Where to Find the Best Menu del Día in L'Eixample, Barcelona

This cozy bistro-style restaurant is located on a corner on one of L’Eixample‘s typically wide, leafy streets. The restaurant describes itself as a gastro-bar offering ‘gourmet tapas’ and you’ll find a selection of Catalan and Spanish-inspired dishes to share. The menu del día is great value for money, offering the chance to hang out in this hip locale for a very reasonable price.

This stylish modern café is popular for both its mouthwatering brunch offering and its fast, healthy lunchtime menus. The ‘Combi’ menu differs a little from your typical menu del día insofar as diners choose one vegetable based dish, one protein, and one cereal or carbohydrate. There’s always a fish or lean meat, and the kitchen loves grains and legumes as well as seasonal salads and soups. The three dishes are served on one ‘combined’ plate at the same time and the choice is different every day. The menu also includes a drink and dessert and costs €16 (USD$18.70).

This stylish fine dining restaurant is the project of young Catalan chef Àlvar Ayuso. The tasting menus cost around €66 (USD$77), but during the week you can eat at Alvart at lunchtimes for just €23 (USD$27). Expect quality produce and select ingredients prepared with creativity and modern flair according to original recipes. The service is formal but friendly and the dining room makes up what it lacks in natural light by its crisp white décor.

This is the flagship restaurant of the eponymous Grupo Tragaluz, a group of restaurants popular with locals in the city for their reliable but affordable local fare. Tragaluz is located just off the glamorous Passeig de Gràcia and is ideal for grabbing lunch between shops. The bright upstairs dining room boasts a large glass ceiling, and service is professional and efficient.

This very popular tapas restaurant offers cheap and cheerful Spanish fare which locals know and love. The menu features classic Catalan and Spanish dishes such as patatas bravas, grilled prawns, Russian salad (a type of potato and mayo salad) and grilled meats. The menu del día costs just under €15 (USD$17.50) per person, and has around five different options for both starter and main.

Located on the charming Enric Granados street, famous for its art galleries, La Polpa is a casual but stylish Spanish restaurant run by the local group Andilana. The menu is modern Spanish fare with touches of foreign influence such as the popular teriyaki tuna steak. The lunchtime menu costs just €11.45 (USD$13.40) per person and comes with a drink and dessert, with dishes changing weekly. The dining room is pleasantly decorated, with tall ceilings and white linen tablecloths adding a touch of elegance.

This bright, modern restaurant is located under the roof of the El Ninot fresh food market and is inspired by the fresh, local produce for sale on the market’s stalls. The kitchen prepares modern Catalan cuisine, including such dishes as arròs or the local variant of paella, steak tartare and chips, salads and fish stews. The large dining area’s contemporary design is spacious but stylish with light wood furniture and counter seating around the open kitchen.