Els 4 Gats

I recently visited, which is touted as an old and famous establishment in Barcelona. Unfortunately, my experience did not live up to the hype. We were a party of four and ended up spending €200 for lunch, which I found to be quite steep given the quality of the food. The dishes were average at best, lacking the deliciousness I expected from a place with such a reputation. In my opinion, the value for money simply isn’t there. From my experience, many other restaurants in Barcelona offer similar standards without the hefty price tag. I won’t be returning to here and wouldn’t recommend it to friends. Overall, it was a disappointing experience. The toilet is old and not clean. The water tape is broken. BTW, the atmosphere in the restaurant is nice.

✨ An Unforgettable Experience at Els Quatre Gats! ✨ From the moment we walked in, Els Quatre Gats exceeded every expectation. The service was absolutely extraordinary, attentive, warm, and genuinely welcoming. The staff made us feel like honored guests rather than just customers. The food was simply delicious; every dish was thoughtfully prepared, beautifully presented, and bursting with flavor. You could taste the care and tradition behind every bite. The ambiance, was incredible! The artistic, historic charm of the space creates an atmosphere that’s both magical and inspiring. It’s like dining inside a piece of Barcelona’s soul. This was not just a meal. it was a full experience. I recommend it to anyone wanting a truly special and memorable time! 5 stars aren’t enough! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

What a beautiful historical restaurant! The interior is spacious and very classy. Our server Sheryl is very sweet and super attentive to our needs. We got the cannelloni and lobster paella and may I say that the paella is the best we’ve ever had! That lobster brain juice is so rich and flavorful. Never had anything like that! We came at 1pm on a Tuesday with a reservation. But there were lots of open tables. Glad it wasn’t crowded! Price point is defs a bit higher than typical restaurants but I think it’s worth it for the historical significance, good vibes, and delicious food. Highly recommend!

This restaurant is a hidden gem in Barcelona. The ambiance is really unique, from a restaurant that has been open for 127 years. Raquel and Sheryl gave us an excellent service. We would come back here next time we are in Barcelona

Amazing! Sheryl took amazing care of us and Roberto made delicious Espresso Martinis and Spritz’s. The tapas were excellent. The back room is amazing too with beautiful ambiance and decor. A real treat!

This is the third time I visited this restaurant. Their service has always been excellent, with a very welcoming atmosphere. The Bohemian-style décor really took me back to late 19th-century Barcelona. The food was delicious — the clams with beans and ham on top were especially tasty. The beans were perfectly cooked with the clams and had absorbed all the rich flavors. I will definitely visit again.

We very much enjoyed our tapas here. The History, the delicious food and the fine staff made for a memorable evening. Thank you to Roberto, Bernie and Sheryl, you are super.

Scrumptious tapas and our server Sheryl was very friendly and servicial. Her recommendations were spot on! Highly recommend while visiting Barcelona

Service was amazing!!!! Best service in town. The history is fun and it's kept clean. The churros weee fresh.

Tourist trap. Meh food. Pricy. Portions small. Had turbot. Just ok. Small and simple dish. Salad fish 1 drink bread water $72 euro

We had a tour and the guide recommended this place. I know the reviews were so so, but i will say, this place was actually very good. The food was good, and yes, expensive. It's all small bites, tapas food. So you will need a few plates to fill you up. A lot of history and plenty of atmosphere. It's a great place to go to and just look around, talk, and eat. The hummus was excellent. The prons were shocking at first. Big huge shrimp, completely dressed. In other words, shell, legs, and head filled with wacamole. Yea, shocking. I know people have said the service was not good. We didn't have that problem at all. Our waitress was good and fast. We didn't have any problems. Everything was good. I would recommend.

The atmosphere was exceptional, service was good, and the food was excellent. A new must go to spot for me when visiting Barcelona.

We read about this place and made reservations to stop in for dinner one evening. They were pretty busy for dinner service and they have a pianist playing in the main dining room. The dining room has an interesting upper level which is a cat walk with small two-top dining tables, it's narrow, but gives you a view of the beautiful dining room below. The menu has plenty of options, whether you're seeking paella, seafood, pork, or beef. The quality and execution of the dishes we ordered was great! The turbot was nice and smokey, as if it were made in a smoking oven - amazing! Save room for dessert, they have a couple of amazing items on their dessert list that we couldn't resist. The service was decent, but mixed. The management seemed to be rushed, not very accommodating, but a couple of the servers were friendly and went out of their way to ensure diners had a good experience. Glad we stopped in... if back in the area, we'd return and try paella next time.

