With the arrival of December, EL PERIÓDICO’s gastronomic channel, Cata Mayor, proposes 10 establishments worth competing for the title of best restaurant open in 2023 in Barcelona.
In previous years, readers of this newspaper also chose the best rookies of each year. La Mundana (2016), Casa Leopoldo (2017), The Alchemix (2018), La Tartarería (2019), Ultramarinos Marín (2021) and Teatro (2022) triumphed. In 2020 there was no vote because of the damn pandemic that paralyzed the country.
The selection of the 10 finalist establishments candidates for the title of The Best Restaurant in Barcelona 2023 has been carried out, as always, by our gastronomic chronicler, Pau Arenós, who leaves the choice of ‘number one’ in the hands of the readers. This is the peculiarity of the vote: that You, reader, can choose which one you liked the most this year.
Among the voters we will raffle two lots of wines valued at 80 euros each. Is about great reds from small producers who take extreme care of their vineyards and work the land in harmony with the environment, which is why they can show off the ecological certification. Each lot contains two bottles of Caprasia Bobal Ánfora 2021 (Vegalfaro Wineries, from the Utiel-Requena DO), two of Vol de Nit 2017 (U MES U, from the DO Penedés) and two Syrah Plot Selection 2018 (Tinedo Bodega y Viñedo, from the IGP Vino de la Tierra de Castilla).
In alphabetical order, these are the candidates. You can vote until December 31. Once you have voted, fill out the attached form and you will participate in the draw for the wine lots.
Banquet
Sergi de Meià tries it again in Barcelona, with an establishment near the Rambla that wants to be a bastion in defense of Catalan cuisine, with unusual dishes in the city’s gastronomic scene such as snails, rabbit and rice a Milanese. But there are more dishes on the menu, and here we explain them to you after visiting Banquet.
brabo
Rafa Panatieri and Jorge Sastre, owners of the Sartoria Panatieri pizzerias, return to their origins with a restaurant focused on the grill. It occupies the location where Fan Shoronpo was, and after a thorough remodeling it has been tastefully reborn, although, to the annoyance of Instagrammers and the joy of cavers, light is scarce. In any case, a bravo deserves Brabo.
Javier’s children
A new tavern in the upper part of Barcelona with dishes with substance and humor on the walls, based on burlesque iconography, satire on that pijería that is not only part of the neighborhood, but also of the clientele. But be careful because this winery is a very serious joke. And here we explain better what Hijos de Javier is about.
Insolent
Four young professionals, two in the living room and two in the kitchen, have settled in Plaza del Sol de Gràcia with a fresh look at tradition. And the result of their work is Insolent.
mae
Mae restaurant is the meeting between chefs with different cultures who try to harmonize what the oceans separate. On the European side, Germán Espinosa; on the South American side, Diego Mondragón. “Syncretism,” they call it. The term doesn’t matter: the important thing is that it works. Here we tell you how well Mae works.
Mantis
Chefs David Romero and Toni Solans and sommelier Albert Ribas surf the Asian wave with a restaurant that receives multiple influences. These are the ones that Pau Arenós found during his visit to Mantis.
Somodó Bá
Somodó closed in Gràcia and has reopened as Somodó Bá (‘bá’ in Japanese means space), a bar for eight diners, although, at the moment, it only seats six. A single cook (and waiter and cleaner and…), a lunch menu and a night menu, both at a formidable price for what is offered. This is Somodó.
Suru Bar
Room, kitchen and wine: three friends with experience in restaurants and three occupations around the grill, skewers and pollostre (but not only) in a good restaurant called Suru Bar.
Kamikaze Tavern
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Enric Buendía and Arístides Ribalta surf Asian cuisine, with an emphasis on Japan, and mix it with French sauces and a Mediterranean look in this Eixample restaurant: Taberna Kamikaze.
Tangana
At 58 years old, Josep Maria Masó returns as the owner of a restaurant, associated with Àlex López, after two decades of working for others, with openings with Barcelona charisma such as those at Cañete and the Martínez terrace. The most recent, Carmina and Gala. Now, he makes “unpretentious” market cuisine… but watch out for Tangana’s spoon tartare!