains and the metro is still running, detour to Gràcia’s Milà i Fontanals 19. Bar Resto Milà fires up only at 7 p.m. and goes full tilt to 1 a.m., serving shareable platillos like clam-chowder croquetas and Iberian presa with smoked ajo blanco. The owners’ playlist skews indie-rock, the cava flows by the Copa, and the narrow bar feels like a house party that forgot to close its front door. Barcelona Food Experience
Practical Tips for Your “Barcelona Hoy” Crawl
Timing. Barcelonins dine late; many kitchens don’t hit stride until 8 p.m. Slot an early vermouth at Canyí, then keep each stop to forty-five minutes.
Reservations. Only Monry’s accepts bookings. Everywhere else uses bar stools and walk-ins—part of the fun, part of the chaos.
Budget. Count on €35–€45 per person for the full circuit (drinks included) if you split three dishes at each stop. Casa Pepi and Monry’s push slightly higher.
Dietary calls. Vegetarian options are growing—Canyí’s pickled eggplant, Pimentel’s roasted leeks, Costa’s burrata with quince—but strict vegans will do best phoning ahead.
Getting around. T-Casual metro pass (10 rides, €12.15) covers every hop; the L1 and L3 lines shadow the route.
Eating Conscious: Sustainability in Barcelona Hoy
What unites these new bars, beyond cheeky interiors, is a near-evangelical commitment to product provenance. Most sources are vegetables from Parc Agrari del Baix Llobregat, fish from the dawn auction at Mercabarna, and olive oil that never travels more than 200 kilometers. Several—Costa, Pimentel, Monry’s—list grower names on the chalkboard, and Casa Pepi’s cellar is 100 percent low-intervention Catalan bottles. Waste is minimal: bones become fondo for next-day escudella, stale bread morphs into torrijas, and surplus produce feeds staff meals. In short, the bars on this crawl don’t just celebrate Barcelona hoy; they safeguard its mañana.
Closing Bite
Tapas crawls succeed when flavors blur into anecdotes: the stranger who taught you to spear a Gilda in one bite; the bar-keep who poured a free chupito when you tried to pronounce escalate with a Texan drawl. By tracing these new-school stops, you’re not only eating Barcelona’s present tense; you’re tasting the city’s future funding model for independent food culture—one small plate at a time. Put on comfortable shoes, carry cash for the change jar, and let “Barcelona hoy” unfold with every clatter of a ceramic saucer.
Five Frequently Asked Questions
1. How many stops are realistic in one night?
Four is the sweet spot if you start around 7 p.m. You’ll arrive at the final bar before midnight without rushing and still have room for a copy of Vermut.
2. Do I need to speak Catalan or Spanish to order?
Basic Spanish helps—especially for daily specials—yet every venue on this list has at least one English-speaking staffer. Pointing and smiling also work.
3. What’s the dress code?
Casual. Locals stroll in after work wearing trainers and denim. Only Monry’s leans are smart-casual, but even their crisp sneakers are fine.
4. Are these bars child-friendly?
Yes, early evening. Canyí and Casa Pepi see families until 8:30 p.m. After that, noise levels rise, and space gets tight.
5. I’m vegetarian—will I starve?
Not at all. Each stop offers plant-forward dishes (roasted aubergine at Canyí, escalivada toast at Pimentel, wild-mushroom croquetas at Costa). Just flag your needs when ordering.