Honestly very overpriced for the food. I get that the cafe itself is very significant and the vibrant walls bring out life in the late 1800s. Being that Picasso was commissioned to paint at this cafe, it felt like we were transported back to that time but.... At the end of the day it's still a restaurant that undelivered on that wow factor that the prices call for. If the menu included any sort of biography about the place or the significance of its history then it would make the experience more grandiose.

Beautiful architecture. Service was good and food too but they forgot to bring us the arroz mar y Tierra. Big gaffe.

This restaurant is extremely overpriced for what it is serve here. The service was the worst I ever experience in my life. The food I didnt eat at all and the server with a bad actitud all the time. With so many options in Barcelona I don't recoment this restaurant. Only one bathroom available

Love the atmosphere! Service is quite busy though. If you expect a quite and nice place this is not the case. Oyster is something must try.

Service started slow, but really warmed up. Paella is outstanding, went with squid ink. The seafood was perfectly cooked and the servings are plentiful! The artichoke starter was also very tasty with a great dipping sauce. Highly recommend for dinner!

Atmosphere is awesome, slightly disappointing that two of the specials weren't available for lunch but all meals were good. The beef cheek, octopus, and chicken were all excellent. Nice touch with anchovies and pepper as a snack.

The atmosphere is great but that is where the good things about it end. The food was awful, the best thing we ordered was the salad that was just a standard fresh salad. The servers were pushy clearly trying to upsell the most expensive items on the menu. This was our most expensive and disappointing meal of our trip. The food was even worse. There were 5 people in our group and no one was happy with what they ordered. The steak was so fatty and tough that it was hard to cut, and 3/4 was left uneaten. The tuna was a weird unnatural texture. The paella wasn't bad it just wasn't what we ordered.

I do not recommend 4 Gats. Nice setting, white tablecloth level location. Much anticipated evening we planned weeks in advance while on holiday in Spain I was not impressed with anything except on entree, get the Cod. Beef Carpaccio was solid, shrimp carpaccio was not. I had fish of the day, cold and flavorless. Two ordered seafood paella- fair. Great wine that owner bought every , 2500, bottle from a local vendor- tremendous. Service was the overwhelming negative. From what I saw we got the only poor server, just bad luck. Note the app auto-selected positive for service, I could not take it off.

My favorite historic coffee shop in Barcelona !!! Very special place and a must see when visiting the city.

Wonderful meal in a beautiful historic setting. Get a pitcher of sangria. Service was terrific, and the overall experience was A+

Beeeautiful building, neat history, to be able to sit inside and have tapas and an excellent hot chocolate was fun.

Everything from the food, service, and ambiance was great! Our server Bernard was very pleasant and helpful in giving us suggestions on what to order. Will definitely return the next time I'm in Barcelona.

This place is MAGICAL!! The sardines were perfect, and the croquetas de bacalao are something that none of us will ever forget! To top it off, our server Sherry (Sheryl?) couldn't have been more attentive or kinder to our toddler!

Great setting especially once the piano player began playing after 8:00. Food was only ok. Chicken in the bone is dark meat and tasted fine but came with nothing but sauce. Paella/ Rice with vegetables had tiny diced veggies when I was expecting larger veggies mixed in, like an entree. I would not go back except maybe for a glass of wine to enjoy the music but you really can't do that as they probably expect guests to eat. Even the apple pie with custard dessert was underwhelming.. really no custard or pie! not sure how that even happens. It is a cool historical building.

What an appropriately funky spot. We'd kinda been avoiding it as too touristy, but we had wonderful service above of the best lamb dishes we've every had in our lives. This menu isn't traditionally Catalan, but one can only eat so much jamon and croquettes. We got a lovely steak and an out of this world lamb shank, but not until after we had the caramelized aubergine that made Brian actually say "Oh my God..." (And eggplant isn't his main jam usually.) Also tasty was the red pesto and prawn pasta. We had a great bottle of red wine for an incredibly reasonable price. We heard a little live piano music. We met other tables when they ordered huge dishes as well. (The portion sizes are more American than European!) Would totally recommend the experience.

First visited about 16 years ago and loved! Fast forward to present time and still feel the same. Come for some good drinks, relaxed atmosphere, and wonderful tapas.

This is a beautiful and historic tapas bar in a lively neighborhood of Barcelona. Characters like Gaudi and Picasso were regulars here! The food and drinks are great and standard for the area. We were seated quickly when we walked in on a weekday afternoon. It is pretty touristy and the servers seem busy and didn't check on us much.

Completely overpriced and food was bad. Calamari was soggy, potatoes were soft on the outside and hard on the inside, sangrias were horrible and artificially sweetened, as well as ridiculously small portions for the price.

Delicious paella! Great atmosphere. We had a reservation but it looked like there were some empty tables.

