Best Brunch In Barcelona: The Definitive Guide
Brunch has become such a commonly used word that it's easy to forget that the word itself was invented by mixing breakfast with lunch. Believe it or not, the Spanish also have their own mashed-together name for it which is desalmuerzo. That's a fusion of desayuno and almuerzo that's not easy to pronounce unless you can speak the lingo well.
Thankfully, when you go out for brunch in Barcelona you can still call this late breakfast meal brunch and most servers will know what you're talking about. What a Spaniard would eat for their brunch in Barcelona probably wouldn't be the same type of food as you'll be accustomed to getting elsewhere. Barcelona is a cosmopolitan city though and more than used to catering to the tastes of the millions of visitors who go there every year. If you want pulled pork sandwiches for your brunch, don't worry, you'll be able to get them somewhere.
What's not good brunch etiquette, or a comfortable one for you if you've just checked out of your hotel, is bursting into a cafe or restaurant loaded down with baggage. Drop your bags at a Bounce luggage storage facility in Barcelona where they'll be safe in a tagged luggage locker until you're ready to pick them up. Doing that will ensure your brunch in Barcelona is a pleasant one and you'll have both hands free to grab that ginormous burger you woke up thinking about.
Where To Get The Best Brunch In Barcelona
Brunch In The Park
If you woke up late thinking of grabbing brunch before doing some sightseeing, but really still feel in the party mood, Brunch in the Park is for you. Forget eating French toast or a sourdough bread smoked salmon sandwich picnic-style on the grass, as that's not what this brunch is all about.
Brunch in the Park is a midday event that takes place in either the Plaza Mayor Poble Espanyol or the Parque del Forum twice a month on Sundays. You can check if the planned dates coincide with your visit to Barcelona on the official Brunch in the Park website. It's a popular event so if you want to go make sure to book your ticket in advance.
This is no quiet sit-down brunch in Barcelona, but an all-out daytime party. There are DJs playing electronic music and food trucks offering all types of dishes like tacos, breakfast burritos, crepes, and gourmet burgers. When you want to make your Sunday brunch in Barcelona totally unforgettable, Brunch in the Park is an absolute must-get-out-of-bed for.
Cremat 11
Naming your restaurant after the street it's on does have a few advantages and that's what Cremat 11 have done. Cremat 11 is one of the top brunch places in Barcelona and is located in number eleven on the Carrer Cremat Gran.
Cremat 11 has the eye appeal of an old Spanish bodega, but in a totally contemporary and very stylish way. If you're hankering after eggs benedict smothered in hollandaise sauce, sweet or savory pancakes, or avocado toast, they have all of those on their brunch menu and more. Cremat 11 also serves up a zesty homemade pink lemonade that's a superb cure for that morning after the night before feeling.
Cremat 11 serves their brunch menu from ten in the morning to four in the afternoon. The added bonus with having your brunch at Cremat 11 is that it's right next to one of the best museums in Barcelona, the Picasso Museum.
Billy Brunch
Billy Brunch, as the name might suggest, is a specialist breakfast and brunch spot that follows the farm-to-table ethic. Billy Brunch is located on Carrer de Bailen which is within easy walking distance of the Casa Mila and La Sagrada Familia. It's a bright, cheerful place with lots of yellow featured in the décor including a yellow Vespa hanging from the ceiling, so if you're feeling even slightly the worse for wear, take your shades.
Billy Brunch is open from nine-thirty in the morning until five in the afternoon and serves their brunch menu all day. One outstanding dish on their brunch menu is the Chakchouka which is poached eggs with tomatoes, peppers, and onions which is similar to huevos rancheros.
They also serve an English-style full breakfast with fried egg, bacon, and baked beans, plus a great superfood omelet which is the perfect thing to eat before going shopping in Barcelona. If you prefer scrambled eggs, they have several variations of those on their menu too as well as that classic brunch dish, eggs benedict. All the dishes containing eggs at Billy Brunch are made with organic eggs.
Eixampeling Brunch Cafe and Bar
If you're planning on visiting Barcelona's Museum of Contemporary Art or La Boqueria market after brunch then the Eixampeling Brunch Cafe and Bar will be a convenient place to eat. The Eixampeling Brunch Cafe and Bar is on Carrer de Diputacion which is around a comfortable fifteen-minute stroll from both.
Housed in a historic building that's been given a totally modern twist, this sophisticated bar cafe has some great vegetarian and vegan options as well as non-vegan healthy brunches and gluten-free dishes. Here it’s an all-day brunch service starting at ten in the mornings and continuing until six in the afternoon. Weekend brunch services are extended until nine in the evening.
At Eixampeling you can expect to be able to grab healthy bowls of chia pudding, smoothie bowls, and cold-pressed juices. As well as the healthy brunches, Eixampeling also offers specialty coffee, cocktails like bloody marys, and some totally gorgeous cakes.
EatMyTrip – Brunch and Bakery
EatMyTrip – Brunch and Bakery opened with one intention and that was to make their mark on the brunch scene in Barcelona. They did just that and are reputed to be one of the best brunch spots in the city.
