This was, by far, my favorite dining experience in Barcelona. Arcano is located in the Barri Gotic and about a five minute walk from the cathedral. Down a little side-street, you will find an interesting-looking building that was built in the 1600s and originally used as a stable. Stepping into the restaurant, you feel like you’re stepping back in time. It has an almost cave-like atmosphere with walls made of rough stone, arched doorways, and dark ceilings – but instead of feeling claustrophobic, it’s just plain awesome. The service and food were both outstanding, and I am hoping to get back there someday!
You know I’m not usually one for wasting valuable stomach space on things like salad, but the one on the menu here sounded too good (and just unhealthy enough) to pass up. It was a delicious warm spinach salad made with bacon, shaved parmesan, nuts, dried fruit and a homemade balsamic dressing:
For my entrée, I had a delectable, melt-in-your-mouth solomillo(filet). Arcano imports their meats from Argentina, and they are vacuum-packed to preserve the taste and quality. Cooked in a special oven/grill called a Josper, the steak they brought me was cooked to a perfect medium-rare and seasoned beautifully. I honestly don’t think I have had a better tasting filet in my whole life. The picture really doesn’t do it justice at all, so you’ll just have to take my word for it and then go try it for yourself!
My mom and aunt both had the entrecôte, and proclaimed it delicious:
Now, for the pièce de résistance: dessert. I had an outstanding milhojas with dulce de leche. It. Was. Amazing. Mere words cannot adequately describe how good it was, but, in this case, I think the picture does give you a good idea:
The restaurant gets pretty crowded, and you’ll likely have to wait for a table if you don’t either get there early or make a reservation (you can make one online on the restaurant’s website). But even if you do have to wait, you can pass the time having a drink or two (or three or four…I don’t judge!) at the bar. We had a bottle of Rioja with dinner and it went down very easily, to say the least.
Service was impeccable. Our waiter was friendly, funny and spoke excellent English (he was cute, too, which never hurts). For the quality of food, service and atmosphere, the prices are extremely reasonable. The restaurant also offers free wi-fi if you want to upload pictures of your meal to Instagram and make all of your friends jealous.
Honestly, if you go to Barcelona and don’t go to Arcano, you are really missing out!
Carrer dels Mercaders, 10, Barcelona
+93 295 6467
Open Monday – Saturday from 1:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.
Open Sunday from 7:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.
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