The best Barcelona restaurants open in Phase 2

The house that Joan Boneta built – himself an architect-turned-cook – surprises with its highly imaginative treatment of Catalan tapas and small dishes. Just reading the menu can make your mouth water. A 40 percent capacity here translates into about three tables and approximately 12 customers at a time. The set lunch menu is one of the best in town: you start with a dish of three amazing tapas made with the freshest produce, then it's on to a hearty main of something like tuna tartare or a really great 'fricandó'. Book before you go. And if you prefer a takeaway, appreciate that Can Boneta has managed to produce some 30 rice dishes a day!

Tarannà Café left San Antoni in 2019 and reopened in 2020 in Poblenou, where the folks around the new location can benefit from the café's healthy cuisine. They offer a ridiculously affordable set lunch menu that's overseen by a nutritionist and made with organic products. Here simplicity goes hand in hand with finesse and talent as seen in dishes such as cod 'a la llauna' with roasted potatoes and fresh aromatic herbs, and in their poke bowls and wraps that are so much more than passing trends. You get good cooking, full stop. And right now you can dine outside at one of four tables, or inside where they can seat up to ten customers.

Gracia's self-proclaimed casual seafood restaurant also calls itself a mid-range spot that serves up barbecued and grilled seafood using high-quality products and minimal elaboration. Try their house classics, such as the 'pop sec' – octopus dried and hydrated with a spectacular oil – and seafood paella, or branch out to sample specialities of their own creation, such as a potato omelette with oil from juicy prawn heads. Whatever you do, please book in advance.

Semproniana is worth a visit to see how they've reinterpreted classic French and Catalan cuisine. They do a set lunch menu at a reasonable price, especially when you bear in mind that this is true gastronomy from top chef Ada Parellada. They're back in business in one of the most welcoming and beautiful dining rooms in town, where a 40 percent reduction in capacity still means 30 happy customers enjoying such delicacies on the lunch menu as duck confit with plum sauce in complete tranquillity.

Here's a good example of how a typical seafood restaurant has managed to renew itself without losing its raison d'être. You'll still find paellas and seafood cuisine, but there's an added modern and refreshing touch that manages to make your taste buds tingle while you're taking in the dishes listed on the menu. During Phase 2, this spacious and comfy classic has space inside for up to 35 people, and if it's outdoor seating you're after, the phenomenal terrace seats up to 54, practically right on the sand.

They don’t mess about here. Maitea has a range of over 100 hot and cold 'pintxos' (think Basque tapas). While the bad news is that you can't sit at the bar until Phase 3, the good news is that now you've got access to the dining room serving Basque cuisine with a home-style spirit that grabs you and doesn't let go. Choose from among the omelettes, grilled meats and an anthology of stews. And we can't help but suggest you ask for pintxos to be served at the table if you can't wait for the bar experience. The dining room is vast: at 40 percent of its capacity, it can hold 50 customers. Book ahead on 93 439 51 07.

One of the oldest restaurants in Barcelona is definitely still one to book into when what you want is good traditional cuisine. And since 7 Portes is also one of the biggest restaurants in town, that means that their reduced capacity still gives up to 150 hungry customers a place to sit and fill up on their specialities such as seasonal rice dishes and paellas, Catalan cannelloni and cod fritters. They're following a strict protocol of safety, and that includes booking in advance, which you can do by calling 93 319 30 33 or sending an email to reserves@7portes.com.

At Dr. Zhang they specialise in Chinese dumplings, and you can see them coming from kitchen to table in a variety of flavours such as duck, or the fried ones stuffed with curry. The dough is good and home-made, the fillings prepared with the utmost of care. The interior is an intimate space, and in Phase 2 it's even more so, with service for a maximum of eight diners. Outside on the terrace are an exclusive two tables (in addition to an outdoor bar where you can grab a drink while waiting for your dumplings). In this second phase, their opening hours are from Tuesday to Sunday from 8pm to 11pm.

When you know that one of the owners of Rasoterra, Daniele Rossi, also happens to be the president of the Barcelona Slow Food association, and that they use food grown in their own garden, then you can understand how important the use of locally sourced, seasonal and high-quality raw materials is here. Rasoterra reopens on June 11 with a slightly different timetable: Wednesday to Friday for dinner, and Saturday for lunch and dinner. Something's also changed in the kitchen in that every dish will be vegan, and they're really betting on natural wines. You can choose items à la carte or opt for the tasting menu that features four dishes and a dessert for €29. During Phase 2 they've got room for 16 diners, which will grow to three times that in Phase 3. 

El Maravillas is the umpteenth triumph of the Confiteria group, who have supplied Barcelona with drinking holes that are places of worship like El Paradiso and Dr. Stravinsky. With an idyllic terrace in Plaça de la Concordia – with seating for 32 – El Maravillas boasts a magnificent wine list, and the cocktails are extraordinary – what a Bloody Mary! Also divine are the dishes that come out of the kitchen, such as the beef cheek, tuna tartare, meatballs with pork jowls and cuttlefish... Forty percent of the interior capacity translates to 22 customers who get to eat and drink to their heart's content in modernista surrounds.

It is such good news that La Monroe, the bar of the Filmoteca cinema, is opening back up. It's run with great love for and awareness of their surroundings: in a large and open space that's all windows, they've managed to bring in warmth and an inclusive ambience. The tapas and small dishes are fantastic, and they're served in a place with so much space that 40 percent of their capacity should comfortably seat some 30 people, and that's not even including the generous terrace. They're closed only Monday nights for now, but you will need to book ahead by ringing 93 441 94 61.