De Tapa Madre

Fantastic Catalan-style bites, a must-try for tapas lovers I popped in for lunch and left very pleased. This place does a nice job with straightforward, well-executed dishes that make for a satisfying casual meal. The portions are generous and the plating is attractive, great for sharing or a hearty solo lunch. The potatoes with sausage and cheese were the standout for me. The potato cubes arrive crisp on the outside and fluffy inside, generously topped with slices of sausage (chorizo-style) and a creamy, smoky cheese/sauce. The combination of textures, crunchy potato, snappy sausage and gooey cheese, works really well, and the dish has a comforting, homey flavor without being heavy-handed. Perfect as a starter or to share. The “Catalan kebab” (as listed) is also worth ordering. It’s served on toasted bread layered with tomato sauce, then piled with tender lamb, strips of sweet red peppers, and dollops of garlicky mayo. I can really see the vision here, it feels like a true fusion of kebab flavors with a distinctly Catalan palate. The tomato base adds brightness, the lamb brings depth, and the garlic sauce ties it all together. It’s bold but balanced, and something a little different from the usual tapas. Service was friendly and the atmosphere relaxed, a good spot for an easy lunch or a casual evening bite. If I had one minor suggestion it would be to add a touch of acidity (like a wedge of lemon or pickled garnish) to balance the richness, but that’s a small quibble. All in all, highly recommended.

BEST! We all absolutely loved dining here! Best meal we had in Barcelona! Fresh, tasty, fabulous! Our wait person looking after us Montse gave us great recommendations. The dishes were plentiful and sangria was delicious as well.

Visited in October 2013 - Two blocks off Passeig de Sant Joan, De Tapa Madre doesn’t shout, but it’s always full of locals with a spillover of tourists from the Sagrada Família. Inside it’s small tables and chatter, outside parasols on the pavement. The bread with tomato came billed as “the best in Barcelona” - a bold claim, but the coca de vidre was as it should be: crisp, lacy, olive oil for succulence, sweet tomato rubbed in. Almost perfect, only the tomato held it back (9.5/10). Croquettes of Jabugo ham were crisp, balanced, and very good - another grind of pepper would have made them great (9/10). Then the pop a la gallega: tender octopus, potatoes with a dusting of paprika, garlic dressing - simple, precise, and unforgettable (10/10). We dragged things out with crema catalana and Gaudí’s truffle stones; both well-made, but patisserie isn’t the kitchen’s strongest suit (9/10). Honest, generous, and the sort of place you only leave because you have to.

LOVED this place!! My friend and I wandered across and were drawn in by the great menu and reasonable prices, and it exceeded expectation. We ordered the rice mushroom and meat (more than enough for two people!), as well as the bellini (yum!). Finally, amazing service and the server was patient as we practiced our spanish :)

so, i really liked it here! got a bit of a hangover from the Sangria, but may be just a me problem. the Aubergine with goat cheese and honey was divine. wonderful selection of tapas, price was friendly to my budget, and the staff super helpful and friendly.

All of our food was absolutely delicious. The servers were very kind and accommodating for English speakers. The drinks were delicious too and reasonably priced.

Amazing tapas restaurant! We came for a family gathering and were able to try a lot of items from the menu. Everything was really delicious and the service very friendly and efficient. Would highly recommend!

It would be a great little place if the service were more attentive than five stars. We visited Spain in mid-March, and Barcelona was a must. We saw this place and thought, why not? The waiter was friendly and helpful, but we had to wave him down for more drinks, and I know in Spain, they are laid back, but it could have been better. Try the cod tapas and calamari amazing!! The beer was ice cold, and the wine menu was more than enough.

The mussels were delicious! Fries spiced and interesting for an American palate. The Vino was exquisite as all places we have tried yet! Service was quick, seating comfortably at the bar is our favorite and it was most pleasant. Wash closets were clean and well decorated.

One of my favorite tapas places I visited with friends often while abroad, De Tapa Madre has the best bravas and buñuelos de bacalao - chef's kiss!

So impressed with this restaurant. Great location, outdoor and indoor seating options. Very reasonably priced for delicious tapas. Could have more by the glass wine options, but the ones they had were very good. The burrata with tomatoes and arugula was absolutely amazing, only to be surpassed by the lamb. If you get one thing to eat while in Barcelona, get this lamb. Cooked perfectly, so decadent, couldn't be better. The staff was friendly and accommodating. Highly recommend!

