"Set on the ground floor of a shopping center near Plaça d'Espanya, this restaurant couldn't appear more unassuming if it tried. Look again and you'll notice that there isn't a single empty table. Opened in late 2020, Bodega Pasaje 1986 is one of a handful of restaurants that filled the vacuum left by the closure of Albert Adrià's El Barri restaurant empire. And it has done so with aplomb. Former director of Adrià's celebrated Tickets, Xavi Alba, has left fine dining behind to focus on simple tapas and Catalan "grandma" dishes—like marinated anchovies, green beens and potato, or beef "fricandó" stew—but elevated to whole new level. Bodega means wine bar and it goes without saying there's an excellent selection of mainly Catalan vintages by the bottle or glass. Kick things off with a small glass of beer, or caña, or the local favorite, vermouth over ice." - Isabelle Kliger
