Casa Alfonso

Wow wow wow. I randomly came for a light dinner very unplanned since I was a bit hungry and it was right in front of my hotel, and I am not joking, it was THE best iberico and pan con tomato I’ve had in Spain, and I’ve been to 8 cities here eating A LOT of pan con tomato and iberico hams. The bread is perfectly toasted with a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil, very crispy, light, and fresh with that acidity from the fresh tomatoes. Add a slice of iberico ham on top and it was a piece of perfecto 👌I’ve never had an iberico that literally melts in your mouth. Very smooth and tender. I ordered only 1/2 portions of each menu and I must admit, I sort of regretted it :( Thank you also for your great, fast service. Really loved the young gentleman who made sure everything was okay and checking up on us every two minutes. Very beautiful shop also, with every corner a history. Highly recommend !!!

Another beautiful authentic place to enjoy Catalan food. Their seafood paella 🥘 is so delicious. The shrimp Tabas is really good. Don’t miss their Catalan Creme 💛 The music, the old wood, the red ceiling and the photos of celebrities takes you in a different time.

A true gem for traditional tapas in Barcelona! Every dish was full of authentic flavor—from the patatas bravas to the jamón ibérico, everything was perfectly prepared. The attention from the staff was excellent: friendly, fast, and always ready with a recommendation. A must-visit for tapas lovers!

Casa Alfonso is full of old-school charm and warm service — the kind of place that feels both local and special. The highlight for me was hands down the jamón ibérico with pan con tomate. The ham was perfectly sliced, rich, nutty, and just melts in your mouth. Pair it with their house vermouth and you have the ideal starter — balanced, smooth, and deeply flavorful. I’m giving it 4 stars overall — while the quality was undeniable, most of the dishes leaned a bit too salty for my personal taste. That said, the atmosphere and craftsmanship make it absolutely worth a visit, especially for the jamón lovers.

Typical Spanish restaurant, special food, amazing vibes. Feel to be in a Time Machine, you have the feeling to be in a restaurant of 1900 or 1950. Food is amazing, service is fast.

The rustic, authentically Spanish aesthetic and the vibrant atmosphere evoked a sense of being transported back in time. Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Casa Alfonso numerous times, and each visit has offered a uniquely enjoyable experience.

Homely place to eat. Food was very good and service even better. Cut tomatoes were really good, but also alfonso meatballs and steak.

This was my first meal when I landed in BCN, and I wish I’d had time to go back. The staff was helpful in guiding me to the right options and the food blew me away. Simple, tasty, and memorable. A must for any visit!!

Outstanding meal with excellent service. The restaurant is very cute, almost kitschy. Yelp steered me correctly...the pan con tomato was delicious as was the fried artichokes. Potatoes Bravas were by far the best I have ever had. The star was the dessert, do not miss the Fig tartine, truly spectacular and the vanilla ice cream was actually vanilla.... If you are in the area, Casa Alfonso is a can't miss.

It's our second time in Barcelona and we had to pass by here again! First of all, the atmosphere here is amazing. It has really nice vintage Spanish vibes. On the right hand side there is an amazing charcuterie area where they slice and prepare the iberico. This time around we sat at the bar which is comfy! Service is quick as expected in Spain! Most tapas are already prepared and don't take long to come out. They have a great selection of wine as well! Definitely a place to check out when you're in Barcelona!

I really liked the old world atmosphere in here. The first room had the bar with various tapas under a glass cover on the bar. We ate in the second room which had a warm, woody demeanor. All of the tapas courses we picked we loved. The Russian Salad was our favorite. The waiters spoke enough English to get us through dinner without too much stumbling .

We walked in for 3. There's vintage decor. Servers were friendly. My friends loved the Casa Alfonso rice with eggs, blood sausage, and Iberian ham. Everything was good. The gazpacho and cava sangria were good to cool off from the summer heat.

Service was slow at best. We sat for a good 15-20 minutes after being seated before we were greeted. Food was delicious when we finally ordered. The seafood paella was delicious but slightly burned past the top portion of the pan. The meatballs were delicious and we had lovely white wine to pair with as we dined in for lunch. Super cute outdoor seating for a breezy early summer day in Barcelona. We stumbled upon and didn't need a reservation for mid day.

