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When to eat in Barcelona: A local timetable

Restaurant in Barcelona - Eating timetable

Ann Marie Brannigan 8 Comments

Food is such a huge part of life in Barcelona and eating routines really do dictate the timetable of this city. Let me tell you about local eating habits and times so you can get the best out of your culinary experience during your visit.

Breakfast – 8 am to 10:30 am

This is quite a light affair consisting of a coffee or a cocoa drink accompanied with plain biscuits or cake. In the mornings, cafes and bars offer a combined deal of coffee and pastry at a great price. At this early hour you will be given café amb llet (a machine coffee with hot milk). You can ask for a solo (expresso) or a tallat (machiatto), although these beverages are traditionally taken after dessert at the large midday meals. For the more healthy ones, the front stands at the Boqueria market serve up great fruit salads for take away at unbeatable prices.

Media mañana – 11 am to 12:30 pm

Some people might decide on having a little snack to keep them going before lunch. In bars sometimes they have special offers of a mini entrepà (a small filled baguette) and a canyita (a tiny glass of beer) for very little money. What a great option for snacking in between sightseeing.

Lunch – 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm

These are the hours when the main meal of the day is eaten. On weekdays, restaurants offer set 3 course meals, including drinks, at very reasonable prices. You need to ask for Menú del Dia and maybe a little help with the translation. Dishes change every day and most places will only print up a photocopy in Catalan or Spanish. Beware that after a huge feed with wine you might roll over and decide to take a siesta like I often do! Don’t worry too much. Things run later here and museums can stay open until around 8pm so you’ll be able to fit in both.

Merienda – 5 pm to 6:30 pm

If adopting local eating times, you will probably need a quick snack to keep you going. This might be an ideal time to try some delicious chocolate and churros (a cup of thick drinking chocolate with fried fingers of batter for dipping). To go the Catalan way, you can order ensaimadas (Mallorcan pastry) or melindros (lady fingers) to dip into your hot chocolate. Churros establishments close during lunch and open their doors in the evening around 5-5:30 pm. The quaint Granja Viader, over 100 years old, is the most traditional one here in Barcelona.

Dinner – 9 pm to 11:30 pm

Evening meals are taken quite late here. Don’t distress if you are an early eater as many restaurants have adapted quite well to visitors, opening their doors before hand. Traditionally, portions consumed at this late hour are not as big as at lunch time. While starters, mains and deserts are available, you won’t find those 3 course bargains that are on offer in the afternoons. Sometimes locals chill out on terraces with friends over a beverage and some tapas. This might be the ideal time to give those famed small plates of food a go. I know that this is one of my favourite ways of eating in Barcelona!

  • Runner Bean Tours Barcelona - BOOK NOW

Want to learn more about learn about Barcelona? You can join us on one of our award-winning Free Walking Tours or book a Private Tour with some of the best guides in the city. A great activity to wet up your appetite for lunch or dinner.

