Montjuïc & Poble-sec

Escairón

• Price band: 2/4
• Critics choice

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,

Xemei

• Price band: 3/4
• Critics choice

The Colombo twins (‘xemei’ means ‘twins’ in Venetian) have bewitched the most demanding fans of Italian cuisine, especially that of their Venice, their hometown. Theirs is a lovely trattoria with a very warm and friendly bohemian atmosphere. Dive in

Zodíaco

• Rated as: 3/5
• Price band: 1/4
• Critics choice

A small, charming bar offering appetizing, highly original dishes such as risotto with pumpkin, and potatoes in curry, yogurt and coriander.

Club 53

• Rated as: 4/5
• Price band: 2/4
• Critics choice

The defunct Tapioles 53 has been reborn as the exquisite Club 53: creative cuisine from a Brazilian, featuring all kinds of tasteful and imaginative dishes. Just try their superb false risotto, in which the rice is replaced by pasta made from melon

El Sortidor

• Rated as: 3/5
• Price band: 2/4

White marble tables, wooden chairs, photos from the early 20th century ... You will love the excellent pastas and simple cuisine made by the Italian chef, served in one of the district’s oldest, cosiest cafe-restaurants.

Gran Bodega Saltó

La Saltó is a pioneering venue that has helped to turn Poble Sec into one of the liveliest districts in the city. And even though their opening hours are more night-time bar than local shop, neighbours often drop by in the evening to fill up their

Psycho

• Rated as: 4/5
• Critics choice

Named for the song by the Sonics, Psycho is a rock and roll bar that ticks all the boxes: red bar and walls, posters of The Who, The Dead Boys and Mystery Train; stickers of Black Flag, Shaft, Route 66, 13th Floor Elevators, Motorhead and Misfits;

Bar Rufián

• Rated as: 4/5
• Price band: 1/4
• Critics choice

The war story goes something like this: the city government, in an effort to discourage private entities from getting into debt in the name of culture, prevents live music from playing the prominent role in Barcelona nightlife that local groups (and

Quimet i Quimet

• Price band: 2/4
• Critics choice

Packed to the rafters with dusty bottles of wine, this classic but minuscule bar makes up for in tapas what it lacks in space. The specialities are conservas (shellfish preserved in tins), which aren't always to non-Spanish tastes, but the

La Tieta

Chickpeas with prawns, tasty potato omelette, mushrooms with garlic and parsley, amazing olives – the problem is knowing where to start. La Tieta is just a place with a marble bar that offers good wine, bottles of vermouth and an endless flow of

MNAC: Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya

'One museum, a thousand years of art' is the slogan of the National Museum, and the collection provides a dizzying overview of Catalan art from the 12th to the 20th centuries. In recent years the museum has added an extra floor to absorb the section

CaixaForum

One of the masterpieces of industrial Modernisme, this former yarn and textile factory was designed by Puig i Cadafalch and celebrated its centenary in 2011. It spent most of the last century in a sorry state, briefly acting as a police barracks

Fundació Joan Miró

Josep Lluís Sert, who spent the years of the Franco dictatorship as dean of the School of Design at Harvard University, designed one of the greatest museum buildings in the world on his return. Approachable, light and airy, these white walls and

Poble Espanyol

Built for the 1929 Exhibition and designed by the Modernista architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch, this composite Spanish village is charming or kitsch depending on your taste, and features reproductions of traditional buildings and squares from every

Font Màgica de Montjuïc

Still in possession of its original plumbing, the 'magic fountain' works its wonders with 3,600 pieces of tubing and more than 4,500 light bulbs. On summer evenings, the multiple founts swell and dance to anything from the 1812 Overture to Freddie

Vintage-Room

Vintage-Room is the online store that Anna and Manuel have used as a receptacle for their all-encompassing obsession with furniture and objects from the '50s, '60s and '70s. Their discoveries in markets both in the south of France and right nearby

Poble Espanyol

Built for the 1929 Exhibition and designed by the Modernista architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch, this composite Spanish village is charming or kitsch depending on your taste, and features reproductions of traditional buildings and squares from every

Fundació Joan Miró

Josep Lluís Sert, who spent the years of the Franco dictatorship as dean of the School of Design at Harvard University, designed one of the greatest museum buildings in the world on his return. Approachable, light and airy, these white walls and

Fatbottom

Keep your eyes open wide as you enter into this little illustrated cave, packed wall to wall with stories about bears hunting salmon or the latest graphic novels from the hottest authors this second. This is Fatbottom, the graphic bookstore

Sala Apolo

This concert hall/nightclub has become the paradigm of indie clubbing in Barcelona and good live music without labels. Artists new to the scene as well as acclaimed pop, rock, folk and international electronic music stars grace the stage every day

Mau Mau Underground

Right in the centre of Poble-sec, Mau Mau Underground is a lounge club in an old warehouse space. It's open Thursday to Saturday, as well as whenever there's a football match on (so.. every day?), and with its two giant screens it's a great place to

Tinta Roja

• Rated as: 4/5
• Critics choice

In this little hole dug out of the cement in Poble-sec, the air is filled with the musty, bohemian scent of tango taverns from the turn of the 20th century. With 12 years behind it, Tinta Roja is no spring chicken, but it seems as old as the Giza

El Molino

Following the renovations in 2010, this famous theatre has been reborn from its ashes. El Molino ('The Mill' – think Moulin Rouge) has regained the splendour of its glory days when it was the best-known theatre of the Paral·lel area, irreverent and

Upload Fooddance Club

A restaurant-club in Poble Espanyol that offers cabaret shows, where Evita Mansfield is the reigning queen, and the rest of us mere subjects; but we are allowed to dine, and dine well, as the kitchen offers a creative menu. That's the norm for a