Els 4 Gats is a pretty fancy looking restaurant. My friends and I went there for breakfast because of the history--Picasso had his first exhibition here! Their breakfast menu is disappointingly limited, so we ultimately ended up going elsewhere. But the coffee was excellent, the ambiance is lovely, and it'll always be cool to say I had a coffee in the same place Picasso used to hang out!

Everything was prefect! The food & customer service was on top. Loved the music & the ambience. Our last meal before returning for home.

I was in Barcelona 20 years ago and a highlight of the trip was eating at Els 4 Gats, in the heart of the gothic quarter. Our table was right next to a Picasso painting. It was incredible to dine where so many artists were inspired. I loved it just as much this trip. Worth every penny for the experience!

4.5 star! This restaurant is in every travel book, and blog. I was not sure about coming here, because it just seems too popular and over exposed. My husband and I still ended up here since we were in the neighborhood anyways. This is day 5 in Barcelona for us and we are pretty tired of the similar tapa dishes that every tapa restaurants offer. To our surprise, 4 gats has some different things on their menu. We chose the meatball with cattle fish and mushroom, cabbage with potatoes and sausages, and pork belly baos. Each dish offer new yummy flavors that we haven't had in Barcelona before. They were simply delicious. The cabbage dish was gone so fast that I did not have a chance to take a picture. We came having not much expectation for their food, but to mainly check out the shop, instead, we left feeling so satisfied and happy with the food. I defiantly recommend!

Came to place randomly. If you read other people's review, there apparently is a lot of history at this restaurant, so if you're a history buff or just want to come here just to experience that piece of history, come here for a visit. The staff was pleasant and very nice. Just be warned, the bread isn't free. So if you don't want bread or don't want to pay for it, don't accept it. We didn't eat the bread as it was cold and very plain. The peppers were supposed to have "volcanic salt" on it but it was very plain and not tasty at all. The only good thing about this dish was that there was a lot of peppers, much more than what you'll get at any restaurant. There was also a strand of hair in wrapped around one of the peppers, so that was pretty nasty. The paella we order was extremely oily. It was pretty good but way too oily compared to other restaurants. My wife and I both had upset stomachs after this visit and do not plan on coming back here.

Charming restaurant with lovely history. My family and I enjoyed dinner here after a day spent exploring the Picasso museum and the Born district. The food was slightly better than average, but the service and ambiance made this a great dinner.

This place has great history. Read on it. You will be amazed. This place is very old but cozy and appealing to the eyes. Well, at least to my eyes. It's history is so overwhelming I just can not believe it. Ah yes! They made me vegan panella! Thank you!

Posting this a few weeks late but they have wonderful staff and the food is truly exquisite. We had such a beautiful time.

Very nice restaurant with super atmosphere and excellent food. The live music boosted the vibe. Food and dessert prepared at our table was nice to watch and tasted beautiful.

The minute we walked in we were treated poorly. Even with a reservation, and a nearly empty dinning room, we were given the worse table in the house. We requested another table and were told they were all reserved. When we ordered, I clearly stated to the waiter that I had a food allergy. He assured me that the dish I ordered did not contain this ingredient. After one bite, I tasted the allergen. The waiter did absolutely nothing to assist me with another dish. He stated that it was the fault of the chef who must have changed the ingredients. I was not given a refund, an apology or the offer of a replacement meal! If I wanted to eat I was to order another dish and pay for the additional meal! No hospitality here!

Yeah, definitely 3 stars. I was kinda hoping for a bit more since Picasso came here. What was the food that he ate to help fuel his brilliant artistic visions??But then again, this was before he became famous so he was just another ordinary person in just another ordinary cafe. The art around here is pretty sweet though. I also enjoyed learning about the history of the place. El Menu: -Don't get the sangria. It was way too sweet and probably pre-mixed aka a travesty for a restaurant/bar in Spain. -Best thing we ate here were the mussels!

The 4 cats cafe definitely was on my "must visit while in Barcelona" list after watching Genius: Picasso. If Picasso is gonna hang out there, you bet I'm going to try and hang out there too. The cafe itself is rather unassuming. You walk down this huge shopping street and turn into this small dark alley and you will see a small sign that says Els Quatre Gats. Once you walk in, it's dimly lit with lots of pictures on the wall but mainly featuring one painting. Ramon Casas and Pere Romeu on a Tandem. This was originally a staple piece in this cafe but I think the real one is in a museum somewhere now? My sister and I sat down to order some food since we were feeling peckish and we ended up ordering: - Pan de cristal con tomate: Basically your standard bread topped with olive oil, tomatoes, and salt. It was really simple but it tastes amazing! - Ensaladilla rusa con ventresca de atun: this one was kind of weird. It's reminiscent of a potato salad with carrots, capers, and topped with tuna belly. There are some bread sticks that go along with it as well. I would skip this dish. - We also ordered some tea which came with a square of chocolate each. Overall, if you're an artist or a fan of Picasso, I would check this place out. I saw some people sitting in there with a cup of coffee just sketching away which was pretty cool. I can only draw stick figures so... :(

