"While most public facilities and services at Barcelona’s beaches only operate during the high season from the end of May to the end of September, restaurants and bars stay open year-round. Barceloneta might be a well-known beach, but once you step away from the main drag along the boardwalk, it’s also one of the city’s most historic downtown neighborhoods. Locals come to Casa Maians for the freshly caught seafood, hearty rice dishes overflowing with pork shoulder, seasonal mushrooms and peppers, or black squid-ink rice with cuttlefish and artichokes, plus that feeling of going over to a friend’s place for a quick bite and chat. The restaurant is only open Wednesday through Sunday for lunch, there are ten tables, and the entire show is run by the two owners who seem to know most of their guests personally." - isabelle kliger