This is the fifth post in the Hello Barcelona series. Other posts include Cafe Viena, ABaC Restaurant, and Rias de Galicia.
When I asked my chef friend Tracy (who happens to have just soft-opened her own Japanese-Spanish restaurant PAGU in Cambridge this week!) where to dine in Barcelona, she immediately replied “Dos Palillos”. It was by far one of her favorite restaurants in Barcelona. This hot, hard-to-book restaurant from Albert Raurich (former head chef of El Bulli) serves creative dishes that are a fusion of Spanish and Japanese cuisine.
I tried to make a reservation at Dos Palillos within a week of my visit with little luck. Alas, the restaurant was fully booked that evening. However, they cheerfully advised to me (over email) to dine at the bar, which serves the same menu but a la carte style (versus a tasting menu). The bar is first-come-first-serve, and thus if I showed up early (she suggested 7:30PM, right at opening), I should be able to get a seat.
I showed up at around 7:10AM and saw at least two other people waiting in line. By the time the doors opened, there was a sizeable crowd of about 10 people waiting at the door. A handful had reservations, but most were there to nab bar seats. Shortly after 7:30PM, the bar was completely full.
I dined solo because Bryan had a business dinner that night. One the one hand, dining at the bar solo was really special because I ended up chatting quite a bit with those around me. The crowd that dines at Dos Palillos is quite international. Our server said he speaks English 80% of the time. To my left was a woman from Malaysia. To my right was a couple from San Diego. Coincidentally, the husband was attending the same conference Bryan was attending, and the couple’s daughter went to Harvard (which meant we ended up talking at length about the dining scene in Cambridge).
It’s fun to sit at the bar because you always meet interesting people. In most certainly made for a much less lonely night.
On the other hand, dining at the bar meant I couldn’t do the tasting menu. That meant I had to order individual dishes, many of which are designed to be shared. One order of dumplings came with 4 pieces, when I could have easily done with just one. Thankfully all of the dishes are still small plates, and thus I was still able to try many. They recommend ordering 4-6 dishes. I ordered 7 (!) plus sampled a couple bites from those sitting around me (thanks, new friends!).
Here’s a look at some of the fun dishes I tried.
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