Bodega Passatge 1986

"Located on the edge of the city in Plaza España, this bodega—run by the former director of Barcelona’s legendary fine-dining joint, Tickets—comes off as bougie, but can get a little rowdy and actually feels super casual. The list of local vintages is long enough to keep you parked (and a bit drunk) on the sunny patio all afternoon, plus an impressive selection of vermut. Traditional Catalan dishes like pig’s trotters with black pudding and mushrooms, or roast chicken with kalamata olives and capers are hearty enough to keep you from completely languishing under the Spanish sun." - isabelle kliger

"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

"Now that Barcelona’s most famous chef brothers, Albert and Ferran Adrià, closed all the spots in their restaurant empire, a number of new spots are ready to take over where they left off. Run by the former director of Albert Adrià’s legendary spot Tickets, Bodega Pasaje 1986 is an upscale bodega (or wine bar) that feels super casual. It's located on the edge of the city in Plaza España, and you’ll see everyone here from couples to visitors who have clearly seen every episode of Chef’s Table. They come for the elevated takes on Catalan dishes in the form of pig’s trotters with black pudding and mushrooms, roast chicken with raisins and pine nuts, or a simple seasonal tomato, cucumber, and onion salad, but often end up staying all afternoon sipping ice-cold beers on the sunny patio." - Isabelle Kliger