When the staff of the hotel tells you to try the best local spot ... that's what you do!!! We were In Spain for a week and the was the best meal we had the entire time. Stepping into Casa Alfonso is like walking into the past. You can literally smell the history in this place. When you first step in there are meats hanging and curing from the ceiling. Cheeses and delicacy's in the fresh case. A beautiful and eclectic bar to the right and a time capsule dining room in the back in which we were fortunate enough to sit in. We tried a bunch of different apps and everything was so fresh and so amazing. This is the one place I will go back to next time I'm in Barcelona!!!

Waited only 15 minutes in the queue to get seated on a Monday evening. Great service with tips about what was in season or a chef special. All of the food was served promptly and hit the spot after our long day of travel. Delicious tapas served alongside a historic family restaurant - what a great introduction to our stay in Barcelona!

Sat in the back room our server was impatient ( Patricia ) with us because my wife had difficulty speaking Spanish and it was very noisy there. She took the order and we never saw her again. The salads and entree were brought out to us before our beverages and we had to ask another waiter for our drinks. They don't take reservations. ' Not worth it

This is one my favorite restaurants in Barcelona. The tapas are incredible. Service was great and ambiance takes you back in time. This was definitely my favorite paella of the trip.

If I had to use 2 words, professional and delicious. The waiters and staff took great pride in their establishment. My guess would be that their staff stay on for many years. I asked for a coupa de vino blanca . No idea if that's right. I was my best try. He asked if I wanted either X or Y.... Since I had no idea, I asked him to pick. He brought a lovely white with a bright floral finish. A mom daughter local pair sat next to me and said hola. They had croquettas. I suspect they were delicious. I had experienced such bad croquettas, I ordered the Casa Alfonsa rice. It had jamon, sausage, mushrooms and an egg. It hit every mark. Well kept, great service, beautiful food.

There is an ample list of croquetas--varied, imaginative and well made. The pan con tomate came on blessedly thinly-sliced bread that was somewhere between focaccia and pizza dough, drizzled with olive oil and a tomato puree. Good! I also had a tortilla abierta with cod and asparagus that was perfect. The Xioxo was out of this world. The bar waitress seemed a bit impatient with me at first, but she warmed to me with time. The restaurant predated the Civil war and has paintings on the wall that look to date to that period. Very charming inside.

Good food and fun place to visit. Lots of options and helpful staff. Good ambiance.

They have good service and delicious food. A good variety from traditional Spanish food including sea food and dried hams / meats.

We were lucky to stay close to Casa Alonso so we went there several times. The staff was always attentive an accommodating. All of their suggestions were delicious. We always ordered the jamon, artichoke and the eggplant. The rest varied but was always good. House vermut and wine all good. They do not take reservations but we never had a long wait, if there was a wait. They were tolerant of my attempts to speak spanish but I think everyone spoke at least a little english.

Thankfully we got a recommendation for Cafe Alfonso, otherwise I don't think we would have known to come here. We ordered the spinach & Brie croquettes, patatas bravas, tuna tartar, tomato bread, white wine and water. They gave a large assortment of croquettes on the menu. Nice ambiance and service. Got a "caja para llegar" for our leftover jamon to make a sandwich tomorrow. The jamon was billed as the best in Spain and it certainly delivered!

We tried many different tapas, all were delicious. Friendly and attentive server. Casa Alfonso was the perfect spot for our last night in Barcelona.

Went back a few times while in Spain and absolutely loved everything about it!! Food was amazing and so delicious! So many options.

This is an all-Tapas Taverna: they serve tapas at the bar and at the tables-- and the Tapas are very good. Some favorites: Prawns with Garlic, Spinach and Chard Salad, Gazpacho. Try the Vermouth with your Tapas, too! Service is fast, friendly and attentive. Crowd is mostly locals, so you know the food is good.

Very good food. Enjoyed the Barrata salad, crispy artichokes, Iberian ham, and salmon. Nice atmosphere. Gave 4 stars and not 5 because I think waitress tried to take advantage of us not speaking Spanish. But otherwise service was good.

We came here as part of a Tapas Tour we found on Trip Advisor, so service or other components may or may not be the same if you were not with a tour. Our host ordered, and ordered she did. Normally this is what was ordered for 5, but only 3 of us, and we went to town: Fried olives w sardines Tomato bread black big Jamon Pork sausage Eggplant w goat cheese and honey Chiro peppers Sangria I loved this place The atmosphere was great, as was the food. Would definitely love to go back.

