The best brunch in Barcelona

Ever since brunch came into fashion in Barcelona, reams have been written on the subject. In a city where people are used to eating their desayuno mid-morning in the office with their colleagues, and where lunch is a drawn-out affair that takes place relatively late in the day compared to other cultures, brunch has been a natural hit. We don’t presume to have tried all the brunch restaurants in Barcelona, but here are a few classic favourites.

Brunch in El Eixample

Brunch in Sant Antoni

Brunch in Sant Gervasi

The best places for brunch in each area

Best brunch in all of Barcelona/Gràcia – Timeline Bar

Timeline offers an all-you-can-eat brunch buffet, so the only thing that can be said about portion size is that you can eat as much or as little as you prefer. The quality of the buffet is exceptional, with sweet and savoury delights such as muffins, fresh fruit skewers, yoghurt, crudités, fresh lemonade, tomato chutney and so on. The 18€ per head price also includes two hot tapas from the menu – including brunch favourites such as eggs benedict, potato wedges with ham and cheese and bagels – as well as pancakes for desert. And Buck’s Fizz (aka “mimosa”). Make sure you’re hungry!

The restaurant is a little small, but the upside of this is its cosy, intimate feel. They do also take bookings, so if in doubt you can call in beforehand.

Providència 3. Open from weeknights 7pm – 2/3am; Saturdays 12pm-3pm; Sundays 12pm-2pm. Tel 932 17 79 38.

Best Brunch in El Born – Picnic

Picnic (El Born) is, definitively, a very fashionable place to have brunch. From cocktails (alcoholic and virgin) served in jam-jar glasses to nile green walls and quinoa croquettes, Picnic pulls in a crowd from far and wide.

The menu includes brunch classics with a slight twist, such as huevos rancheros, eggs benedict with salmon, cheesecake, strawberry crumble and aforesaid quinoa croquettes. It’s all handmade and all completely delicious. To give you an idea of prices, pancakes cost around €7.50, eggs benedict 12-13€ and a cheesecake 4€. So it’s not cheap, but if you take into account the location (right in the centre) and the quality of the food (very high), it positions well on the price/quality/location triangle.

It’s placed between the Parc de la Ciutadella and the Santa María del Mar cathedral, so don’t be surprised to see a fair few tourists here (although no more than anywhere else in this part of town).

As well as eating, Picnic is a great place to get up to speed with what’s currently fashionable. Statement sunglasses abound! Not one for wallflowers, however, we found it a little on the noisy side (although must be said that we did try it out at peak time on Saturday). Remarkably friendly, attentive waiting staff despite the business.

Comerç 1. Open on weekdays from 1pm – 4pm; Tuesday to Saturday from 8pm – 12.30am; Satudays and Sundays from 11.30am – 5pm. Tel 93 511 66 61.

Best brunch in Poblenou – Can Dendê

Can Dendê opened in early 2015, and it seems to have been a hit – and rightly so. From perfect eggs benedict with homemade “Ruffles” chips to unusual fruit juice cocktails (with or without alcohol), every detail is lovingly taken care of – right down to the froth on your cappuccino. With an outdoor terrace and cosy indoor area (with some good tunes on the stereo), it’s the perfect spot for a weekend brunch. There’s also a weekday set menu for €11.50. It’s small and you can’t book, so make sure you get here before or after peak times of 1.30 – 3pm to avoid a long wait. Then go to the beach and watch the sun go down.

Ciutat de Granada 44. Open every day (except Wednesday) until 5pm. Tel 646 32 55 51.

Brunch, Can Dendê (Poblenou)

Best brunch in the centre of Barcelona – Brunch & Cake

Bagels, caramel lattes, poached eggs, oreo cakes, toast, pancakes… Brunch & Cake was one of the first cafés to jump on the brunch bandwagon, and it must be said that they do so very well indeed. The leisurely, pedestrianised Enric Granados street is also a natural place to do so.

Depending on what you order, you’ll end up spending between €5-15. As well as the food, Brunch & Cake sells a really good coffee, making it the perfect destination for fighting out a morning hangover.

