Cold-weather meals

This cosy restaurant is located in Casa Rovirata, one of the city’s modernist gems. It’s the quality of the meat that stands out here, especially the lamb and the suckling pig.

This has been one of the best inns in Catalonia for many years. They have revived many dishes – such as brains in batter – that had virtually died out. Booking ahead is essential: Every Sunday morning you’ll see queues of people waiting to get in here.

For those who love traditional Russian and Ukrainian cuisine, one of the few spots to fill your belly in Barcelona is the Yalta Crimea. It's not here by default, however: their borscht soup and golubtsy are excellent.

Run by chef Visi Granda, El Llagar de Granda is the only Asturian restaurant in town that has succeeded in breaking the monopoly of competitor El Furacu. Come here to enjoy Visi's generous, flavoursome cuisine rooted in the traditions of the north, with dishes such as the house paté, scorpionfish and cabrales cheese croquettes.

The return of Josep Maria Freixa to his family home, now that Ramon has gone off to enjoy fame in Madrid, has resulted in an authentic festival of traditional cuisine: pig’s trotters with prunes and pine nuts, cuttlefish with artichokes, and perhaps the finest macaroni in Barcelona.

Escairón is particularly remarkable for its Galician entrecot (sirloin steak) and caldo gallego (Galician broth). Jorge and Pilar make you feel at home, while the clientele are mostly regulars. Aside from the entrecot, main dishes include barbecue, stews, and especially the eponymous dessert, Escairón (crème caramel with a kind of nougat ice cream). Unforgettable fried potatoes accompany the meat dishes. This is the perfect place to delight your palate with the very best of Galician cuisine and fresh, quality market fare at reasonable prices and with excellent service.

Gelida is one of those bar-restaurants that are few and far between nowadays, ideal for tight budgets and good eaters. The fork breakfast is a memorable experience. And at lunchtime, get ready for a communal meal with some delicious starters and main dishes. The capipota, shoulder and cod are excellent. Wash it all down with a fine wine from Gelida.

With specialities like natural cider, bean stew, hake cooked in cider and the finest cheeses from Asturias, El Furacu is always packed.

This traditional Catalan restaurant and bar is right next to Plaça d’Osca. To do justice to its name, make sure you try the great house escudella (stew), but if it’s meat you want, then go for the Catalan sausage and cuttlefish stew (a surf ’n’ turf classic), veal cheeks with apple sauce and ratafia, or the stewed snails. The posters on the walls feature slogans like "The struggle never ends" and "Barcelona decides," referring to the 10 April independence referendum. Terra d'Escudella gives its backing to all the social movements in the area. And there’s good local wine to drink.

Fran Heras has opened a follow-up to his restaurant in the Asturian city of Avilés, right here in Barcelona. This one is a gastrobar, or it may be more correct to call it a tapas restaurant with a distinctly Asturian flavour. The menu is very personal and creative, and there's no fussy messing-about with molecules. Try the anchovies with sweet bread and Asturian cheese, or an amazing octopus au gratin with smoked cheese. There's also a vast selection of wines by the glass to fit all budgets.