Atmosphere is fine, very authentic Spanish place. Service is great for a tapas place, waiter tried to make a custom meal for my younger brother. Food is good, have a little bit of everything for all types of eaters. Mocktails are nothing special. Must have mozzarella cheese sticks.

We wanted something non-touristy and our hotel suggested this. The food was okay, had better tapas the previous night. But the service was terrible. Maybe they don't like tourists? Our server was so rude. When I asked a couple of questions in English she shook her head, took the menu and then got an English menu. She was clearly put off. She forgot half of our order and when she asked if we wanted dessert we mentioned we were waiting for the rest of our food. She walked away, irritated and without saying a word. Then our food came out. She had an attitude from the beginning. Too bad.

We came here for tapas. The service was good, and the food was excellent! This is one of the best dinners I had in Barcelona. I especially enjoyed the Patatas bravas and tomato bread. This place wasn't very expensive either. Definitely worth a visit!

This was our second favourite tapas bar of the three we went to. And of all the famously old restaurants I've visited, this one is one where I enjoyed the most beyond just the fame it got for being old. The food is really good, and lots of locals eating in there. We asked for a recommendation and we enjoyed everything we recieved. Overall, tapas are not expensive per se, but they do add up pretty quickly. In general, expect to spend €15- 20/person if you are eating tapas as a meal. Funny story: my party tried so long to decipher the menu items using Google translate and everything... After we painstakingly ordered a few items, the waiter gave us an English menu. (They probably just forgot when they first gave us the menu)

The food was good. And the inside of restaurant was cozy. The owner seemed very nice, but we get the feeling that tourists weren't wanted by waitresses. They didn't give us the right order twice. Bummer...

Wonderful tapas here and a must go. They have a large selection of different foods and everything we tried is worth coming back for. From the octopus to the paella to the jamon, everything was delicious. Definitely recommend checking this place out

Great tapas restaurant in Barcelona. My wife and I came here with a group while on vacation in Europe. When I was told it was family owned and has been in business since 1934, I knew I would love it. The main area when you walk in has a bar and small seating area in a narrow path , but there is cozy seating in the back area where we were. We were served a variety of tapas including Spanish sausages, tomato bread with olive oil, artichokes, fish fritters, fried olives, spicy potatoes, and some kind of breaded ball stuffed with ground beef( super good). It was hard to pick a favorite as they were all fantastic. I loved being instructed to rub the tomatoes on the bread and then sprinkle olive oil on it. It was awesome and I don't know why I haven't thought of this before. I am now going to do this at home for dinner appetizers. The wine and sangria were served in pitchers, and was all smooth and good for starting off the night. The service was prompt and friendly. If I come back to Barcelona, I'd love to come back here. I highly recommend.

On the first day that we arrived at El Palace Hotel (a dream) just down the street from this restaurant, a concierge mentioned that this restaurant was a good place to go for a good meal. He stressed that it was not for fine dining, but that we wouldn't be disappointed with the food. Unfortunately, we didn't make it here until our 7th and last day in Barcelona. And I realized immediately by looking at the plates around me that he had been so right. It is certainly a popular lunch spot and for good reason. One of the unusual things about Barcelona is when you say vino bianco? I always asked it as a question, they do not bring you a list of wines, they bring you a glass of house white wine. They have it everywhere and sometimes it is, of course, better than other times. Here, it was very good. Another thing we loved about this restaurant is that they had a roasted salmon tapas for lunch. It was 2 small (4" x 5") pieces of salmon that were perfectly cooked. It came with a dipping sauce which enhanced it. (I like my salmon cooked medium.) The other members of my party had their excellent croqettes, the wonderful burrata salad with avocado. Everyone was quite happy.

We had a semi-large group (11) and were told to wait outside 15-20 minutes. It was about a 45 minute wait. It was our first night in town and it was the first recommendation from our host. Food seemed ok, but the following night we walked a few blocks and found a place that seated us all right away and had significantly better food! Bigger portions and better prices! Lesson learned. Do some research, so many options around. I wouldn't wait 5 minutes again for this place. Much better food everywhere else.

