Hungry for street food in Barcelona? Barcelona street food isn’t particularly famous, at least not as much as in cities where there are food stalls on every corner – like the amazing taco stands in Mexico City! However, if you want to grab something tasty while you’re sightseeing, then there are plenty of options for street food in Barcelona that you can buy and eat on the go. Here are my picks for the best Barcelona street food and where to find it!
Does Barcelona have Street Food?
I was surprised when someone asked me about Barcelona’s street food options. I hadn’t really thought of Barcelona as having any street food, as there aren’t usually many stalls on the street selling food in Barcelona. However, once I got thinking about what street food is – food that you can eat on the street while standing up – I realised that actually there is street food everywhere in Barcelona!
The Best Barcelona Street Food
You can find all kinds of food in Barcelona, from tapas to empanadas, dumplings to bratwurst, so here is my pick of the best street food in Barcelona:
Catalan and Spanish Street Food in Barcelona
Bocadillos/Entrepàns
These are sandwiches made with crusty bread, and you can pick up a tasty bocadillo at almost every bakery in Barcelona. They are filled with a variety of ingredients such as cured meats, cheeses, or tortilla de patata (potato omelette). Instead of butter, in Catalonia, they are spread with tomato before the filling is added.
In addition to simple bakery sandwiches, there are some speciality sandwich shops in Barcelona where you can get a delicious sandwich to take away, with hot or cold fillings made fresh for you. Bo de B is a popular place for a tasty sandwich, as is Sanz Entrepans, among others.
Bikini
Yes, a bikini, but not the swimsuit kind. A Bikini is like a grilled cheese and ham sandwich, similar to a croque monsieur in France. It got its name from Sala Bikini, a Barcelona nightclub that started selling the toasted cheese and ham sandwich during the 1950s. Now you can find this tasty street food in Barcelona cafes and bakeries all over the city.
Coca
Coca is a type of flatbread topped with various ingredients like vegetables, meat, fish, or cheese. You can also find sweet ones topped with sugar or candied fruit, and sometimes with a cream filling. It is a common street food in Barcelona, especially during festivals and celebrations, such as the Coca de Sant Joan.
Tostada/Torrada
A cross between an open sandwich and a large version of the Italian bruschetta, tostadas (literally toasts) are toasted pieces of sourdough bread topped with delicious fillings. They can be as simple as pa amb tomaquet – spread with grated tomato, olive oil and a sprinkling of salt, cheese, cured meats or typical Catalan specialities like escalivada (roasted peppers, aubergine and onions).
Empanadas
One street food Barcelona is known for is empanadas. Empanadas are a kind of pie or pastry filled with meat, seafood, cheese or vegetables. The name empanada comes from the Spanish word empanar which means to cover something with bread – so the filling is covered with pastry.
Barcelona has two kinds of empanadas – Galician empanadas and Argentinean empanadas, both of which are delicious! Galician empanadas are usually large, shallow square or round pies that are cut into pieces or baked as individual pies.
The most common filling is tuna, often with olives, or other fillings include meat, seafood and spinach with cheese. Argentinean empanadas are fatter, individual pasties that come with a huge variety of fillings and there are various empanada shops where you can buy some for a snack or meal.
Paella
I nearly didn’t include paella as a Barcelona street food, as there aren’t any shops I know of where you can walk in and take a portion of paella to go and eat on the street. However, if you are attending a festival or street food market, there is often a paella stand with a huge pan of paella bubbling away.
This famous Spanish dish originated in Valencia and traditionally has chicken and rabbit mixed with rice. However, seafood paella is more common in Barcelona, as is the Catalan version fideuà, which is cooked with thin vermicelli noodles instead of rice.
You can also find Arros Negre (Black Rice), which is coloured and flavoured with squid ink and is usually made with squid, cuttlefish and mussels. A bowl of arros negre with a dollop of garlic aioli is hard to beat!
Tapas
Tapas are small plates of various appetizers and snacks, including dishes like patatas bravas (fried potatoes with spicy sauce), croquettes, and albondigas (meatballs).
The name tapa comes from the Spanish verb tapar which means “to cover”, and comes from when people in bars would cover their drink with a slice of bread to keep the flies out. These days, tapas have evolved into much more delicious dishes than simple pieces of bread!
While you can eat some tapas on the go as street food, it’s easier to sit down or stand at a bar and enjoy it. Most bars and restaurants in Barcelona have an outdoor terrace where you can sit on the street to eat if you prefer to be outside – although there is often a 10% supplement to eat on the terrace.
➡️ Get my recommendations for the best tapas tours in Barcelona
Pintxos
These are small snacks typically served on a skewer or slice of bread with a cocktail stick stuck in it to hold the toppings in place. Pintxos are a speciality of the Basque region but are a popular Barcelona street food as well, and a great to have as a tasty snack or as part of a larger meal.
