Besides being a cultural hotspot with its historical buildings and unique city vibes, you’ll also find some innumerable cheap eats in Barcelona. You’ll be surprised to find that even the more expensive restaurants are accessible through their lunch menus or “menu del dia”, which often is comprised of 3 courses, plus a drink and coffee. Hostelería de España put the average menú del día in Barcelona at €15.10 in 2024, so budget around €15 (checked October 2026). If you don’t see it advertised, ask for this by name and usually you’ll be directed to a hand-written chalkboard in the corner. To make your job easier while travelling, I’ve constructed a list (from experience) with my personal faves for the best cheap eats in Barcelona. Enjoy and you’re welcome in advance. Planning the rest of your trip? Our Barcelona city guide covers neighbourhoods, transport and costs.
Is food cheap in Barcelona?
It can be, if you eat like a local. The lunchtime menú del día is the best-value sit-down meal in the city (around €15 on average, see above), tapas bars let you graze a few small plates instead of ordering a full main, and street food is good value too: Chivuo’s pulled pork burger is €10.90 and a taco at Pikio Taco is €3.75. Prices in this guide were checked in October 2026 on each place’s own website or the source named, and they can change, so treat them as a guide. Save on the other big cost, a bed, by comparing hostels in Spain and reading our guide to where to stay in Barcelona for the first time.
1 Chivuos
Chivuos serves street food prepared with a lot of care and technique. Their pulled pork sandwich (spoiler alert) is the best one you are likely to find in the city, plus their thick wedge potatoes come draped with melted cheese (yes please!). While you’re there be sure to try the in-house-made hot sauces, and wash everything down with one of their craft beers. The pulled pork burger is €10.90 on the Chivuo’s website (checked October 2026).
📍Carrer del Pintor Fortuny, 15 (Raval), Carrer del Torrent de l’Olla, 175 (Gràcia) and Rambla del Poblenou, 99 (Poblenou)
➡ Check out their mouth-watering Instagram
2 Croq & Roll Vermuteria
They’ve taken the humble croqueta and put a twist on it with all kinds of variations on the classic, like roasted aubergine with provolone and honey, chicken parmesan or squid in its ink. There are meat, veggie and fish options, plus tapas and a lunch menu.
📍 Travessera de Gràcia, 233 (Gràcia)
➡ Check out their mouth-watering Instagram
3 Can Paixano / La Xampaneria
Located where El Born cedes to La Barceloneta, La Xampaneria is a bar from the Can Paixano wine and Cava producers. It’s been around for over 50 years and to our surprise, the prices have gone up modestly. Owing to their modest ways, unless you go early, you will find yourself immersed in a raucous crowd, sipping cava out of low coupes and tucking into all manner of tapas, canned food or warm sandwiches cooked to order on a hot plate behind the bar, so get there before the crowds to snag a table!
📍Carrer de la Reina Cristina, 7
➡ Check out their Facebook
4 Pikio Taco
There are quite a few Mexican options in the city however, Pikio Taco, is a crowd favourite. Located across the road from Generator Barcelona, their tacos are affordable enough at €3.75 each allowing you to try from their impressive selection until your heart is content (and your belt buckle is about to pop). Choose from al pastor, carnitas, birria, Tijuana, tinga and more, while the Guacamole €8 and Nachos Pikio €12.50 make excellent sharing plates and how could you forget the frozen Margaritas at €7, they’re a must-try! (Prices checked October 2026 on Pikio Taco’s website.) It’s open daily from 1pm to midnight.
📍 Carrer de Còrsega, 376.
➡ Check out their website
5 Parking Pita
A good pita starts with the bread, freshly baked day and if it’s made right before it gets stuffed and served, well, then you are in pita heaven, my friend. Parking Pita comes from a restaurant group that likes to take over former parking garages, they’ve gone with the grey floors and walls and it works. Sit at the long communal table and order their riffs on the classic pita. The lamb kofta with pistachios and the seven-spice pulled beef are good choices. Tip: if you are with friends, the creative veggie side dishes are good to share. Time Out’s September 2025 listing gives opening hours of 1pm-4pm and 8pm-11pm Monday to Thursday and Sunday, and 8pm-11pm on Friday and Saturday, so check before you go.
📍 Passeig de Sant Joan, 56
➡ Check out their mouth-watering Instagram
6 Ramen Shop
This popular ramen shop in the Gothic Quarter is a good bet for a cheap, filling bowl. The shops aesthetic is peaceful with its simple decoration and seating – its most distinctive feature is the Manga cartoons that decorate some of the walls. If it’s a sunny afternoon, walk it off afterwards with one of our free things to do in Barcelona.
