Tapas, 24

I had a great experience at this place, but be forewarned - I've gotten both very positive and very negative feedback about this restaurant from friends who have given it a try.

Barcelona is full of fantastic places to eat and is the home of many famous, innovative and creative chefs. I lived there for over 20 years and know that friendliness and customer service are very often questionable, to the point where good service is sometimes more of a pleasant surprise than an expectation. Try to start out with a smile! That can really make things a lot nicer.

Anyway, one of these famous chefs is Carles Abellán, and on Saturday we decided to try a tapas restaurant that he opened, not too long ago, on C/ Diputació, close to the corner of Passeig de Gràcia. Olga has been there a couple of times and said “you have to try this!” So, we did. It turned out to be a fantastic idea. This is a place to eat great tapas, with a creative touch, made with the finest ingredients. It’s expensive, but in our case the food was good.

The décor is that of a typical tapas bar – the menus on each table are written on little black boards and are also printed on little paper bags that utensils and napkins are placed on the tables in. Check out the pictures below to see the interior. It’s a little noisy, but that’s part of the charm…

A good sign was the number of people waiting at the door. I always figure if people are willing to wait, it must be good! While we waited we had a “caña” (small draft beer). Nice and cold… After about ten minutes we were seated at a table. The waiter was friendly and made a few recommendations – we ordered a number of tapas including croquetas de jamón ibérico – Croquetes de Pernil Ibèric (Iberian ham croquettes), patatas bravas (fried potatoes with alioli and a spicy pepper sauce), a “Bikini Comerç 24 (a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with truffle for a unique touch) and something I really like – “Ous Estrellats al Gust” fried eggs with potatoes and chorizo and another plate of fried eggs with potatoes and Serrano ham. Light, low cholesterol… whatever, it was fantastic. ;-) Everything just right, the right temperature, just enough salt… served with a smile and a fantastic cold, white Albariño wine from Galicia. Fantastic.

They also have typical desserts found here – crema catalana (like crème brulé), flan, fruit…

A very filling lunch, for four with soft drinks, beer, wine, dessert and coffee came to € 84,-

Next time I'm in Barcelona, I'll give them another try and see how it is. A good reputation is really hard to get and is extremely easy to lose...

Small cozy place, usually hard to find a table to sit at, the bar area you can order food as well but not as comfortable as a table. The food is amazing! The spicy patatas bravas are excellent as well as the tomato with fish roe. For dessert I had a chocolate mousse type dessert which really hit the spot. A great place to go with friends just hang out for a while and enjoy the food. Tapas 24 is located in a great area as well not too far from Las Ramblas El Cortes ingles.

Just had dinner at Tapas 24 last night and was blown away by it. We started with the pan con tomate and found it to be excellent as the flavors were all subtle and not over-powering. Then the Bikini 24, as the other reviewer noted, the addition of truffles to the traditional sandwich made for one of the best flavor combinations I have had. We then had a calamari dish that didn't have any of the grease of the average calamari preparation but was a much more refined version. Throughout the meal I must add that we took advice from our very friendly waitress and she helped us make up our minds on what to order. The meal was timed and coursed perfectly, more like what you expect at a Michelin-starred establishment. Next we had a dish that was made of up onion confit with an olive tapenade with the obligatory drizzling of olive oil. Another winner in our eyes, the dish was very flavorful and well executed. We then had the patatas bravas, and having spent a fair amount of time in Spain and had this dish many times can say that this was absolutely the best patatas bravas I have ever had. Both sauces were excellent and the potatoes were perfectly crispy. Throughout the meal we enjoyed a very affordable bottle of Rioja recommended to us by our waitress. For dessert we tried a chocolate mouse served with olive oil, sea salt, and tiny toast points. This was another great dish that is a bit off the beaten path for a dessert but a combination that works. Overall, one of the best restaurants I have been to. The food, service, atmosphere were all excellent and I would recommend it to anyone foodie going to Barcelona as a not to miss restaurant. Total price for all the food and a bottle of wine was 48 euros, not bad at all!