This restaurant is marketed to tourists, and serves them very well (reservations, multilingual staff, etc) but is also a great dining experience with wonderful food. I went with three friends and shared the sea bass as well as some reasonable appetizers (cheese and Iberico ham), and it was the best meal I had in Barcelona. Very friendly staff, interesting and attractive decor, live music, and great food -- will return when I'm next in the city.

So fun to be in the same space as all of these artistic greats! Service was good, food delicious, as well.

This place was mentioned several times during our audio tours as a popular hangout for intellectuals like Gaudi and Picasso. We thought it would be worth a visit and if you want to dine where famous Barcelona residents used to visit, then Els 4 Gats is worthwhile. Do not go expecting great service, delicious food, or reasonable prices. What Els 4 Gats was back then is not the same now. As a tourist, I feel comfortable saying that this was a bit of a tourist trap - overrun with hordes of tourists eating, drinking, or stopping in to snap photos, poor service, and high prices for the food that you ultimately got. Els 4 Gats seems to have leaned into its status as a tourist stop as it was selling a lot of merchandise as well and played up the Picasso theme. This might be worthwhile for a stop to peak in or have a quick drink, but I would not recommend ordering food or staying beyond that.

What a wonderful restaurant. If you want to treat yourself to a nice meal while in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona, this should be at the top of your list. We stopped in for lunch. I came in with a large group after returning our e-bikes down the block, after a tour of the city. We were grossly underdressed in shorts and tshirts #typicalamdricans It was not my idea to come here right after our bike tour, but sometimes you have to go with the flow. So don't do what I did. Dress up a little. Also I recommend ordering some wine and try something new. The seafood was nothing like I've ever had in the U.S.

Amazing! I was worried it wouldn't be worth the hype. But I can't wait to go back. Every single thing we ate and drank was top notch. From the best croqueta de bacalao I've ever had to a cod dish that made angels sing. We also had the beef ribs and the lamb shoulder. Everything was delicious.

Was on a walking guided tour with 8 and stopped in for a cava and two tapas. Stopped in for its historic lure. Cool inside. I reccomend only a drink at the bar Recommended for culture/history not food Slanche

The hours directly from their website: Breakfast from 9 to 11.30 Gastrobar from 11.30 a.m. to 24h Restaurant 13h- 4pm / 7pm- 4pm Delicious. The "bravas" could definitely be called the best in town. The fried cod (balls or croquets, can't remember) are delightfully chewy and flavorful. Everything we ordered was delicious. The decor and atmosphere felt old world, which it is, and the huge arch windows were beautiful. Great for couples and small groups. Probably to small space for children.

Start out with the tomato bread. Great with a nice house red wine. The cod cheek and gnocchi is great! Cvicci is solid if you like the strong citrus flavors.

Cute cafe that was apparently one of Picasso's favorites! Definitely worth a stop by, it is conveniently located and the interior is really cool. They have good drinks and food, we came here for breakfast for a quick bite and some coffee!

Because Picasso came here for his first exhibition, we came here too, for a cup of coffee. I liked the environment, the cups, the napkins and the large paintings of the cafe owner and the artist. It is within walking distance of La Rambla. Our last stop before leaving Barcelona. It is hidden in an alley way, almost missed it.

I found the place annoying, slightly pretentious and did not have food good enough to save it. The room itself is charming and the music over dinner was delightful but the host in charge of seating did Annas job seating several people who barged ahead while we were waiting. We had a reservation but it seemed that people who didn't were seated faster. Our table was very cramped and though the food and wine were above average the evening had already been compromised. Our server could best be described as indifferent. It made me dislike Picasso.

Loved this place. The decor, the food, and the staff were all amazing. We wandered in here our last day in Barcelona and it was an amazing way to wrap up our trip. Try the flaming drink for dessert; the presentation matched the taste.

I wanted to like this place more. I went with great people, we sat by the door (1st mistake of the evening), we were kind to the hostess (2nd mistake of the evening) [note: big supporter of kindness to all wait staff], and ordered from their extremely limited menu. Mistake 1 and 2 were related to the fact that the hostess was not really great at her job of crowd control. Bumping into people sitting at the tables to hug incoming diners....really. I would say if you have other options, use them. The food we had was marginally ok. Greasy cod fish fritters, bland Russian salad, and soggy pan con tomate.