EatMyTrip – Brunch and Bakery is on Carrer del Consell de Cent which is in the Eixample Dreta neighborhood of Barcelona. It's smart, it's trendy and if you want an Instagrammable brunch then this is where you should go. You won't need to rush either as they serve brunch all day from nine in the morning until nine-thirty at night. This is one place you're never going to turn up at and be told you're too late for breakfast.
The food here is a creative fusion of cuisines from around the world so you'll find dishes like Thai eggs benedict, guacascramble which is scrambled eggs with guacamole, Turkish eggs, and a full range of gourmet burgers. You can wash any of those and more down with craft coffee, fresh juice, a smoothie or a coffee-free matcha latte, then follow it with one of their homemade cakes.
Juice Dudes
If you've promised yourself a healthy brunch then a great brunch spot to try is the Juice Dudes. Juice Dudes is on Ronda de la Universitat which is nearby the Placa de Catalunya and the Museum of Contemporary Art. When you're on a budget break that may well be one of the places to stay in Barcelona that you'll avoid, but should definitely still visit.
Juice Dudes is a full-blown health restaurant, so don't go there expecting to get chorizo hash or French toast smothered in blueberry compote. What you will get there during their opening hours from nine to nine is a healthy brunch.
What's on the brunch menu at Juice Dudes? An endless list of hand-pressed juices, a smoothie bowl, matcha porridge, vegan sandwiches made with sourdough bread, and a variety of salad bowls.
The Fresh Poke Travessera
If you want hearty, but healthy food drop by The Fresh Poke Travessera on Travessera de Gracia and that's exactly what you'll get – Hawaiian-style. You don't have to feel guilty about waking up late if you go here as they only serve brunch between twelve midday and five in the afternoon.
At Fresh Poke, you can choose a bowl that's already been created like their Philsalmon Poke, their Vegan Poke, or any of the other fifty or more combinations. You can also create your own poke bowl to suit from the variety of five base ingredients. New on the brunch menu even for them are the poke pizzas which have a base of nori seaweed and sushi rice. Now that's delicious food.
Bristol Cafe
The Bristol Cafe is a gastropub on Carrer de Roger de Flor which is around halfway between La Sagrada Familia and Casa Mila, so very close to the city center. The Bristol Cafe lives up to its name as inside it looks like an old-fashioned English tearoom and one with a lot of character too.
The Bristol Cafe has an extensive menu that includes everything from breakfast egg dishes like poached eggs, eggs benedict, and scrambled eggs as well as avocado toast, Spanish tapas, sandwiches, and burgers. Drinks, cakes, and pastries are as important in the Bristol Cafe as the brunch food and they serve an amazing selection of coffee-free lattes, specialty coffees, teas including kombucha, juices, and shakes. Anything and everything on their menu is served from nine in the morning to nine at night.
Citizen Cafe
Citizen Cafe is a great brunch spot to go to in Barcelona if you're planning on doing the main sights in the city center. Located in Plaza d'Urquinaona, a few minutes from the Placa de Catalunya, Citizen Cafe is small, intimate, surprisingly rustic, and the sort of place you want to sit drinking craft coffee with your friends for hours. Imagine lots of comfortable sofas, bare brick walls, wood paneling, and lots of antique oddities strung up on the ceiling, and you'll be imagining just how Citizen Cafe is.
While Citizen Cafe may have a rustic appearance there's nothing rustic about their brunch dishes and their plating is in fact exceptional. Outstanding dishes here are the French toast, American-style pancakes, and their incredible range of bocadillos which are filled bread rolls.
If you're in Barcelona at the right time and brave enough to try it, when it's in season you can get a traditional and very revered Catalonian dish called Calcots, a type of onion, which they serve on toast. If that's not to your taste you'll find their version of huevos ranchero just might be.
Zenith Brunch and Cocktails
Zenith Brunch and Cocktails is a one-stop brunch spot in Barcelona that will delight your late awakening senses with some marvelous dishes. Located on the Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, it's central too and right next to the Passeig de Gracia metro station if you're traveling in from the suburbs.
Zenith serves brunch all day long from nine in the morning, which is really breakfast, until six in the afternoon when they close. Their premise has a smart Asian appeal, but not the food. That's all typical brunchtime stuff that caters to American and European taste.
Top brunch dishes at Zenith are their bagels stuffed with cream cheese and smoked salmon that's topped with a poached egg. Yes, it's messy, but it’s an exceptionally tasty late breakfast you may well want to repeat. Their Zenith pancake is savory and a tower of pancakes loaded with braised mushrooms and wilted spinach that's a great vegan brunch option. If you have a sweet breakfast tooth then you'll love Zenith's banana bread which comes drenched in blueberry compote and is topped with a fresh banana roasted in butter. Slightly decadent but a delicious brunch nonetheless.
Conclusion
When you eventually make it out for your Barcelona brunch you can rest assured you won't be going without those late breakfast classics you love most. Whether you want a healthy breakfast, a late breakfast accompanied by good music, or just a sandwich stuffed with shredded pork, you'll soon discover that the brunch restaurants in Barcelona have everything on their menus that you want and quite often, a whole lot more.