Bar Mundial

This place Is about as old school as it gets. A single waiter might log 30,000 steps a day in 500 sq ft because he was non stop taking care of roughly 30 customers. One guy taking care of 30 guests. Awesome. Also, there is only one guy in the kitchen. Just one; and he is working his little closet of a space to knock out every dish in this place. Two guys handling an entire restaurant for dinner. Two guys. Major credit given for the work ethic at Mundial. Upon entering Mundial, I spied some crazy green things on a plate when I walked into the restaurant. I say “crazy green things” because green vegetables in Spain seem to be as rare as diamonds. The green things were padron peppers which were wonderfully pan scorched and seasoned generously with salt. I’m thinking my near 50-year old body could use some fiber and green veg sounded like a refreshing treat. Yep, delicious but not the best item here. No reason to go to far out of the box at Mundial and keep it simple. Croquettes, Patatas Bravas, red wine. The Patatas were the best I had in Spain. Great fry job and aioli duo of classic heavy garlic (more like the Armenian style garlic sauce than aioli) and the second aioli spiked with smoked paprika..The two different types of croquettes we ok, the bacalao fritter tasted more of potato than fish, with two of the them being cold in the middle. The chicken croquettes were super hot but tasted of older thigh meat. I’m batting 0-2 on croquettes in Spain, but I’ll keep swinging. As I set up in the previous review with Bar del Pla, I’m finding that each tapas bar has something they do extraordinarily well. In Bar del Pla’s case, it’s braised meat. In Mundial’s case, it’s Patatas Bravas and Padron Peppers. I’m sticking with my theory that it’s going to be difficult for any old-school tapas bar to “run the table” on all things tapas. Rather, the “tapas crawl” might be a better idea when it comes to eating tapas and it shouldn’t be difficult, many of these places are open all day and they certainly don’t close until late.

This is an old Barcelona institution and a great place for old school tapas. My grandfather used to enjoy a vermut here. Came with friends and got the house vermut and a great meal. I'd skip the pan con tomato. Definitely get the chips Dr berenjena (fried eggplant with goat cheese) and the pimientos de padrón. The croquetas and the pulpo a large planchs are good, too.

Was looking for a quiet place with good eats at a good price for lunch, and this exceeded expectations, only complaint was it was a little chilly. Waiter/bartender was friendly, food came quick and was delicious and the price was right. Definitely felt like a local dive, in the best possible way.

Ñam ñam bar mundial :) that's what they should call it. One of the few places in BCN where they serve fresh tallarines. The ambiance is really cool, 'un bar de toda la vida' that offers delicious food.

Phenomenal food and excellent service. Reasonably priced as well. Quirky place inside. Highly recommended.

I love this place! Very good food, friendly service and reasonable prices. For people who like boxing you will love the theme. I will definitely be back

Amazing seafood. Great Barcelona ambiance but make sure to sit at the front. Get the staff recommendations!

Lovely food, tasty and brought to the table immediately, and the girl that served us was very friendly and helpful. The only negative thoughts I have are completely unrelated to the food: I wouldn't have wanted to have sat in the room right next to the toilet, separated by it by just a sliding door, and the beautiful marble-top tables in the room in the back would have been far better complemented by chairs that were not plastic! But I would go again for the food, for sure: the fried aubergines with goats cheese and honey and the baby octopus were delicious.

By far one of my favorite restaurants in Barcelona. If you love fresh off the boat seafood, hate tourist traps, and want to enjoy a local, bustling community oriented restaurant, then this is for you. Filled to the brim with locals on all nights. It remains some of the freshest seafood and most authentic, local catalan experience I had on my trip to Barcelona. I still think about the razor clams and pulpitos (baby octopus). Get any seafood dish here and you won't be sorry. They do not over complicate the food here. It is fresh, simple and with the best ingredients and care. Since it's a local place you can actually enjoy specialties such as patas bravas and pan con tomate. (I tended to avoid those cliche dishes elsewhere because they're just trying to trap tourists in to eating soggy fries with mayo and stale bread). Here it was AMAZING. The place is really busy on weekends, you need to arrive before locals. 8-8:30 should work. The service is attentive despite the hustle and bustle. Split a bottle of white wine and chow done on the best seafood of your life. You won't be sorry. If you're anywhere near the El Born area, you must give this place a try. It is far and beyond the overpriced "seafood" restaurants in Barceloneta by the water.

Do yourself a favor and get the razor clams-amazing. Would definitely recommend. It has no flair but the food makes up for it

Staff was super helpful and the food was all delicious. They have amazing sangria and seafood. Each dish was better then the next. Would definitely recommend this place.

An exceptional tapas experienced, just as you want it to be when traveling thru Spain. Authentic and with magnificent amount of love put into every dish. Phenomenal Aubergine with honey and goat cheese. Phenomenal iberico. Phenomenal gambas.

The real deal. This place oozes authenticity, and has been a local mainstay for decades. No pretense, nothing flashy. Just fresh, expertly devised tapas, served by generations of experience. We had pretty much everything, as we were with our Catalan hosts. Decades of boxing photos and memorabilia above the bar, and as super graphics high on the wall. My suggestion is to have someone with you to order in Catalan, to guarantee the experience. Highly, highly recommended. Feels like a locals only place, so waves of tourists are somewhat out of sync. It IS a locals place, but happy to serve all.

1. Try the tiny fresh clams dripping in garlic, parsley and butter. 2. Order a nice bottle of white wine You've got all you need to talk into the early hours of the night. Better to go as pair or small group.

Where to even begin with Mundial?! I've been going here for almost 20 years, since before it was refurbished. It's a classic, and deserves an urgent visit. But always at lunchtime (2pm, or just before to get a table in front) and never on a Monday. In the evening it's not worth it either. Because it's all about atmosphere and freshness. You can go for a seafood platter, or instead have several dishes of their finest shellfish such as razor clams, which are invariably perfect, their baby octopus, their very good bravas, their pa amb tomàquet and the inevitable pimientos de Padrón. This is all about getting stuffed to the rafters with seafood and drinking small cold beers or a simple, light, refreshing Ribeiro wine. I cannot get enough of Mundial, and may it be preserved and protected for humanity's sake, for ever.

The first meal we had in Barcelona. It was suggested to us by some Belgian friends and it was truly worth it. The Aubergine chips were fabulous and perfectly fried, and the clams were delicious. The only thing we got that we didn't like was the grilled prawns, which felt too pricey for what you get. Oh, and the service was a little curt and rushed...

Quality has gone down from the last time we visited this nice place. Prices seem to be higher too...