We will be landing on Christmas Day in Barcelona on a red eye. I think making dinner reservations (early in the day @ 6:00 or 7:00 p.m.) would be wise. I know that not much will be open, so I need your help. December 26 might also be tricky. We are a family of eight. We have rented an apartment in the Eixample area. We will not want a formal Christmas dinner as we will be jet lagged. Suggestions?
TIA.
Posted by
Surrey, UK
608 posts
I have usually googled "restaurants (or tapas bars) open on 25 December" when I've been away, and a good list with map usually comes up. There should be a good selection as Christmas Day and 26th are not the main holiday (5/6 January)
Posted by
Barcelona (Catalonia)
3306 posts
Can’t really be of much help on this one, sorry.
Just a few things to keep in mind:
Traditionally, in Catalonia, Christmas lunch on the 25th is the main meal of the whole holiday season — unlike the Spaniards, who have the big event in the dinner on the 24th — and it was always a family meal at home.
In recent decades, though, the faster pace of everyday life has led many families to go out instead. That way, they don’t have to worry about all the prep work (which can be long and tedious, especially if you want to make the typical dishes like escudella and carn d’olla), and the whole thing, including the long after-lunch family chats, becomes a bit more streamlined.
As a result, there’s now a huge demand for restaurant tables on that day, especially in Barcelona, even though prices easily double or triple compared to a normal holiday.
- In the evening of any day, most restaurant kitchens won’t open before 8 or 8:30 pm. The ones that serve dinner at 6 or 7 — generally speaking — aren’t that great. I mean, sure, there are exceptions, but they tend to be more “mass catering” kind of places, if you know what I mean.
- As explained, the main celebration on the 25th is at lunchtime, so many restaurants close for the rest of the day once lunch service ends.
- Many restaurants are small, family-run places. And, of course, the owners also want to follow tradition and have Christmas lunch with their families, so quite a few restaurants stay closed that day.
The only two things that come to mind are: make your reservation as early as possible, especially if you’re a big group, and start your search either on https://www.timeout.com/barcelona/restaurants or on https://www.thefork.com/search?cityId=41710&cc=16774-c1d&cc=16774-c1d&gad
Posted by
OP
1405 posts
Thanks Enric and Lin C. I've begun searching for tapas from the link Enric provided. I think it may be more likely we'll be able to eat there before 8:00 or 8:30 when we might want to be asleep or just lounging. We have rented an apartment on Pg. de St. Joan which is supposed to have plenty of options according to the owner, but I like getting recommendations on the Forum.