🎧 Discover Barcelona on your own schedule with an expert in your ear with audio guides 🎧

Barcelona Tapas Food Tour

Explore Catalan Tapas culture in one of Barcelona's vibrant neighborhoods
From US$222 privately
Book a Tour
Tour Details
Duration
3 hours
Product Type
Tour
Venues
Various Restaurants in Poble-Sec
Photos & Highlights
  • Barcelona tapas tour led by a culinary expert or chef
  • Learn about local tapas tradition and enjoy ample tastings
Select a date
Tour Description
Spain is synonymous with tapas, but are tapas a culinary tradition of the fervently nationalistic region of Catalonia? Long before the Andalusians from the south brought their gazpacho and the hot new chefs were topping tapas with wasabi, there was a local tradition of “pica-pica,” or enjoying some nibbles over a glass of vermouth before a meal. On this 3-hour Barcelona tapas tour, our expert guide, a culinary insider or chef, will shine light on this tradition, taking us on a delectable tour of top tapas purveyors around the trendy, up-and-coming Poble-Sec area. Together, we will reveal the basis of Catalan tapas and see how they have evolved with the influence of the rest of Spain and its recent avant-garde culinary movements.

Barcelona Tapas Tour in Poble Sec

To picar in Catalan, means to eat small portions of different types of food, such as olives, croquettes, cheese, or fuet sausage. Ideal places for this are the bodegues, Catalan “taverns.” We will begin our mouth-watering small group or private tour in a Poble-Sec tavern. Settling in at a traditional-style (though modern) bodega, we will learn the basics, and possibly even make our own pa amb tomaquet (tomato bread), to be sampled with a variety of cheeses and locally produced vermouth. While this traditional Spanish libation has remained a local favorite, vermouth has enjoyed a recent resurgence outside of Spain thanks to the craft cocktail movement, inspiring the rest of the world to sit up and take note. This sweet, fortified wine is traditionally enjoyed over ice, and pairs well with Catalan tapas. 

Tapas Tastings with an Expert

Following our introduction to Barcelona's approach to tapas, we will then head to one or two other local spots, perhaps one where the friendly owner puts an innovative twist on favorites such as bomba, potato balls with spicy meat. Along the way, we might find daily specials which could be topped with caramelized onions and delicate blue cheese or homemade tomato jam and fava beans, allowing us to start to see how the chefs of today are experimenting. We might also stop in at the neighborhood favorite “Quimet y Quimet.” The current owners are the fourth generation proprietors, serving up possibly the world’s best montaditos, or small sandwiches. We will taste for ourselves their wonderful made-to-measure creations.
"Our tour was fabulous. Our guide knew the history and food of Barcelona, and her knowledge was unbelievable. We visited several food venues that were different and unusual. We would have never found these on our own. She asked us what we liked and did not like, but we trusted her to order for us so as to expand our experience."

Tapas Tour Take Aways

Our final spot will highlight Barcelona as a cosmopolitan city. Over the last century, people from all parts of Spain, especially Galicia and Andalusia, flocked to Barcelona in search of work, bringing their culinary traditions along with them. We may stop in at a hip Basque bar serving up seasonal pintxos, tapas on bread, traditionally from the region on the opposite side of the country, which now rivals Catalonia's once steadfast hold on the contemporary food scene. This will give us the opportunity to discuss how these outside elements are shaping Barcelona today, creating fusion approaches to classic favorites. Regardless if you take the Barcelona tapas tour as a private or small group experience, we'll part ways full of knowledge and locally made tapas. 

Booking Instructions

This walk is adaptable for anyone with allergies or other dietary restrictions. Please indicate these in the notes when booking so your guide can be prepared.

Looking for more Barcelona bites? Try our Barcelona Food Tour in the famous La Boqueria Market.

FAQ about the Barcelona Tapas Tour

This tour takes place around dinner time. Will the tapas tastings be enough for dinner?
The various tastings on the tour are significant and can be considered a replacement for a sit-down meal.

I'll be going to Madrid after my time in Barcelona. Do you have any tapas tours there?
In Madrid you may like our tour Savoring Madrid: Tavernas and Tapas.

I have dietary restrictions. Can I take this tour? 
We will do our best to accommodate you if you are on a small group tour by ordering appropriate items. However, taking a private tour would allow us to tailor even more fully to your needs. Please note that we cannot guarantee that the foods prepared in restaurant kitchens will not be subject to cross-contamination.
Where You'll Start
168 Reviews (4.8)

Reviews can only be left by Context customers after they have completed a tour. For more information about our reviews, please see our FAQ.

What a treat to spend the evening with Alessandro enjoying some of HIS favorite spots. The history and culinary context he provided was universally appreciated by everyone in our group. Thank you.
When we travel, a highlight is to learn about foods local to the area. Our first evening in Barcelona, we enjoyed a tasty tapas tour! Esther taught us much that we needed to know to order tapas and vermouth during our entire stay in the city. She was engaging, friendly and very knowledgable about the food and the history behind it. We were able to try a variety of traditional items at a series of three wonderful restaurants. Everything was delicious, we enjoyed our time with Esther and we would recommend this tour to anyone!
She was great…she taught us a lot. Explained Tapas to us & we tried new & exciting foods. Plus she was able to find things that my grandchildren would eat.

Taste Barcelona with Context

Get to know one of the chefs leading this tour

Meet Teresa