On our recent trip to Barcelona, I was starting to feel fatigue. Fatigue from trying to find the perfect restaurants, bars and cafes; fatigue from all the options available in Barcelona. Sometimes all you want is something straight up, simple and delicious. And then we came across La Paradeta.
We had passed by La Paradeta several times as we walked to and from our hotel, but I had never clicked what lay inside. La Paradeta is a chain of self-service seafood restaurants, which started out in 1994 and has now expanded to 7 locations across Barcelona and Sitges. The restaurant near Passeig de Gracia is a flagship location, with a large dining area simply decorated in a blue and white nautical theme. Burnished aluminium tables and chairs maintain the canteen vibe.
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| Langoustines |
The concept is simple. You enter past a glorious large ice counter, brimming with fresh fish, seafood and crustaceans of all forms. There's too much to choose from, but somehow you bring yourself to choose what you want, how much you want and how you want it cooked. It's weighed and sent off to the kitchen, while you add your drink choice and pay up. Then it's a matter of grabbing a table, surrounded by locals enjoying their seafood feasts while you wait for your order number to be shouted from the kitchen.
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| Clams, clams, clams |
First out was a house special dish of octopus, served sliced, drizzled with olive oil and dusted with paprika and salt (€9.90). This was quickly followed by a portion of steamed clams, generously dressed with garlic sauce (€6.99), and a large plate of crispy Andalucian calamari (€10.45). Our last dish was grilled prawns (€9.58), again anointed with lashings of that delicious garlic sauce.
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| Pulpo (octopus) with olive oil and paprika |
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| Clams with lashings of garlic sauce |
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| Andalucian calamari |
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| Grilled prawns with garlic sauce |
This was simple food, but all perfectly cooked and very delicious. We had added a bottle of local white wine from Penedes for the grand total of €8.80 (made from a blend of Spanish grape varieties Macebeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada), and this went down a treat as we wolfed down our seafood selection. All around us, Barcelona families, couples and tourists came and went throughout lunchtime.
All in, our meal cost a grand total of €52.02. La Paradeta isn't going to win any awards or set the world on fire, but at this price, it's a great option for a low key meal in this gastronomic city.
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| Muguet white whine from Penedes |
Tel: +34 930 181 164
URL: www.laparadeta.com
Twitter: @la_paradeta
Instagram: @la_paradeta
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