The 13 best cafés in Barcelona

At this coffee shop and roaster that first opened in 1989, you'll find straight-up coffee, wholesale of single-origin coffees and exceptional blends – from hot to cold brew to shakerato. But the space is also just a lovely place to enjoy a cup of coffee. It’s not cheap, but the high quality of the coffee is worth the extra coins once in a while. The cappuccino is especially delicious.

Find La Roseta near the beach, a tiny spot with seriously good pastries and desserts; brownies, doughnuts, cakes, sandwiches, vegan and gluten-free options. The place is exquisite; white tiled floors, exposed brick walls, wooden furniture, newspapers and magazines. And outside, there are tall stools to watch life go by. The coffee is great and reasonably priced: don't expect fancy terms or overpricing, just three options: black, with a dash of milk, or with milk.

Grab an amazing coffee to go at Dalston Coffee, a one-man establishment which barely has room for a bar, but does it anyway. That’s where Borja Rosselló serves up magic with an espresso machine and a Moccamaster filter; the espresso, filter, flat white, capuccino and cold brew are all very good.

After Satan’s Coffee Corner closed in 2023, Barcelona needed something to fill its shoes. Luckily, Right Side opened in its spot. And we love it; on the table you’ll find a small menu with tasting notes for the coffees they have in rotation, like the Ethiopian chenji challa with hints of rose, currant, and orange, or the cortado they serve with a liquorice flavour and the unmistakably fresh taste of a herbal infusion. 

With only a couple of tables, Bon Mercat is not a place to sit for a leisurely cup of coffee. But this small café deserves a visit when you’re in the mood for a good brew. Its tiny bar is very popular and if you stop in, you'll know why. They toast the coffee themselves, bright and early every day, and in addition to the usual flavours, you can try their special ones, like the Hawaiian blend. Let the expert staff advise you, and if you like what they suggest – and you will – you can buy a bag of it, ground in a moment and ready to take away.

It's hard to classify this space that’s not so much a café or coffee shop as it is a workshop with its doors open to the public. With the beautiful Giesen roaster in plain view and a small and lovely interior patio space, they open their workshop so everyone can taste seasonal coffees from around the world. They’re enthusiastic and, if you want, they'll explain in detail whatever you want to know about the production, origin, the thousand nuances of coffee, and everything they work with (bread, oil, milk...). This is exactly the kind of project we all need right now.

Jordi Mestres studied design at Elisava in Barcelona, and then emigrated to London, where he discovered the world of speciality coffee, and had his own mobile coffee cart called the Nomad. When he got back to Barcelona, and in record time, Mestres had established Nomad – coffee roasters, café, wholesale and retail shops, training – as ground zero zone of speciality coffee in Catalonia. At the Nomad Coffee Lab & Shop, they experiment with coffee, and you can go to try brews that are prepared in a variety of ways, such as espresso, flat white, V60, aeropress, cold brew or cold drip.

Cafè americà
Spanish: Café americano
English: Hot water and espresso

If you’re not familiar, an ‘americano’ is espresso combined with hot water. Far more common than filter coffee in Barcelona, the strength depends on the ratio of shots of espresso to water. It’s a fairly typical coffee house option in many other countries as well, including, yes, the USA.

Cafè amb llet
Spanish: Café con leche
English: Espresso and milk in equal parts

At any café in Barcelona you'll find cafè amb llet, a delicious combination of equal parts espresso and hot milk. It’s served piping hot, but a good one is worth a tiny tongue blister if you’re a coffee devotee.

Cafè sol
Spanish: Café solo
English: Shot of espresso

A cafè sol (or simply a ‘­cafè’) is a single shot of espresso, plain and simple. The bitter coffee is usually presented with a packet of sugar in a short, clear glass.

Cigaló
Spanish: Carajillo
English: Coffee with alcohol

If you want a little extra something-something in your java, this order will get you a small coffee with a splash of alcohol. Though the Catalan word is ‘­cigaló’, almost all locals use the Spanish term, ‘­carajillo’. Typically, you can order it anywhere that serves both coffee and liquor. Try it with Baileys (‘­carajillo de Baileys’) or with rum (‘­carajillo de ron’), two popular options.

Tallat
Spanish: Cortado
English: Espresso with a bit of milk

Between a cafè sol and a cafè amb llet lies the tallat – an espresso ‘­cut’ with milk. (‘­Tallat’ and ‘­cortado’ both literally translate to ‘­cut’.) It’s still comprised of primarily coffee, but it’s a creamier and less-bitter choice than straight-up espresso.