Vivanda

We had dinner for two at Vivanda in Barcelona, a place that takes Catalan cuisine and regional ingredients seriously — and succeeds beautifully. We started with a round of appetizers: pa amb tomàquet, patatas bravas, and croquetes de pernil. The appetizers were a standout, especially the patatas bravas, which were exceptional in both texture and flavor. For starters, we tried the pumpkin soup (cappuccino), Catalan-style roast beef, and grilled pumpkin with goat cheese. The roast beef was excellent — tender, subtly seasoned, and surprisingly refined. The grilled pumpkin with goat cheese was a delightful surprise, not least because of the cheese’s unusual texture, which was new to us and worked wonderfully with the dish. For the main course, we shared the classic Catalan stew mar i muntanya. It was solid and comforting, though it didn’t quite reach the level of the outstanding dishes that came before it. We finished with a crema catalana, which made for a fantastic final note — smooth, aromatic, and perfectly balanced. The atmosphere at Vivanda is warm and inviting, with a friendly service team. At times the staff seemed a bit stretched due to many simultaneous orders, which led to the occasional lack of coordination, but their kindness and effort made up for it. The outdoor seating area is heated and pleasant, and it’s easy to imagine it becoming a highlight during the warmer months. Vivanda is a lovely place to explore Catalan flavors with a strong regional focus — especially if you appreciate exceptional appetizers and a cozy setting.

Everything is exceptional. I cannot really complain about anything. Food was excellent. Service was great. Atmosphere was perfect. I would recommend this place without any hesitation.

The food is of high quality standards but has huge mistakes that make it regrettably a poor overall experience. Appetizers are what you expect, but for the price they are either too pricey or not generous enough. The paella had a great broth (a bit lacking seafood) but so salty it was not enjoyable. Great list of wine however.

High quality food to good prices in a beautiful garden backyard. A hidden place for locals in Sarria neighborhood.

Top level Catalan restaurant. A modern twist on classic recipes such as mar y muntanya (a dish that mixes seafood with meat), cargols (snails), bacalao and much more. Elegant setting, very pleasant patio seating and extremely friendly and efficient service. The price-to-quality ratio is unbelievable - in most European cities I know (Paris, Milan, Cracow...) one would typically pay about twice as much for this level of quality.

Excellent food with attentive service. The menu had plenty of options and was well priced. There was great wine list, also very good value. There was an English menu. It was a little quiet the day we were there but otherwise perfect.

We shared a bottle of Rioja wine and had a nice dinner here. The croquettes here are really good. We had the sirloin steak which was good and cooked perfectly. The Spanish tortilla was cooked well and very cheesy ( not my thing) others at the table loved it. The little garden patio was a nice ambiance to dine in. Service good and the staff very nice. We all agreed this was the best meal in Barcelona!

what a disappointment! Could be a bad day of them but it was the only dinner for us! (mejillones) mussels in vapour was tasty but at least one third of them was totally closed which is dangerous/died before cooked! Noone interested in what i did on the table when i collected the death ones separated! The waiters are walking around even running but non of then collected the dished from table until we asked for! The funny thing, they get the dishes from table what we point out! First, plates with full mussels shells; after we had to ask again for empty casserole, and finally i have asked to chief waiter the 3 deep souses, what them for? He said for mussels and he disappeared! Where is the mussels? Already finished and finally removed from table… he just replied but not collected the souses from table. very funny but also tired start! Pan con tomato is great! But the cod fritters are not fit with my estimation. It should be better. Burger is fine. Steak tartar is moderate! It is hot but it is like tartar mixed with ordinary barbecue sos. Hope we will visit one more time and everything will be normal!

Souses, creams, textures and flavors. All were spot on. We had the ox tail over potatoes, calamari, cannelloni stuffed with pork and chicken and macaroni with cod tripe. All flavorful with uniqueness but too much to distract you.

While on vacation in Barcelona, we stayed in the Sarria neighborhood which is a bit far from the downtown/tourist area. After searching Yelp, we found this place (near our hotel) and were not at all disappointed. Unfortunately as outdoor seating was fully booked, we had to sit inside but the food/service/ambiance were still amazing. If you can, try to sit outside as they have a back patio garden which looked to be so warm and inviting. We got some wine to start as we took some time to decide on what to eat as they have a very large menu from tapas and sharing plates to seasonal dishes to full entree size meals. Service was attentive (which is not always the case in Spain). Prices were a bit more than what we had been paying but well worth it for delicious and excellent food. We split patatas bravas (4.50 euros) which were well seasoned and a cut above the usual. We also split mussels (8 euros) which was a large portion and came with very flavorful broth. The 3 dipping sauces were a good combination of flavors to add to the mussels. Then the summer salad (12 euros) which was on the seasonal menu and it was some of the freshest mozzarella and anchovies I have ever tasted. Everything on the dish worked from the salty and sweet combination to the flavor pairings - it was just a perfect dish. We also got the cuttlefish over risotto (15 euros) which was again well executed. All in all - four amazing and delicious plates. This place isn't cheap but the quality of the ingredients and flavors are well worth it. We then split a hot apple tarte with ice cream (7 euros) for dessert. The menu tells you that the dish will take 20 minutes to prepare. This dish is very worth the wait. The buttery crust, the hot apple, and fresh ice cream combination was exquisite and hands down one of the best deserts I have ever had. All in all, this was an excellent meal and I highly recommend it to the locals and tourists alike.