📍 Carrer d’en Gignàs, 3
➡ Check out their Facebook
7 Tomasso
Tomasso is a New York-style pizzeria that specialises in creating authentic hand-stretched thin crust pizzas. You can go for a Personal pizza (11 inches) or the Newyorker (18 inches), the large is big enough to wrap a fat baby in, should you so wish. They have a variety of tenderly made pizza options to choose from – for the pepperoni lovers out there the one here is a must-try. Prices are on the menu on their website, and they deliver every day from 7pm to 11pm.
📍 Carrer de Londres, 93
➡ Check out their website
8 A Tu Bola
Rotund food or balls is what is on offer at this tiny restaurant located in the Raval neighbourhood. The chef is Israeli, so as you would expect, the chickpea fritters are excellent but so are the Asian chicken meatballs, not forgetting the large chocolate ball for dessert. Vegetarian? Pair it with our guide to the best vegetarian and vegan spots in Barcelona.
📍Carrer de l’Hospital, 78
➡ It’s small, so check the current opening times on Google Maps before you go
9 Taller de tapas
You will be spoiled for choice here with over 40 dishes to choose from – a quarter of which are desserts (I’m not complaining). Opened by a Galician (Galicia is where all the best seafood in Spain comes from) and his British partner, Taller de Tapas now has 4 locations (Rambla Catalunya, Argenteria, Sant Josep Oriol and Ronda Sant Pau) and they’re all popular and always buzzing.
📍Multiple locations across the city
➡ Check out their website
10 La Cova Fumada
Said to be the birthplace of the ‘bomba’ – a round ball of potato and mincemeat, deep fried and served with a spicy salsa and aioli. It was invented over 60 years ago by Maria Pla to resemble the Catalan’s anarchists weapon of choice, a round iron ball of explosives. Besides this famous tapa and others, La Cova Fumada serves hearty lunches, like chickpea stews that are popular with the older locals. It’s a daytime place: Time Out lists 9am-3:10pm Monday to Friday (plus 6pm-8:20pm on Thursday and Friday), 9am-1pm on Saturday and closed on Sunday, and it doesn’t take reservations.
📍 Carrer Baluard, 56.
➡ Check out their Facebook
11 Bar La Plata
Proof that the best cheap tapas in Barcelona don’t need a long menu. This Gothic Quarter bar serves just four tapas: fried little fish (pescaditos), a tomato, onion and olive salad, a sausage pincho and an anchovy pincho. The Infatuation’s August 2023 review put the pescaditos at €3.50 and a beer at about €3, and Time Out puts it in its cheapest price band. Time Out lists it as open Monday to Saturday, 10am-3:15pm and 6:15pm-11pm.
📍 Carrer de la Mercè, 28
➡ Read the Time Out listing
Cheap tapas in Barcelona: where to start
If you only have one evening, go for a mini crawl: La Plata in the Gothic Quarter for pescaditos, then cava and sandwiches at Can Paixano, and save La Cova Fumada for a bomba at lunchtime. Taller de Tapas is the easy option when you want a table and a longer menu. Want company? Join a group dinner or bar crawl through Linkups, or ask fellow travellers for their latest finds in the Barcelona City Chats in the Hostelworld app. No booking yet? Social Pass opens up the chats without one.
Cheap eats in Barceloneta
Comer barato en la Barceloneta is easier than the beachfront menus suggest. Two of the picks above are here: La Cova Fumada (Carrer Baluard, 56) for bombas and stews at lunch, and Can Paixano (Carrer de la Reina Cristina, 7) on the edge of the neighbourhood for cheap cava and hot sandwiches. Skate fans can combine lunch with our best skate spots in Barcelona, and our hidden gems in Barcelona will take you away from the crowds.
Casual or light dinner in Barcelona
Not every spot on this list opens in the evening, so here’s where to go for a casual dinner (hours from the sources above, checked October 2026): Pikio Taco is open daily from 1pm to midnight, Parking Pita opens from 8pm, La Plata from 6:15pm Monday to Saturday, and Tomasso delivers from 7pm. For a light dinner, a few tapas at La Plata or a plate of croquetas at Croq & Roll does the job. Heading out afterwards? See our guide to the best clubs in Barcelona and what’s on at the Barcelona events page.
Make your Barcelona budget go further
Short on time? Plan your meals around our 24 hours in Barcelona or 3 days in Barcelona itineraries, get ideas from Barcelona city breaks, and pack a picnic for one of our day trips from Barcelona that won’t break the bank. Flying in? Our guide to travelling carry-on only and our hostel packing list save money before you land, and these tips for saving money while backpacking Europe work in Barcelona too. New to hostels? Here’s what Hostelworld is and how it works, or head to the Hostelworld homepage to start searching.
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About the Author
Suzan trained as a chef at Leiths School of Food and Wine in London and worked in kitchens and restaurant management before settling in Barcelona. She uses food as a way to map out the city and her favourite spots offer good value, unique propositions and are the best at whatever they’ve decided to do. You can keep up with her explorations of the city on her blog – Foodieinbarcelona, Facebook, Instagram AND she has just launched an App – Foodie BCN.
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