Besta Barcelona
Restaurant · l'Antiga Esquerra de l'Eixample
Carrer d'Aribau, 106, L'Eixample, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
Highlights
Catalan & Galician seafood, inventive cocktails, memorable tasting menus
Catalan & Galician seafood, inventive cocktails, memorable tasting menus
"This fancy-ish restaurant on L’Esquerra de l’Eixample blends Galician and Catalan influences in its two ever-changing tasting menus. At €72 for 9 courses or €95 for 12, this deal is one of the city’s best and most surprising. The menu is packed with unconventional combinations featuring seasonal produce and fresh seafood—think clarified tomato infused with Mediterranean elderflower and served with Galician cured bonito, a perfectly chargrilled Catalan zucchini flower stuffed with tender Galician squid, or calamari with Swiss chard and black pudding jus—and you can be sure these dishes won’t appear on anywhere else. Pair the meal with a gin and tonic made with gin they distill with algae and oysters for a cool, cucumber-y, and slightly salty finish. Book the new chef’s table at the back if the idea of a one-on-one with the chefs gets your jus-es flowing." - isabelle kliger
"This fancy-ish restaurant on L’Esquerra de l’Eixample blends Galician and Catalan influences in its two ever-changing tasting menus. At €72 for 9 courses or €95 for 12, this deal is one of the city’s best and most surprising. The menu is packed with unconventional combinations featuring seasonal produce and fresh seafood—think clarified tomato infused with Mediterranean elderflower and served with Galician cured bonito, a perfectly chargrilled Catalan zucchini flower stuffed with tender Galician squid, or calamari with Swiss chard and black pudding jus—and you can be sure these dishes won’t appear on anywhere else. Pair the meal with a gin and tonic made with gin they distill with algae and oysters for a cool, cucumber-y, and slightly salty finish. Book the new chef’s table at the back if the idea of a one-on-one with the chefs gets your jus-es flowing. RESERVE A TABLE" - Isabelle Kliger
"Besta’s two chefs, Carles Ramon and Manu Núñez, focus on offering exceptional products from their home regions of Catalunya and Galicia, respectively. They precisely plate vibrant dishes like pickled mussels with pumpkin, tomato salad with cured blue fish, and Galician seaweed pancakes with wine-braised wild boar — though the experience of eating at Besta is generally a more casual affair than all that makes it sound. There are always a few meat dishes on the menu, but seafood is the star here; don’t miss out on the grilled zamburiña scallops and the oyster- and seaweed-infused gin tonics." - Sam Zucker
"Besta is the brainchild of Carles Ramón from Catalonia and Manu Núñez from Galicia. Together, they have invented a gastronomic style like none other: blending the finest in-season produce from their respective regions. It's a match made in heaven, and the result is positively ethereal. Ramón and Núñez are not afraid to take risks, especially when it comes to mixing unorthodox ingredients from the sea and the land. Surf 'n' turf (or mar i muntanya) is a mainstay of Catalan cuisine. Combinations like chicken and shrimp or meatballs and squid abound on menus here, but Besta takes it to another level, serving Galician oyster with thinly sliced dry-aged beef, or market-fresh octopus with a suckling pig's ear. The wines are mainly sourced from small producers and divided by color and region. It's own in-house branded gin is distilled with algae and oysters." - Isabelle Kliger, Gemma Askham
"A casual neo-bistro run by two chefs who have brought together the cooking of their respective regions, namely Galicia and Catalunya. The market-inspired menu here is influenced by both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean." - Michelin Inspector
