Tucked away in the Eixample District is a gem of a tapas bar. We are not talking run-of-the-mill, tourist trap, 99 cent tapas encompassing a stale piece of bread with an anchovy on top. No, these are high-end, haute cuisine tapas that will make your palette sing and induce your tongue to dance Flamenco inside your mouth.
The name of the restaurant is Paco Meralgo, which at first glance will make one think it is named after a man. However, the name is a play on words, and if you jumble the two together [pacomeralgo], it sounds like an Andalusian saying “something to eat”. It’s genius - really.
These arent your cheap tapas, either, these may set you back a few euros. However, the food is well worth it. In fact, on a recent visit to the restaurant, we were told to arrive an hour late because the Prince of Spain and his wife Leticia had not yet finished their meal. The location is very small, and tight, and the restaurant is always bulging at the seams with people. Make sure to call ahead, or go at low meal times in Barcelona, avoiding the 2 to 4 and 9 to 11 lunch and dinner rushes. The decor is minimalist, and the centerpiece of the restaurant is a huge “U”- shaped bar where you can sit looking at all the fresh seafood and vegetables while the waiters and cooks make fun of the way you are dressed, or beat each other over the shoulders with loaves of bread regarding a soccer dispute. Half the waiters are fans of Real Madrid and the other half are fans of Barca…. this can create a conflictive environment that includes the hurling of bread.
The environment is VERY yuppy. Be aware that you are going to where the upper-crust of Catalan society dines for a quick bite, and you will be surrounded by a sea of Polo Ralph Laurens, with a brigade of Porsche Cayennes double-parked outside. That said, the atmosphere is friendly yet loud and cramped, but the food is a new take on tapas, and well worth the effort.
Carrer Muntaner 171
Metro: Hospital Clinic, Line 1
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