Many Barcelona residents consider this the finest tapas house in Barcelona. When I have been entertained, and the hosts want to impress, this is where we go. The cold meats here are absolutely of distinction. The cheeses here are absolutely of distinction. The other items are quite nice but don't stand out the way the meat and the cheese do. I haven't eaten everything on the menu so there may be some more distinction items yet to be discovered. If you had one and only one meal to have in Barcelona and you wanted Tapas, this would be a fine choice since everything is entirely respectable and the best stuff is wonderful. But if you are NOT on that system, consider the following logic. If you are in Spain, do you want Iberian ham and charcuterie? Yeah yeah yeah, you may be planning paella, seafood etc etc ... But great Spanish hams are a huge part of what makes Barcelona Barcelona. If you are on the no-ham plan, then skipping Casa Afonso might be okay. If not ...

Had tomato bread, olives, grilled octopus and patatas bravas. Food was decent. Recommended by hotel staff where locals go. More knows for its meats which were hanging inside the restaurant but we didn't try that as not in the mood. Decent for dinner

Super casual style family neighborhood cafe. Can't say enough about the food and service. The charred octopus is to die for, the tuna and tomato salad is incredible. Do yourself a favor and stop by.

Staff: brought out food in waves and got to interact with many different people Ambiance: more restaurant than a home-like feel as some other tapas restaurants have. have larger bar and desserts than most places I've been to, unfortunately didn't have room left after lunch to try any! Location: central in Barcelona, super easy to walk to - also outdoor seating available What to try: free-range chicken bite (1.55 € per piece, so order a few) Food: came out as it was ready, ordered plenty to share for four people and would avoid paella here Price: vino was less than 2€, which was a pleasant surprise. 4 people left for under 15€ per person for a feast!

Fantastic experience ! Very welcoming waitstaff, great food. An effort by all to communicate in the customer's native language, I would recommend for anyone!

Thanks to Yelp, we had a great dinner at Alfonso's. The food is great and the folks are generally nice. One server even gave us one more chocolate croquette (this is one heavenly fried ball of chocolate, I must say) cos these 2 Asian girls' limited appetite could only allow us to order one to share. That was actually our last night in Barcelona before we fly home and that little gesture was a sweetener to the end of our wonderful trip in Spain. Do note that the sangria here comes in small jug and costs about €10. Having been to so many bars that just serves up a glass at €3-4 when ordered for 1 pax, we got a little shocked when we fit the bill but it was a mini jug, so the price was right, just we didn't expect that to cost that much and it wasn't listed on the menu. Other than that, it was a decent dinner with hearty food and served with a warm heart. Loved it.

Loved everything we ordered and the staff was friendly. We sat at the bar. The stools were a little to high for me. Never had that happen before. They had purse hooks under the bar which is always a good idea. The croqueta fish octopus and goat cheese dish and mini fried fish were all cooked to perfection. We will defensively go back.

Out of all places we ate at in Barcelona, this was by far our favorite. This place is the real deal. Such a quaint place and the food is amazing, great prices. Please try it!

Solid place to get tapas. You can't go wrong with anything you order here. What's nice about this tapas bar is that a lot of locals go here and it's not touristy. The paella is amazing. Only downside was I thought staff here was very rude.

What an amazing place! Great tapas selection and their staff was really helpful. We're foreigners and we didn't really know what to order and we asked our server for recommendations, and wow he did not disappoint! I remember getting one of their cured ham tapas and it's a great pair with the tomato bread. I forgot to get our servers name. I just wanna say thank you again!

I came here with a group of about ten folks. The waiting staff was very accommodating. The tapas were decent. My favorites were the croquettas and the fried olives. Also, I found that the tomatoes used to rub on the bread were very tasty!

We ordered the croquettes, fried artichoke, black paella, potatoes, but my favorite was the steak pieces. Best steak I've had so far in Barcelona. The ham that everyone else ordered looked wonderful. Service was great!

Really nice and relaxed place. Focus is tapas and vine. If you are a beer drinker prepare to drink lager only. The speciality is croquets.

Dropped in on a Friday night without a reservation, but the staff were still able to accommodate our group of five. I had heard that food servers in Barcelona were all business and not chatty with customers, and that was the case here. Being from the US, we were used to getting a guided tour of the menu. Communication with the staff in English was a little shaky, but it all worked out. After a few questions, we ordered some paella, sausage, potato bravas, soup, and a hamburger. All of the food arrived quickly and was delicious. The waitress gently reminded us to make a reservation next time on our way out. The house wine was good as well.

In business since 1934, Casa Alfonso is perfect for a morning coffee or a tapas stop at the long marble bar. Wood-panelled and festooned with old photos, posters and swinging hams, it attracts a faithful local clientele at all hours for its flautas (thin custom-made baguettes with choice of filling), hams, cheeses, hot dishes and homemade desserts.

