ABaC
Jordi Cruz's three-star flagship in an uptown garden estate
Quiet uphill former villages of leafy streets, old parish cores and unhurried residential life.
Up in the higher, quieter part of the city, Sant Gervasi and Sarrià were villages absorbed by Barcelona's expansion and still keep a residential calm distinct from the centre. Sarrià in particular retains a small-town core, with its parish church, narrow old streets and a pastry shop tradition that locals defend fiercely. The wider area mixes early-twentieth-century villas, leafy avenues and good neighbourhood restaurants away from the tourist routes. It is where the city slows down and breathes, with the Collserola hills rising just behind.
6 places
Jordi Cruz's three-star flagship in an uptown garden estate
Belle-epoque grand classic where moneyed Barcelona has dined since 1967
Michelin-starred restaurant-school with an open kitchen of chefs in training
Oriol Ivern's quietly inventive modern-Catalan room since 2001
Seasonal Catalan small plates with a coveted garden terrace in Sarria
Sarria's no-nonsense temple to the city's best patatas bravas
1 place