Found this cute restaurant by our hotel. We sat outside and ordered sangrias, spicy sausages, tomato bread and garlic red prawns. The sangria was tasty ($5.95/glass) and not too sweet, which I liked. The sausages ($6.05) came out hot and they too were very flavorful. The prawns ($10.45 for 5 prawns) were served whole, which we weren't used to. We didn't like the head and guts part but the tails were tender and full of great garlic flavor. The garlic sauce was amazing with tons of garlic. I actually used the bread to soak up all the yummy sauce! Our total bill came out to be $30.75 (they charged us in dollars) We thought it to be very reasonable for what we got and we would definitely visit here again when back in Barcelona

Friendly staff, reasonable prices (for the location), good fare. Order the octopus-- grilled!

Our first tapas in Barcelona and we got lucky. Great jamon, great patatas bravas, the service was good and it was nice to sit on a sunny corner and watch the people go by. The ladies has the sangria and i heard no complaints. The restroom is a little tricky, i'm still not sure if we went in the only one, or it just happens to be a handicap also...

Stopped by this shop for some afternoon tapas and happy hour. We sat outside at a few of their bistro tables and enjoyed the October sunshine. They had a nice selection of meat options for their tapas and a diverse wine list.

Average food for a marked up price. Wine was good and cheap, but food was marked up for what it was. They also asked if i wanted bread, and i said sure thinking it would be free. I was charged 2€50 for very sad bread with some tomato on it.

Local tapas place that was quick and friendly. Everything we ordered was good with the neighborhood flair. Nothing too spectacular but of course was above average as Spanish tapas don't disappoint. Apparently a hot spot for tourists as we saw several Japanese tables with a guidebook.

Beautiful lunch . Fabulous tortilla, duck- amazing. Eggplant lasagna , tuna salad , I recommend them all. Sangria was delicious as well. High quality place.

Their specialty paella was sooo good! We loved their tapas. Staff was really nice too! We brought my 22 month old and they were very accommodating.

This was the worst place we visited in Barcelona. Appetizers were edible but not good. Paella was really not edible. Smelled bad and tasted worse. We ended up returning most of the main dishes we ordered.

Beautiful place with a large menu of tapas. Helpful and patient waitstaff. We ordered some sardines, sausages, a salad, and cava, and everything was delicious. Our waiter didn't speak a lot of English, but I like practicing Spanish and would rather people not switch to English once they hear my broken Spanish.

Tapas that your mother would be proud of! Spectacular Pulpo de Gallego, very good tortilla and tasty pan con tomate too. Service was friendly and attentive and fast. Can recommend highly.

Delicious first night tapas (light) dinner in Barcelona, down the street from our B&B. Sat outside at one of the 6-7 tables (although the inside tables on the second level looked inviting). The server was proficient enough in English and was very pleasant. We shared a tomato with mozzarella salad - very good (note we're from the Central Valley of California where tomatoes are unsurpassed), along with homemade Russian potatoes with tuna fish salad, cod fritters and confit de canard (duck). The cod fritter was okay but the others were outstanding, especially the duck. We enjoyed a local red wine - Priorat - Scala dei Prior. Highly recommended restaurant. The duck was the most expensive item at $16 dollars. Total bill was $62 dollars with four glasses of wine.

Cozy, friendly and moderately priced. Chardonnay cava was outstanding for 14 Euro Tomato bread, touted as the best. I don't know about that but pretty delicious. -could have used a little more tomato jamon, could have been better. 13.80 Euro for 50 grams...was tasty but as I learned later was dry because it was near the bone so the leg has been cut for a while. Patates bravas, i'm not a fan of the dish itself but was crisp and tasty enough. Lamb Stew, was yummy and comforting Over the next 7 days, found myself wanting to go back for cava and bread.

I would stay away from this place or at least will stay away from paella and burger. Our table order 3 different paella dishes and we had to send it back (it looked like it was made from the cans).

Place looks nice, but slow and unfriendly service - we waited 15 minutes just to get menus and then an hour for paella even though they said 20 minutes. Dirty glasses and food was nothing special. Not coming back.

Very good tapas but not impressed with the seafood paella. Delicious Sangria!! I recommend this place.

We ate here twice during our stay in Barcelona. Once for tapas, which were delicious, the second time for paella. Had to wait 20 minutes, but that's how we could tell it was the real deal (several places in the area serve reheated from frozen), and was it ever worth the wait! Definitely recommend.

Wow. This place was fantastic. The service was amazing and the seafood paella to die for! 10 stars!