Had dinner here with two co-workers after reading of it in Lonely Planet's Barcelona guidebook. We stopped by without reservations after almost 3 hours of walking around, famished. The wait for a seat indoors was 40 minutes, so we opted to sit outside and be served immediately. Being Feb, it was quite cold but the overhead heat lamps weakly helped ward it off. Note that while we were there the language we heard most spoken by guests was English...thus many tourists. That should not be a deterrent because it was very good. SERVICE: 4.5. Appreciated the cheerful attitude and patience of the gentleman who arranged for us to dine outside and who kindly explained items on the menu as well as quantity. His recommendations were spot on. (BTW, there is a 5% surcharge for outside seating. Outside seating consisted of 3 umbrella-covered tables on the sidewalk, shielded by walls on 3 sides.) FOOD: 4.0. We were very hungry. The taste of the first bites created one of those rare occasions when one becomes even more ravenous after starting to dine. We had the Iberian Board (mix of meats), octopus tapa, meatball tapa, heated bread with tomato sauce, and pate. All were excellent. We forgot the cold until we were sated. I had the house red wine, and enjoyed it. AMBIENCE: 4.0. crowded and friendly.

Great ambiance with lots of local customers. We both had mini paellas. One black rice with squid and shrimp and the other was cod with spinach. Both were hot and delicious, however the black rice one was a bit too salty. Service was good once the waiters finished their break.

We were looking for some authentic paella and found this place. I had the black paella with cuttlefish and shrimp. It was a little scary looking but delicious!!! We also had a potato tapas and a tapa called the Casa Alfonso bomb. Both were amazing. Neat little place with the feel of an authentic Spanish deli. Good spot!

My family and I spent around 4 nights in Barcelona visiting where we searched high and low to find places that would be good to eat while trying to avoid major tourist traps. While I had read the mixed reviews on Cafe Alfonso, we decided to give it a try since there are several five star reviews. I would not recommend it since there are several restaurants for a similar price that you could eat at with better service and food. Our first interaction with the staff was to discuss a table for 6 people where they told us that we would have to vacate our table at 9pm for a reservation. (Understandable, but it was a little strange by European standards, even if they take reservations in our experience.) We didn't mind since we understood that we were walking in off the street without a reservation. We waited to be seated, then we had a waitress who was actually quite rude and dismissive to us. She obviously seemed to have no interest in serving us and didn't check on us at all through our meal. At some point, another waitress would help us out through the meal and help take our orders who was better, but it was still disappointing service for the most part. Once we received our food, there were some missed items. They have a very extensive list of croquettes from which we ordered several but some were lost in communication; luckily, they didn't charge us for it. Their tomato bread was perhaps average and the rest of the food was just not what I had hoped with the exception of the iberian chorizo board that we got. In general, the octopus and most seafood that we ordered there were not cooked well, especially compared to what you can get at many venues in Barcelona. In addition, we ordered sangria for the group that was clearly just mixed in the kitchen since when someone tried to eat the fruit it ended up being a lemon that was particularly bitter. Given the poor service and unremarkable food on our visit, I don't think that I would recommend this restaurant to anybody visiting Barcelona. There are several other places that have excellent food for similar prices.

My wife and I just left this place. We are in Barcelona for our honeymoon and this restaurant was recommended by our tour guide. We did not have reservations, but the host said we could have a table if we would be done in an hour, as he needed it back. This was fine for us as we just wanted to try a few things at this place then try another tapas bar later in the night. The older, heavy set, bald man, Giovanni, was our server. We ordered water (as we wanted to have our alcohol later at another place) and tried 5 things off the tapas menu. We tried the ratatouille, the chicken croqueta, spinach croqueta, patatas bravas and croqueta de chocolate. The ratatouille was good and we enjoyed it. The chicken croqueta was just ok--no flavor. The spinach croqueta was delicious as well as the croqueta de chocolate. The patatas bravas was not the best we have had. It was not crispy and the did not have the 'bravas' spiciness as other tapas bars have. The food was ok, but Giovanni and the service was cold. He was friendly to Spanish speaking guests, but very unwelcoming to us Americans. We didn't have any issues with the service in Barcelona, except at this restaurant. Giovanni, didn't even say thank you after we paid. He just handed my card back and left. There are many other places in Barcelona with good food. The service we received here was terrible and put us in a bad mood for the night. Please skip this place.