Brunch & Cake has now become a classic in Barcelona, and is a place of reference if you’re after a mid-morning bite with a friend in the area. If you’re really hungry, bear in mind that they don’t take bookings, so on busy days you might have to wait for a table. If you can get it, there is also outdoor seating in the street. In fact, it seems things have gone so well for them that they’ve opened another Brunch & Cake in calle Rosselló, which is normally slightly less full.

Brunch & Cake (Center/Eixample)

Enric Granados 19 and Rosselló 189. Open every day from 9am – 10pm. Tel 93 200 28 72.

Best brunch in Eixample – Copasetic

If Brunch & Cake is full up or simply too crowded for your liking, hop down to baroque brunch joint Copasetic a couple of streets away. You’ll find all the modern classics (eggs benedict, crepes, salads) with a healthy twist and more reasonable prices than more highly frequented areas. As well as a couple of pieces of art on the walls from the various exhibitions held here. And yes, you can book in advance.

Highly recommended: the Greek brunch, which contains yoghurt, eggs and feta, toast, potatoes, coffee and juice for under €10. If you’re here during the week, order a hamburger and you’ll get drinks included for free. And if you last until evening, also make sure you stick around for a few gin & tonics.

Diputació 55. Closed on Mondays and Sunday evenings. Tel 93 532 76 66.

Eggs benedict in Copasetic

Best brunch in Sant Antoni – Federal Café

El Federal, in the trendy c/Parlament, offers a varied mix of brunch options, with a couple of weird and wonderful fashionable ingredients on the menu such as chia seeds and dhuka. In terms of brunch and breakfast dishes, your main alternatives are croissants, cereal, toast, hamburgers and eggs, served in a variety of styles and with a huge range of accompaniments, from grilled halloumi to avocado and bacon. A main dish will set you back around €7-€9, depending on what you order and what you put on top of it.

To drink, there’s a decent selection of smoothies and juices as well as alcoholic drinks, making it another great place to recover from the night before.

As if the food isn’t enough, the venue itself is a good reason to come here. Furnished with wooden floors, large tables and comfortable cushions, it spreads over two floors and a rooptop terrace at the top. You can also perch on the porch outside.

Parlament 39. Open from weekendays 8am – 12am (1am on Friday nights), Saturdays 9am – 1am and Sundays 9am – 5.30pm. Tel 931 87 36 07

The best brunch in Sant Gervasi: Meatpacking Bistro

The Meatpacking Bistro is one of Barcelona’s classic brunch destinations. From €15-20 you can really go to town with large portions and a variety of twists on typical New York style brunch dishes such as nachos, huevos rancheros and eggs benedict to choose from (try the Lemon Pie for dessert).

You’ll find something for all tastes: the convivial atmosphere makes this a space that’s apt for families as well as avant-garde groups of friends. From the decor to the dishes, if we could sum up the Meatpacking Bistro in two words they would be: “impeccable taste”.

Travessera de Gràcia 50. Closed on Sunday evenings and weekends before 11.30. Tel: 932 008 908.

Brunch in the Meatpacking Bistro

Most original brunch – Avenue Bar

Avenue bar is, hands-down, one of the quirkiest places to eat in Barcelona. From the miniature train that parades around the coving to the bill that comes in a tiny shopping trolley, it’s a place that is clearly the fruit of years of dreaming and imagination.

Fortunately, it’s not just about the décor. A variety of brunch classics – we ordered eggs benedict and bagels – are on sale, and the food in general (unlike the surroundings) is simple and elegantly made. As well as tables, there’s comfortable sofas you can sit on near the front of the bar for a good yarn, as well as an upstairs terrace that is one of the best-kept secrets of Gràcia (ok, not so secret anymore). You may have to pay a small member’s fee to be able to access it.

Avenue Bar also holds events such as “Social Sunday” (all-you-can-eat buffet at €10, come dressed according to your romantic status) and music concerts, making this a great place to meet people as well as bringing those you already know and love. Last but not least, big shout-out to our waitress, who was unbelievably chirpy for a Saturday morning

Torrent de l’Olla 159. Open from weekendays 6.30am – 2pm, Saturdays 11.30am – 3pm. Tel 931 40 01 96.