Photograph by Andrew E. Larsen

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MOST RECENT REVIEWS OF RUNNER BEAN TOURS BARCELONA

RUNNER BEAN TOURS - Barcelona Private Tours & Free Walking Tours
RUNNER BEAN TOURS - Barcelona Private Tours & Free Walking Tours
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Maria Fonseca
Maria Fonseca
21:04 31 Dec 20
Was a pleasant experience to have Lisa as tour guide. Full of details her explanation and very focus on what she was saying. A touch of british humour was very much appreciated ;) Thank you
Brigitte Gneissl
Brigitte Gneissl
12:47 09 Dec 20
I booked the group tour for the Gothic quarter but obviously due to the current circumstances I was the only one on the tour. Hence, my fantastic tour guide Lisa gave me a private tour and it was super interesting. I... really learned a lot and it's a great way of discovering Barcelona. Highly recommended for anyone who comes to BCN! It's so important to also learn about the history and culture. A fantastic tour. Greetings to Lisa.read more
Satyajeet Sarang
Satyajeet Sarang
15:56 17 Oct 20
We did the Gothic Quarter tour with Miguel. We were lucky that the other party on the tour had cancelled so we had a private tour!! Miguel was extremely knowledgable and gave us lot of detail and information on each... place and also bits and pieces of the in-between that tied the places together into a whole story! Miguel spent a good amount of time with us and also gave us good local tips for food, shops and such. We would highly recommend Runner Bean Tours!!read more
Lisa Gill
Lisa Gill
11:17 14 Oct 20
We had a fantastic tour led by Lisa and due to COVID it was just the three of us. We've been to Barcelona many times and so it was wonderful to learn more about the history of the city and the buildings we love so much.... Lisa was extremely friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommended!read more
rhonda caplan
rhonda caplan
03:03 13 Oct 20
We were so impressed with our tour. It was fun, and extremely informative. They go by donation and they are worth every penny .My friend and I have been on tours in a lot of cities and this tour ranked amongst our... favorite. We were encouraged to ask questions, and if I ever have an opportunity I would take as many tours from them as they offer. Thank you 😊 💙read more
Aoife Leddy
Aoife Leddy
13:56 12 Oct 20
We had a very short time in Barcelona so to make the most of the time we had, we decided to do a walking tour. I'm so glad we chose Runner Bean Tours. We did the Antoni Gaudí tour with Lisa and thoroughly enjoyed it.... Even our children were engaged throughout thanks to Lisa's gift for storytelling and bringing you on a journey with her tour. Given the current climate in Spain with few foreign tourists visiting, we were in a unique position to enjoy an almost private tour in a very quiet city...an experience we will probably never have the opportunity to have ever again. We enjoyed the Gaudí tour so much that we booked the Gothic tour the very next day and were lucky enough to have Lisa as a guide once more. Again, a wonderful tour delivered in an engaging and really entertaining way. Lisa's knowledge of the history of Barcelona shines through and her passion for this wonderful city is absolutely contagious. Highly recommended for the whole family ♥️👌read more
Sophie Nadal
Sophie Nadal
13:46 08 Sep 20
I really appreciated the visit with Ali, who payed attention to us, asking if we add any questions regularly. She loved introducing the city to us and we can feel it, it was a real pleasure. I recommend it !
Elizabeth Skelton
Elizabeth Skelton
14:14 03 Sep 20
We had an awesome time on the Barcelona gothic quarter tour with Miguel! Miguel was an amazing guide. He was full of interesting information, and his passion and love for the city and his job made the tour extra... enjoyable. He also gave us lots of recommendations for places to eat and drink in the city, and even helped us mark them on google maps. He also took some great pictures for us. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend runner bean tours. Thank you Miguel for giving us such an insightful experience!read more
Katie Mckitting
Katie Mckitting
17:06 01 Sep 20
We have done a lot of walking tours all over the world and this was by far our favourite. Miguel was very knowledgeable and funny and made this an enjoyable experience. It is clear that Miguel loves what he does and... made sure that we had fun too. There were only 2 others on the tour with us and he made sure we were safe and distanced and everyone wore their masks to make sure we all felt safe and comfortable. I 100% recommend doing this tour - especially if with Miguel if possible! Gracias for a lovely few hours in Barca!! :)read more
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Comments

  1. Gigis_mum says

    June 5, 2013 at 11:25 pm

    Hola Anne-Marie! Granja M Viader is my favourite place for chocolate and other snacks! It took me 2 trips to Barcelona to finally find it open. I’ve been told that they ‘invented’ Caocaolat (the cold chocolate milk drink) but who knows? Thanks for another great article!

    Reply
    • Ann-Marie Brannigan says

      June 6, 2013 at 1:21 pm

      Thanks Gigis_mum. You are right. Cacaolat was invented by the great uncle of Granja Viader’s current owner. I love this place because of their philosophy: small company that has been in the same family for 4 generations. The great hot chocolate also helps, I must admit ;-).

      Reply
  2. Juan says

    April 4, 2017 at 9:03 pm

    Im not sure if Im too far from the city center – but Im getting a weird vibe from the local restaurants and eateries. Is this a Tuesday thing? Trying to get “dinner” or anything really at 9:30 pm…

    Reply
    • runnerbeantours says

      April 5, 2017 at 9:00 am

      Some restaurants are closed on Monday and Sunday evening but you won’t have any problem finding a restaurant opened on a Tuesday at 9.30pm. Which area are you staying in?

      Reply
  3. study abroad scholarships says

    June 5, 2020 at 5:56 pm

    Thanks For Sharing Its Very Informative For Me

    Reply
    • Ann Marie Brannigan says

      June 5, 2020 at 9:02 pm

      No problem. The eating timetable in Spain can be quite confusing so I am glad this helped knowing when to eat in Barcelona. You’ll probably also find helpful these posts about food in the city:
      – Traditional Catalan food
      – Best restaurants for paella in Barcelona

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. The Backpacker's Budget Guide to Spain - Elsewhere Man says:
    October 19, 2015 at 1:15 pm

    […] and a late dinner. If you’re into early dinners, you may need to adjust your habits, since Spanish people often eat as late as 9-11:30 PM. Of course, a liquid lunch is always okay – beer is cheaper than water in Spain, so grab a […]

    Reply
  2. Is It Time to Eat Yet? | Study Abroad 2016 says:
    June 11, 2016 at 1:55 pm

    […] Daily Meals schedule. The biggest adjustment is dinner time. Barcelonians  enjoy dinner around 9 to 11:30 PM, my dinner usually takes place much earlier. So I wondered why? Why do Barcelonians eat so […]

    Reply

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