Spain & France Restaurant Reviews
1. Cera 23 - (Barcelona) the meal deserving of my first food post hehehe!!! The best bite of the trip was in Barcelona, called Cera 23, which was phenomenal. Shout out, Jack, for the find! The service, the drinks (made by the bartender who made it a point to tell us about each of the cocktails🍹), our waiters, and most of all the FOOD made it all such a wonderful experience. We all ordered separately but shared, and thankfully, we all got bites of the foie gras ravioli that Joe ordered. So much about this experience was epic. I got a white fish with kimchi topping that was such a unique mix of flavors and so good, and Jack got squid ink rice. We also got a burrata covered in pesto topping to start which was delicious. THEN at the end of the meal we got a dessert and were given free limoncello, it was awesomeeee. One of our waitresses asked us how we liked our meal and let us know the sauces were all the chefs personal recipes. In another life in rich and famous and they’re my private chef. If you are ever in Barcelona it’s a must try PLEASE🇪🇸
Volcano rice on the top and the foie gras ravioli on the bottom.
2. Momento da Salvo - (Antibes) Next best meal and restaurant! We tried a restaurant the night of our day trip to Antibes called Momento de Salvo. From reviews we kept reading how the owner took great pride in curating his menu around Sicilian cuisine and his passion for his roots. And oh man did we get to witness it. He worked along one other waitress, jointly waiting on about 20 tables like clockwork. They were so kind and so attentive. We decided on a pesto-burrata risotto and an almond-crusted fried sea bass on a bed of greens with a balsamic drizzle. I’ve got to give credit to Joe for ordering the sea bass (and the ravioli at Cera 23). Amazing choices and the sea bass was our next favorite bite after the foie gras ravioli. But also on the best bite list was their homemade focaccia bread and olive oil! Put that olive oil 🫒 on every freakin thang. Also a moment for the wine. We decided we should order a Sicilian wine given the nature of the food, and it was also an affordable option, and woooooow was it good. Perfect pairing and the owner served it to us and let us know it was from his families winery in Sicily. Highly recommend even though it’s currently sold out on the website :0
White fish with almond breading on top and prawn risotto with olive oil and burrata on the bottom.
3. Spaccanapoli - (Barcelona) Pizza, pasta, & red wine! 🍕 🍝 🍷 What an amazing dining experience. Our last night in Barcelona, we walked in without a reservation and must’ve gotten there just in time because as the night went on, the entire restaurant was filled with regulars, friends of the waiters, and tourists. The staff was so kind and so welcoming, and the dinner was so yummy and classic recipes, but done perfectly. Another great stop if you’re ever in Barcelona, but definitely get a reservation if you’re going late at night.
Sausage-truffle pasta on the left and a margarita pizza on the right.
4. La Pachuca - (Barcelona) Amazing Mexican food in Spain! Our first day in Barcelona, we got a suggestion from someone we met at our Hostel to head to another side of town so that we wouldn’t get tourist-trapped, and thank gooooodness we did. After a few winding streets, just wandering around, we came across a more local place and we decided to split tacos and the nachos. What we didn’t expect was their sour cream to be homemade and um heavenlyyyyyyy. My favorite was the tacos 🌮 but Jack and Joe loooved the sour cream so much, I think they’d have bought it in a tub if we had a fridge.
Nachos on the left, enchilada in the middle, and carnitas tacos on the right.
5. Le Poisson Rouge - (Cassis) When you have even a tiny piece of the best steak you’ve ever had, how can that not make it to the top of the list? Our first night in Cassis, France, I found this place tucked away from the port-front restaurants people flocked to for the view, but the restaurant in a little alley was perfect. Even with the heat, the meal was so good, I got a pasta and mussel dish, and I LOVE mussels, so it was one of my favorite meals, and Joe got a T-bone steak 🥩 with potatoes 🥔 that were sooo yummy. And our favorite bite of the night was of the more tender part of the steak, also perfectly seasoned. I would order the exact same in a heartbeat if I go again, which as someone who always likes to try something new, I don’t say often.
T-bone steak on the left, potatoes in the middle, and mussel pasta on the right.
6. Honest Greens - (Barcelona) Shout out to my friend Kora for suggesting Honest Greens, which has a few locations across Spain. We ended up going in Barcelona for lunch, and it was such a good meal. I could have tried everything on the menu, it all sounds sooo good. Everything was incredibly fresh and well-seasoned. We got a salad 🥗 filled with much-needed vegetables and fruit, the watermelon 🍉 was incredible.
Summer watermelon salad with burrata.
