7 Portes

The 9 Best Paella In Barcelona - Barcelona - The Infatuation

"You can’t talk rice in Barcelona without mentioning 7 Portes, a beautifully maintained institution where little has changed since it opened in 1836. The haughty waiters still wear pressed white jackets and the faded photographs on the walls show glimpses of what Barceloneta looked like in years past. Diners range from young couples to multi-generational families who are all here to feast on rice. Some have blackened lips from the squid ink in the arroz negro, while others suck on lobster heads and slurp sauce from the mussels in the rich arroz caldoso, or soupy rice. We always go for the Paella Manolete, a zingy homage to the Catalan love of surf and turf, with butifarra sausage and shrimp. If you can’t agree on what to get, 7 Portes is one of the few places in town that serves individual portions." - isabelle kliger