Spain - The Best Tapas Place In Barcelona !

There are four culinary treads from Spain that I personally treasure. A real Paella Valenciana, Pollastre E Llangosta a l'Ampurdan (a sensational Catalan dish that combines chicken with a lobster sauce), Jamon Serrano "Pata Negra" (hands down the best air cured ham from Spain) and last but not least what the Spaniards them selfs consider "junk food"--the Tapas.


Tapas is the name for a wide variety of appetizers size little plates and bites of Spanish specialties. They may be cold, such as cheeses, raw and cooked seafood, mixed olives, vegetables and spreads, or warm, such as battered fried baby squid, little pots of soups, budinos and sweetbreads. Originally the Tapas were given as free appetizers at bars before people sat down for dinner but over time have evolved into have evolved into an entire cuisine of their own. You can now find real famous Tapas places in Spain where patrons may order many different small Tapas, form hundreds of choices and combine them for a full meal.


The worlds capitol for Tapas (according to me!) is Barcelona. With a roster of iconic Tapas places in Barcelona, like Pinotxo and Quim in the Boqueria market and the world famous Cal Pep, just to name a few--it is hard for any Tapas bar to get above the radar. Paco Meralgo distinguish themselves with sensational Tapas fares and they are open every day of the week. That is almost unheard of in Spain. Even more amazing is that Paco Meralgo manages to offer fresh seafoods even on Sundays and Mondays. The quality at Paco Meralgo's so superior that it is really safe to eat raw seafood at Paco Meralgo. When indulging at the joint you will run into all sorts of local, Barcelona's rich and famous. Even the guys that run the other Tapas bars in town hang out at Paco Meralgo for their own Tapas fix. That tells you how good that place really is!



What to eat when there? Well, the thing not to miss is the salt cod salad Esqueixada, served with tomato, olives and olive oil. They also offer a delicious Pa amb Tomàquet--a Catalan bread rubbed with tomato. From their raw bar get plump oysters and the juiciest Razor clams you'll ever have. For lovers of all things fried; go for the fried artichokes and the tempura-style fried Calçot, a milder, sweeter variety of spring onions. The fried Calçot is served with a nice bowl of Romesco sauce. Also do not miss out on the Chipirones, little baby squids with delicious peppers. There is simply too much good options to mention. If you make it there, try a bottle of Albariño with a perfect level of acidity--pairs just just perfectly with the Tapas. If you never make to Barcelona, or Spain for that matter--give a Tapas bar near you a try. They are popping up all over the world these days.


Comment by the editor:
I have published this post originally with some pictures/content that belongs to a blog called "Chez Pim". I did not make proper attributions to "Chez Pim" for their work. I have immediately corrected this situation. I do apologize to "Chez Pim" and its readers! "Chez Pim" is a popular food blog on Typepad. Like VONCIGARS, "Chez Pim" operates its blog under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License. That means that "Chez Pim" allows for its work to be copied, distributed, transmitted and/or adapted or changed if proper attributions are given.