The restaurants in Barri Gotic range from wonderful, atmospheric little places, through some of the best value quality food you’ll find in the city right down to the most over-priced tourist traps you’re ever likely to come across.  In general, we’d advise you steer clear of the restaurants and bars directly on La Rambla – which almost invariably fit into the latter category – but you don’t have to go far to find really top notch places.

Ambos Mundos
Plaza Reial, 10, 08001
Open:  11:00 – 23:00 Mon - Sun; closed January
Tel: 93-317 01 66
Price guide: €

One of a set of tourist-based tapas bars and restaurants along the permanently sunny side of Plaza Reial.

Great place to sit and people watch over a few plates of tapas, but don't expect either the tapas or the drink to be particularly great. Good value though, considering its location.

Bar del Pi
Plaça Sant Josep Oriol 1
Open: Mon-Fri: 9am-11pm; Sat: 9:30am-10:30pm; Sun: 10am-10pm
Price guide: €€

Bar del Pi is one of the oldest and best known bars in Barcelona, and is included in every guide book we've ever come across.

The location is perfect - get an outside table and look up to see the beautiful gothic Iglesa del Pi or stare around at the local artists stands or the local market stalls (weekends in the adjoining plaza). The tapas is no more than average, no doubt suffering from the curse of the guide book, and the service is patchy, but there are few better places to sit and have a drink in Gothic Barcelona.

Old style tapas bar, that seems to have adapted to its central Barcelona tourist status by providing a numbered menu and some paper and a pen - just write the numbers of what you want down and give it to your waiter. 

Reasonable tapas, but the place is looking a bit run down these days.

Bunga Raya
Carrer dels Assaonadors 7
Open: Tues - Sun: 8pm - 12am. Closed Mon.
Tel: 93-319 31 69
Price guide: €

This Brit-run Malaysian restaurant used to be a BarcelonaUpdate favourite, but has recently gone downhill a bit.

The portions are big and hearty and a meal here won't break the bank - the all-in-one house plate in particular is good value. Unfortunately it is now getting very run down - menus falling apart, needs a coat of paint and, worst of all, hygiene, particularly the loos, has suffered.

Our advice is to avoid until things are cleaned up.

Café de L'Academia
Lledo 1, Placa Sant Just
Tel: 93-315 00 26
Price guide: €€

A charming little restaurant in the old town, Cafe de L'Academia serves good value, Catalan food to a good mix of locals and tourists.

Set in the beautiful Placa San Just, opposite the church of the same name, the restaurant has around 15 tables inside and a set of 6 outside in the square in summer. The cuisine is described as "market food" - presumably from one of the local markets - and it shows in it's freshness. The a la carte menu is extensive, but for our money the best bet is the keenly priced lunchtime menu del dia - a hearty set lunch (no choice here - one starter, one main and one dessert are on offer) for just €14.

Cirkus
Carrer d'Avigno 24
www.cirkusgroup.com
Tel: 93-318 38 55
Price guide: €€€

A hybrid Japanese restaurant / shop (yes, really) in the heart of the Barri Gotic, this place is definitely aimed at the upmarket end of the scale, with meals pitching in at Eu 50 + per head, including wine.

It's not to say the food is not good - our experience was excellent - but the shop out front (you walk through it to get to the restaurant) does bring the overall atmosphere down a notch or two and the constant stream of shop customers coming in to stare at the oddity of an upmarket restaurant where they didn't expect it makes you feel a bit on display.

If you are looking for upmarket Japanese, we would recommend heading to Shôko, or if you are wedded to the idea of staying in the centre, Shunka.

Ikkui
Carrer de la Princesa 5
Open: Who cares?

Awful, awful, awful. A very touristy Japanese restaurant which has a Eu 15 per head minimum.

We're struggle to find good things to say about this place - from the constant microwave pinging coming from the kitchen to the tasteless and overpriced sashimi. In fact, the highlight of the meal was the Endemami, which suits a microwave for cooking. Avoid like the plague.

La Fonda
Carrer dels Excudellers, 10
Open: Every day: 1pm - 3.45pm and 8.30pm - 11.30pm
Tel: 93-301 75 15
Price guide: €

This is where most people head when the queue for Les Quinze Nits is too long, although in honesty the lines can be just as long here.

Same great value food and lovely setting as Les Quinz Nits, albeit without outside space - see LQN review below for more details.

Les Quinze Nits
Plaça Reial, 6
Open: Every day: 1pm - 3.45pm and 8.30pm - 11.30pm
Tel: 93-317 30 75
www.lesquinzenits.com
Price guide: €

A Barcelona institution, Les Quinz Nits is the jewel in the crown of a huge group of restaurants across Barcelona that offer decent food, in fab settings for unbelievably low prices.

Watch out - the fantastic location in Placa Reial makes this one very popular and, like the others in the chain, you can't book.  So if you go at a popular time (especially weekend nights) the queue can be horrific. If you can stave off the hunger until after 2.30pm, we'd recommend going there for a late lunch, when you can usually get a nice table in the sun pretty quickly.

If you can't stand the queue, try one of the others in the same chain - La Rita, La Fonda (just around the corner), Market et al - cards are all available in the foyer.

Try the Black Rice (Arroz Negro) made with squid ink and a some of the house red - not a vintage, but for Eu 4.50 a litre a very drinkable bargain!

Some outside tables on Plaza Reial are now open between lunch and dinner in the summer, serving a reduced menu and drinks.

Vildsvin
Carrer Ferran 38
Open: Daily: 1pm - 4pm & 8:30pm - 12am
Price guide: €€

Vildesvin has now closed and re-opened as a Tapas / Basque restaurant – review to follow!