Els 4 Gats

Love the atmosphere! Service is quite busy though. If you expect a quite and nice place this is not the case.

Oyster is something must try.

Atmosphere is awesome, slightly disappointing that two of the specials weren't available for lunch but all meals were good. The beef cheek, octopus, and chicken were all excellent. Nice touch with anchovies and pepper as a snack.

The atmosphere is great but that is where the good things about it end. The food was awful, the best thing we ordered was the salad that was just a standard fresh salad. The servers were pushy clearly trying to upsell the most expensive items on the menu. This was our most expensive and disappointing meal of our trip.

The food was even worse. There were 5 people in our group and no one was happy with what they ordered. The steak was so fatty and tough that it was hard to cut, and 3/4 was left uneaten. The tuna was a weird unnatural texture. The paella wasn't bad it just wasn't what we ordered.

Great setting especially once the piano player began playing after 8:00. Food was only ok. Chicken in the bone is dark meat and tasted fine but came with nothing but sauce. Paella/ Rice with vegetables had tiny diced veggies when I was expecting larger veggies mixed in, like an entree. I would not go back except maybe for a glass of wine to enjoy the music but you really can't do that as they probably expect guests to eat. Even the apple pie with custard dessert was underwhelming.. really no custard or pie! not sure how that even happens. It is a cool historical building.

This place is MAGICAL!! The sardines were perfect, and the croquetas de bacalao are something that none of us will ever forget! To top it off, our server Sherry (Sheryl?) couldn't have been more attentive or kinder to our toddler!

"Checked out 4 Gats in Barcelona! Food was good, but didn't blow me away - solid flavors but not mind-blowing. Props to the service though, they were on it! Still debating if it's more of a touristy vibe or a hidden local spot. Overall, a decent eatery worth trying, just don't expect a culinary masterpiece. Nice highlight is that Picasso did his first exhibition there.

I was in Barcelona 20 years ago and a highlight of the trip was eating at Els 4 Gats, in the heart of the gothic quarter. Our table was right next to a Picasso painting. It was incredible to dine where so many artists were inspired. I loved it just as much this trip. Worth every penny for the experience!

Delicious paella! Great atmosphere. We had a reservation but it looked like there were some empty tables.

This is a beautiful and historic tapas bar in a lively neighborhood of Barcelona. Characters like Gaudi and Picasso were regulars here! The food and drinks are great and standard for the area. We were seated quickly when we walked in on a weekday afternoon. It is pretty touristy and the servers seem busy and didn't check on us much.

What an appropriately funky spot. We'd kinda been avoiding it as too touristy, but we had wonderful service above of the best lamb dishes we've every had in our lives.

This menu isn't traditionally Catalan, but one can only eat so much jamon and croquettes. We got a lovely steak and an out of this world lamb shank, but not until after we had the caramelized aubergine that made Brian actually say "Oh my God..." (And eggplant isn't his main jam usually.) Also tasty was the red pesto and prawn pasta.

We had a great bottle of red wine for an incredibly reasonable price. We heard a little live piano music. We met other tables when they ordered huge dishes as well. (The portion sizes are more American than European!)

Would totally recommend the experience.