They come with a variety of toppings, such as cured meats, cheeses, seafood, and vegetables like padron peppers. Keep the cocktail sticks as counters to show how many pintxos you’ve eaten.
You can find pintxo bars all around Barcelona, but my favourite place to go is Carrer Blai, which has several excellent pintxo bars on the same street so you can have a pintxo bar crawl.
Montaditos
Similar to pintxos, montaditos are small sandwiches typically made with a slice of baguette or bread roll and filled with various ingredients like cured meats, cheeses, and spreads.
100 Montaditos is a popular chain of casual restaurants which specialises in montaditos. The quality isn’t amazing but it is cheap at around €1 per montadito!
Buñuelos de Bacalao
These tasty little balls of codfish are deep-fried and are one of my favourite Barcelona street foods. You can order them as a tapa in many places, but at markets and street stalls, you can also find freshly fried buñuelos de bacalao.
Bacalao is salted cod, which is a popular way to preserve the fish, and you can find bacalao in a variety of dishes – but in my opinion, none are quite as tasty as the buñuelos, or bunyols in Catalan.
Jamón Ibérico
Thinly sliced cured ham from the Iberian pig, Spanish ham is delicious and a must-try in Barcelona. You will see the legs of ham hanging from hooks in bars, restaurants, markets and Xarcuterias.
Once sliced, street food ham is typically served in a paper cone as a snack (often with Manchego cheese) or in a bocadillo sandwich. If you have time to sit and enjoy it, order a plate of ham and a tapa of bread with tomato so you can savour every mouthful!
Bombas
Bombas are a popular tapas and Barcelona street food snack. Bombas are large, ball-shaped potato croquettes that are filled with seasoned ground meat and served with a spicy garlic sauce. The first bomba was created in the Barceloneta neighbourhood, and although you can find these all over the city, that’s the best place to try one.
Calçots
While calçots aren’t strictly speaking a street food, they are best enjoyed outdoors at a barbecue. Calçots are long, green onions that are grilled until tender and charred. They are always served with romesco sauce for dipping.
If you visit Barcelona during the calçot season in winter, usually from January to March and early April, you’ll have the opportunity to try this traditional Catalan delicacy.
Roasted Chestnuts and Boniato (Sweet Potato)
At the end of autumn, you will notice street food stalls popping up and selling roasted sweet potatoes and chestnuts. They’re often sold from the same stall, and usually start around the end of October to coincide with La Castanyada festival, which celebrates roasted chestnuts. It’s a great way to warm up on a cold day, and a healthy street food snack too!
International Street Food in Barcelona
No matter what kind of street food you are hungry for, you can find it in Barcelona. There are lots of restaurants and takeaways serving up tasty meals and snacks to enjoy on the go well into the night.
Pizza Slices
A tasty Barcelona street food that is recognisable all over the world, pizza is easy to eat on the go. There are lots of places to grab a slice of pizza while you’re out exploring.
Kebabs
Similarly, kebabs are another popular street food in Barcelona. You can order durum kebabs which are more like burrito-style kebabs, with the filling wrapped inside a flat round tortilla-style bread, or you can also find Turkish and Greek kebabs served in thicker pita-style breads.
Falafel
One of my favourite street food spots in Barcelona is Moaz, which serves up delicious falafel and salad in pita bread. It’s all vegan and it’s all fabulous.
Focaccia Italian Sandwiches
These delicious Italian sandwiches have really taken off in the past couple of years with several takeaway shops rustling up sandwiches packed full of Italian and locally inspired ingredients.
Noodles & Rice
Wok and Walk is a great chain of takeaway restaurants if you fancy some Asian street food in Barcelona. It’s cooked to order while you wait, so you can watch the chefs toss everything into the wok and then tipped into a cardboard box when it’s ready.
Dumplings
Lady Dumpling is a relatively new chain that serves up Chinese dumplings by the dozen. Or half a dozen if you prefer. They are very tasty for a quick lunch or dinner, and if you order 12, it’s much better value!
Pasta
While I love nothing better than dining at a nice Italian restaurant, sometimes it is great to grab and go with some street food. There are low-key pasta takeaway places where you can get a tasty box of spag bol or various other pasta dishes for under €10. Macchina Pasta Bar, for example, has several venues around the city where you can order to eat in or take away.
Sweet Barcelona Street Foods
Churros
Churros or Xurros are one of those Barcelona street foods you have to try! Churros are similar to donuts, but are long and thin and sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. While you could eat them on their own, they are best served with a cup of thick hot chocolate for dipping. There is some amazing hot chocolate in Barcelona, you have to try it!
Xuixos
Xuixos are a popular Catalan pastry from the city of Girona, about an hour north of Barcelona. They are made by deep-frying dough filled with ingredients like cream, chocolate, or other sweet fillings. Xuixos are often dusted with powdered sugar and can be found at bakeries and street stalls everywhere in Girona, and in Barcelona too.
