Boo in Barcelona - Cal Pep

I've just got back from a 6 day trip to Barcelona and the place I was most hyped about visiting was Cal Pep.  We stayed in the Born district of the city and our hotel was a convenient 5 minute walk from Cal Pep.

They're closed on Saturday night, all day Sunday and Monday lunchtimes so be smart and arrive early, or expect to queue.  You can book for tables of 4 or more, but the front area of the restaurant, where it's the most fun, is reserved for diners in pairs who haven't booked and seating is stools around a long bar which overlooks the kitchen.

We had to queue for around 30 minutes, think Barrafina in terms of food and dining experience.  We drank some estrella whilst we waited and observed the show.  This is a tourist destination, and people seemed very confused and unfamiliar with the queuing system. 

Once we were seated we opted for a selection of tapas, chosen for us by the waiter. Here's what we had:-

Pan con tomate (€2.30) Classic Spanish tomato bread

Llangueta ou (€13.10) Deepfried tiny fish with a fried egg chopped into it

Cloises (€13.35)  Clams with ham and a white wine sauce, my dish of the night

Tartar de tonyina (€15.80)  Tuna tartar with crunchy toasted bread and sesame seeds

Truita trempera (€6.90)  Chorizo and potato tortilla, seriously good

The bill with a few top ups of the estrella came to just short of €70 which I felt was a lot given that we only had 5 dishes.  What I do love about the place though is the atmosphere, it feels really fun to be here.  The service is merely adequate, given the required quick turnaround, it's not a place to linger and at times it feels like a bit of a factory, but the food is good and I've been thinking about the sauce with those clams ever since I tried it.  Not as good as I'd hoped it would be but I'd definitely recommend it and would certainly return.

Cal Pep

Plaća de les Olles, 8
08003 Barcelona
7/10