Cakes and Pastries
I love the bakeries in Barcelona! You can find all sorts of tasty treats at a bakery to take out and eat on the street. One of my personal favourites is the chocolate-coated palmera, as it is easy to eat without dripping cream and fillings over my clothes! They are called palmeras because the shape resembles a palm fan, and they are made with sweet flaky pastry.
If you happen to need gluten free dessert, then don’t miss Chok gluten free bakery in El Born or El Raval. I adore the blackberry rookies (cookies with a chunk of cinnamon roll inside), even though I don’t need to have gluten-free desserts, these are delicious for everyone!
Cheesecake (and Cookies)
Thanks to the success of Jon Cake, I’ve decided to give cheesecakes a separate category! Jon Cake is a very popular cheesecake shop that sells slices of delicious cheesecake to take away. There are always lines of people waiting to buy, and although it is delicious, I personally hate waiting for anything so I don’t usually bother!
A nearby alternative is Crumbles, which sells slices of cheesecake, as well as incredibly gooey cookies, brownies and cinnamon rolls. There is hardly ever a queue, and it is women-owned, so that is my favourite sweet treat stop!
Gelato and Ice Cream
Barcelona has many gelato and ice cream shops offering a variety of flavours. I am still working my way around the gelato shops in Barcelona to find my favourite!
Crepes and Waffles
You’ll find crepe stands in many areas of Barcelona, in particular around Port Vell, offering both sweet and savoury options. Sweet crepes can be filled with Nutella, fruits like banana or strawberry, or caramel, while savoury crepes often include ingredients like ham, cheese, and mushrooms. Waffles are often served at the same stalls.
Fresh Fruit and Juices
Barcelona has fruit stands and juice bars in the markets which offer fresh fruit cups, sliced fruits, and refreshing smoothies and juices made with a variety of tropical fruits, which are very refreshing on a hot day. La Boqueria Market is famous for the rows of colourful juice drinks, or head to Tito Fresh Fruit in the Gothic Quarter, which is one of my favourites.
Where to Find Street Food in Barcelona
Shops and Kiosks
The main difference between a place like Barcelona and somewhere like Mexico City for example is that you usually go into a shop or to a kiosk to buy street food in Barcelona, there aren’t many street food stalls out on the pavement here.
These shops sell a variety of Catalan and Spanish street food, as well as international dishes to munch on. Sometimes you can sit down to eat on a few simple tables inside or on the street outside or take your food to go and eat it as you wander or find a bench to sit on.
Food Markets
The food markets in Barcelona are legendary, and the best place to find fresh food in the city. Many people prefer to shop at markets over supermarkets as the price and quality are much better – and you get to know the stall owners.
As well as buying produce to prepare at home, you can also find some amazing street food in the markets in Barcelona. La Boqueria on Las Ramblas is the most famous Barcelona market, but visit the less-touristy markets like Sant Antoni and Santa Caterina close to the Gothic Cathedral for a more authentic experience.
Outdoor Markets & Events
One place where you will find street food stalls is at the outdoor markets, events and festivals. It is hard to keep track of all the events in Barcelona
Street Food Stalls & Trucks
As I mentioned earlier, there aren’t many street food stalls in Barcelona, although there are some seasonal ones for roasted chestnuts, some churro stalls and ice cream and waffle stands close to Port Vell.
Barcelona Street Food Festivals
I love a food festival! Whenever there is a specific event or an outdoor market, you will find a street food section with tasty stalls and food trucks selling all kinds of street food in Barcelona. Sometimes they are businesses that are run from the food truck, and other times they are arranged by restaurants in Barcelona that hire the stand for the festivals.
These are some of my favourite street food festivals in Barcelona:
Palo Market Fest
This monthly event takes place in Poble Nou and is a celebration of local artisans and delicious food. It’s best to buy tickets online in advance as there is often long queues to get in. Get more information on their website.
All Those
All Those is a fantastic combination of stalls selling crafts and locally made products and a street food area with delicious street food stalls and a DJ pumping out tunes. It usually takes place twice a year, in Spring and Autumn, near Port Vell. There is a small entry fee, then you purchase whatever you fancy! Get more details on their website here.
Tast la Rambla
Taking place in May in Plaça de Catalunya, Tast La Rambla has a host of food stalls from local restaurants showcasing delicious takeaway tapas and other dishes. They also have activities such as cooking demonstrations, food and wine tastings and live music. Learn more on their website.
Christmas Markets
Unlike German Christmas Markets, Christmas Markets in Barcelona don’t tend to have much street food. Some Christmas markets have a stall selling churros, but the main focus is on decorations and gifts. The Christmas Fair at Port Vell has more options though, with stalls selling mulled wine, hot dishes like paella and snacks like pretzels and hot dogs.
I hope these Barcelona food tips have helped you to track down some tasty Barcelona street food! If you have any tips or any questions I’ve not covered, then let me know or head over to our Facebook group to ask!